29 August 2015
This time last year Driveclub, The Crew and Project CARS were all due to launch in the ever-popular 'fall' period of 2014. In the 12 months prior I had been very interested in each and was now wondering a few things: Which game would be my favourite? Which game would score the highest reviews? And which game would generate the most sales?
Well as it turns out, a year on from posing these questions, there still isn't a definitive answer for any. Numerous launch delays didn't help, but the main reason is the amount of DLC and various expansion packs still being released for each title. The other funny thing is I've now owned them all, but only played two... It has been a crazy roller coaster ride of thoughts for three different driving games.
When the PS4 was officially unveiled at Sony's special press conference in February 2013, Driveclub was also shown off as a launch title, and it was announced that the game would be completely free to Playstation Plus members. How wrong did this prove to be! Regardless, the first trailer for the game looked gorgeous and surpassed anything I'd seen in Gran Turismo. The highlight being a first person view of the driver walking to their supercar, opening the door, climbing in, buckling up and setting off. However this really was the high point for Driveclub.
Later gameplay trailers and demos showed the game was a halfway house between simulation and arcade. A potential gap in the market someone might have thought, but there's a reason this is sort of no man's land in the racing genre. Successful driving games need either realistic cars, physics and tracks to appeal to racing fans, or the complete opposite to appeal to a wider audience - usually involving crazy physics and a boost button. Driveclub featured ultra realistic licensed cars but with basic easy-to-drift physics, no boost or car customisation (apart from paint jobs), and completely random strings of tarmac as tracks. A realistic racer for everyone was the intention from developer Evolution Studios, but I soon lost interest primarily due to the complete absence of real world tracks. I also couldn't see how non-racing fans would invest in the game as it isn't fun enough for them. There's still a racing line to follow and nothing suggesting contact was encouraged. Surely this meant the game was aimed at racing fans? But take into account the loose physics and fictitious tracks, and you have an unrealistic simulator. Who wants that?
The next title to be announced was The Crew. First unveiled at E3 2013 and it grabbed my attention immediately. An arcade racer with real world cars and deep customisation, set in an open world spanning the entire USA. Gameplay looked similar to Burnout Paradise in terms of driving locations, the types of vehicles, and the ability to takedown other racers. This game was ticking every box for me. Of course there was also the whole aspect of joining other players to form your 'crew' (incredibly similar to Driveclub in fact) which wasn't a selling point for me, but not a bad thing either. Regardless of any other racing titles in development, The Crew was always on my mind and I couldn't wait for its release.
Last but not least was Project CARS, first brought to our attention in Spring 2014, and it was clear this was a proper simulation racing game. Certainly looking to rival the likes of Gran Turismo and Forza. It was also clear this was a plucky competitor to the world of hardcore racing sims, as CARS is an acronym for Community Assisted Racing Simulator. This meant that a lot of the ideas, development and testing for the game was done by the gaming community, and unlike the other 2 titles in this article, not backed by a big publisher such as Sony or Ubisoft. This really intrigued me as to how the final product would play out. Early gameplay demos showed great visuals, just short of Driveclub's high standards, and most notably brilliant engine tones. Something that has always been lacking in GT. One drawback I did spot was that most tracks were not licensed due to the smaller budget. This meant there were some funny names dotted around such as "Milan" and "Belgian Forest".
So quite unbelievably at this time last year, after Driveclub's countless delays, all 3 of these racing games were due to launch in the October-November window. The Crew remained my strong favourite and I was thinking to myself, the other 2 games would see much better sales if they just released earlier or later in the year. Firstly because this is the prime release period for the biggest games of the year, and secondly because The Crew has that appeal to the wider audience - it isn't just a racing game - it's a social, customisable, exploration driving game (that sounds far too much like an M&S advert).
Having said that the release dates of the 3 racers could not all be kept. Driveclub was the exception and did finally release in October 2014, 11 months later than originally planned! It was of no surprise that it was reviewed as a mediocre racing title at best, and there was still no sign of the "Playstation Plus version" which had been further delayed. At this point I couldn't care less for the game as it had become such a joke with ever-lasting server issues.
