At EB Expo 2013, Ubisoft showcased their upcoming PlayStation 4 and Xbox One racing title The Crew. We were able to go hands-on with the open-world racer and get a glimpse at what looks to be the future of racing games.
The first thing that becomes apparent when playing The Crew is just how immense and dense the world of the game truly is. There didn’t seem to be any end in site. If you are to go by Ubisoft’s claims, the game features the entire United States of America in digital form. Unfortunately due to time-restrictions we didn’t have the opportunity to journey the immense world in its entirety, but we can confirm that it is huge in every sense of the term.
As for the driving itself, it comes off as somewhat loose, leaving the player feeling not so heavily in control of the vehicle more so overseeing its journey. It was an odd feeling to say the very least. Large motions on the controller only result in small responses and speed is somewhat difficult to temper.
The multiplayer components of the game were quite impressive. We were fast-tracked from our various destinations across the United States all the way to Miami, Florida. At Miami we engaged in a game of cat and mouse with an enemy vehicle. The goal given to us was to take out that driver. Doing so proved to be quite challenging as the AI was actually very intelligent, taking shortcuts and side streets to avoid capture.
Visually the game was utterly gorgeous and bursting with detail. Everything about the game’s aesthetics was absolutely astonishing and it is truly a showcase of the power of the next generation of video-game consoles.
All in all, The Crew looks to be an interesting next gen racing game, if only for its grand scale open world that is just begging to be explored. The controls could be a little tighter but they were good enough that it didn’t negatively influence the experience. The real take away from The Crew is the incredible possibilities that are available in regards to open worlds on next gen consoles. I for one eagerly await to see what else these new machines can do.
The Crew is slated for release on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in early 2014. This is one game that racing fans should keep on their radar, The Crew may very well be the next big thing in racing games.
