2023-07-19 16:26:51
It’s only been regarding a month since Ubisoft first gave me the chance to try The Crew Motorfest. During my time in Los Angeles for Summer Game Fest I had the opportunity to approx 30 minutes of the upcoming racing title to experience and learn when it would debut on PC and consoles. With its release in mid-September, Ubisoft once once more unleashed me on the island of O’ahu, Hawaii, this time in a nearly unleashed preview event that spanned a whopping four hours.
Having previously gotten a taste of The Crew Motorfest, I was excited to see a less linear and controlled version of the game. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed what I got to experience in LA, but it was a very pompous exhibition that gave me a very sophisticated look at the world and playlist activities. This time was anything but. From start-up onboarding, which resembled a flashy Forza Horizon opening that gave you a slice of the world and the kind of cars you can drive, to being able to then work your way through it Working a few different playlist campaigns while having complete freedom to explore the island of O’ahu as I saw fit felt like The Crew game through and through.
While I’m regarding to dive into the playlists and the open world and the activities available there, I want to take a moment to talk regarding the actual gameplay. I wasn’t overly impressed with what I saw in LA when it came to the driving mechanics, but following more time with the game I really enjoyed the arcade, high-speed, and thriller style. This isn’t a game where cars behave remotely the way you would expect them to, nor does it ever try to fool you into thinking they do. In that regard, the gameplay and driving feel really fit the tone and theme of The Crew Motorfest, which ultimately feels like a combination of the festival atmosphere of Forza Horizon, the culture and elements of car history from Gran Turismo and Riders Republic’s gnarly stunts and vehicle variety. That said, I’m not a fan of the built-in Powerslide mechanic, where your car automatically leans into a drift if it turns too aggressively into a corner. For light yet powerful cars, this feature means you’ll slide around every corner – and no, it doesn’t make you look as cool as the Drift King.
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Speaking of drifting, having already gotten a good taste of Motorsports, Vintage Garage and Automobili Lamborghini playlists in LA, I figured this time it would be best to check out the Made in Japan playlist first. It’s all regarding Japanese cars or imports, Fast and Furious as Brian O’Conner would say, and you race them through city tracks decorated with Japanese stickers like torii gates and giant dragons. You even occasionally head into the wilderness to practice drifting a mountainous slalom sprint, which really reminded me of the similar scenes from Tokyo Drift. All in all, this playlist didn’t really feel special and didn’t have the hook that some of the others had, but the theme and the cars you get to drive are all exciting enough that it’s easy to lose track of time, while working through the approximately hour-long series of objectives.
The point of the playlists isn’t just to try out new cars and learn some automotive history, no, this is where The Crew Motorfest progression comes into play, as completing races and objectives earns you money that you can use to buy cars to Unlock other playlists as you progress, the Main Stage for new challenges and social features, and a few mods to boot. These are ways to upgrade any car you own by putting slightly higher-rated tires or engine parts on the car, and if anything, it reminded me of Riders Republic’s rarity and loot system – i.e., something that doesn’t really does a lot to actually improve the game, but offers ways to further customize your experience.
With Made in Japan under my belt, I turned my attention to a second playlist that was all regarding exploration. The outcome of the races didn’t matter here, as the playlists were more regarding testing quirky cars fit for Hawaii and traveling to all the wonderful views and locations on the island of O’ahu. This playlist seemed like the perfect one to kickstart a player’s The Crew Motorfest journey.
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I then decided to test the Main Stage feature, realizing that this worked similarly to Forza Horizon’s season system, where players might complete challenges and gain experience to unlock rewards for a set amount of time. The Main Stage was also home to the live game modes, including the 32-player Demolition Derby-esque Demolition Royale and even a 28-player Mega Race. This, too, gave off shades of Riders Republic.
Before I decided to tackle one last playlist and explore the open world for a while, I took a peek inside the garage to see what types of vehicles you can unlock. From classics to motorbikes, speedboats and double deckers to official Formula 1 cars and enough Ferraris and Lamborghinis to make any billionaire envious, the list just went on and on and Ubisoft promised that this wasn’t even the full range of cars was that were available at launch.
After a quick bit of shopping, I decided to roam free and discovered that the island of O’ahu is packed with all sorts of little activities that resemble a Forza Horizon game. From speed cameras and slalom targets on the roads and in the jungle, to aerial activities high in the clouds and even a few goodies scattered in the surrounding ocean, there are plenty of ways to kill time and get a bit more experience collect between races and playlists. Oh, and if you’ve never played a The Crew game, you might be wondering how to switch between car, boat, and plane, right? With a simple click of an analog stick, you can switch between the three modes of transport at any time in the open world.
With time running out I wanted a taste of the future and decided to see what all the fuss regarding electric cars is regarding. So I started the Electric Odyssey Playlist. Just like motorsport is regarding managing tire wear and Vintage Garage is regarding not damaging your classic car, Electric Odyssey brings a new gameplay feature to the table. While cars normally regenerate a boost over time, electric cars in The Crew Motorfest don’t do this when they’re in a race, and instead you have to drive between bright pink fences whenever they’re available. Essentially, while EVs flare up ICE cars in terms of acceleration, you have to be a bit smarter regarding how you use the boost, as EVs don’t have the same level of freedom here as regular cars. Considering this and how unique electric cars feel and look, and the fact that all of the events in this playlist take place in the middle of a thunderstorm with pink lightning strikes everywhere, this all made Electric Odyssey one of the more unique playlists and proved once once more that these mini-campaigns can make a big difference when presented in such a creative way.
As we find ourselves in a period between Forza Horizon games, there really is no better time for The Crew Motorfest. Don’t get me wrong, this game doesn’t seem to rival Playground’s title when it comes to its presentation and graphics, and it also lacks some of that title’s finesse, but as far as an open-world racing game goes, there is in loving this part of the series a lot. Regardless of what type of cars you tend to lean toward, The Crew Motorfest has it all, and for me this will still be one of September’s most anticipated titles.
The Crew Motorfest will be released on September 14, 2023 for PC, PlayStation and Xbox
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