Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown

[h1] A Cheap Cash-Grab Attempt on a Legendary Franchise [/h1] We all know that the Test Drive series holds a special place in the history of racing games. At least, it did until this game. Most of us still remember the luxurious atmosphere and the pure joy of freely driving around the island in the old TDU games. However, after a long silence, the developers came back with this. Unfortunately, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown feels like a project designed to make quick money using a famous brand name, rather than showing respect to its great legacy. [h1] A Horrible Story and Terrible Characters [/h1] From the moment you start playing, one question comes to mind: What were they thinking when they wrote this story? The scenario and its presentation feel so forced that it is almost impossible to get into the game. The visual side is also a total disappointment. While expecting great graphics and smooth performance by modern standards, we are faced with character models so ugly and lifeless that I find myself hitting the "skip" button during every single cutscene. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3740980966 The character creator is lazy and completely mediocre. I just made a random character and skipped it quickly because the game gives you no reason to customize anything. On top of that, the clothing textures and character models are so low-pixel that the game feels like a mobile title from years ago. Tbh, many modern mobile racing games have much better and more detailed character models than this. [h1] Older Games Were Much More Entertaining [/h1] When it comes to the racing mechanics and logic, things get even worse. During a race, I flew right over a checkpoint, but the game did not count it and teleported me backward. Excuse me, but even in NFS Underground, which came out back in 2000, flying over the finish line worked perfectly. Making this work is not rocket science. Did the people who made this game never play a racing game before? This is proof that companies that only care about money cannot be player-friendly. Sadly, we know that many big companies are run by people who do not understand video games. Having such stupid logic errors in a highly anticipated game is frustrating. Generally, driving feels very weird too. The car's handling is extremely unstable. When you brake at high speeds, the car stops almost instantly, which feels very unnatural. It is too twitchy at high speeds, and you cannot control it precisely. The legendary old TDU had a handling model that was 100 times better and more realistic. [h1] No Optimization: Feels Like a Cheap AI Generation [/h1] The technical side of the game is an absolute disaster. Optimization simply does NOT exist. I can play the latest, most demanding games at 4K resolution on high settings with 60fps, yet I cannot even get a stable 30 FPS in Solar Crown with the same settings. I turned on FSR to save the performance, but even FSR does not work properly in this game. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3741025679 In this state, the game feels like it was rushed out with the help of a basic AI. It feels cheap, poorly made, and nonsensical. This is definitely not a real Test Drive experience. If this game had been released under a completely different name, people might have been more forgiving, looking at it as a studio's first attempt. But you cannot take a beloved franchise, ruin it like this, and expect positive feedback. [h1] HUD/MENU Chaos and Some Good Details [/h1] The HUD design also looks cheap. They tried to copy other popular racing games but failed completely. While driving, the permanent AI markers and the giant photo mode button on the screen are incredibly annoying. They could have easily integrated these shortcuts into the map or menus, or kept it clean and minimalist like the Forza games. To be fair, the car sounds are actually good. They also thought about some nice mechanics. Working as a taxi driver and delivering cars to high-level executives is fun. However, all these good ideas get completely buried under terrible graphics, logic flaws, and massive technical issues. Unfortunately, the foundation of the game is broken, so these small features do not matter much. [h2] Pros: [/h2] [list] [*]Car sound designs are successful and satisfying. [*]They tried some new mechanics, and the ideas behind them are good. [/list] [h2] Cons: [/h2] [list] [*]Terrible story presentation and disastrous character designs. [*]Zero optimization. [*]Full of physics and logic glitches. [*]Important, constant screen elements like the HUD are graphically poor and ugly. [/list] [h1] Final [/h1] This game is a cash-grab that damages the reputation of a legendary franchise. Under normal circumstances, it should not have sold this much. I will keep it in my library only out of respect and love for the old Test Drive games, but playing this for a long time is out of the question. I would rather spend my time playing a racing game from 10–15 years ago and have much more fun. [h1] Yonderly Score | F (35) [/h1] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45377045/] Follow My Curator Page For More Reviews [/url] 🍉

This is the first game I’ve seen where the graphics and optimization actually get worse over time.

[h1] Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. [/h1] The third iteration in the racing series that I grew up admiring so deeply. TDU1/2 gave us an open world racing experience that was different to any other game on the market and stood out as a winner in my eyes because of it. TDU:SC is however the complete opposite. It takes away from everything the first 2 games gave us. I pre-ordered the Gold Edition after a lot of waiting (about 10 years). From how the developers laid out this game and how they portrayed it made it seem like a no-brainer, 1:1 scale map of Hong Kong alone was enough to hook me on. The graphics and sounds looked like they would be amazing too. [b] Here are a few CONS I have with the game. [/b] - Poor optimisation - Constant crashing - Sub-par graphics AT BEST - Low active player count - Constant server issues (ESPECIALLY ON RELEASE) - Always online and no offline play - Battlepass and season BS that is terrible - Poor network optimisation This is a new racing game. This is NOT a Test Drive Unlimited game. I wholly regret my purchase of the game. Especially the most expensive edition.

