Nacon is really making big moves these days. As Bigben Interactive they were known for having some titles of questionable quality under their belt, recently they’ve been announcing and picking up a lot of worthwhile games within the AA sector, one of which includes Kylotonn Racing Games take on the Test Drive Unlimited series called Solar Crown.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Solar Crown was the name of a reality TV event in the previous Test Drive Unlimited where you competed against other races for fame, glory, and cash. As you progressed through the campaign mode you unlocked new cars and customization items, as well as new locations on the map, including a fully functional casino.
I don’t know how much of that is coming back to Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, but they do showcase the reality TV elements being present in the teaser trailer. For instance it looks like the hot host from the previous game will be making a return, and you briefly see a chick in a designer pump step out of the car while a guy in a suit stands in the back, and it looks like you’ll be visiting plenty of showrooms as you progress through the game. You can check out the teaser below.
A lot of people were quick to point out that the registered trademarks in the teaser included Bugatti, Ferrari, Dodge and Lamborghini to name a few.
During the Nacon Connect streaming event, creative director at Kylotonn Racing, Alain Jarniou, talked about what gamers suspected would be in the game as well as the general gist of the game’s story.
As mentioned above, the Solar Crown competition would still work as the heart and soul of the game’s story, but one thing that has me terrified is that Jarniou mentions that the event has been updated for “modern” audiences.
You can check out Jarniou’s comments below, courtesy of MotoGamesTV.
Jarniou also mentions that Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown would also be running on the brand new engine that Kylotonn has been using for the WRC series.
The engine has been expertly tuned to include different kinds of reaction-based physics for the vehicles based on road surface, weather conditions, and driving ability, much like the WRC series. So hopefully this translates well from the rally races to majority of the street races in Test Drive.
Jarniou also revealed that avatar customization will be returning as well, which was a pretty big feature in the first two games. The theme of the titles centered around luxury high-life clothing and accessories, so it sounds like that’s coming back to Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.
One other thing gamers noticed was that the temporary PEGI rating was 18+, which seemed odd. Some suspected that it might be do the casino making a return, which would automatically boost the rating up, while others suspected it might be do to sexual content. Given that today’s industry is averse to fan-service for men, I tend to doubt that the bikini babe car wash segments will be making a return.
As for Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, there is no release date yet but – much like its predecessors – I’m going to assume it will launch on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox home consoles.
For more information you can keep an eye on the Nacon social media portals.
(Thanks for the news tip LupinIII)