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Test Drive Unlimited 2

We're going to Ibiza!

Beautiful islands in the sun and luxurious cars are what's on offer in Eden Games' Test Drive Unlimited 2. We went to Barcelona to find out more...

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At Namco Bandai's Level Up event in Barcelona Test Drive Unlimited 2 is on full display. Nour Polloni, senior producer, is in charge of the presentation and two of her colleagues are seated behind her with 360 controllers in their hands demoing the game. Polloni identifies five central verbs that define the game - connect, customise, race, socialise and explore. Test Drive Unlimited 2 refines the concept from the original game and with a few nice additions.

Test Drive Unlimited 2

The first and most obvious news is that we start our journey from beginner to king of the road on Ibiza, the holiday island most of us associate with wild parties and booming dance music. Test Drive Unlimited 2 will let you see another side of Ibiza, the beautiful landscapes and winding roads, and you will have to provide the noise with your engine. As was the case with Test Drive Unlimited, the developers have used real world satellite photos to recreate Ibiza. I asked Nour Polloni about the decision to go with Ibiza:

We wanted something that was both similar and different from Hawaii in the first game and the hot, dry climate of the Mediterranean felt like a good idea. Ibiza has almost everything: desert, forests, fields, and towns with historical buildings. To this we have added 380 square kilometres with 930 kilometres of road.

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But you will also get an opportunity to return to Hawaii in Test Drive Unlimited 2, and for those who loved Hawaii from the first game, the new Hawaii will be a nice reacquaintance. The challenges have been placed in new spots, we have improved the graphics and integrated a day-an-night cycle into the game, and added 600 kilometres of asphalt and dirt roads.

Test Drive Unlimited 2

It's not all about racing and roads in Test Drive Unlimited 2, much like in the original a lot of emphasis has been put on the social component - finding races online, create your own races and challenge your friends. Eden Games call it "the ultimate social racing game" and show us pictures of jacuzzis, yachts and even social car shopping as examples of this. Everything should be a realistic and social experience, when you buy a car you don't just pick what you want from a menu but you go to a car dealer, try the seats and bring a friend along to help you decide what to get. The clubs where we could trade our rides and compete in organised races make a return.

The idea with the clubs are that players can meet each other in different spots and race, but there is also a co-operative element now where players work towards a common goal. It works much like a clan or a guild in an online game and you can both create and join these, says Nour Polloni.

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Once you have joined a club, you and your mates can challenge one another or race against other clubs. As your team competes you gain money and experience points. The club becomes fancier, bigger and equipped with a garage where exclusive cars will appear.

You start out with weaker cars during the first few hours of Test Drive Unlimited 2 and work your way towards more elite vehicles. Out on the roads you can also find wrecks of old cars that can be restored. To start out modestly is a proven concept, but what about players such as myself with a limited amount of patience at our disposal? Nour Polloni explains:

- We want you to experience a luxurious lifestyle in Test Drive Unlimited 2, but its also about the journey there. You won't have access to the most outrageous cars immediately, but not too late either. Hopefully it will take you a few hours to unlock some really cool cars, and perhaps ten hours to gain access to the most exclusive Ferraris.

Test Drive Unlimited 2

You can pimp your cars according to personal taste and during the presentation Nour Polloni shows us some examples of this in the garage. A Ferrari F439 Scuderia gets a fun, but rather tacky treatment from Nour as its painted pink and given tribal patterns. By the tires she places cartoon sharks that seem to nibble at the rubber. The result may be sacrilegious, but gives us an example of the level of customisation available.

Once on the road, the cars will be subject to the wear and tear of rain, mud, fender benders and crashes. With your top off the seat next to you will get wet, but rain can also keep your car clean. A lot of work has gone into making each car feel unique.

- The way we have reworked the characteristics of the cars is very exciting. It has to do with both appearances and performance. Naturally we have designed the cars in great detail, to make the look as good as possible. Each car has has its own personality, traits and this is what I fun most exciting in all of Test Drive Unlimited 2. Personally I have a thing for Mustangs, a proper muscle car is fun to drive and pull off crazy drifts with, says Nour Polloni.

Test Drive Unlimited 2

The best case scenario is that Test Drive Unlimited 2 becomes the free roaming racing game we have all been hoping for, spared from the mistakes of the original. At the event in Barcelona it was also revealed that the game will have extensive DLC support, and that the nature of the content will be determined by feedback from players.

Watching your in-game avatar in line at the airport or hanging out in a club or at the car dealer may not be want what you average speed demon craves, but the social aspects of the game look crisp and may strike a chord with the "Facebook generation" that Eden Games speak of. And for those of us who just enjoy racing there is an almost infinite miles of open road, online challenges and a vast selection of cars to sample. Everything looks great at this point with the exception of that pink Ferrari.

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