'The Crew' Delivers Open World RPG Racing
There are already a handful of solid racing experiences for next-gen consoles, including the hyperrealistic "Forza Motorsport 5" and the high-speed arcade action of "Need for Speed Rivals." Ubisoft is looking to carve out its own niche between the two with "The Crew," an action-driving game that lets you freely roam the United States and tackle both traditional races and boss fights like you'd find in role-playing games (RPGs).
In "The Crew," you play as a driver looking to make a name for him or herself within a Detroit-based racing gang. Either alone or with friends online, you'll traverse iconic areas like Los Angeles, New York City and Monument Valley as you work your way up the ranks.
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Control-wise, "The Crew" doesn't try to mix up the racing formula. When playing on a Xbox 360 controller on the PC version of the game, we used the right trigger to accelerate, the left trigger to brake, the B button to use our handbrake and the A button for a speed boost.
After a quick introduction from Ubisoft at PAX East 2014, we took our trusty Ford Mustang through two missions, and liked a lot of what we saw.
Our first challenge was a simple checkpoint race, which had us get from one side of town to the other within a time limit. We were immediately impressed with the sense of off-road freedom "The Crew" provides, as we found ourselves weaving between roads, trees and fields in order to get to our destination.
Ubisoft promises living, breathing environments with "The Crew," and the demo delivered. This first area we raced in was populated by computer-controlled cars, idling pedestrians and even herds of cattle that swiftly ran away from our Mustang when we drove near. We witnessed a propeller plane take off right in front of our vehicle, and couldn't help but get distracted by the realistic-looking shadow it cast as it flew away.
After this straightforward affair we tried out a RAID boss fight, which pays tribute to the cooperative "raid" missions in massively multiplayer online RPGs like "World of Warcraft." Using the same Ford Mustang, we were tasked with taking down a driver sporting a much more muscular truck.
The game's "living world" remained consistent in this second mission, as a herd of beach-goers scrambled out of the way as we pursued our rival. We liked the idea of bringing the classic boss fight into the racing genre, though we think we'll enjoy it more when we have some actual co-op partners to work with.
Graphically, the PAX East build of "The Crew" was a mixed bag. Shadows, lighting and windshield reflection all looked lifelike, though we noticed some jagged edges on each car's body. The game slows down and switches camera angles whenever there's a high-speed crash, though we found this effect much more dramatic and detailed in EA's "Need for Speed Rivals."
Since our time with "The Crew" was limited, we didn't quite get to freely cruise around the country. However, the portion of the game we played offered up a healthy mix of familiar and fresh racing modes, and we look forward to experiencing the full scope of this open world racer when it hits this fall for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
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