Revisited: Test Drive Unlimited 2

I was a huge fan of "Test Drive Unlimited" (TDU) when it was launched back in 2006. While far from perfect, it was one of the most ambitious and innovative driving games ever released up to that point. Its open-world, aspirational, multiplayer-friendly design made it one of the standout titles of that year for me and hinted at a bright future for the series.

It was therefore with great anticipation that I awaited the release of "Test Drive Unlimited 2" (TDU2) in 2011.

Sadly, TDU2, while improved in certain regards, didn't really live up to my expectations. Whether it was the sub-par performance of the game engine in a variety of circumstances, the hackneyed attempt at a "story" to frame the in-game activities, or the ridiculous lack of control that made driving just about every car feel like clinging to the back of a wild animal as it rampaged vaguely along a given trajectory– the game was too broken and unrealized to take seriously as anything more than a curiosity.

Despite all that, I still find myself compelled to periodically return to TDU2 as the occasional patch or DLC is released, or simply to give it another chance to win me over. This might seem odd but the simple fact is that there really isn't anything else quite like it out there and that has been reason enough for me to be far more forgiving and patient with TDU2 than I would be with most other games.

As a result, I've learned a few things about TDU2 that would have otherwise eluded me. For example, that switching "Driving Aid" to "Hardcore," tweaking "Steering Sensitivity" down three notches from center, and using the maximum and minimum settings for "Speed Factor" and "Steering Damping" respectively causes the driving model to feel much better and more akin to the original TDU when using an XBOX 360 controller. Thanks and props to the TDU2 community for that tip!

I've also managed to find video settings that look good and provide a consistent framerate partially due to post-release patches but mostly I suspect due to GPU driver updates and the fact that I'm now on a much better PC than I was when the game was released.

In short, I've come to a point with TDU2 where I've gotten past the worst of its hurdles, and can finally enjoy it with a minimum of compromise. It's still not a great game in a strictly-objective sense but it is unique and oddly charming despite its flaws.

I don't know that I could generally recommend TDU2 in good conscience but I do like it and its rough edges are certainly much more manageable now then they were back when it was released; assuming that you've got a newer PC that can overcome some of its performance issues with raw horsepower.

At the moment, TDU2 is $5 on Steam. I'd say that it's easily worth that price if you like driving games and are looking for something really unique. Just go into it understanding that the ride is likely to have as many bumps as thrills.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 (via Steam)