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New Gran Turismo 5 DLC and update announced

gazzara — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:47:43 +0000

Sony and Polyhpony have announced today that for GT fans the new year starts much like the old one closed – with brand new DLC. They have confirmed today that there is another DLC pack winging it’s way to PlayStation Store very soon, 18th January to be exact.

This new pack has two components. Firstly there is a brand new car pack brim-full of some rather lovely looking vehicles which include;

Lamborghini Aventador
Jaguar XJR9
Aston Martin V12 Vantage 2011
VW 1200 1966
Mini Countryman S 2011
Nissan Leaf

The pack will be priced at €5.99/£4.79 or local currency equivalent.

The second component of the new content is the Speed Test Pack. Featuring an oval track and a performance measurement mode, I’m sure it may become the location of many hours of fine tuning and tweaking of the hard earned motors that make up your virtual garages.

The Speed Test Pack will be priced at €3.99/£3.19 or again at local currency equivalents.

Launching alongside this brand new DLC pack will be Functionality Update 2.03 which will bring with it even more brand new features and functionality, to yet further enhance your Gran Turismo experience.

If you are looking for a way to fight those January blues then this brand new content could well be just the ticket.

More details on the new DLC and update will be available shortly on gran-turismo.com and also PlayStation Blog so keep your eyes peeled for more information.

Eden apologises for TDU 2 problems with free DLC

gazzara — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:20:01 +0000

Eden have today announced that the PC version of problematic open world racer, Test Drive Unlimited 2, has gone live with the 360 patch to follow once approved by Microsoft.

To add to this, Eden have also announced that the firhst batch of DLC will be free of charge as an apology for the problems that have been caused. Here is an open letter from Eden explaining all:-

To the TDU2 community,

Thank you for your continued support and feedback. Our community has been amazing and helped us quickly identify a number of issues, which we have made significant progress in addressing in the upcoming patches.

We really appreciate your patience in this matter and we would like to announce that we will be making the first premium DLC for the game free for everybody as a way of saying thank you.

The Exploration Pack contains new wrecks to be discovered that unlock the Lancia Stratos version Rallye and 1969 Dodge Charger.

We now have fixes for all of the following issues that have already gone live on PC and will follow shortly once patches are approved by Microsoft and Sony, respectively.

Issues Fixed:

*Logging into the game has been improved
*Once into the game the online network experience is now much more stable in all areas
*Save games no longer corrupt
*Existing corrupted save games will be repaired in many cases
*Friends lists are now populated
*Invites now work correctly
*Clubs have been brought back online
*Exploits to gain money have been fixed
*Casino access has been improved
*Players will no longer lose money because of the Casino bug

The team spends a great deal of time looking at community feedback, so please keep posting your comments to the official TDU2 forums and we look forward to seeing you in Ibiza.

Sincerely,

The TDU2 Development Team

We’ll let you know when the patch hits but you had better warm up those engines again.

Frustrated Test Drive Unlimited 2 fans may wait 2 weeks for fix

gazzara — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:53:37 +0000

The tension has been mounting over on the Test Drive Unlimited 2 forums as frustrated fans have vented their anger at the bugs that have been plaguing the game since launch.

Although Eden have been very pro active in keeping the community informed it appears that a tweet from Namco U.K. Marketing head, Lee Kirton, a patch may be two weeks away.

The main issue is that of the TDU 2 clubs and TDU2 Life being taken offline due to an exploit that was found just before the games’ release which has caused havoc with the server reliant game. Corrupt game saves, servers being offline, not being able to connect to friends amongst other things have reared their ugly head and Eden are working on the premise that the clubs may be able to be put online without the patch being released.

We got the chance to review the game and gave it a very credible 4 stars out of 5. Since our review was written, all of these troubles began to appear. For those of you not in the loop, here are the things that Eden are working on at present:-

Improve login process to allow a higher volume of successful connections
Increase online stability across all multiplayer functionality
Address issues related to file corruption
Enable Club and MyTDULife functionality
Enable Co-Op races
Enable weather while offline
Address an issue where players can get a Lancia which has no car data (the patch should prevent this from occurring in the future, and restore players who are currently affected by the issue)

We’ll keep you posted on any updates.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 races to number 1 spot

gazzara — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:11:42 +0000

UKIE an GFK-Chart trackk have today announced that M.O.O.R. title by Eden and Atari has overtaken EA’s Dead Space 2 to take the number 1 spot.

Although the title has been troubled since launch it hasn’t stopped the racer reaching its potential by outselling the original Test Drive Unlimited title by almost double during its launch period and has added some great features that you can read about in our review.

