The Crew

Pros

• Scope and variety of the world is a sight to behold
• Very simple progression system that encourages players to experiment

Cons

• Slow vehicle unlock system that forces players to grind to get what they want
• Artificial intelligence that relies on cheating rather than skill to inflate the difficulty

While many racing games provide you with scenic locales in which to test out your driving skills, The Crew gives you the entire United States, and it does so in a persistent online space where you can work alongside or compete with your friends. While Ubisoft obviously didn't manage to recreate every mile of the entire United States, their attempt at capturing the feel of a road trip is a pretty remarkable feat. Despite not mapping out every state and city across the country, they manage to create distinct zones for practically every environment from coast to coast, and they manage to do so with a style that captures the spirit, if not the exact experience, of these spaces. The Crew is an incredibly bold experiment in world design, but it makes some pretty significant missteps in terms of balance.

That's not to say there isn't variety to be had here. Across the five regions that make up the game's map are a practically limitless collection of race types. From rural dirt trails to busy city streets to more conventional race tracks, The Crew has something for just about any type of race you can imagine. If you've seen it in another racing series, chances are you can experience it here. Ubisoft tries to expand on these variations and play in to their natural advantage with experience based progression systems by rewarding you for building out a huge number of cars suited to different styles of races, and it works to some degree. It's cool to build out a garage full of cars and flick through them in search of the right car for any race, and there are certainly no lack of vehicles to choose from. Moreover, each of these cars feels different. There's a dramatic level of distinction in the races, and it's admirable how well the developer managed to make a game that seems to fold a little bit of every sub-genre into a single platform. Each car additionally has its own experience level, developed by winning races and other events, and this provides a simple and streamlined incentive for making sure every vehicle in your garage gets the care and attention it deserves.

Unfortunately, it's a long, steep, and slow climb to get to the point where you have a meaningful garage. While games like The Crew are designed for the long haul, the cost of investing in new cars is so expensive that working your way towards your next vehicle means grinding through the same events over and over again. If you're passionate about racing, you might continue to get enjoyment out of the exercise, but Ubisoft has fundamentally built a very strong and versatile racing game and locked a majority of players away from the cool stuff.

Pros

• Scope and variety of the world is a sight to behold
• Very simple progression system that encourages players to experiment

Cons

• Slow vehicle unlock system that forces players to grind to get what they want
• Artificial intelligence that relies on cheating rather than skill to inflate the difficulty