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Quasi-review, part II: The Crew

I’ve dumped a ton of hours into The Crew last night and this morning, and it has earned back some of my respect.

That weird, jumpy camera is still hanging about. The cars don’t quite feel right. I struggle to find fellow players in quick co-op. Still, I am getting some enjoyment from the game’s MMO-styled functions.

The Crew wants to tap into that number-loving segment of gamers. You know, the kinds who love Destiny because you can keep elevating that little number that sits beside your level. Or, the hit points on your myriad of weaponry. The Crew scratches those itches with levels for your driver and your car. Each completed mission gives you that sweet numbered fix in the form of XP and loot, and in different quantities depending on how well you perform. Driver levelling is pretty straightforward, but a more complex system comes into play with bits of loot that can be equipped to your car to raise its level.

I understand the idea, but I’m also confused by it. Said loot comes in the form of car parts that I’m not sure exist in the real world. The last thing I installed in my car was a tire part. Not a tire, for sure. Maybe a brake pad or something? I don’t know, but regardless, my car is a level 120 beast now.

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The thing that goes against The Crew is that it needs to appeal not only to those loot-loop types but also to car fans. MMOs like World of Warcraft and even Destiny have something going for them that The Crew does not: your own personal character. In The Crew, you’re either meant to associate yourself with the game’s lead, the bearded and bland Alex, or perhaps the cars he’s driving. I’m struggling to make that personal connection. Those who’re fully into Need for Speed probably won’t have this problem, but more casual car fans definitely will.

On that Need for Speed tangent, the game’s storyline pretty much matches every Need for Speed: Underground game you’ve ever played. Again, I realise that’s either a strong pro or con, depending on the gamer you’re speaking with.

I’ve finished the Midwest now, and while I’m having more fun that I initially thought I would, I loathe driving between cities. Part of The Crew‘s appeal, at least in marketing, was that you could drive across (a very weirdly condensed version) of the United States. I don’t want to. It’s boring.

Sure, you can mitigate some of the tedium by driving through Skill Gates and trying slalom, jump or other activities, but they’re weird. First, a gold medal ghost car will always pop into view, and no matter the difficulty of the challenge, always runs circles around my feeble effort. Second, once you’ve finished the challenge, for better or worse, you aren’t seamlessly put back into the world; rather, you have to hit the A button to close the challenge, wait for a little fade-out-and-back-in sequence and then get back on your way.

As stupid as it sounds, when driving between cities, I find myself longing for Far Cry 4’s autodrive. Actually, I find myself just longing to play Far Cry 4. The silver lining of this all is that you’ll be able to unlock fast travel once you arrive in a new destination.

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I’m not sure if this is related to recent DDoS attacks on Xbox Live, but it feels like as more people start playing The Crew, the worse its map seems to get. The Crew used to do that neat little map trick I mentioned in the first part of this quasi-review quite quickly; now, when I hit the B button, I find myself waiting for a good half a minute to get back to driving. I am getting used to the high-hovering blue GPS line, and have noticed it squiggles in the air just before you’re supposed to turn. Still, it’d be much better on the ground.

Microtransaction update: I’ve still yet to run (drive?) into any. That’s a big plus.

At this stage of this slightly unorthodox review process (of which I’m very keen to get your opinions on, by the way), The Crew works for car fans by bringing something different to the table. As for the rest of us, I’m really not sold yet.

Check back for continued impressions and a proper review soon.

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The Crew is currently in review using a promotional copy of the game played on Xbox One. The copy was provided by the publisher. The Crew was available from yesterday, hence the quasi-review.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.