The Crew had the smallest delay and managed to launch in early December. I bought my copy of the game during its first week and then stupidly read some reviews. The game was getting panned for it's poor graphics and frame rate due to its colossal map size. The recreation of the USA was a success but whenever you stopped there was no detail. Sometimes it looked as bad as a PS2 or original Xbox game. There were other downsides too. The matchmaking was failing too often - a big factor in an always online game, and there were plenty of classic Ubisoft micro-transactions. I was quite frankly gutted at the overall verdict, even Driveclub out-scored it, and as I didn't want to spend hours and hours playing a pretty poor game, I had to return it.
As a result I fully turned my attention to Project CARS. Unfortunately this did involve waiting a further 5 months before its release in May 2015. Delays had to be expected with this game due to its community assisted development. On the plus side it was worth the wait. Project CARS is one of the most realistic racing simulators I've ever played, it's more comparable to iRacing on PC than any console title. Taking any corner at speed in almost any car is a challenge. You have to be so focused on braking points, hitting apexes and powering out of corners. Spinning is inevitable, but when you get it right, winning or even a podium feels like a great achievement. The graphics are unbelievably good too. Cockpit views are identical to the real world equivalent (I know from owning a BMW 1 series), and switching to the exterior camera unleashes the noise of the beast you're driving. The only criticisms I have with it are the poor menu systems and the occasional game freezes. Surprisingly the lack of licensing I mentioned earlier is very minimal, nearly all tracks are official. So overall Project CARS is a brilliant game, and I can see myself heading back to it whenever I wish I was a real racing driver.
At the end of June this year, something miraculous happened. Driveclub the Playstation Plus version, finally made its way to the Playstation Store! And I thought to myself, almost to spite Evolution Studios, I wouldn't even download it for free. However, annoyingly, a lot of my PSN friends had downloaded it and we're playing it fairly regularly. Suddenly my desire to beat them overcame my bitterness and I thought I'd give it a shot. Admittedly there were moments I enjoyed, such as passing four opponents in one corner in a Ferrari 430 Scuderia (see video here). But that's one aspect affecting its longevity - the physics are unrealistic and yet it's closer to a simulated racer than an arcade racer. I wouldn't say it's a bad game but in this console generation it feels like a racing game from the past. Driveclub fans would argue the social elements prove that isn't true. But after the achievements of Gran Turismo, Forza, Burnout and even Need for Speed, Driveclub is nowhere near them in terms of long term fun. The closest relatable game is something like Outrun from the 90's. Realistic licensed supercars driving on random strings of tarmac as tracks. That formula worked back then, but not now with where the current racing genre is.
So, with all 3 games out does this mean it's simple to rank them? Project CARS, followed by Driveclub, followed by The Crew would be the view of most. But here's where DLC and expansion packs come in to play. Project CARS has extra cars available on a regular basis via an "on demand" system. Driveclub, to its credit, has been releasing free expansion packs every month since it's release, as an apology for the successive delays. And lastly The Crew has a huge expansion coming in November this year called Wild Run. This looks so significant it practically makes it an entirely new game.
Firstly there is a widespread graphical update, which is apparent the moment you see gameplay from Wild Run. Secondly there is a ton of new content added. Monster truck specs, stunt courses, salt flats drag racing, and a range of bikes are all part of the new expansion. Seeing street bike gameplay immediately reminded me of Burnout Paradise again, especially with online challenges also included. All of this content can been seen in Black Panthaa's preview video below. If a new edition of The Crew is released with the expansion built in (similar to what Ubisoft did with Trials Fusion), I will certainly be buying and playing it this time around.
So, with this in mind, you still cannot rank these 3 racing games until all DLC has been revealed. It has been without doubt the longest 3-way battle between games in my favourite genre. I have thoroughly enjoyed Project CARS and had some great but brief moments with Driveclub. It's time for The Crew to muscle up and get amongst them in every way - review scores, sales, and potentially my preferred game.