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Is Test Drive Unlimited Really THAT Good?!

KLEJ Gaming

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#testdriveunlimited #xbox360 #tdu

Today we are looking at Test Drive Unlimited, the fantastic open world racer from Eden Games and Atari that launched all the way back in 2006! This is a deep dive that aims to answer the question - is it really that good?

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Additional Footage Sources -

"Test Drive 1 (1987) Full Game Walkthrough PC/DOS" from Rusted Show - Test Drive 1 (1987) Full Game Walkthrough ...

"Test Drive 2 - The Duel (1989) Full Game Walkthrough PC/DOS" from Rusted Show - Test Drive 2 - The Duel (1989) Full Game W...

"The PS1 Racer That Tried TOO Hard [Test Drive 4]" from KLEJ Gaming - The PS1 Racer That Tried TOO Hard [Test Dr...

"Test Drive 5 PS1 Gameplay HD (Beetle PSX HW)" from xTimelessGaming - Test Drive 5 PS1 Gameplay HD (Beetle PSX HW)

"Test Drive 6 PS1 Gameplay HD (Beetle PSX HW)" from xTimelessGaming - Test Drive 6 PS1 Gameplay HD (Beetle PSX HW)

"PS1 - Test Drive Le Mans - Gameplay" from Levan - PS1 - Test Drive Le Mans - Gameplay

"Test Drive (2002) @ 4K 60FPS Playthrough Pt. 8" from TheGreatNexus 420 - Test Drive (2002) @ 4K 60FPS Playthrough P...

"Test Drive: Eve of Destruction Gameplay (Xbox) No Commentary" from Game Footage Archive - Test Drive: Eve of Destruction Gameplay (X...

"(PSP) Test Drive Unlimited - Super Car Series Race 5 with Saleen S7 Twin Turbo - Gameplay 60 FPS" from Zegaly - (PSP) Test Drive Unlimited - Super Car Ser...

I do not own the rights to this game or any other content within the video
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)

20 Comments

@fabiodelc 3 months ago

At the time, this game gave off a next-gen feeling, like we were experiencing the future of gaming. The giant map that zoomed back to the car was sensational.

@AdmiralSkeret 3 months ago

One of the very best racing games around TDU 1. The fact this came out on technology from 2006 is a testament to the development team.

@TeoR69 3 months ago

The OG Forza Horizon

@sneakycove 3 months ago

watching this video after going back and trying Solar Crown again was a depression speedrun. It blows my mind again and again how these people that get ahold of these franchises can almost never figure out why people loved them.

@thegamingmanatee6803 3 months ago

This game with the Platinum mod and a wheel is peak relaxation when cruising around. Also grew up with the game on 360 and the Xbox wheel they had at the time. Game holds a deep place in my heart.

@jonathanhendra3944 3 months ago

During that time, it even had one of the largest open world areas for a racing game.

@Cakebattered 3 months ago

I use to describe TDU 1 as a Car Collector Simulator with racing elements. I converted more than a few non-gamers to play it with that description. Also the real world map was quite impressive at the time, especially if you actually visited Oahu at the time. GTA Online is the closest modern replacement.

@4wd_and_riffs 3 months ago

The most special part about TDU was that sickening blue bloom in the sky. Absolutely loved it.

@STRIDER_503 3 months ago

EDEN Games really showed the world what you can REALLY DO in a racing game. Playing TDU back in the days felt SO refreshing, that you could just forget about all its shortcomings and have a blast with it. The only other racing game that ever went toe-to-toe with TDU in term of gameplay is probably The Crew 2.

@cdjxman 3 months ago

Test Drive 5 was great, but Unlimited 1 and 2 is what I play nowadays (love that open world)

@NaufalHS 3 months ago

Yessss, finally you talking about TDU again after a while, but instead it's also its PC and Xbox 360 version, KLEJ... 🔥🔥

@D3lor34n 2 months ago (edited)

I distinctly remember the PC version had a custom radio, where you could throw mp3s into a folder and listen to it through the ingame radio. That made it even better, since you had this feeling of owning cars you worked for, driving whereever you want and listen to your favorite soundtrack as well. /edit even better, you could have FOUR custom radio stations.

@JimBarrett-oy1ij 3 months ago

I remember taking my 360 round to my mate's house, and, when I misjudged a corner, clouted a passerby and the police dispatcher says, "All Adam units, be on the lookout for a Noble, driver has priors for traffic offences"... We laughed and laughed 😂

@SteveBrandon 3 months ago

One of my favourite things to do in the original Test Drive Unlimited, both on PS2 and on XBox, was "silly hillclimbing", seeing how far I could climb the mountains in cars absolutely not meant for hillclimbing (i.e. the Mercedes-Benz 300SL) to the point that I remember climbing mountains more than the actual racing, not that I don't still play it occasionally for the racing.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 would improve the off-road driving and added mountain trails to the original Oahu map but one thing TDU 2 didn't have was the classical music station, pretty much the only radio station that I ever listened to. Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" should be standard in all open world racing games as it makes the exploration aspect feel so much more epic.

@MadmanLooney 3 months ago

EoD is still one of best racing games

@5british5 3 months ago

I had a cracked version of tdu and liked it so much I ended up buying it a little while after .

When I was bombing down the highway and 4 other guys showed up and we just cruised it seemed unreal .

@boblikepie 3 months ago

TDU on PSP was great

@TommyCrosby 3 months ago

I remember playing this game, trully loved the concept of driving around like a vacation. It was so novel at the time that I really spent more time as "just traveling". I didn't like doing races tho which is hilarious for a racing game.

@ClassicSonicSatAm 3 months ago (edited)

Man this game was so ahead for it's time and still impressive today, remember loving the idea from the start, a massive open world island with luxury cars old and new for the time it really felt like a dream vacation unlike Forza Horizon, even Test Drive Unlimited on psp while lack features from the 360 version such as 1st person mode, character customise it was a lot of fun and impressive for a handheld to a whole island to drive around with tons of cars, think it's exclusive feature of having clubs for certain kinds of cars was great too this wasn't in the 360 or pc versions love also you could unlock motorbikes once you found all the dealerships, something Gran Turismo and Forza both lack even today.