In The Crew 2, unless you’re participating in an event, there is no reason to explore the immensely large recreation of the United States. A good open-world racer will keep you entertained, regardless of whether you’re in an event or just exploring. The map is comically large, especially since there is not much to do within it. They still control as poorly as they did before.Īll of this is encapsulated in a vast open-world. However, save for your vehicle’s top speed, it doesn’t feel like anything changes about the vehicle in a meaningful way. This gear will raise your vehicle’s “perf level” which would, theoretically, improve its performance. Taking some concept from modern RPGs, after each race or challenge, you’ll be rewarded with gear. It is a shame that the mini-map does have to be utilized so often because The Crew 2 does look great.īehind some of The Crew 2‘s disappointing facets is a pretty great gameplay loop. The checkpoints are just far enough away for it to be difficult to determine what the recommended route is without looking at the mini-map. I always felt lost during races that attempted to take advantage of the larger areas leaving more frustrated than concentrated on the race. In some of the more open races, it was hard to decipher what the best route was for getting to the next checkpoint. More often than not, they were just alternate routes that would, in most cases, provide the opposition the lead. This would be great if the shortcuts actually gave me the advantage. Similar to games like Burnout Paradise, while there is a route that the game recommends you follow, you can cut through shortcuts or find your own way to the finish line.
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The real offender is the open nature of the races. The courses never felt like they flowed well partially due to its design. Having an open-world may limit how well a course can be designed, and The Crew 2 perfectly exemplifies that. That isn’t always the case for every open-world racer - plenty have excellent courses within an open-world - but it certainly can be to the detriment of it. Due to The Crew 2‘s open-world environment, all of the courses are built within it rather than designed separately. “The actual driving of The Crew 2 is not up to the standards of modern racing games, and that is an important facet of any game that focuses on driving.”Īdding to that frustration are the actual courses. The actual driving of The Crew 2 is not up to the standards of modern racing games, and that is an important facet of any game that focuses on driving. It does get a little better when you unlock better cars, but that notion is still prevalent even later in the game. In my first hour, I stated, “everything from drifting to the sense of speed isn’t up to the standards of modern racing games.” That was while I was using cars unlocked in the beginning. What did affect my driving was the mechanics itself. It did not affect my driving in any way, but it takes you out of the experience for that brief moment.
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On occasion, looking ahead of the city streets looked pretty clear then out of nowhere, buildings and bridges would come into view a few moments before I would be crossing their path.
THE CREW 2 REVIEW PS4
On the PS4 version, texture pop-in and draw distance seemed to be more noticeable in city environments as well. That may be due to the goofy architecture found in Sin City, but I was never in awe when I was driving within city limits. Specifically, in Las Vegas, I thought the buildings looked pretty bland. The only time I saw some questionable visuals were in city environments. I think the latter does a better job with details inside the cars, but you’ll hardly want to be in the cockpit for this one.
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In particular, the vehicle models are gorgeous and almost on par with the Forza Horizon series.
THE CREW 2 REVIEW PRO
Speaking of the PS4, I played The Crew 2 on the PS4 Pro and, in most cases, it looks great. I mentioned it in the impressions but when I heard a character say “legendary badassdom” I wanted to turn off my PlayStation 4 for a little bit. It doesn’t help that the dialogue is some of the most cringe-inducing lines I have heard in a video game. It never caught my attention and made me care about whoever my supposed rival was at the various posts. The narrative is inconsequential and forgettable.