Test Drive Unlimited attempts to blur the line between single and multiplayer racing in what's being dubbed an MOOR (massively open online racing) title. TDU takes the franchise in a new direction by seamlessly blending a large offline racer with easy access to online races. The game takes place on the island of Oahu, which, in itself, gives the player over 1000 road miles to play on. This is an exact copy of the islands roads, which provide some interesting courses. Scattered throughout the island are races and challenges to keep you busy off line for a very long time. Unfortunately, the offline feel of the game seems, for the most part, fairly aimless. While the game is open by nature, you would expect that there would be something to tie the various aspects of the game together. But, overall it is a racer, and storylines aren't the most important part.

The driving style in the game gives a part simulator, part arcade feel, in the end making the learning curve very easy. After a short while you get used to the physics on the cars. In no time you'll find yourself winning race after race as you climb your way up in status and can compete in harder races. Part of the ease of the races seem to come from the sometimes lacking AI. If you repeat a race you may notice that the AI doesn't make many adjustments and the only thing really changing them is the traffic or you bumping into them. The races do get harder at higher levels, but it seems that there could be more variation there. The time trials and other various types of missions will offer plenty of challenge for any gamer. Hitchhiker and model missions allow you to pick up random strangers (whether it be some scruffy college kid or a top model) and drive them to a destination, within an allotted time without scaring them off. On the other hand, you can do transport missions, where some guy with a very expensive car asks you to drive it to a destination. The idea being do as little damage to the car in the process. This is a good way to make a lot of cash near the start of the game, with missions near the beginning of the game netting around 120k if you do them correctly. It's also a good chance to take someone else's ride for a spin, if you don't mind restarting missions, and the 2 minute dealership test drives aren't long enough for you.

The multiplayer aspect is where this game really shines. While online you can compete in pre-made races against other players, create your own races and trials, or even join a club with your friends. In addition to that, if you see another player character on the street you can flash your headlights at them to start an instant challenge that you create on the spot. You can also set up the challenge to be for a predetermined amount of money, to make things a bit more interesting. Also, if your tired of your old cars, or want a good deal on a new one, why not go to the online market and buy andsell cars with other players. It may not have that new car smell, but its a good way to save a few dollars.

Cosmetically the game looks great. For those of us whom have never been to Hawaii, this is a good representation of the island of Oahu. While every building may not be correct, the part that matters, the roads, offer natural race courses to the fan. Another interesting part to the game is character creation. The game allows you to go in and change various aspects of the character's face and body resulting in much more customization than most RPG/MMORPG's on the market. While your changing how your driver looks, you may as well change the clothes they wear at the various clothing stores around the island. Although, you cant just buy these clothes, you have to purchase them with coupons you earn from doing driving missions, making you feel like you really worked for those new leather pants. Don't forget you'll need to buy a few houses to keep all your new cars and clothes in that you'll be buying. They are all on the island and range from $150,000 for a small house with a 4 car garage (and you thought Hawaii was expensive) on up to multi-million dollar homes. Of course you can customize your car, paint it the color you like, change the rims and even the interior. If you get tired of your car's color, you can find a shop and paint it a new color, for a price. Under the hood there's not too much customization, just 3 levels which will enhance the overall performance of the car, no tweaking though.

One of my biggest gripes with the game is the police. You hit a couple cars in traffic and the police are all over you. If you're lucky you can shake them and get away. But, if you make another mistake, chances are you won't be able to shake them and you'll be stuck with a very sizeable ticket, depending on your level. To make things worse, the cops are very aggressive, opting the road of reckless abandon and swerving into your car at 160 mph. If one of these cars were to hit you and push you into another car, this is, of course, your fault. But don't worry, if you zip by a cop at 200 mph he wont mind, just don't hit anyone's car. Another problem I saw was with the bikes. The handling isn't all that great or easy for that matter, and if you manage to hit something, your going to have to see an annoying reload and total stop of your bike. Although, i will admit i like how the game looks through the helmet going 150+.

Overall the Test Drive Unlimited offers a good challenge to racing fans with great replayability. The MOOR idea is one that I really like, and the way the game is blended offline and online makes it unique amongst the other racing titles out there.