Так как я фанат серии и участвовал в тесте. То решил написать не большой обзор. Разочарованию моему нет предела, так как испортить такую великолепную игру своими кривыми руками и убогой не до оптимизацией, таково культового проекта как TDU. Разработчики низкий вам поклон. Сделать из хита 2000 кусок верблюжий лепешки это же как нужно упороться.

First, let me be clear: I bought this game at 80% off for about $10. Put that into perspective—that's the price of a decent burger or a bottle of wine these days. You enjoy it for what it's worth, and then it's gone. You're never getting that money back, and you shouldn't further analyze it as some sort of investment. That said, the one thing that is true to the TDU franchise is the driving itself. The physics, suspension, and traction modeling are more arcade-oriented and "smoothed" (aka dulled) compared to a sim-cade game like Forza, but they're not nearly as arcade-like as NFS. The scaling of speed feels good, but it lacks the sharpness and precision needed for quick weight transfers or snappy maneuvering. This makes driving fast feel less accurate but more comfortable. It is not for those who want super-precise traction management or a highly technical driving style... BUT—it also is not a turn-and-burn, drift-or-die experience like Need for Speed. And that makes this game unique. You can't get this kind of neutral arcade handling experience in any other driving game today, at least not one with decent graphics. Another positive aspect is the variety of activity types. Delivery missions, Domination (endurance), Detective missions—stuff that makes for a fun driving experience aside from just straight-up wheel-to-wheel racing the entire time. Graphics and performance are FINE. I'm not running a NASA computer, and this game looks and performs about as well as any other racing title I've tried in the last five years. I really don't see much difference. The art design actually looks like it has some direction, with good weather effects and evocative lighting. The sound design is solid—unique engine sounds, a full spectrum of frequencies, and dynamic reflections. I also have not experienced any game-breaking bugs, glitches, FPS spikes, or crashes. OK, onto the criticism—and I'm just dogpiling on a dead horse here with everyone else. None of the immersion or lifestyle factors that made TDU appealing in the past are present in this release. This is why the game was fated to flop from day one, why it has not recovered, and why it's on sale for 80% off: The building interiors... have seats. Useless liminal spaces filled with nothing. Lame, limited avatar customization. There's nothing engaging about the game's premise, atmosphere, or "social" features whatsoever. The developers should not have even bothered trying to include this aspect if it was going to be so half-assed. There's other little stuff that makes this release feel unrefined in the details. When in first-person view, your character moves their hands to steer and shift, but they don't move their feet on the pedals at all. There are also areas of the map that are clearly unfinished, with props floating in the air. I understand why this title has been such a huge disappointment to most people, and I feel sorry for those who paid full price at launch—but how did you not see that coming? The developers got the core driving elements in and then left the rest to burn. Fun, casual driving engine. Good graphics. Big map. All they had to do was tackle some of the core MMO elements that made TDU unique, but then they said, "♥♥♥♥ it." There's nothing special here other than the unrealistic hope that the devs will add everything that's missing—but it's not quite as bad as the majority of people make it out to be. If you need a break from the NFS or Forza ecosystem, buy it for the price of an XXL burrito, and you might get some fun out of it.

