DriveClub

What? New races from the creators of Motorstrom

Where? Chester, Great Britain

To get into a small town of Chester, you need to drive about two hundred miles past even fences, sections of neatly trimmed grass and thick cows that fell apart on it. By a funny coincidence, it is here, in the English outback, where every second one goes to work on a modest low -commandance or at all on a bicycle, perhaps the main racing game of this year is made.

[[Videoid_12836]] no_desc [[/videoid_12836]]

Side by side

In fact DriveClub had to go out even at the launch of the PS4, but the developers from the studio Evolution They realized that the social functionality they promised-the main feature of the project-has some shortcomings and in a good way it is necessary to take another year for revision. I must say, during the time that has passed with the Gamescom presentation, the game really transformed. Creators Motorstorm improved the interface, made a useful application for mobile platforms (will be available on the day of the release), pulled schedule and physics, increased the number of licensed machines and, most importantly, thought up the concept of those very clubs of drivers in whose honor the game is named after.

► Помимо стандартных типов управления при помощи геймпада или руля (пока поддерживаются только устройства Thrustmaster, но к релизу будут и другие), есть компромиссный вариант: включаете датчик движения на DualShock 4 и размахиваете контроллером в воздухе!

At the show, all journalists were divided into groups of six people (the maximum size of the club in DriveClub), each with its own logo and name. In fact, the developers have introduced a system of clans from online games, but for an expensive console race, the solution is rather curious. Together you open new cars, tracks and tests, and the result of each member of the club in some competition is reflected not only at its personal level, but also at the club level. If you leave it, “group” bonuses will disappear forever. Thus, the authors want to motivate the players to carefully choose the team and not throw their colleagues under the influence of a minute whim.

Of course, you can make your life easier and simply assemble a club from friends on PSN, but about the people who first bought PS4, the developers also took care: the game will make a list of recommended commands based on your skills. For the system to work more efficiently, Evolution even contacted Guerrilla Games , Another inner studio Sony , which not so long ago released Killzone: Shadow Fall And during the development I found out all about matchmaking.

► In the game, in addition to species from the cabin, from the hood and behind, there will be a view from the dashboard: the camera is located directly under the windshield. In our opinion, this is the best option: both the authenticity remains, and the review is sufficient.

The very mentioned application for phones and tablets on iOS and Android will allow users to receive notification of friends' actions, watch the broadcasts of their gameplay, exchange invitations to the race, create clubs and manage them. In fact, all functionality is available in the application, except for the races themselves and the customs settings.

And the dawn here is quiet

DriveClub will be free for PS Plus subscribers, and the full version with a lunch number of cars and tracks is offered for money; In addition, the game provides for microtransactions. If we distract from the system of clubs and an interesting distribution scheme, conceptually we have a quite ordinary modern race. A powerful online component in the spirit of the last parts Need for Speed (“Ghosts” of friends of friends on the highway, constant reminders that someone broke your record, invited a new competition, and so on), the most ordinary modes and good technical performance.

► Interface – a subject of pride in developers. It was the desire to finalize it that was the main reason for transferring the deadlines. In fairness, we note that the interface is really very convenient and intuitive.

Apparently, therefore, the developers talk most about how tightly cooperate with the car concerns so that the McLaren P1 flaps move as it should and in its place is every hollow in the texture of the bumper Pagani Huayra (pronounced “Pagani by a yra”). Evolutions are large fans of cars, which are important that the salon of each car presented in the game is worked out to the smallest chrome part.

Sound – separate theme. The developers are so proud of them that, according to Rushi, they even think about turning off the music by default (although it is already a little – the main topic, five tracks from the British Hybrid electronic workers plus a pack of remixes on them). Evolution incredibly long and diligently recorded a roar of powerful engines, went to factories and test training grounds, received tips from Mercedes and BMW (not everyone knows, but both companies have entire departments, whose employees are responsible for the sound of cars).

The final result is impressive. Before us, Ferrari F12 Berlinetta was first brought in, and then, when we shake in one ear, dragged into the studio and allowed to listen to how a sports car sounds in the game. If you do not go into details, the second ear was also injured.

► In the application for smartphones (we were shown iOS version) there is everything except the game itself. You can follow the progress of friends, watch the broadcasts of their gameplay, change the logo of your club, and so on.

Finally, a separate presentation was devoted to the graphics. The chief artist of the studio Alex Perkins, a broken hour, told what a complex simulation of the cloud movement, what they cooperated with NASA and that the location of celestial bodies, visible from different points of the world (will ride in Chile, India, Norway, Canada and other countries) will be Realistic. The lighting is dynamic. The day is replaced at night. The wind sways the foliage of trees and grass according to physical laws.

All this, of course, is great, DriveClub is really a very beautiful game and even impressive in places. So, if you wish, you can assign a race at least four in the morning and meet dawn at the wheel, and the dawn here without exaggeration luxurious. But it is not entirely clear why such technological excesses to the game without an open world. DriveClub – no Burnout , where in the city, albeit boring, could be free to drive.

The structure here is classic: I chose a multiplayer race or a single test (there will be fifty of them) on the menu, a ten -second load (separate pride of developers) was suffered, and got on the track. And at the end of the race, he returned to the main menu.

However, the authors admitted that they plan to use their new engine throughout the PS4 life cycle, so most likely it just touched the future. In addition, according to Perkins, the technology allows you to make not only racing games. Who knows, maybe the creators of Motorstorm will switch to something else.

* * *

About the most important thing – races – there is nothing to tell. Not because it is boring to travel to DriveClub, not at all – just with this the game is fine. Just no interesting modes and features were shown to us, but simply offered to ride a dozen times on the same highway.

Sensations from the physical model are pleasant. The developers tried to withstand the balance between the simulator and the arcade, and they got: the difficulty was exactly such that to win the specific car, use the manual brake and the circle to memorize the highway, but it was not necessary to slow down a kilometer until the next turn https://sister-site.org/new-vegas/ and To be afraid to hook the enemy. There is simply no damage model here. Yes, the glasses are beaten, and scratches and cracks appear on the case, but the situations when your suspension is covered, the car begins to constantly bearing to the side or it stalls, does not happen in DriveClub.

► The only shortcomings of the graphics can be called a rather bad animated spectators and ugly visualization of damage. At the end of the race, the car’s body dotted with cracks resembles lean soil, and not crumpled metal.

The whole essence of the game lies in this neutrality. It is no more difficult to master it than Need for Speed, but with regard to the spirit and the translated love for cars, this is pure Gran Turismo. Here you feel a note of recklessness characteristic of Motorstorm (it is not possible to push with opponents, and the routes are very picturesque), but there is enough balanced and calculation, characteristic of another Evolution Racing series – WRC.

We don’t know if the DriveClub is enough for the worked out social component to get out of this “median” position and attract the attention of a wide audience, but it is worth playing races to play it definitely. With the transition of NFS to a two -year development cycle, we will not see a new part this year, and to transfer the Gran Turismo 6 to PS4 and pushing your own games Sony clearly will not be. Therefore, the fans of the genre remain only Project Cars (which can still be transferred) and DriveClub. But we would not complain – judging by what we saw, a high -quality game awaits us.

Success factors

Risk factors

• beautiful and reliable from all sides;

• Powerful social functionality can make the game truly durable;
• Free version for PS Plus subscribers.

• few non -standard chips;

• The open world to such beauty would be very helpful.

We will wait?

Racing with a strong emphasis on the online and social component, which at the same time are much more impressive with driving and luxuriously recreated machines than everyone else.