The game has left me a little confused on exactly where to place it in terms of a review. It is very detailed and expansive playground for a racing game in the past few years. There is the free roam option which allows you to explore every highway, dirt track and city clock with your friends—that should pretty much do it right? But then there’s the fact that it’s always-online, plot driven game in which you assume the role of a street racer as an undercover cop.
Gameplay
The game starts with a decently long prologue which somehow ticks off the entire Fast and Furious and NFS great driving checklist, so you’ve got the regulars like illegal racing gangs, electronic music blasting through your stereo, you’ve obviously got the cops behind you and you have a score to settle. You are then introduced to the salient gameplay systems. It’s a bit obvious that the game is not something you can give up on after let’s say a week because the last of its five disciplines only unlock after the 40th level.
After that grueling prologue, the game finally allows you your freedom. And by that I mean freedom to stray away from the story mission which is always pinging in the mini map, to just drive freely in the United States of America. You can call in your friends travel that beautiful country from Detroit to New York or even roam the beaches of Florida. Without a doubt the game’s strongest asset is the world map. It has enough environmental impact packed into it as within minutes of cruising through mountainside scenery, you find yourself at the gaudy Las Vegas strip.
Had the game been more focused on that one aspect, it might have resulted in a better game altogether. But in its desperate attempt to provide a facsimile of Need for Speed, the game is stretched too thin and is exposed of its flaws, like the uninspired story missions. At times you’re randomly asked to drive from one point to another as quickly as you can just for the heck of it.
The game does have its moments of glory though, like there is a race in which you compete in a dirt car while your opponent is a street racer on a route that is primarily off-road with intersecting roads. If you stay on the tarmac your opponent will cross the finish waaaaaaayyy before you, but traverse through the muddy terrain and you might just manage to squeeze out a victory. Then again one cannot expect this sort of sophistication from each and every level of the game, however it didn’t need reams of story missions to fill in the missing gaps.
Don’t get me wrong, the game isn’t bad per se, it just needs a better handling model. One that really makes sure that you can make the most of what the gaming environment has to offer. The game itself feels a bit off, like the shifting of weight will always feel slightly too sluggish, the suspension always just a bit too spongy. And for a car racing game that encourages corner cutting its kerbs are worryingly severe.
Despite these slight flaws one may or may not notice while playing this game, the Crew still remains a highly enjoyable game nevertheless. Ubisoft did work on the connection losses and crashes which were prevalent issues in the week following its launch. The Crew’s social aspect really seems to be both its demise and strong point. It is a uniquely social racer which allows you to invite friends and drive around for no reason whatsoever or take on story missions together in four-player co-op.
Key Features
Never Drive Alone
- Jump in and out seamlessly and build your crew of four through bonding or intense rivalry. Whether your objective is to take down a convoy or to escape the police, achieving it with friends ensures a fresh experience each time you join in.
A Playground Of Unprecedented Scope And Variety
- The entire United States is your driving playground – all the roads coast-to-coast and everything in between. Every type of terrain imaginable is yours to master – from downtown city streets to suburbs, hillsides, cornfields, canyons, desert dunes, or even race tracks.
Prepare For The Next Job
- An extensive tuning system combining depth and simplicity allows you to collect cosmetic and performance parts and customise your licensed cars according to your style and driving preferences.
The Experience Goes On, Wherever You Are
- Continue the experience on iOS, Android tablets, and on the web. Keep track of your friends’ performances and tinker with your ride before playing it live to set new records, or send your crew on jobs on-the-go to gain more XP and parts.
Specifications
Minimum System Requirements
- Operating System: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8/8.1 (64bit)
- Processor: Intel Core2 Quad Q9300 @ 2.5 GHz or AMD Athlon II X4 620 @ 2.6 GHz (or better)
- RAM: 4GB
- Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX260 or AMD Radeon HD4870 (512MB VRAM with Shader Model 4.0 or higher)
- DirectX: DirectX June 2010 Redistributable
- Sound: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers
- Peripherals: Keyboard required, XBOX 360 controller optional (or compatible controller)
Recommended System Requirements (30 FPS)
- Operating System: Windows 8/8.1 (64bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-750 @ 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.0 GHz (or better)
- RAM: 8GB
- Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX580 or AMD Radeon 6870 (1024MB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0 or higher)
- DirectX: DirectX June 2010 Redistributable
- Sound: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers
- Peripherals: Keyboard required, XBOX 360 controller optional (or compatible controller)
Verdict
It’s harder to try and criticise a game that tries to do way too much than on a already tested bore. And in the case of The Crew, it clearly falls into the first category. Granted there were flaws that were glaring and at times very frustrating, the game still provides you with the potential to carve out your own experience out of its rough and ready content which is precisely what saves it from mediocrity.
