Atari
ATARI ANNOUNCES SECOND TEST DRIVE UNLIMITED DEMO
- Road Test Racing Reinvented with New Demo Coming to Xbox Live Marketplace -
LYON, FRANCE – 23 August 2006 – Atari today announced the forthcoming launch of a new Test Drive Unlimited playable demo for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, via Xbox Live® Marketplace. Developed by Eden Games, Test Drive Unlimited has already excited gamers with its massive array of single player challenges and diverse online multiplayer delights. The new demo will be released Thursday August 24th 2006 featuring stunning new vehicles, new challenges, longer play time and a host of other enhancements to give gamers a tantalising taste of racing reinvented. Test Drive Unlimited is scheduled for release across Europe September 8th 2006.
The first Test Drive Unlimited playable demo, released during E3 2006 as part of Microsoft’s initiative to bring gamers closer to the event, was downloaded close to 200,000 times from Xbox Live Marketplace in one short week, bringing the demo in third place overall amongst all downloads during the period. Feedback from the global gaming community proved vital in giving Eden Games a clear direction to improve the quality of the final game and deliver the incredible experience Test Drive Unlimited now offers.
With the new demo allowing up to one hour of play in a 60km² area of the graphically polished and geographically accurate Hawaiian island of Oahu, players will have time to discover a stunning new house, three delicious new super cars – the Ferrari F430, Ford Mustang GT and AC Cobra – and one brutally powerful motorbike, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. Players can choose to accept one of the four new offline challenges, take on either of the two new online challenges with up to eight players racing simultaneously, launch instant challenges against anyone they encounter on the road, or just burn gallons of virtual gasoline tearing around the lush tropical roads in free ride. Other enhancements include tighter handling, snappy gear changes, customizable speed blur effects, optional in-car camera vibrations, improved lag allowing eight player online races, fully operational vsync, an incredible level of overall graphical polish, and much more.
“We know Xbox Live gamers in Europe are eagerly anticipating their next taste of Test Drive Unlimited,” said Richard Teversham, Platform & Marketing E&D EMEA, Microsoft. “Test Drive Unlimited gives gamers and their friends an innovative combination of driving skills, connected gaming where ever you are, and unbeatable graphics that harness the power of Xbox 360. This exclusive game is a great addition to the Xbox 360 portfolio.”
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While the new demo gives a good flavour of what to expect from Test Drive Unlimited, it barely scratches the surface of the final game which offers over 1000 miles of roads, 90 of the world’s most exclusive super cars and bikes, and unlimited online challenges. Test Drive Unlimited is racing reinvented.
Test Drive Unlimited is scheduled for release across Europe September 8th 2006 and the new demo is available via Xbox Live Marketplace from August 24th 2006. For more information visit www.testdriveunlimited.com.
