TDU2

[toonarmy]

I my copy shipped yesterday via USPS, hopefully i'll get it by this weekend. Toon how did you score the game for $39.99 at Amazon? The only one at that price was the PC version. The good is all three versions come with a $10 future credit.

Also FYI, Kmart is is giving a $10 credit for this game this week.

i was including the $10 credit when i said 39.99. I buy so much at amazon that a credit is basically cash for me.

[Gurantsu]

Just looking through the manual while I wait for my son to come out of preschool. Looks like a ton of new activities and game modes added, and various ways to earn experience. Can't wait to get home and try it!

[toonarmy]

Got my game this morning. Still downloading a near-400 mb update over my crap dsl. The one thing I dislike most about the PS3 is frequently I get a new game, all ready to put it in and play, and then I have to wait an hour or more to actually play it due to slow-ass update downloads.

[Rodster]

Toon i'm interested for you to tell us about the framerate and driving model is it simplistic or hybrid arcade/sim. I got for the 360 because of the controller.

[toonarmy]

Toon i'm interested for you to tell us about the framerate and driving model is it simplistic or hybrid arcade/sim. I got for the 360 because of the controller.

Update finally just got done downloading. now the game data is being installed, lol. I'll drop in after an hour or so of play with some thoughts on the control (which is my main concern) and overall package. I am on the PS3 and will be using the ds3 and will try the HKS a bit later.

[Rodster]

Those mandatory PS3 installs do get annoying at times which is why sometimes I get the 360 version. In this case it was strictly the controller that moved me in that direction.

[Gurantsu]

The start of the game is typical corny stuff, and it took me quite a while to find control settings that finally felt good with the PS3 controller.

Once I did though, it feels just like the old one, which for me is a good thing.

I like the thing that gets you money for things you do while cruising, and the oppurtunity to become a cop and chase a guy with a high police level is cool. Have only done the first set of license tests so far. Having both Hawaii and the new island is nice also (Hawaii unlocks at level 10).

Your car gats damage, and it stays there until you fix it (no idea if its cosmetic or not). Also, it will get dirty, and you need to go to a car wash to clean it up. Just make sure your wife and kids aren't around when you do get it washed though!

[XXXIV]

Just make sure your wife and kids aren't around when you do get it washed though!

I gots to know what happens in that car wash

Someone should start a DSP car club. .

I have a feeling I will break down the same way I did with Gt5 and get this and the idea of a dsp car club might be the tipping point...

[dbdynsty25]

Just make sure your wife and kids aren't around when you do get it washed though!

I gots to know what happens in that car wash

"Whacks" on, "Whacks" off.

[toonarmy]

Played for a few hours now. I have 3 licenses and have done a few championships, plus a lot of side mission things. This game is like the Sims meets Grand Theft Auto, with pretty basic driving physics. I have tried all three difficulty levels of driving and messed around with the steering sensitivity. The control with the DS3 is acceptable, but not great. Any talk by the developer in videos I saw of real-world driving physics mixed with an arcade feel is laughable because there is nothing real-world about these physics. That being said, I was not expecting realistic physics, but I was hoping for at least something on par with PGR in terms of physics and control. Despite all of that I am having fun with the game. The cut scenes and dialogue are cheesy to go along with the cheesy driving model. The graphics are not bad other than the noticeable popup that occurs a lot. There are a lot of things to do in the game as well. Multiplayer races I have not touched yet, although I see and hear other gamers on Ibiza, sometimes disappearing/reappearing out of the blue. The load times are really short which is awesome, especially when compared to the atrocious load times of GT5. The install to the HDD makes a big difference I assume. The music is pretty cool if you are into the styles in the game, which I enjoy. TDU2 seems like a huge game, so I have a ton of stuff to try out and discover. Just thought I would offer up some initial impressions.

[Rodster]

Keep em coming Toon.

Hey are do the graphics compare to the first one? Any framerate issues?

[toonarmy]

Keep em coming Toon.

Hey are do the graphics compare to the first one? Any framerate issues?

Never got into the first one, so cannot compare, however the graphics are not too bad considering the world is so big. It's certainly not even close to Forza or GT5. The framerate does get jittery at times with lots of human cars in the same area, but it is not a showstopper so far. Offline it is noticeably a lower framerate than GT5, so it does not have that buttery smooth feel to it. Overall it's fine though and I never feel like the framerate is bothering me. This is a nice diversion from GT5, actually, because it is a totally different type of experience. I've got a haircut, some plastic surgery (dude looks like a mummy -- kind of funny when he walks in and out of places with his head wrapped after surgery), some cool clothes, and a couple shitty cars. I almost have enough money to get a seaside condo, so no more trailer trash for me soon. One funny thing is that hitting rose bushes is like hitting a steel wall, but the car easily mows over street signs and the like, lol.

Another funny thing is on the TDU2 forum some dude is bitching about how bad the control is using the keyboard. I was like WTF, who the hell plays a game like this using a f***in keyboard? I played for an hour or so with the HKS and I like it more than the DS3. The jerkiness of the steering is alleviated somewhat, not to mention it is easier for me to drift using the HKS. All in all still having fun with the game and appreciate it for what it is.

[TCrouch]

See, I couldn't stand playing it with the MS Wireless Wheel, but the defaults on the 360 controller were fine for me.

