The Crew

Start your engine and get ready for a racing experience like you’ve never seen before in Ubisoft’s The Crew. This always-online racing game will have players running all over a miniaturized version of the United States, using a variety of powerful and exotic vehicles from some of the world’s most renowned manufacturers.

The general idea behind The Crew is an admirable one, even if some of the online components could’ve been done better. If you’re okay with microtransactions and an always-online multiplayer model, then fasten your seatbelt and get ready to have some of the most fun racing moments we’ve ever seen in a video game.

Keep Connected

As we previously mentioned, one of the first things you’ll have to keep in mind when playing The Crew is that the game requires a constant internet connection to play. Sure, this allows the game to feel like the closest we can get to a true racing MMO, but it also means that the single-player campaign is severely compromised.

The Crew’s campaign mode can take you close to 20 hours to beat. If you’ve played Need for Speed: The Run, the story of this game will sound suspiciously familiar to you. As Alex Taylor, your job will be to infiltrate criminal racing groups all over the contiguous United States, racing from coast to coast and exploring a huge, persistent open world.

If there’s one thing we can say about the game’s always-online requirement is that, when it works, it works. Racing against online foes and seeing other players on the streets is impressive on a technical level. However, should your internet connection fail for a bit, be ready to experience some obnoxious glitches and buggy races.

Uninterrupted Racing

Say goodbye to loading times or most forms of waiting. Once the game loads, you’ll never stop racing until you decide to call it quits. The fact that such a massive open-world can be achieved without the need for loading screens of any sort is frankly impressive.

Racing from one of the map’s coasts to the other will take you around 45 minutes, and that is if you don’t stop on any of the game’s six main cities. While there are many small towns and settlements along the way, the developers of The Crew have decided to pay close attention to detailing the cities of Chicago, Detroit, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

Crews and Cars

There are some RPG elements thrown into the fascinating mix of ideas that is The Crew. Leveling up your driver level will give you access to better cars and other goodies. Surprisingly, the initial roster of cars to purchase in The Crew is quite limited.

Forming crews is also an integral part of the game. Think of crews as a form of racing clan you can form with your friends. Crews are the best way to farm experience and complete minigames and are an excellent way of hanging out with your pals as you race around the country.

Pros:

• Massive open-world to explore
• Fun player progression
• Solid multiplayer elements

Cons:

• Aggressive microtransactions
• Some odd technical issues
• Even the single-player mode must be played with an always-online internet connection