The troubles have come from cheaters that have hacked the game to boost their rankings and cash which has provided an unfair advantage when playing the game. As such, Eden and Atari decided to switch off the club and MY TDU life features of the game which has caused problem with online play due to the game being reliant on TDU servers. All of these issues are being worked on by Eden and Atari and a patch should be released later this evening.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 – Reviewed (360, PS3, PC)

gazzara — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:03:28 +0000

Engage in the world of Test Drive and you will get sucked in for life. The original game appeared on the 360 in 2006 to critical acclaim, picking up high review scores all over the place.

The sheer size of this M.O.O.R. (massively open online racer) provided hundreds of hours of gameplay, online entertainment and challenges as well as encouraging you to drive around and explore all of the roads with some surprise findings.

With the size of the game also came problems, with Test Drive Unlimited being released in the infancy of the 360′s development cycle, and although didn’t take away any of the enjoyment of the game, people felt that the next evolution will iron the bugs out.

So, fast forward to 2011 and its bigger, and I mean bigger, brother, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is finally here. With a single player campaign, enhanced club features, over 3200km of road plus another 900km of off road track and the ability to be able to get out of the car and walk around showrooms and houses, does Test Drive Unlimited 2 live up to its expectations?

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is set out over the two GPS mapped islands of Ibiza and Oahu, Hawaii taking in glorious sunsets with the use of the day and night transition features and both have a character entirely of their own, one you would have experienced if you played the original game. Between the two islands there are over 3200 km of road and 900 km of off road track to discover and race on, each with the hustle and bustle of traffic daily traffic to overtake. They are living and breathing islands that with one wrong decision can end up seeing your car looking like Marc Bolan’s mishap all those years ago.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 has upped the ante from its predecessor to include a bona fide campaign mode with its own very basic storyline and cut scenes. Based around the fictional Solar Crown championship you start off as a valet that is picked up and entered into this series of races to catapult you into racing folklore. Set over a series of class races plus island cups you will compete in a series of different challenges including eliminator, speed trap, maintain your speed, point to point as well as standard racing. All of these will cough up cash for you to go shopping with as well as advance you to the next series of racing. To do this though you will need your licenses which are scattered over the two islands and you are required to pass before being entered into the relevant races.

The beauty of this campaign is that it is not linear by any standard and the casual approach to doing what you want, when you want definitely comes to the fore as there is so much going on, including instant challenges for cash, driving around on your own, with friends or other gamers that are shown in an ever perpetual environment to unlock garages, showrooms, shops, tuners, hairdressers etc. Full customisation is now in effect so as well as buying and changing your clothing, gamers can now paint up cars in sticker shops adding layers of depth to their own designs to even customising your avatars face and hair through cosmetic surgeries and hairdressers. A lot is possible and in future can even be extended but we’ll have to wait and see.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 has also got a shot in the arm in terms of how you level up your avatar. Taking a more MMO approach, the way you level up and unlock extra items and places has been split into 4 groups, social, competition, collection and discovery which all add to your global ranking or level. Each time something is found, purchased, played or won will all add to their relevant level group which in turn will boost your global level. As you rank up, more things are added to stores, garages etc with a few handy features given to you along the way. I find this system great as it gently coerces you into exploring other avenues that you may not initially look at to unlock other items within the game.

The online part of Test Drive Unlimited 2 really is the heart of the game and always has been. Test Drive Unlimited was the first game to mould the your single player experiences seamlessly into the multiplayer aspect to always give you something to do if the need arises. Test Drive Unlimited 2 has enhanced this feature by expanding on the club area as well as increasing the co-operative, ranked and casual gametypes. As well as being able to jump into someone else’s car if they invite you or dive into an instant challenge that has been created by yourself or someone else to even getting friends to have a look around your latest home that you have bought the social aspect of this game is astounding. Clubs have now been built up to allow everyone to pitch in with finances to expand and develop our created club as well as bring in cars for the club to share. Inter club races as well as inner club challenges can all be found here and the things to do and achieve together would put some MMO’s to shame.

Graphically, Test Drive Unlimited 2 looks pretty but not as beautiful as may have thought given the development time on the game. The look is nothing to be ashamed of and is a massive leap forward from the original but you feel that it may have looked a little better. I feel though that this is not the fault of the developer but more fault of the technology that runs the game and that is exposed as starting to feel tired and cannot quite keep up with the work it needs to carry out. The sunsets are beautiful, there is some stunning scenery too but the odd drop in frame rate plus the draw distances seem short at times which can lead to pop up. Also, the weather dynamics are great with cloud coming in every so often and rain pouring down at intervals to give the roads a watery look which adds a new depth to the game.

