The Crew 2
Honestly, I was a bit surprised when Ubisoft announced The Crew 2, the first one wasn’t bad but it didn’t light the world on fire. After playing Ivory Tower’s latest racing game I must say that I’m really glad that Ubisoft decided to continue. The Crew 2 is a much better game in all aspects, read more about that in this review!
THE GOOD
- While some parts of the big city feel a little empty for me it is still very impressive to explore and experience. Huge dinosaurs, Las Vegas, forests, beautiful lakes and skylines. The playground is diverse and the game encourages you to explore it with a picture mini game.
- You would think that with such a big world the fast travel option takes a lot of loading time, no sir. It is not instant like Ubisoft’s Steep but The Crew 2 remains really enjoyable because you have limited downtime. Switching from car to plane, or boat to car, or even plane to car to boat is instant and one of the more cooler features from the game.
- Visually the game looks absolutely fantastic on the Xbox One X. As with all racing games like this, if you slow down and start to look closely you will notice some laughable mistakes and blurry textures but playing in a normal way the environments and cars look astonishing. Speeding through Las Vegas or woods with a muddy surface is something really remarkable to see.
- With Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Lorde, Tame Impala and a lot more the soundtrack is really catchy. The game has some very good song selection and the same can be said about the overall sound, the voice actors are extremely cheesy though.
MIXED FEELINGS
- The most awesome moments in the game are the races that require you to switch your way of transportation. Driving a beautiful Aston Martin Vulcan over a big jump, transforming into a plane and ending as a boat is just ridiculously cool. Not to mention that it feels fresh too, I just wish that The Crew 2 had more moments like this.
THE BAD
- Physics are all over the place and especially the bikes are really frustrating to play. One tiny mistake and you can kiss your chance to win goodbye. The Crew 2 is far from a realistic sim so it is a bit weird that playing with the bikes is that punishing and frustrating. Boats have an entirely different problem, in the high waves the computer can blast through them without any issue, while your own boat can hardly pass them without losing half your speed. It is Usian Bolt versus Magikarp from Pokémon…
- The first Crew had a really big GPS UI design but I kinda missed it because The Crew 2 has one of the worst in my racing memory. You have to keep an eye on your tiny mini-map 24/7 and that took a lot enjoyment out of the racing. Sometimes I had just no clue where I was supposed to go.
The Crew 2 [Score: 77%] Ivory Tower has managed to improve every aspect of The Crew, besides the GPS UI design. The inclusion of boats and planes give the game a fresh feeling that can proudly stand between all other racing games. We all know that the mastodont Forza Horizon 4 is coming but they can peacefully co-exist!
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