Not sure what to make of this one.
First, let's start with the graphics. Anyone who's ever spent any time in Oahu can tell you what a bright, lively, and beautiful paradise it is. Unfortunately, the world of Oahu according to TDU is a bland, somewhat colorless place where the entire population of the island seems to be in the tens. Once you get past the novelty of driving around freely, it won't be long before you start to realize that the textures on most of the buildings (and everywhere else) are lacking in detail, and that too many roads consist of very similar-looking trees and grassy areas that make the longer, multi-mile journeys seem even longer than they really are. The lack of everyday people simply walking the streets or lounging on the beaches also detracts heavily from the realism, as you feel like you're driving around in a lifeless ghost town; then again, the few character models you encounter are so ugly and stiff that the less of them you encounter, the better off you are. And last but hardly least, this game suffers from unsteady frame rates, occasional stutters, and very noticable texture and scenery draw-in. I'm sorry, but exactly which generation is it going to be when video gamers can wave bye-bye, once and for all, to that wretched draw-in and pop-up problem that still ravages too many games? As for the sound...well, the in-game music will have you ripping your own soundtrack before you can say, "Who the hell picked these bands for this game, and why am I forcing myself to listen to them?" Some of the cars' engine roars (the old Camaro comes to mind) are absolutely brutal on the ears. The Oahu I knew was filled with lots of random music and festive chatter, but you won't hear any of it here. Actually, let me correct myself: there is some chatter here and there, and suffice it to say that the voiceover work you'll hear is of the same quality as the music, vehicle, and other in-game sounds. As in bad.
And now, finally...the, uh, gameplay. Funny, driving around Oahu during our honeymoon in our rented car in real life didn't feel like driving a tuna boat on black ice...but it sure does in TDU. Yes, eventually you'll get used to TDU's wonky physics, but even then this game never really feels exhiliarating or rewarding. The game tries to take a semi-realistic approach to incorporating real-world physics, but 80 mph in TDU doesn't feel like anywhere NEAR real-world 80 mph. You can drive much faster than that, of course, and that will give you a decent sensation of speed, but that only exasperates the aforementioned frame-rate stutters and clipping issues. As for the police that occasionally show up...well, suffice it to say that they're not terribly concerned with speeders, or with any kind of dogged persuit should you arouse their attention by smashing other cars. If only there was a way to port the cops from Liberty City to this game...
Even with all of these negatives, there's something to be said for the innovation (even though it's borrowing just a little from GTA and Crazy Taxi) this title shows. Too many aspects of this game are broken to recommend it heartily, but it's a valuable first step in showing "what could be" somewhere down the line. With a lot more polish and refined scenery and physics engines, this could have been a great and unique racing title; unforunately, TDU stands as a rough draft...heavy emphasis on ROUGH.