September 14th 2023.
The Crew Motorfest - off-brand Forza Horizon
GameCentral reviews the third entry in The Crew franchise and an open world racer that borrows an awful lot from Xbox smash Forza Horizon 5.
Film sequels usually tend to have a degradation in quality as the number next to their name goes up, but the opposite is often the case with games. Developers learn new tricks and are able to use new technology to make something that used to be only okay into something much more wonderful.
The arc for The Crew has been much like a film sequel, as it's made by French outfit Ivory Tower, many of whom were previously from Eden Games, the studio behind 2006's Test Drive Unlimited. As such, this is a spiritual sequel of sorts, as it is set on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, just like Test Drive Unlimited.
The Crew 2 was based on a microcosm of the US, so The Crew Motorfest is a much tighter and more realistically scaled experience, with races that mix cars and bikes with powerboats and light aircraft. Players can switch vehicles at any time, as they can transform a plane into a car and vice versa, or a car into a boat.
Specialist plane and boat races are available, but the handling models and sense of competition are not as evolved as the cars and bikes, which makes them more of a sideshow than the main event. Players have access to 600 cars, although almost all events force them to use a loan car, so the collection in their garage is mostly useful for driving around the island and engaging in multiplayer races.
These come in one flavour only, with three separate events that each use a different car from the collection. 20 players take part in the cross-play races, and while PvP cars can't be modded, players can choose the fastest car they own in each of the three racing categories.
The Crew Motorfest may be the biggest surprise yet, as it abandons the last two games' point-to-point racing across a large landmass in favour of copying almost every single thing that the Forza Horizon franchise does. It's understandable to want to copy the king of the genre, but it's difficult to recreate that level of perfection.
Framing itself as a festival of car culture, its graffiti strewn, EDM-suffused presentation is so similar to Forza's, it's surprising that there hasn't been a copyright issue. Even the Hawaiian island of Oahu looks a lot like Forza Horizon 5's miniature Mexico, with its beaches, mountains, and green fields all looking familiar.
The announcers also have a problem, as they just never seem to shut up. They keep interrupting races to tell you how amazing the scenery is, with volcanoes and beaches, until you just wish they'd let you experience it for yourself. It makes the game sound desperate, as if they feel the need to say it out loud for it to be true.
The vehicle handling model has been improved a little since The Crew 2, but it still stops shy of anything resembling a simulation. Cars and bikes lean more towards realism, but they lack any sort of character, and the bikes are worse, feeling very vanilla.
Motorfest also copies Forza's automotive photography, with extreme close-ups and panning along the curves of the cars. It also nicks the endless stream of bonus XP, with '+10 Near Miss' appearing even when you weren't near the other car. This makes the accolades meaningless and annoying.
Forza Horizon gets away with being an open world game due to its sheer panache and the range of activities available, but in Motorfest it just feels like tedious padding. Driving 20km on dull roads to get to the next race doesn't make for a great experience.
The Crew Motorfest does have a couple of good ideas, such as its GPS-based directional line that hovers three metres above the road surface, making it much easier to anticipate upcoming bends. It also has playlists that group races around a theme, such as electric cars or Japanese street racing.
Ultimately, Motorfest is a middling racing game that's been stuffed with filler. Despite all the driving, voiceovers, decorations, and bonuses, the handling model is still nowhere near as nuanced as its leading competitors. It's outdated, unambitious, and disjointed - it's easy to see why some might be disappointed with Microsoft's Starfield.
The Crew Motorfest – off-brand Forza Horizon
GameCentral reviews the third entry in The Crew franchise and an open world racer that borrows an awful lot from Xbox smash Forza Horizon 5.
The Crew Motorfest is the latest installment in the popular racing game franchise, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. With more than 600 cars to choose from and a variety of races and events to keep players engaged, this game is sure to keep the throttle pinned.
The game takes place on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and while the game world is smaller than the previous installment in the franchise, The Crew 2, it is still a significant and realistic scale. Players can switch vehicles at any time, allowing them to take to the skies in an airplane, or take to the seas in a boat. There are also specialist plane and boat races, but they are not as developed as the car and bike races, making them more of a novelty.
The game offers a visually varied bunch of cars, and players that have played The Crew 2 can import their car list and drive them straight away. However, almost all events force you to use a predefined loan car, so the collection in your garage is only really useful for driving around the island and engaging in multiplayer races.
Perhaps Motorfest’s biggest surprise is that it abandons the last two games’ theme of racing point-to-point across a large landmass in favour of copying every single thing that the Forza Horizon franchise does. The presentation is almost identical, from the graffiti strewn, EDM-suffused design to the stunning scenery that is reminiscent of Forza Horizon 5's miniature Mexico.
The vehicle handling model has been improved a little since The Crew 2, which had an unabashed arcade style. Motorfest cars and bikes lean further towards realism, but they still feel undistinguished, with most cars handling similarly and lacking any sort of character. The bikes are worse, with their vanilla performance.
The game also replicates Forza’s semi-pornographic approach to automotive photography, panning longingly along cars’ curves in extreme close-up. It also apes the endless stream of bonus XP, with '+10 Near Miss' appearing every time a car goes past in the opposite lane - despite the player having been nowhere near it.
The game does have a couple of good ideas though. For one, its GPS-based directional line, guiding you to the next event, hovers three metres above the road surface, making it much easier to anticipate upcoming bends. Its playlists are also quite cool, bringing together a set of races around a theme.
Unfortunately, though, what emerges is a middling racing game that’s been stuffed to the brim with filler. Despite all the driving around between races, inane voiceovers, over-the-top decorations, and bonuses for doing literally everything/nothing, it doesn’t distract you from the fact that the handling model is nowhere near as nuanced as that of its leading competitors.
The Crew Motorfest is an entertaining racing game, but it borrows a lot from Forza Horizon, making it feel outdated, unambitious and disjointed. The visuals and presentation are great, but the vehicle handling is lacking in character and the rewards system can feel arbitrary. Fans of the franchise may enjoy the game, but it won't be enough to please those looking for a more polished and engaging experience.
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