I was lucky enough to be receive an invitation to the most recent
closed beta of Ubisoft and Ivory Tower’s upcoming MMO/racing title The
Crew. This game had been touted as a spiritual successor to The Test
Drive series. I loved Test Drive Ultimate 2, so naturally I was
extremely excited to check it out. I was not disappointed.
Aside from the bugs that plague any game before release, this game seems pretty tight and polished. The graphics are gorgeous, showcasing beautiful water effects, intricate textures, and sweet-looking cars. The game (as of yet) drops you right into a cop chase in the beginning, which was a bit confusing, but the onscreen queues were obvious enough that I was able to beat it on the first try.
After the introduction I was presented with a bevy of missions. The beta only included missions in the Midwest, although the entire USA was drivable. As one would expect, story missions are required to advance the story, but there are also plenty of side missions. To a degree side missions are mandatory: players must advance to a certain level to complete certain story missions. The Crew does a great job of integrating RPG elements.
As the player does quests and performs feats of driving skill he gains experience and levels up, earning the abilities to use better parts and use better cars. You can also team up with up to three other players for quests, bettering your chances of winning. Or you could all just show off your sweet cars in the always-online world.
In the few hours I spent playing The Crew, I was quite impressed. The sound was good, the cinema and story were gripping, and the protagonist was suitably manly. Using a controller, this game looks and feels great so far.
My only qualm? The $60 price tag at release. There are also real money transactions available in-game, which I didn’t look in to much, but I’m strongly of an ‘either/or’ opinion. Either make the game a one time purchase, or make it Free to Play with in game transactions. This is a bold decision by Ubisoft, with competition from the upcoming F2P title World of Speed.
Expect The Crew on the shelves and for download on Windows PC, Xbox 360, and PS4 on November 11th, 2014.
Official site of The Crew
Aside from the bugs that plague any game before release, this game seems pretty tight and polished. The graphics are gorgeous, showcasing beautiful water effects, intricate textures, and sweet-looking cars. The game (as of yet) drops you right into a cop chase in the beginning, which was a bit confusing, but the onscreen queues were obvious enough that I was able to beat it on the first try.
After the introduction I was presented with a bevy of missions. The beta only included missions in the Midwest, although the entire USA was drivable. As one would expect, story missions are required to advance the story, but there are also plenty of side missions. To a degree side missions are mandatory: players must advance to a certain level to complete certain story missions. The Crew does a great job of integrating RPG elements.
As the player does quests and performs feats of driving skill he gains experience and levels up, earning the abilities to use better parts and use better cars. You can also team up with up to three other players for quests, bettering your chances of winning. Or you could all just show off your sweet cars in the always-online world.
In the few hours I spent playing The Crew, I was quite impressed. The sound was good, the cinema and story were gripping, and the protagonist was suitably manly. Using a controller, this game looks and feels great so far.
My only qualm? The $60 price tag at release. There are also real money transactions available in-game, which I didn’t look in to much, but I’m strongly of an ‘either/or’ opinion. Either make the game a one time purchase, or make it Free to Play with in game transactions. This is a bold decision by Ubisoft, with competition from the upcoming F2P title World of Speed.
Expect The Crew on the shelves and for download on Windows PC, Xbox 360, and PS4 on November 11th, 2014.
Official site of The Crew
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