Maker: Atari
Platform: PS2
Review: Jason Round
$69.95 RRP

We reviewed Test Drive: Unlimited for the Xbox 360 last year – that is, when we finally pulled ourselves away from the game – and the PS2 version is simply more of the same, massive gaming experience.
So, the question of everyone’s lips then is just how different is the PS2 version compared to the next-gen consoles? Well, surprisingly, it’s almost identical.

The graphics are still slick and seamless, and while there is the odd ‘pop-up’ in the background, the developers have managed to push the PS2 platform to the absolute limits of its graphical ability to deliver a game that is well, well, on par with the beefier consoles.

A notable absence is the damage engine, and whereas the Xbox 360 version will see debris flying about and buckling chassis, on the PS2 you get zip. It is, however, a small sacrifice to make for the graphical power inherent in the game.

There’s still an online mode too, in the Massively Open Online Racing format of other platforms, and while it might not have the lightning speed of Xbox Live, it’s still great to roam the Hawaiian countryside with likeminded individuals causing mischief.

If you need a refresher on what we had to say about the gameplay itself, here goes:
“If you’ve been paying attention, you would have no doubt seen our coverage of Test Drive Unlimited on the Hot4s website, and so it was with a minimum of fuss that we dragged ourselves out of bed to spend all day playin’ the game down at the official launch.

First impressions were good — very good. The load-up times were minimal, the graphics amazing and the whole set-up a very slick production. Perhaps the best way to think of the environment is as a giant map of Google Earth Hawaii where you can hoon around to your hotted-up heart’s content.

We sampled Ferraris, Jags, Paganis and even a Camaro, all rendered to the absolute last detail. You can even fully customise your character (we came up with a particularly good rendition of a certain staff member) and deck them out in the latest threads before swingin’ by the real-estate office to buy a seaside mansion. There you can sit around with your mates and work out cruises, swap bits and generally just fool around. There is just so much to do in this game that the mind truly boggles.

With 125 cars, something will take your fancy, and you can literally pedal it all over the island. In fact, one run we did from end to end took us a good 20 minutes, and we were told there are some ‘tracks’ that last upwards of half an hour. How’s that for cruisin’?

Believe us when we say that this game will revolutionise the genre. To carefree cruising in Hawaii, we say aloha.”

5/5