Title: The Crew 2
Type of Game: Arcade Racing
Developer: Ivory Tower
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: June 29, 2018
Platforms Available: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Game
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 4
Level of Maturity: T (Teen)
Reading Time: 8 minutes
While the first installment in the 2015 racing series The Crew aimed to be a racing MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), the second installment, three years later, expands the possibilities of the huge world to include boats, planes, and a variety of disciplines. Once again, we’re driving around a smaller version of the United States, but all the big cities and most famous landmarks are on display, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Mount Rushmore monument with presidents carved into the rock. Although the developers haven’t admitted it, The Crew 2 is essentially a reboot of the original game.
And while everything didn’t turn out perfectly, it’s better in every way. While I wasn’t able to get into the first game, I played roughly forty hours in the second game for the platinum trophy, and I didn’t even use half of the game’s content. The game struck me from the start as somewhat related to the top-tier Forza Horizon series. Both games share an open game world and freedom, but here it’s a cheaper and lighter version. Forza Horizon can be described as a simcade, and as a result, strikes me as more of a “celebration of motoring” than the proclaimed tagline of The Crew 2.
Arcade Bliss: Playfulness at its Core
The Crew 2, on the other hand, is an arcade to the core, with not only a number of disciplines but also plenty of challenges such as slalom, escape, and traversing a speed trap at top speed, as well as my very favorite drifts, which I simply fell in love with. You can then instantly see how you are doing compared to players from all over the world. The Crew 2 is more playful in this regard, whether it’s just for fun randomly around the map or in the various ranked activities. Another strong point is the powerful photo mode, where you can view and edit the last few minutes. There are really a lot of options, from changing weather, time, and filters to exposure, transport, and more.
Diverse Disciplines and Endless Customization
All the activities in the game are hidden into four main Hubs: Street Racing, Offroad, Freestyle, and Pro Racing. There’s classic street racing, motocross, rallying, aerobatics, boat racing, formula racing, and monster trucks. Of course, not everything is accessible at the start; you unlock new disciplines and additional challenges as you play. The game’s storyline is quite modest and it’s all about you as a driver who gradually becomes a star, this aspect of the game is spiced up by gaining followers on social media. Not to worry though, it’s a completely traditional experience points, just named differently.
Followers are gained not only after completing a race, but also when performing various tricks, jumps, and other stunts while moving freely in the game world. Once you reach the Icon level, the entire game opens up before you, including advanced car customization options such as traction, ABS, brake balancing… if anyone was looking for something like that here. As far as car brands go, there really are a lot of options to choose from, and along with a decent engine and car sound system overall, there’s not too much to complain about.
A Jack of All Trades: The Game’s Strength and Weakness
Ironically, the broad scope of the game can also be seen as a barrier. While there are motorbikes and aerobatics in planes, if you’re only interested in street racing, for example, The Crew 2 isn’t for you. There’s a bit of everything in the game, but the discipline in question doesn’t logically stand in for a full game in that category. Of course, not all of the disciplines suited me 100% either, but I enjoyed most of them, so the progression through the game was smooth. So nothing will happen if you ignore two or three disciplines completely. I mostly enjoy the aforementioned drifting discipline or the regular bike races and off-road in the vast countryside, which includes adrenaline rushes through checkpoints, racing on and off the motocross track, and, relatively speaking, rallying.
Immersive Exploration: A Seamless Open World
Omitting the opening long loading (played on PS4), in free mode you can drive across the entire United States without a loading screen. Meanwhile, you can zoom in and out of the entire map smoothly, Google Maps style, which looks incredibly cool. The smaller villages and countryside look great, the cities feel a bit sterile and bland at times, but it’s enough for adrenaline rushes. The map also comes in handy when completing photo challenges. If you’re in the location of a landmark, near an animal or other points of interest, the game will offer you the chance to complete a challenge. Simply switch to photo mode, meet the conditions (for example, jump on a motorbike with a view of the moon), and press the camera shutter.
Smart Navigation and Customization
However, you can complete challenges in a targeted manner, which is what the great map is for. By the way, you don’t just have to find activities on the map. You can easily view all of them together through bookmarks directly from the menu and launch them right away. Or rather, the game will take you from the menu to the start of the event. You can then admire and, more importantly, modify your car fleet from your headquarters in Miami. Completing activities earns you random pieces of equipment, which you use to gradually upgrade your car fleet. For cars, this includes top speed, engine power, braking distance, etc. The new parts are triple quality. The moment you have sufficiently upgraded your car, you can start performing activities at a higher difficulty.
Growing Prestige: From Beginner to Icon
When you reach the Icon level, you also gain points to invest in various areas, such as replenishing your nitro faster or increasing your chances of getting better gear. The in-game economy is set up quite reasonably. While there is dual currency, it’s optional as with Forza Horizon 3, the game certainly didn’t push me into anything. I would also have welcomed more types of AI opponent behavior, which is currently set up in such a way that in normal races your opponents are constantly on your back and it’s relatively difficult to outrun them in the lower car classes. This wasn’t a problem in the supersport though. My last small complaint concerns inconsistent collisions: for some objects, the game is benevolent, for others, it stops you almost immediately. This mainly concerns cities, in the countryside I find the physics set up well.
Verdict: An Entertaining Mixed Bag
The Crew 2 is an arcade game to the very depths of the soul, allowing you to have pure fun in the open world in a lot of disciplines. While it presents itself as an online game, I enjoyed it solo with the occasional live player I met in the open world. There was certainly no compulsion for me to play co-op. It’s not a perfect game, but it has its charms. And despite my general distaste for Ubisoft titles, I had a lot of fun, and the game especially with its variety of content and freedom on a large and nicely crafted map won me over.
Where to Buy The Crew 2
Steam (PC): The standard edition is available for $49.99, as well as the special edition, priced at $59.99.
STEAM SPECIAL PROMOTION!: Buy The Crew 2 Special Edition 80% off for 11,99€ offer ends 4 August
Xbox Store (Xbox One): The standard edition is available for $49.99, as well as the special edition, priced at $59.99.
PlayStation Store (PS4): The standard edition is available for $49.99, as well as the special edition, priced at $59.99.
Epic Games Store (PC): Special edition available for $59.99. Purchase it from the Epic Games Store.
Official Page: Visit the official The Crew 2 page for more information.
Subreddit: Join the discussion on the The Crew 2 Subreddit.
