Driveclub Reviews

Finally the game it promised to be at launch, DriveClub is one of the most exciting racers available on PS4.

Halo Wars 2 is a sequel to a fun, if limited RTS back on the Xbox 360. Now that it's on both PC and Xbox, it gets to look gorgeous and run well too, but with a change in developer, how does the gameplay hold up?

I would like to clear the air to begin with for this piece. The extent of my racing game experience revolves around Mario Kart, which I feel I’m pretty good at. Driveclub VR takes that experience to a different level, and while I kind of sucked at it, I can definitely appreciate what the game attempts to do.

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It’s been a long wait leading to a bumpy road for racing fans, but DriveClub is finally here. A curious lack of pre-release code and online connection issues has forced us to hold back our thoughts on Evolution Studios' cursed exclusive for a couple of weeks longer than we expected, but having now had a chance to see everything that the long awaited title has to offer, we’re ready to deliver our verdict. The question is: does this well publicised title fire on all cylinders, or simply blow up in smoke?

Originally pegged as a launch title for the PS4, DriveClub was delayed an entire year to refine the experience. Sadly, even with all that extra time, what we’re left with under the hood is a very strict on the rails, or on the tracks more appropriately, racer. It’s pretty to look at but in regards to features it’s a simple game harkening back to not only last generation but quite possibly the generation before it. When I say pretty to look at I mean it too… DriveClub is stunning in action with gorgeous backdrops and amazingly rendered cars. Lighting effects are particularly noticeable as a VERY compressed time lapse can have you go from mid-day to midnight in under a lap! It’s quick but certainly cool to see in race.

Driveclub was pegged as one of the big PlayStation 4 launch exclusives: a slick, social sim-lite racer that would show off the new platform’s myriad enhancements.

What we're left with is a flimsy framework - a sort of clothes horse for content - rather than a truly great racing game. DriveClub is patently intended to attract a global, interconnected audience of fiercely competitive racers but, to quote the increasingly obscure 1989 Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams: if you build it, they will come. And, unfortunately, Evolution hasn't quite built it.

It’s then fitting that Driveclub will be offered in a free form for PlayStation Plus users. The offering gives players about a fifth of the full game’s total cars and tracks, but is otherwise unlocked for exploration both offline and on. Players can see for themselves if Driveclub has enough to offer over other new and upcoming racing alternatives out there.

DriveClub is easily accessibly and highly recommendable, even for no other reason than the simple fact that it's the only new racer available on PS4 this year. It's slickly designed and just plain fun to play. There's room for improvement on the car selection, progression and customization, but what's there is a fun racer with some interesting social options that dedicated racers can take advantage of.

As you finish the Tour and start to take on more and more challenges, Driveclub starts to show its true colours. It may be difficult for some to adapt to in an age where racers sprawl across open worlds featuring hundreds of cars and tons of tracks, but this is a game with a very singular focus. The overarching goals soon start to peel away, and you’re left with the purity of competing against the times and records of friends and rivals, the stunning scenery and the joy of driving cars absolutely on the limit.

Driveclub has a lackluster set of features to keep players playing what is a pretty solid arcade racer. The good news is, that everyone with a PS Plus account will be able to try before they have to make a decision on whether to upgrade to the full version, or not.

Driveclub is the best-looking racing game I’ve ever seen on a console, but down deep it’s a more modest, conventional arcade racer than the sprawling, open-world types we commonly see today. While it successfully creates fast and fun races with a great sense of speed, the overly aggressive AI grates, the difficult drifting seems at odds with the accessible handling, and the single-player loses zest once the solo content runs dry. I’m also surprised at how partisan the day-one car list is. That said, the tentacles of Driveclub can grip tight if you get invested in the game’s asynchronous challenges, and it’s very much geared around encouraging us to hop online and compete by making it so easy.

Yawning at the wheel.

DRIVECLUB blends the complexity of realistic simulation with inviting mechanics and gives just enough leeway to evoke heart-pumping power and intensity in every kind of racing fan. A graphical darling with fresh multiplayer ideas to match, DRIVECLUB is irresistible and pushes the genre forward.