Test Drive Unlimited To Cost Only $39.99 >

	2006/07/20 9:41:41: Posted by DM
	Atari has announced that their upcoming driving quasi-mmo, Test Drive Unlimited, will only cost $39.99. On top of they they are promising free add-on content on a regular basis. If they are telling the truth on even half of these things, that is great news. Click read more for the full press info. PRESS RELEASE NEW YORK, July 20: Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world's most recognized brands and a leading third-party video game publisher, today announced official pricing for its upcoming, highly- anticipated next-generation racing game, Test Drive Unlimited. Atari will offer Test Drive Unlimited for Xbox 360TM video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for US$39.95. To further extend consumers' gaming experiences, Test Drive Unlimited car packs featuring six or more cars, complete with genre-specific radio stations, will be available for download monthly, beginning six weeks after launch on Xbox Live Marketplace. "Innovation should be available to everyone, not a privilege for those can afford high price tags," said Bruno Bonnell, Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Atari. "Our GamersFirst program demonstrated the positive impact of flexibility in pricing. We believe it is our mission to deliver triple-A games that are accessible to the masses. As such, we are offering Test Drive Unlimited - a game that is being positively touted and recognized by the media - for $39.95, and furthermore, will continue users' experiences past launch by featuring new cars and free music for download." Test Drive Unlimited's monthly car packs will feature a mixture of manufacturers and models of the world's finest vehicles. Each downloaded car pack will also include a free radio station. Radio stations will be set according to genres, such as Rock, Blues, Electronic, R&B, Jazz, Latin, etc., and feature between 10-20 songs. Test Drive Unlimited has been receiving accolades from industry media as one of the top racing games this decade. GameDaily declared, "This is the kind of racing game I live for," while IGN.com stated, "There's no denying Test Drive Unlimited is looking like one of recent memory's most unique racers." TeamXbox described Test Drive Unlimited as a "revolutionary online driver." At this year's E3, the annual video game trade show, Test Drive Unlimited received a slew of E3 nominations and awards, including both PLAY Magazine and GameTrailers.com "Best Racing Game." Packed with 90 vehicles, one thousand plus miles of open roads and a host of online options, Test Drive Unlimited is M.O.O.R.: Massively Open Online Racing - the ultimate online automotive gaming experience for Xbox 360 gamers. Both online and offline gamers will experience the world's most exotic and fastest vehicles on Test Drive Unlimited's diverse Hawaiian roads. Gamers win races, challenges, missions and tournaments to earn credits and purchase new cars, bikes, apparel, homes and garages. Boasting huge online content, racers around the world can challenge others to join them in the virtual paradise of the game's persistent online racing world. Players will engage in online challenges, and build communities by creating or joining exclusive members clubs to talk, trade cars, and race with other like-minded and similarly-skilled drivers in Test Drive Unlimited, one of the most comprehensive online racing experiences to date. For more information about Test Drive Unlimited, please visit www.testdriveunlimited.com
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Now if only other publishers would stop ripping us off.

That's cause they know that after putting out the crappy demo that on one would ever spend $60 on the piece of crap game.

I don't really care about the game. But I've paid full price for crappy games before, so paying less is always good. Besides this might become a trend other developers might follow.

It says that "...will continue users' experiences past launch by featuring new cars and free music for download."

So, the car packs are for download on XBL, but, they probably wont be free. Only the music is free if you purchase the car packs: " Each downloaded car pack will also include a free radio station."

The other issue will be monthly fees for online play and/or whether it the game will be ad-supported.

I like this game :)

THIS IS NO SURPRISE!! Remember sometime back, it was confirmed that there would be in game advertisements...hence, that is where they will get their income. They should sell an advertisement-free version, and give away the version with advertisements for free. Either way, they will get their royalties.

There are plenty of ads in games now. Take a look at almost any of the racing games like NFS series. The last underground one had plenty. Hell everytime you took a call it tossed the cingular logo in your face. I think this is a great way to see if this pricing model will work.

The demo was rough. I am hoping things are ironed out a little more when the game is released.