Driveclub Review: Pump the Brakes

Game Reviewed: Driveclub

Release Date: October 7th, 2014

Developer: Evolution Studios

Publisher: SCEA

Platform: [Reviewed: PlayStation 4]

Genre: Racing

Rated: E for Everyone

Let’s paint this picture. Driveclub was supposed to launch almost one year ago with the release of the Sony PlayStation 4. In addition it was a guaranteed PlayStation Plus title for gamers at launch. Instead we only seen Warframe and Contrast, which weren’t bad, but it also wasn’t Driveclub. So since the system we’ve only been able to “Rival.”

So now the game has had all the time it’s needed to bring us what they’ve quoted from VG 24/7 as PS4’s Forza Killer.  Does it live up to those standards or does it instead find itself left in the dust.

Driveclub starts off showing s its beautiful scenery at the Tamil Nadu race track. You’re in the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG against nine other racers. Now one thing stuck out to me as this race began; it never truly felt competitive. Every other car in the race seemed comfortable maintaining their positions, never weaving around opponents, anything. It reminded me of Formula 1, but even then someone shift gears and excels. I felt like an outsider to a group of cars playing “follow the leader”.

From the main hub you have the ability to create your own club, join an existing club, and view your profile and garage. The garage stores all of your owned vehicles and allows you to customize them. Unfortunately customization isn’t as in-depth as Forza Motorsport or the older Need For Speed titles. Instead you can only change numbers, badges and the cosmetics such as colors and vinyl.

Become the most wanted player on the streets by building your credibility, known as fame. Drive fast, drift and most importantly win. You can participate in three areas, tour, single events and multiplayer.

First and foremost, I was unable to participate in any “full” multiplayer events as the servers had poor establishments for connectivity. I tried multiple sessions and managed to even speak to a few players trying to participate before being booted. Even when I managed to play a good 30 seconds, my dreams were crushed.

Single Events open the exhibition doors to race, time trials and drifting. And no race is typical, in the states. Instead, you’ll cross the country in Canada, Chile, India, Norway and Scotland. Then there’s the Tour with over 52 challenges. Allowing you to perform in almost car possible as you continue to level up, progressing on your way to become legend. The further you go, prepare for the race to become that much more difficult.

Visually Driveclub is remarkable, utilizing dynamic weather and time shifting. My biggest gripe however is a third of the game is inaccessible. It’s a huge issue to see unstable servers, especially after a year of additional development; even worse due to multiplayer being advertised as the most impactful part of the Driveclub experience.

Driveclub seemed to be ready to gives fans what they’ve been craving for only to receive an appetizer. And with online servers currently unavailable, you’re stuck with offline only modes that are fun, but quickly limiting the overall event, literally. One can only hope that Driveclub can stand on two feet soon before being parked in a garage.

Gameplay: 3.5/5

Visuals: 4.25/5

Controls: 4/5

Audio:  4.25/5

Replayability: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3/5