Video: Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown gameplay is stunning

We open with the player entering an Italian car dealer and perusing a selection of Alfa Romeos – passing the 4C Spider and Coupe, as well as the 8C, and stopping on the stunning 8C Spider. TDU fans rejoice collectively, as the buying process goes through colour, wheel and interior choices. Then, as it appears outside, we see menus for the radio controls, indicators, lights and roof, as the car goes off to explore Hong Kong Island.

We see the car go through various urban and rural environments, cycling the various radio stations, both at cruising speeds and with a bit more zest. We see different weather and lighting conditions, with the rain and fog in the mountains a particular highlight. Finally, we see the car pull up to a beachfront vista and drop the top. The ‘Cruiser’ trailer does what it says on the tin.

So what else have we learned, then? That the graphics are shaping up very nicely indeed. We also saw a bit of grip-to-slip in the physics, though we’ll need to try it to know it’s good for sure. We also heard the various V8 tones of the 8C, a famously vocal supercar. Though not perhaps matching the detail and variety in sound files on The Crew: Motorfest, it certainly sounds good. In all, TDU is shaping up to be exactly what was promised: a grown-up lifestyle motoring MMO or in other words, exactly what we all wanted.

What questions remain? Well, whether it will definitely launch in March 2024, whether the physics will actually be any good and whether Hong Kong Island will be enough. I’m tentatively optimistic on all fronts.