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DriveClub Review Thread.

the really negative reviews call DriveClub out for not being "fun". Same could be said for longer races in say GT or FM. "Endurance" races aren't much "fun", but you play them anyway because, as you progress in those kind of games, the racing gets more serious. You tell yourself that it's sim'y, it's not supposed to be fun, it's supposed to be realistic / challenging and and you get nice rewards for completing those races.

That makes me hope that I will get a 80-90 review score feel out of the game, because I do like GT and FM for that. The problem is that some reviewers have called out the driving model to be (good but) unrealistic. If I can't convince my brain of the "realistic racing" (I mean: not a spectacle of instant rewards like colorful-number-popups and "sick powerslide, dude, here's NOS-fill-up for you!"s) aspects that made the game "not fun" for some reviewers, then I might not even play the 20€ I spent for the disc version out of it(amazon PS4 launch promo-discount last october).
 

Cavalier

Banned
The rating spread on this game is too wide.

Best thing anyone can do is to play the game him/herself and decide.

Because funny thing is, games that got outstanding rating like Ass Creed 4 didn't do anything for me yet games that received mediocre ratings such as Watch Dogs and Destiny I love to death.

Driveclub for PS+ will be one of the first games I'll be playing when I get my PS4 sometime next year when Uncharted 4 comes out. Game looks fucking ridiculous.
 

Hugstable

Banned
You're welcome to your opinion, but you'll need to defend it. So tell me what game on PS3 looks even remotely as good as DriveClub?

Last of US!

lol jk :p.

That background scenery in Driveclub look absolutely wonderful in all the videos I've seen. Also is the PS+ demo up yet? Want to start downloading -___-
 
Is it bad that I kind of anticipated this?

All of the impressions and footage I was seeing just.... seemed... well very pretty at least!
 

Servbot24

Banned
There are 55 courses in the fucking game. 55. How is that even remotely considered racing the same tracks over and over again?

Because although each of those tracks may have their differences, in the eyes of most reviewers (who represent the general public's attention span), they are not significant differences. Reviewers see this as variations of the same race. This is going to be the general perception, and although you and I can appreciate it more, it's understandable why a general audience will not.
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
GameSpot's review

The Bad
Bland atmosphere, bland presentation, bland everything
Stubborn AI and weird handling lead to frustration

I'm curious because when did racing games not have bland atmosphere? or when can you just turn the wheel without down shifting or breaking early?

The Good
Tour does a great job of ramping up the challenge
You race beautiful cars on beautiful tracks

Don't those contradict each other? If it's beautiful then why is it bland? Can't bland be the mature form of beautiful?

There's always one guy whose going to spin out or cause problems.
 

Ryde3

Member
Hey I'm at work and would love to queue up the download for the PS+ version - does anyone have a link? Can't seem to find it on the PS Store but thought someone on GAF may have had better luck (a PM would be awesome, thanks!)
 

Jburton

Banned
It seems to be the problem most Sony exclusives are having.

Killzone: Ok shooter with great graphics
Infamous: Ok sandbox with great graphics
Driveclub: From reviews sounds like an ok racer with great graphics
The Order: From all the previews I've read it sounds like an ok shooter with great graphics

They need to start focusing on games that have more than just graphics.
Bloodborne looks like a great first step


Their first party started the same way last gen and by the end of that gen their first party was putting out some of the best.

Zero concern, they are just warming up on the PS4.
 

Noobcraft

Member
There are 55 courses in the fucking game. 55. How is that even remotely considered racing the same tracks over and over again?
Aren't almost half of them just the courses backwards? I personally would prefer 55 unique courses to 30 unique course + 25 in reverse. (My numbers aren't exact!)
 
The rating spread on this game is too wide.

Best thing anyone can do is to play the game him/herself and decide.

Because funny thing is, games that got outstanding rating like Ass Creed 4 didn't do anything for me yet games that received mediocre ratings such as Watch Dogs and Destiny I love to death.

Driveclub for PS+ will be one of the first games I'll be playing when I get my PS4 sometime next year when Uncharted 4 comes out. Game looks fucking ridiculous.

Watch Dogs didn't get mediocre ratings, the PS4 version was at an 80 last I looked.

But I agree, the best thing that people can do is just go download the PS+ edition later today and see for themselves. Some will like it and some won't, and that's fine. It won't be for everyone.
 

meanspartan

Member
So do we know what time PSN updates so I can play this sexiness!?!?!

I am no huge racing game fan, but I am absolutely a fan of playing a pretty game for a coule of hours for free.
 

Servbot24

Banned
GameSpot's review

Don't those contradict each other? If it's beautiful then why is it bland? Can't bland be the mature form of beautiful?

There's always one guy whose going to spin out or cause problems.

Bland is not mature. Bland is bland. Mature is giving character and depth to realism.
 
GameSpot's review

The Bad


I'm curious because when did racing games not have bland atmosphere? or when can you just turn the wheel without down shifting or breaking early?

The Good


Don't those contradict each other? If it's beautiful then why is it bland? Can't bland be the mature form of beautiful?

There's always one guy whose going to spin out or cause problems.


