TheCrewPreview:RacingAcross

America
http://www.gamebasin.com/news/the-crew-preview-racing-across-america
What do The Elder Scrolls Vs Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto Vs Los Santos, Red Dead Redemptions
WildWest,ForzaHorizonsColorado,NeedforSpeed:RivalsRedviewCountyandFarCry3sRook
Islandshaveincommon?Theyrealltiny,minusculeplacesincomparisontoTheCrewsrecreation
of the United States of America. Ubisofts upcoming, nextgen Ivory Towerdeveloped MMO
CarPGmaynotcontainanexact,1to1representationoftheU.S.A,butwithover5,000sqkmof
landmass to explore, even the largest of the aforementioned worlds could fit inside The Crews
mapalmost50timesover.Ittakesapproximately90minutesjusttodrivefromcoasttocoast,and
thatswhilestickingtothestraightest,onroadpathavailable,inthefastestcaravailablewewere
abletogohandsonwiththemammothracerforevenlonger(about2hours)andbarelyscratched
the surface.
CharlyBourget,productmanageratIvoryTower,joinedtheplaysession,guidingusthroughthe
insandoutsofthegamebeforeleadingthe(turbo)chargeinbothcompetitiveandcooperative4
playerraces.Asalludedto,TheCrewidentifiesmoreso,inmanyrespects,asanMMORPGtitle
thansimplyaopenworldracerwithfluidsocialintegration.AllFullStockcarsyouacquirehave
uptoamaximumof5tuningspecsthatyoucancustomiseyourvehicletofitwithin.TheStreet
Spec,DirtSpec,PerformanceSpecandCircuitSpecareselfexplanatory,butthenyouvealso
gottheRaidSpec,whichfeaturesafullcrashcagechassis,upratedsuspensionandtransmission,
skidplates,offroadtiresandmore,allowingyoutodrivepracticallyanywherewithcompetence.
InRPGterms,considertheseyourclasses,witheachofferinguniquespecialitiesandadvantages.
Specificpartstreatedlikelootthataresignifiedbylevelareeitherwon/earnedthroughlevelling
up,orboughtwithingamecurrency.Around20elementsofyourcarsmakeupcanbecustomised,
11 of which are performance based, falling under engine and chassis.
Withover40carsincludedinthegame,itdoesnotseemthatall5tuningspecswillbeaccessible
foreverysingleautomobile,becausethetotalnumberofevolutionsasCharlyevokesPokemon
indescribingtoussitsataround120.However,providedthedepthofcustomisationwesampled,
varietyshouldnotbeanissue.Andifyoureworriedaboutpotentiallyunfairmatchups,theteam
havenullifiedsuchinsurmountablehandicapsthrough,notonlythelevelbasedmatchmaking,but
alsobylevellockingupgrades;ergo,ifyoureatlevel30,youcantequipalevel35exhaust,instead
being forced to send it to your HQ upon acquisition. This is especially relieving for those with
concernsabouttheinclusionofmicrotransactions.Onthetopicofmatchmaking,TheCrewutilises
abackgroundsystemthatintelligentlycycles7otherplayersinandoutofyourgameworldatall
times, keeping the total online presence at 8 players consistently, and assuring that two whole
crews can be formed and can interact with each other at any given time.Prior to accepting our
Crewmasters invitation to party up, we were introduced to the 510s a street gang whove
madetheirdubiousreputationbysmugglingdrugsacrossborders,anddominatingDetroitillegal
street racing scene.
Storymissionsfocusedontheplayersinfiltration,andeventualbustingofthe510s,tietogether
the entire experience and provide a plot for why the player character must traverse the U.S.,
starting inthe Michigancapital, and ending in Los Angeles. Moving on, there was one final step
before getting out onthe open road designating points toPerks. Another RPGesque system,
Perksenablebooststoamultitudeofdifferentaspectsinrespecttobothperformanceandrewards,
e.g.,nitrouslasting2secondslonger,or5%morecashearnedfromwinningraces.Finally,were
readytoventureontothestreetsofDetroitandbeyond.Charlyinviteseveryonetojoinhiscrew,
whichisaseasyaspressingYatthepromptandconfirmingwithA.Fromthispoint,heisforall
intents and purposes the host, and whatever activity he marks on the map, we are given the
choicetoacceptonourrespectivescreens.HavingplayedTheCrewpreviouslyatEBExpo2013,
itsclearaftermereminutesthatthecontrolshavesincebeentightenedupdramatically.Granted,
every car hasa unique feel, but regardless of that fact,the overall accuracy and realism in their
steering was lacking in that previous build.
