The original Test Drive Unlimited was a turning point for me in gaming for a couple reasons. For one, it was serious investment in time to make any progress through the storymode (the only other games at the time that....demanded that kind of commitment out of me was Final Fantasy X/X2). Secondly, it opened my eyes much wider to the concept of online, multiplayer gaming on a level that I wouldn't have believed possible (I had experienced this on my PC at the time, but since I was playing this on a Playstation 2 game, I was stunned that a console had evolved with this capability).
What impressed me the most was the scale of the game itself. Recreating a real world location (granted, within the limits of the technology of the time and a few creative liberties) like the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu, must have been a huge undertaking for the development team.
And because of that, another fantastic feature was introduced, no limits driving. Unlike previous driving/racing games I played before, the roads were no longer the limited corridors of where I could go. If I wanted to take my high end, virtual exotic car and go off-road and cross-country, I could do just that. That would be some I would see again for many years....
The list of cars for the game was quite impressive (including a few companies that are no longer around, but their models have become modern classics already), the list of options for those cars was short. Paint, rims and interiors was about all a player could change to suit or come close to matching their tastes. Cars themselves could be tuned at certain shops, which specialized in certain marques. Still, an impressive and memorable experience to relive again.
Which brings me to this point, the police action. Like some other games, the police can be baited into a pursuit by colliding with traffic in Free Roam. Then, just watch the mini-map and either wait for their arrival, or go and meet them head on....
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