Recent Posts1
bobdog's Mini-Reviews Corner / Re: Bobdog's Mini-Reviews Thread
« Last post by bobdog on August 14, 2017, 07:31:21 AM »Even though I received The Crew free as part of being a Uplay member, I don’t think it overly colors my perspective on the game’s value. In my mind, the most important thing about a racing game is that it is fun and doesn’t bore you, and The Crew does not disappoint.
The base story about revenge upon a racing gang is handled well, but as an open-world game, you’ll have plenty of things to keep you occupied as you build up your vehicles and skills. What sets The Crew apart from all other racing games that I’ve played is that it really does encapsulate the broader contour of the lower 48 U.S. states. And having driven through 41 of them myself, I can verify that the look and feel of every area you enter are as close to authentic as a game can deliver. Yes, some areas are squished into smaller pods, and it only takes 15 minutes actual time to drive from Miami to Dallas, but for the most part, this is a faithful rendition of America.
What makes The Crew unique is that you are actually playing as a single player in a multiplayer game. The opening map of the states shows you all the other drivers currently online, and at any point, you can interact with them – maybe joining them in heist runs or helping them escape the police. You can obviously befriend other folks and start your own crew (which I didn’t). Or simply race one another unplanned on the streets. At one point, I was trying to set a speed record through a downtown, and you have to jump over a bridge as part of the activity. One player parked himself right in the middle of the bridge and it was hard to miss him, so you’d bat him about 1,000 feet high while you’d go in the drink. Sometimes these can become annoying, but other times they were fun.
I spent hours upon hours trying to gather parts of cars that I could then bring back to my shop. Sometimes, drivers who have the “Calling All Units” police expansion would zip in with Lambo police cruisers and immediately take me down. But even as frustrating as that became, I could simply choose to do something else.
The sheer diversity of activities kept The Crew fresh for me. If I wanted to build up some car levels, I’d go do some long runs. If I got bored or pestered by other players in the game, I’d go do some story missions. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and think it’s probably the best of this type of story-based racing games. 8.2 out of 10
The base story about revenge upon a racing gang is handled well, but as an open-world game, you’ll have plenty of things to keep you occupied as you build up your vehicles and skills. What sets The Crew apart from all other racing games that I’ve played is that it really does encapsulate the broader contour of the lower 48 U.S. states. And having driven through 41 of them myself, I can verify that the look and feel of every area you enter are as close to authentic as a game can deliver. Yes, some areas are squished into smaller pods, and it only takes 15 minutes actual time to drive from Miami to Dallas, but for the most part, this is a faithful rendition of America.
What makes The Crew unique is that you are actually playing as a single player in a multiplayer game. The opening map of the states shows you all the other drivers currently online, and at any point, you can interact with them – maybe joining them in heist runs or helping them escape the police. You can obviously befriend other folks and start your own crew (which I didn’t). Or simply race one another unplanned on the streets. At one point, I was trying to set a speed record through a downtown, and you have to jump over a bridge as part of the activity. One player parked himself right in the middle of the bridge and it was hard to miss him, so you’d bat him about 1,000 feet high while you’d go in the drink. Sometimes these can become annoying, but other times they were fun.
I spent hours upon hours trying to gather parts of cars that I could then bring back to my shop. Sometimes, drivers who have the “Calling All Units” police expansion would zip in with Lambo police cruisers and immediately take me down. But even as frustrating as that became, I could simply choose to do something else.
The sheer diversity of activities kept The Crew fresh for me. If I wanted to build up some car levels, I’d go do some long runs. If I got bored or pestered by other players in the game, I’d go do some story missions. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and think it’s probably the best of this type of story-based racing games. 8.2 out of 10
BUT... If it was indeed the Council behind the Initiative... Why all the cloak and dagger? Why not tell it straight on to Gierson at least? And why kill her? What purpose could be achieved there from the Council point of view? Well at least the Council involvement would explain the presence of a "retired" Spectre among the pathfinders.