Newcodehasalsobeenimplementedthatensuresplayersarenotstifledbyconstantcrashes;how
thisisachievedisamatterofcalculatingintentionsiffeedbacksuggeststhataplayerwasinthe
midstofpullingawayfromanunavoidable,althoughpartial,collisionatthelastsecond,thenthe
gamewillreducetheinevitableimpactandeversoslightlyguidetheplayercontrolledcarleftor
rightfromthevictims,maintainingasignificantmeasureofmomentum.Ifcollisionisheadon,or
thereisnoinputtosuggesttheplayeractedtoavoidimpact,thenanappropriatelydamagingand
haltingcollisionwilloccur.Thisisquiteasmart,helpfulsystemthatisappreciatedinagamewhere
certainracesbecomewild,sprawlingaffairsandenjoymentandgeneraltraversalcouldbeseverely
curtailed by accidents in a trafficheavy zone.Also noticeable is the intelligence of the A.I.
Computercontrolledvehiclesareextremelyreactive,andthusfeelsubstantiallymorerealisticthan
inanydrivinggamethatcomestomind.Muchofthetime,A.I.vehiclesarestiffandnonresponsive
to their surroundings, at least to a certain degree.
InTheCrew,vehicleswillswervetododgeacrash,andifyoublocktheroad,theywillnotsimply
stopandwaitforyoutomove,orscrapeagainstawallingettingpasttheobstructionyouhave
caused.TheseA.I.citizensactuallycareabouttheirvehicles,rathermanoeuvringskillfullyinwhat
isthebest,safestwayaround.Theirreflexesarefast,almostasifanotherplayeriscontrollingthem;
itisextremelyimpressive.Pedestriansandanimalswillsimilarlyworktoevadeyourmetalmachine
of destruction, although this tech has been seen in many games past and present. Racing in
multiple physical conditions brings their own challenges, but racing at night also ups the ante,
requiringmorefocusanddeftness.Intechnicalrespects,theresnotmuchTheCrewdoesthatisnt
notable.WeproceededtomakeourwaydowntotheswampyBayou,beforespendingquiteabit
oftimeinsunnyMiami.Alongthejourney,wepartookinafewofthe500skillchallengesstrewn
throughout,comprisedof8kindsofskillgames,earningmedalsandlevellingupasweprogressed.
The skill games break up a long drive effectively and can become a real distraction in their own
right, being fun and varied.
If you get caught up completing skill games (as I did) and your crew is sick of waiting for you to
arriveataracelocation,youcanalwaystacklethemsoloatyourownleisure.Theresneverreally
any pressure to hurry, however, with missions launchable from the invite overlay, and their
locations able to be used as fast travel points. Speaking of, the only issue present is the level
up/completionnoticeelementoftheU.I.,whichpopsupmidscreenwithoutpause,causingyou
to effectively drive blindly behind it; we were assured this was a temporary implementation.
Althoughthereisplentycooperationtobehadwithevensomeskillgamesplayableintandem
PvP and FreeForAll missions keep the competitive edge high amongst friends. The Crew could
revolutionisedrivinggamesforthefuture;itssocial/multiplayerfunctionalityisnonobtrusiveand
fluidtoanunprecedentedlevelforagameofthistype,itsscopeisclearlyunmatchedand,most
importantly,itisimmenselyfun.Wecanhardlywaitformoretimewiththetitle,andhopefora
solidreleasedatewithinQ3tobeannouncedshortly.
PCGameCDKeys:
EAGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/publisher/ea.html
RPGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/rpggame.html
ACTGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/actgame.html
FPSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/fpsgame.html
AdventureGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/avggame.html
RacingGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/racgame.html
SportGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/sptgame.html
FTGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/ftggame.html
RTSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/rtsgame.html
SLGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamebasin.com/pcgames/slggame.html