The Crew 2 Review

Driving accross the USA again…

The Crew 2 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. It’s an open world driving game and it’s the sequel to a game that both rocked and knocked the gaming community.

The Crew 2 has a lot to live up to and while The Crew originally had many issues that were patched at a later date, The Crew 2 seems to have at least scraped by.

The Crew 2 is an open world arcade game that spans the entire USA. In fact the game essentially recycles the map from the first game with a few added bells and whistles. Yes, there are still some seriously long races and yes, there are many specs of the same vehicle that can both be bought with in game currency or paid for directly by your wallet. The Crew hasn’t changed a whole lot with its second iteration.

The main differences here are the driving mechanics that have been tightened up and the fact you can race in cars, boats and planes. You can even switch on the fly, which is intended to make the game more fluid and interesting. The car sounds are also a notch up from the first game too, which is a good start.

Hot on the heels of Test Drive Unlimited, the game also features semi customisable avatars and apartments to store your prized vehicles. It’s a neat touch that was definitely lacking in the first game. The UI has been overhauled although not for the better and the world while still empty is a blast to traverse. Police chases are no longer a thing too, and while I sometimes got wound up trying to flee the law in the first game, I liked the fact that feature was there and am disappointed it hasn’t made a return here.

The Crew 2 also has a loot box system in place that honestly sucks the fun out of winning races, but besides these annoyances it is definitely a step up from the get go.

Whether you are cruising through the city or taking the scenic route, The Crew 2 manages to capture the fun of driving around a massive landmass perfectly, even more so than the first game thanks to the fact you can switch between land air and sea. Sure, there are only a couple of races that really take advantage of the system, but  when free roaming it helps to really solidify continuity. The massive upgrade in the visual department does wonders to the world, making it vibrant and beautiful even though it is mostly empty. There are still hidden parts to find but landmarks are gone. All in all I found The Crew 2’s world to be noteworthy. You can of course fast travel too, which in my opinion defeats the object of a game like this, but it is there if you want to use it.

Racing in The Crew 2 is an absolute blast, it’s super fun taking tight corners of the city in your favourite car. It’s a huge step up from its previous endeavour with much tighter controls and more realistic handling. Weather effects also make a return in a much more dynamic fashion. The rain and snow look great and affect how your car handles in a realistic way.

The map feature has been completely overhauled too with added detail and clearer objectives. Free roaming with buddies has made a return, but competitive multiplayer is planned to be patched in at a later date. Upgrading your vehicle has also been overhauled in the way of the Dodo as upgrades are now as simple as picking the one with the highest number. I personally liked the way upgrades were done in the first game so this re-design in my opinion completely sucks.

Still, there is enough content in this game to combat its lows as there are now a lot more vehicles, vehicle types and upgrades as well as a more realised map to drive them around. Monster trucks also make a return and unlike in The Crew where they were added as DLC, they are here at launch for The Crew 2.

Sound wise the game is not bad, car sounds are much improved this time as well, but the radio stations have taken a hit in the music department. The voice acting is still awful though, so I found myself skipping the cut scenes to get straight into the action. The story on offer isn’t at all that interesting. It seems to have been built on the foundations of today’s get rich by gaining a following generation which is a far cry from the originals gang charade.

Verdict

So The Crew 2 is a fairly meaty package, it improves on the original vastly and it has had enough changed to make it feel fresh. It has majorly improved visuals, way better physics and an awesome weather system. The story is lackluster and the soundtrack leaves much to be desired but these shortcomings can easily be overlooked when the rest of the package is miles ahead of the first. I really enjoyed playing The Crew 2, I have not had this much fun in a racing game for a while!