[XXXIV]

See, I couldn't stand playing it with the MS Wireless Wheel, but the defaults on the 360 controller were fine for me.

Very cool and good to know....but how is the game? Yours is the word were all waiting on.

[Rodster]

From the reviews and impressions i've read it sounds like TDU2 plays just like TDU only bigger in scope. In fact Eurogamer said it looks like Eden ignored some of the complaints from TDU but as a whole the game has the same charm as the first.

If you didn't like TDU then stay away from this one but if you like the first then expect MORE of the same. I thought driving on the Island of Hawaii was really cool especially with other drivers connected to the same world.

[Teal]

Short first impression: if you loved TDU, TDU2 will not disappoint. More later, but right now, I wanna drive...lol

[TCrouch]

I'd second that. It's a lot like the first TDU. I had hoped that they'd tighten up the controls with a wheel some, but it still seems to be somewhat sloppy. I can't find the "magical" setting to give me good, solid, linear response. Even with the dead zone at 0, it still has a massive dead zone at the top of the wheel, like the slider is borked.

But the game handles predictably enough. It's not quite as wonky as the first one, where I'd end up fishtailing all over because there always felt like there was a slight disconnect between what I did and when the car started matching my movements. It's a bit more precise there, so it's more fun.

The license stuff gives you an immediate, in-your-face goal, and the little championships with rivals is a good way to give somebody bite-sized gameplay sections they can rip off in 15 or 20 minutes. I only played it for a couple hours, but it seemed an awful lot like a tweaked version of TDU1, which isn't a bad thing in my opinion.

The voice acting is ridiculous, and all of the avatar stuff seems so completely over-the-top, but at least it's adding something to it. Buying a new house will have a tangible reward that you can walk around in, at least...instead of just the menus you surfed through before.

[dbdynsty25]

I only played it for about a half hour last night but I'm pretty underwhelmed so far. The graphics seem to be worse than the first, but then it may just be me remembering them differently and of course the graphics have been improved significantly on this generation of hardware overall, so who knows. The control seems just ok, but it's an arcade racer so I'm not really that worried about it. We'll see...i was distracted last night by a new OS install on my Macbook so I wasn't completely focused on it. Maybe tonight.

[Teal]

It's just looking back with rose colored glasses, db. The graphics are largely the same as TDU1, with some lighting improvements. Yes, the voice acting is ridiculous, but who buys a driving game for the awesome story and acting, anyway?? It is just as good as the first, and having the original island packed in with the new one is a big bonus. Lots more to do, lots more interactivity, and I literally spent two hours driving around doing nothing last night. Love it.

[Rodster]

It's just looking back with rose colored glasses, db. The graphics are largely the same as TDU1, with some lighting improvements. Yes, the voice acting is ridiculous, but who buys a driving game for the awesome story and acting, anyway?? It is just as good as the first, and having the original island packed in with the new one is a big bonus. Lots more to do, lots more interactivity, and I literally spent two hours driving around doing nothing last night. Love it.

I had the most fun with TDU just doing THAT.

[dbdynsty25]

It's just looking back with rose colored glasses, db. The graphics are largely the same as TDU1, with some lighting improvements. Yes, the voice acting is ridiculous, but who buys a driving game for the awesome story and acting, anyway?? It is just as good as the first, and having the original island packed in with the new one is a big bonus. Lots more to do, lots more interactivity, and I literally spent two hours driving around doing nothing last night. Love it.

Yeah I'm sure that's what it is. I had so many fond memories of the first, I probably just think the graphics were better than they were. Like I said, it's probably just because the new racers are so damn good looking, it takes a little bit away from it. Oh well, like I said, only played like a half hour to an hour, so it's still ridiculously early, so I'll get into it more tonight. I know I'm still going to like it because I like the entire game is setup.

[Gurantsu]

I do like the weather and day/night effects. And the casino is actually pretty cool (a freebie from Gamestop pre-order, I think its $10 otherwise.)

[TCrouch]

Also, at lunch I booted up the 360 with the wheel as my controller and fired up the game and it controlled much better. I just had to turn down the "Speed" slider so it wasn't a hog at full speed. When I tried to play before, I tried to swap controllers at the avatar walk-around part in the beginning, which probably reconfigured the game for a controller or something. Because after starting the game with the wheel and staying with the wheel, it handled much better.

Graphics definitely won't ever compare to Forza or any of the games that specialize in a single circuit--it has a set limit on what it has to render. With TDU and TDU2, they'll always be uglier because they'll have to be able to render any of the island at almost any time. Much tougher engine to program. But yeah...it was ugly last time, too. It's not much better now, but it's all-new content to me, so it's fun again.

[Teal]

Found my first hidden junk car. An old beetle. Was just driving off-road on some winding dirt roads, and there it was. I love easter egg hunts...

[Rodster]

I got my copy yesterday from Amazon. Here's what I like and don't like. I hate the Sims crap like everyone else, voice acting is crap so is the lip syncing.

I like the fact you start out in a trailer this time instead of a nice house in Hawaii. The graphics are pretty much the same, it looks good enough for me. The car handling is a little easier to handle, not as much understeer as in the past game. One thing I noticed and maybe it's too early to tell but the game runs a wee bit smoother (X360) than the last one. Overall i'm happy with TDU2 but annoyed not much has been added to the game apart from a new location which i'm sure is time consuming.

Hopefully TDU3 can do away with the Sims crap.