It is almost 4years since the last Test Drive graced our 360’s. That, however, is all about to change with Eden Games Test Drive Unlimited 2 hitting store shelves near you this autumn. Using the power of the Internet and a lot of free time here is a preview of the upcoming game Massively Open Online Racer (M.O.O.R).

In 2006 360 racer fans were treated with their first taste of an M.O.O.R title. With almost 1.2 million users Test Drive Unlimited was a great success in the early days of the 360 and still gets 6,000+ users on its servers on a daily basis. Unfortunately the game was a bit before its time and had many issues. Most noticeably poor vehicle handling and connecting with your friends could take forever (In gaming terms anyway). Thankfully Eden Games have listened to their loyal community and have given the game a complete makeover.

So where is the best place to start? Well obviously it’s the new location, or in this case locations. Firstly the Hawaiian Island is still in the game and is unlocked at a certain point. The island has had a through going over with new off-road tracks and more “missions” to keep you occupied, other than that it’ll be pretty much the same. The main location however is the party island of Ibiza, Spain. With its mix of historic fishing villages and large towns there will be a vast difference to the Hawaiian location. As you would expect from this series the environment graphics are second to none. Every road perfectly detailed to give you that Ibiza driving experience.

The game will feature 930km (in Ibiza) of road as well as harbours, plazas and beaches to snap that perfect picture.  To make the game feel more realistic a new environment mechanic has been built that will make small changes, such as water lapping the shore instead of being static. To much bigger changes that include seamless changes between day and night as well as “realistic” weather system delivering hot Spanish sun as well as torrential Mediterranean thunderstorms.

So that’s the Island, there is also a new driving engine. Out goes the old V-Rally engine of old and in comes a purpose built engine to deliver that ultimate jet set experience. The most noticeable element of this engine is that some cars handle in a more arcade style, whilst others handle in a simulation style. This is to open the game up to social gamers as well as those more “hardcore” gamers amongst us. The only issue at moment is the difference between road and off-road. There is no difference. However it is early days and its unlikely Eden will leave it this way.

The big focus for this game is social, multiplayer fun, and for this the system has been stripped and rebuilt to be more functional as well, well social. Everything has a social element. Whether looking around a car from one of the dealers with up to 32 of your friends and their “avatars” or the new co-op driving mode. Then new co-op mode gives a new perspective to the driving genre and gives the two users the chance to either drive or navigate. So there will no doubt be a lot of shouting “left” whilst the driver just carries on trying to catch up with the Lamborghini ahead. The most interesting of the new or improved features however is the “Drivers Club”.  Drivers Club’s allow you to build a club around your friends. Hold races, decorate and improve your club house, hold parties and even donate money together to buy limited cars that only clubs can own, such as the Aston Martin One-77.

For those without an Xbox live membership, we’ll don’t worry. Work has also been done to improve the single player elements. Not only do the mission’s from the first TDU return (pick up’s, drop off’s, races etc…) but you can now also gain money from drifting, finding new locations and finding car wreck as well as other yet unannounced features. Also as I mentioned before you’ll also get the chance to go back to Hawaii later in the game. Once you unlock the island you will be able to fly between the two via the island’s airports or if your rich enough and own the yacht, well just set sail.

One of the change’s you’ll notice first will be the improvements to the avatar system. What was once a rarely seen addition to the game will now become you online TDU2 persona. With “Sim-Like” customisation from eye colour to nose position you’ll be able to create the “perfect person” and if you fail. Just head over to the plastic surgeon and they’ll soon have you all fixed up. Clothes shops will once make an appearance so whether you want to look smart or you want to stand out from the crowd then they’ll be a shop just up your street.

There are also even more customisation features to get you grubby fingers all over. You house and club house will have decoration customisation (furniture, wallpaper etc…) but the real fun is in the cars. Well it is a driving game right? Well thanks to the new “Car Sticker Shop” you’ll be able to not only apply decals to the outside of your beloved exotic sports car but all so the interior right down to the stitching that holds it all together.

Obviously there is still a long time before the game is released so no doubt more will be added to the game before its autumn release. Including the policing system that is to undergo a serious overhaul and will also play a big part in the social aspect of the game, although that’s all we know at this time. So expect a steady stream of news, screens and video over the coming months. Especially during next month’s E3 expo.