Test Drive Unlimited 2 to be released September 21st

With Test Drive Unlimited 1, the genre of racing games was changed forever. It made itself stand apart from the others by not only featuring over 125 of the world’s fastest cars and bikes, but by the ability of racing those machines over 1000 miles of road modeled after satellite images of Hawaii’s island Oahu. As if the sheer pleasure of maneuvering these beasts wasn’t good enough, Test Drive Unlimited 1 also gave the gamer an opportunity to build their own houses, visit car dealers, and start clubs with other gamers.

Now, after a long 4 year wait, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is set to hit shelves on September 21st. Registration for the Beta version is already underway, but no specific date has been set for the Beta (pre-order is also currently available).

With the latest installment of the Test Drive series, comes day and night cycles, dynamic weather, indicator lights, working hard tops, and complete customization of all aspects of the game, including your house, avatar, car vinyls, and car interiors. More major changes include SUVs for off-roading, a new island to explore (modeled after Ibiza) as well as the old island, and an airport to take you between the two. Co-op gameplay, in which one player drives and the other reads a map, will also debut in the new game. Other major changes include being able to get out of your car in selected areas, receive cosmetic damage (will not affect performance), and multiple headlight modes.

A few teaser photos have been released, suggesting what cars will be in the game. Confirmed cars include the McLaren MP4-12C, Gumpert Apollo, Aston Martin One-77, Audi Q7, Nissan 370Z, Audi TTS, Audi R8, Aston Martin DBS, Dodge Viper SRT-10, Ford GT, Koenigsegg CCXR, Pagani Cinque, and the Spyker C8.

Happy cruising TDU fans.