So with all this meat in the game the gravy should be the way you drive and the cars handling physics, right? Well, the physics have improved from the original but not at the rate I had expected. Touting this to be a little more sim I still feel that the cars handle like an arcade racer. Each car does have it own character when driving, that is true but I wanted to feel every bump and camber in the road and to feel the level of grip I had and be able to adjust it with getting on or off the throttle a little. Don’t get me wrong, the handling is solid and robust but going that extra little bit would have been the icing on the cake. When the roads are wet it adds another level of difficulty to driving which provides some hilarious, if not frustrating results at times as your difficulty is amped up. If you treat Test Drive Unlmited 2 more like an evolved arcade racer then you will certainly not be disappointed!

So all in all Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a great game, perhaps not the evolution that everybody was expecting but I feel people will be missing the main draw as they complain about the look and feel. That this game, essentially is a hell of a lot of fun! I think people miss this fact a lot and focus on things that are perhaps out of the depth of the machines capabilities and not necessarily the developers. Test Drive Unlimited 2 provides fun in buckets and has enough content to lose you forever. The design of the game has heralded an great creative canvas upon which to build further and after talking to one of Eden’s developers a while back have been promised that they are listening to the community and extra features, tasks and missions can be placed seamlessly into the game without you even knowing it. I could go on and on about this game as it is so big but I have a date with a Bugatti that I cannot miss. Test Drive Unlimited 2 is that addictive that I am thinking of playing now rather than getting this review written it pulls me back that much!

Are you sold? You should be, so go and get the game and i’ll meet you in the club for a beer!

Edit – Since writing this review a number of serious bugs and glitches have occurred to quite a few gamers. Eden are aware of the problems and you can check out the how they are getting on here.

Review copy supplied by the Publisher

Test Drive Unlimited 2 car customisation trailer

gazzara — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:26:54 +0000

Having the ultimate luxury car also means having a unique car with a unique style. Customize your ride and pimp it to fit your personality thanks to a wide range of modification options.

Take your creativity for a ride on TDU2 as of February 11th on PS3, X360 and PC!

Test Drive Unlimited 2 goes gold!

gazzara — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 09:58:14 +0000

Atari Europe and Eden Games are proud to announce that the revolutionary multiplayer racing game, Test Drive Unlimited 2 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows PC has gone gold.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is set to drive into retail stores on February 11^th, 2011.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 expands on the traditional racing experience providing gamers with M.O.O.R.: Massively Open Online Racing; immersing drivers in a persistent online environment and revolutionising multiplayer racing communities as players compete, team up, and share their achievements and creations online. Unlike any other driving game, TDU2 blends the open world experience with realistic vehicles and performance dynamics and for the first time, TDU2 features vehicle damage, weather effects, day and night cycles, and a brand new island to explore.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 blends the single player and multiplayer experiences seamlessly, creating a dynamic world of unique content and challenges. Test Drive Unlimited 2 is “always live,” with automatic updates and seamless online/offline integration. A revamped single player narrative mode can be played offline or as part of the multiplayer experience.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 puts the world’s most desirable vehicles in the players’ hands. These ultra-limited edition masterpieces are flawlessly replicated with Eden’s finely tuned driving technology. Players define their online persona through the customisation of their vehicles, and the acquisition of property, clothing and all the accoutrements of a luxurious car-based lifestyle. The challenge comes to life with the most expansive and comprehensive multiplayer offering on the console and the ultimate refinement of the core Test Drive driving experience. All-new race types, vehicle classes, environmental challenges, locations and much more push this epic franchise to new levels of performance and luxury.

For more information on Test Drive Unlimited 2, please log onto www.tdu2.com

Two new Test Drive Unlimited 2 trailers

gazzara — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:55:18 +0000

Eden, Namco and Atari have released a couple of new trailers to whet your appetite for the sequel of the popular sand box driving experience that was Test Drive Unlimited.

In these video Mercedes decide to show off some of the cars that will be available in the game as well as a quick blast on your personal customisation options.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 looks set to hit the stores on February 11th and can be pre-ordered now for bonus content.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 – Developer Diary #2

gazzara — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:32:20 +0000

Eden Games and Atari have today released a new developer diary titled, Power is nothing without control.

In this diary some of the development team talk handling physics, engines, beta testing and working with the community to make this the greatest open world racer ever. We are buzzed for this game, I hope you are too!

We also managed to get some hands on time with Test Drive Unlimited 2 last year. Have a read to see what we thought.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 multiplayer modes trailer

gazzara — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:52:44 +0000

Watch the different functionalities of the multiplayer mode With this new trailer: instant challenges, club customizations, club VS club events and much more!

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is going to be available on PS3, X360 and PC during the first quarter of 2011.