Just pre-ordered this after giving the first game a solid spin for a full day this weekend. Man, I think I may be in love.
Every other racing game is too constricting, even something as fully featured as a GT5 or Forza. You're still primarily limited to circuits, which may be one of the most boring creations of man. Test Drive Unlimited gives you virtual circuits over the open world terrain for events and challenges, as well as free roam on and off road whenever you want. That maps are gi-fucking-normous, I mean, truly gargantuan, with a sense of freedom and exploration I have yet to see in other driving games. Even Burnout Paradise keeps you to the road 95% of the time, but I can now see why people wanted a GPS system like TDU in Paradise. The GPS system is perfect, as well it should be, since its orders of magnitude larger than Paradise in terms of drivable area.
Now, TDU2 has day night cycles (and thus a new lighting overhaul), changing weather conditions and off road vehicles so I'm now a full convert and ready for day one. And the single/multiplayer blend in the game is one of the most successful innovations this gen.
Makes me wonder why this game was never really on my radar until now.