Now that the online is working that is.
well sort of… I got to race one match. but it was brilliant.
I warn you now a few of comparisons will be made to the Racedriver Grid series as to be perfectly honest I see them as a very important benchmark.
Driveclub is so much better online. but we’ll get to that. (What’s another 5 minutes wait huh?)
From the outset you know this game is trying to impress you visually. The first few races deliberately showcase the games stunning graphical prowess. The scenery is beautiful, the cars are beautiful, everything is gorgeous, but what really stands out in the opening drives is the lighting.
You’d hope so the amount the went on about it pre release. One race takes you on a sunset spin through some looping mountain roads and it creates a real challenge as you are literally blinded by the sun trying to navigate the bends. I forgot I was playing a game and looked towards my curtains.
Other races take place in the dead of night and really test your ability to drive by following little red lights.
It’s tense, more so if you navigate the options and switch the race music on. I implore you to do so as this is a welcome feature in a racing games, that I feel has been missing for some time. The options menu is important, explore it, customise the HUD and you can tailor the game to create a truly amazing immersive experience.
The gameplay it’s self is pretty much perfect, the controls feel familiar and easy to access without being copied from any other game. It’s not too much of a sim, but conversely it doesn’t feel like a slip and slide arcade game. The game takes you from hatchback to hyper car. in that order. The further you get the faster you go.
The Game (like Grid) lets you customise liveries for your car so you can create your own racing brand.
The customisation however does look almost identical to the one we know from Grid 2. Seriously the boxes with patterns seem identical to me. But, how original can you possibly be with a system so standard.
You can even customise the little man or woman who drives the cars for you, it’s arbitrary but it’s a nice touch.
Driveclub implements a points system, in which you can earn points for drifting, overtaking, clean sectors etc. etc,
You are also penalised for crashing into barriers and other drivers. this will lose you points.
Do it hard enough and your top speed is capped for a brief period of time.
Which is where the online driving really shone. It was clean and respectful. I don’t remember the last time I raced online and it felt fun but controlled at the same time. Codemasters turned collisions off but it still left you with a jarring, unsettled feeling as you drifted through other racers. A sort of shame of shame I guess, the kind ghosts must feel as they walk through humans and doors to gain your secrets. Driveclub just works.
It’s stunning, it’s fluid, it’s fast but above all else it’s fun. something games are kind of missing in the past few years.
Huggateerex 