This article is more than 1 year old

Gaming's driving ambitions: The Crew and Grand Theft Auto V

Fast, furious, FUN... and banned in Australia

Need for Speed-tastic gameplay

The cars themselves handle in the same arcade-style as those in the likes of Burnout and Need for Speed. Happily though, there is variety in the vehicles you'll drive through missions, with off-roaders, muscle cars and sports cars all making an appearance.

Ubisoft - The Crew

Off-road ruckus

Crucially, there are also discernible differences to the way each handles. That said, I've yet to jump into a new vehicle and have to rethink about my racing line or breaking points – certainly not to the extent that the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo demand.

Events themselves run the usual gamut of straight-up races, drag races, take-downs, police evasion and getting from A to B against the clock. All gameplay types are fine in their own way, but it's unlikely that any will standout to you as new or original.

Ubisoft - The Crew

San Fran slam

Strangely enough, there's a car-based RPG here too. Completing races adorns you with new exhausts, suspension, etc – and these can all be grafted on to your Frankenstein's monster of a car. Indeed, even Alex himself can be bolstered with "Perks".

In this way you might really only need to buy one car for the majority of the game and just keep adding performance boosting devices to it. I found the whole system to be a little tacked on though, and make the whole affair even less believable (if that's possible).

Ubisoft - The Crew

Yosemite falls

The Reg Verdict

There's a kernel of greatness somewhere in the online expanses of The Crew, but it has been lost amid the sheer size and scope of its vast map and multiplayer ambitions.

There are positives, not only in an abundance of event types, but also in the novelty of seeing the whole of the US recreated. However, these aren't enough to paper over the cracks, meaning that The Crew's appeal will lie solely with those who revel in arcade racers.

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like