At the most complete, as a former player of Test Drive Unlimited 2, I find it difficult to recognize the true TDU spirit in Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. The game feels much more like a generic open-world racing game than a genuine automotive lifestyle simulation like the older TDU titles. First of all, the character customization and appearance system feels underdeveloped. Although clothing stores (Clans) are present, the available selection remains limited and is often focused on a single style. The game does not provide enough freedom to create a truly unique avatar or experiment with different fashion styles. Compared to the lifestyle aspect that previous TDU games emphasized, the clothing system feels superficial and clearly lacks variety. Another major issue concerns vehicle management. In previous Test Drive Unlimited games, purchasing cars was directly tied to buying houses and garages. If you wanted to expand your collection, you first needed enough parking spaces, which added an extra layer of logic and progression. In Solar Crown, vehicle storage appears to be unlimited, removing an essential mechanic that encouraged players to invest in real estate and manage their collection. This ties directly into what is arguably the biggest missing feature: the complete absence of real estate. In TDU2, houses and apartments were an integral part of progression and the sense of achievement, as were the parking spaces associated with them. Here, almost everything revolves exclusively around cars and racing. The in-game economy is also frustrating. Vehicles are extremely expensive while rewards are relatively low, making grinding feel inefficient and sometimes discouraging. Progression becomes so slow that owning multiple cars can require dozens or even hundreds of hours. Several iconic features have disappeared as well, such as driving schools and the category-based license system, both of which added a real sense of progression in TDU2. Another missing feature is the police system. In TDU2, police vehicles were part of traffic, and players could receive fines, build up a criminal record, or take part in police chases. There was even a form of progression tied to this system for players who enjoyed driving more recklessly. This aspect of gameplay has completely disappeared in Solar Crown, removing yet another mechanic that contributed to Test Drive Unlimited's unique identity. Several missions (contracts) suffer from design issues or bugs. A good example I personally encountered involves a mission with Louis Montrose, a character who is particularly demanding regarding respect for traffic laws. However, the mission can begin with a vehicle spawning on the wrong side of the road, immediately causing penalties before the player has any chance to react. Whether intentional or not, this creates a feeling of unfairness and lack of polish, and sometimes gives the impression that these missions were not sufficiently tested. Other missions can be just as frustrating, with penalties being applied in situations that should not be considered mistakes. For example, when driving in the company of a passenger in a hurry, a simple jump can sometimes be counted as a collision even though no actual impact occurred, which feels excessively harsh and inconsistent. Under certain conditions, it feels like you have to drive like a grandparent just to avoid penalties. The game has also introduced a premium currency system that allows players to purchase certain content with real money. Even if it remains optional, this choice can further increase the frustration caused by the already very slow economy and create the impression that natural progression is intentionally slowed down. From a technical standpoint, the experience remains unstable. Despite using a high-end configuration equipped with an RTX 3090 and a Ryzen 9 5950X, crashes occur frequently, especially when opening the map or completely at random. This quickly becomes frustrating and significantly hurts the overall enjoyment of the game. Lastly, optimization is also a major issue. Even with an RTX 3090, the game regularly pushes the GPU to 100% usage with maximum graphics settings while consuming around 10 GB of VRAM. Considering the visual quality on offer, the performance requirements often feel disproportionate. Players using graphics cards with 12 GB of VRAM can already find themselves close to the limit when playing on Ultra settings, and the game would clearly benefit from further optimization. In my case, After improving my graphics card's cooling system allows it to maintain temperatures of around 68°C under full load instead of approaching the 80°C (original manufacturer temperature ASUS ROG). However, the fact that an RTX 3090 can be pushed to its limits for extended gaming sessions clearly illustrates the game's optimization problems. In my opinion, this game feels more like another open-world racing title than a true Test Drive Unlimited experience. I would not recommend it to players expecting to rediscover the atmosphere and mechanics that made the previous games so memorable.

Im a die hard fan for TDU and TDU2. This game is bs compared to the last two TDU's. Nacon got handed the keys to the golden city and ruined it. smh

would be a great game if u gave the community what they wanted, i played a bit and just for cruising and some drifting it was really fun, Graphics looks very good, sounds are the best ive ever heard in a racing game, and then the tuning...??? Tf is this??? buy a Battlepass to get a Spoiler on a Random ahh car no ones gone use anyways? game is dead and u decide actually good stuff and bring them into the game but behind paywalls, this ♥♥♥♥ should be free, like im not paying real cash to dress up in my car in a racing game, all you had to do is bring some car costumization, 99% of the playerbase love that stuff, u could have had such a banger game but u decided for greed and Forza Horizon 6 will be the Nail to your Coffin. i thought we gonna have a good race until FH6 will release and u will work ur a§§es of to get stuff right, no you bring more Hyper cars and Casino updates... who in the hell asked for this dump? which attention are u seeking with that? 9 year old ADHD kids that are obsessed with hypercars and 45 year old poor alone men that sit on the Coinmashines in ur Casino??? the game is completly empty of players and in 2021 i had more ppl in one lobby of Forza Horizon 2 then i saw in my entire 51 hrs playing this game, they all sat in casinos, now Horizon 6 stands in front of ur doorstep, ur done, thanks for the fun i had, maybe put some car costumization in ur game, put it on a big sale, make marketing on the changes with body parts, DONT PUT THEM BEHIND PAYWALLS AND BATTLEPASSES, bring more JDMs, and some normal cars, less Hypercar BS, they are fun but nothing to hook car enthusiats, bring real estates faster as what u postet when its gonne be released. the map, the feeling, the sound, the driving, the graphics, all things that are so damn good in this game, make something out of it, this is definitly ur last chance until ur playercount hits 0 for ever.

игра конкретный кусок не оптимизированного д№%ьма!!! в которую еще и войти порой невозможно. тупо не впускает на сервер!!! за что отдал деньги не понятно!!!

If u are looking for gameplay like TDU 2 then this is not it, played few times then uninstalled, this is nothing like TDU or TDU 2, dont waste ur money on this game that stole just the name of a perfect game like TDU 2.