Sure, most of the million dollar exotics in this game can burn any of the aforementioned cars, but there are plenty of car lovers who would have relished the chance to take a WRX STi through some of these curvy island roads and see how it stacks up against their buddy's Ferrari. Yes, Nissan is included, and we love tearing around in a 350Z, but what about Acura, Mazda (we know it's actually owned by Ford), and Mitsubishi? We'd have loved the chance to race around in an NSX, RX-8, or Lancer Evolution. Fans of muscle cars and exotics will definitely be pleased, but there will be one group of car fans that will feel left out: Japanese car lovers. There are also numerous exotic vehicles that only diehard car enthusiasts will recognize, as well as a number of classic cars. The manufacturers include Ferrari, Lotus, Ducati, Mercedes, Lamborghini, and Jaguar. There are a total of 125 licensed vehicles available in TDU.
Coupons are what you'll use to buy new clothes and accessories for your avatar. It can also be used to tune-up cars you already have and buy new cars. Cash is used to purchase new homes with bigger garages to accommodate your ever-growing collection of automobiles. Each event you participate in will give you either cash or coupons. You'll then buy a car and then a house to keep your car in, and participate in your first race.
The look of each driver can be customized: Change your face, your hairstyle, and even buy new clothes. When you first start off you're tasked with picking an avatar from a small selection of stylishly dressed drivers. If you're impatient you'll be happy to hear that you can warp to any point on the map as long as you've driven there once before. Exploring the island is fun, and required if you plan on finishing this game. If you love driving, this won't be a huge problem for you. You'll race AI drivers, you're race the clock, and you'll race other gamers, but the vast majority of your time will be sent simply driving from one point to another. A wise gamer said to me once, " TDU is more of a driving game than a racing game." Yes, you will race. These two unique achievements alone make TDU worth checking out, and we haven't even started talking about the heart of the game. Eden Studios calls this a "massively open online world." While you drive around you'll see other players doing the same thing, just like in an MMO. You can do solo races or race against AI or you can instantly challenge any other racer you come across to a one-on-one or group race.
If you enable the online mode in TDU the game becomes a cross between an MMO and a racing game. Not only that, but TDU blurs the line between single-player and multi-player gaming. Technically, it's an incredibly impressive achievement. This team of developers has crafted a game that virtually recreates pretty much the entire island of Oahu, and done it in a way so that you can drive from one end to the other without seeing a single loading screen. Eden Studios has done something amazing with Test Drive Unlimited.