Since everyone will probably make a Forza 6 Comparison: TDUSC is actually PRETTIER than FH6. Nowhere near as optimized as FH6. FH6 has better handling and TDUSC is more arcade-like. FH6 is overall leagues better than TDUSC but TDU's atmosphere, to me, is the champion of the two.
I anticipated this game for like 15 years after TDU2 was abandoned on the 360. I cannot believe it's been that long...
The game is pretty but it's empty. The world feels lonely and dead, which detracts from the experience pretty heavily. That said, it is a beautiful world they've crafted. Ibiza, in particular, stands out to me visually. It is an absolute pleasure to stare at this game and take screenshots lol. Driving around, limiting my cruise speed and taking it slow, while I listen to music and just take in the world. I love that about TDU and it's certainly still here.
On a related note, I'm unsure how they managed to publish the game so poorly optimized, it should not run this poorly when it looks and plays the way it does. It's impressive but it shouldn't be making systems struggle and heat up the way it does.
Unfortunately, even after 15 years, the cars feel sluggish and unresponsive. Out of the "box", the turn radii are awfully shallow, the semi-auto driving setting is tedious to use.. I didn't like how the game played whatsoever. But I changed some gameplay settings thanks to the steam forums and it changed EVERYTHING. I confidently thought races were boring. Nope! I was wrong; they are incredibly fun and the sense of speed you get feels weirdly refreshing to me.
The live service/mmo vibe they're going for is pointless and I'm sure it sucked up resources like crazy, when they could've applied them to bettering the game itself to begin with. But it is nice (and reminiscent, if I'm honest) of TDU2's multiplayer experience. It's been nostalgic running into strangers, communicating strictly through honks, and cruising together, until one of you blips out of existence for the other forever.
At the moment, I'll say I might be hooked. I'll probably drop back in from time to time because I admit it's relaxing, especially at the end of the day, but I cannot recommend purchasing this game unless it's heavily discounted </3. I got it at $15 and I can't say I'm feeling cheated in any way at this price point, but I certainly feel cheated overall after waiting well over a decade for this to come out in the state it was in, and continues to be in years later. I know it's not the devs. What's happened here is a shame :(
Overall, this is like my racing/car Eurotruck sim :)