Yeah I don't know how Kevin (The GS reviewer) felt about GT, but honestly I feel like Driveclub is WAY more *alive* than Gran Turismo. And I LOVE Gran Turismo 5/6, but mostly for things like the physics and massive content/car collection stuff than "personality" which I would not say it has.
 

Mohonky

Member
i agree with this completely. hopefully it's a trend that will soon end.

I had the same problem with the PS3 and to be honest a lot of Sony stuff, it just doesnt click with me. The games looked great and were insanely polished but I struggled to enjoy the games, it felt like they were obligated to show off the tech of the PS3 and had really great cinematic 'adventures' like Uncharted that felt like playing a hollywood blockbuster but nothing about the actual game really excited me, just made it passible to get to see what was coming next.

Always loved the Ratchet titles though, could never get enough of them. Oh and SuperStardust HD and Motorstorm.

Anyway, havent played Driveclub but i went and checked out Giantbombs quicklook and theres some down right strange things about this game. You could make your own club emblem, but you were stuck with a few predetermined liveries? And if you choose manufacturers paint, you could Only use what they gave you? In a racing game? Why? Is it actually really like that?

The handling also seemed odd. It seems like the cars grip and grip and grip and then the rear just steps out and srubs off speed. I dont think I saw a single corner where the car would seemingly go from a steady state holding its line to inexplicably deciding it was going to step out. The handling just looked kind of strange.

The way Jeff talked about the game seemed as though Evo had some ideas, but sort of half implented a lot of things and then inexplicably missed features you might normally expect. I dunno, it just seemed kind of odd. Visually it looks ace, but otherwise I found myself struggling to even watch them play it. It does just seem bit by the numbers with a few half surprises thrown in and then a few things half missing also.

Think i will go back to my previous point, think they should have made a game based on buggies and torc trucks in offroad environments. They have exoerience doing it, they were pretty good at it too and its a genre of racing that is really overlooked.
 

Nafai1123

Banned
Is it possible The Crew will receive better scores than DC? Wouldn't have believed it was possible last week.

I'd say it's almost certain. Many journalists have been praising The Crew at preview events. I never really understood the apathetic outlook many around here have regarding the game. Must be the DLC/always online news from a few months back.
 

BPoole

Member
Yikes, I was hoping it would be better. The PS4 is looking less and less appealing to me. Bloodborne really is the only thing substantially holding my interest
 

MilesTeg

Banned
I'd say it's almost certain. Many journalists have been praising The Crew at preview events. I never really understood the apathetic outlook many around here have regarding the game. Must be the DLC/always online news from a few months back.

Graphics aren't too impressive either. Also, at this point a lot of the negative thoughts regarding the game are from people who played the beta.
 

BashNasty

Member
A 5 from Gamespot. Kevin VanOrd review? Kevin VanOrd review.

I love it when people who aren't even fans of racing games review racing games. And even if they're semi-fans, they need their racers to have some flashy new gimmick. Cop chases, buildings falling down around them as they race, large scale and uber-cool crashes, and other weird shit that has little to do with substance and all to do with flash. Thank fuck someone out there is still making these "boring" racing games where you - wait for it - RACE.

Man a racing game where you're evading cops while weaving through crumbling buildings and trying to avoid getting into a massive, visually spectacular crashes sounds amazing, particularly with the power of the new consoles.
 

Jachaos

Member
Is it bad that I kind of anticipated this?

All of the impressions and footage I was seeing just.... seemed... well very pretty at least!

It IS very pretty. In fact, it's the best looking game on consoles (excluding art styles, like saying Windwaker is better looking and such).

It also drives really well. I was anticipating it and am satisfied. I can see where some were annoyed (lack of varied soundtrack while racing, losing points for a car bumping into you) but unless you were expecting something else than a racing game on circuits with great driving and great visuals, then you won't be disappointed. I just feel it's too bad they chose India for the PS+ version when those are the least impressive tracks.
 

Jburton

Banned
I'd say it's almost certain. Many journalists have been praising The Crew at preview events. I never really understood the apathetic outlook many around here have regarding the game. Must be the DLC/always online news from a few months back.


Having played the crew I wouldn't get your hopes up.
 
Man a racing game where you're evading cops while weaving through crumbling buildings and trying to avoid getting into a massive, visually spectacular crashes sounds amazing, particularly with the power of the new consoles.
I personally wouldn't mind running from the cops with these graphics.
 

rob305

Member
Yup, as expected. Good thing I didn't get my hopes up, graphics aren't everything. The car list and the amount of tracks (5 locations with different variations) is laughable. Will try the PS+ version to check out the graphics but that's about it
 

Kalm

Member
Out of curiosity, did any other fence-sitters actually get sold on Driveclub today?

I've been casually lurking DC threads for some time and it mostly seemed like two extremist groups -- trolls vs. pre-release hype -- were just constantly beating on each other and drowning out everyone else. It was really hard to take anyone seriously when everything was so black and white.

Reading through the reviews, it was nice to get a more balanced and realistic view of the game. The USGamer and Gamersyde sets in particular were pretty great.
 
I'd really want to know what Gamespot expected in a racing game.

Driveclub is ordinary menus and ordinary races, standard time trials, and a few drift events. Driveclub is bland social competition. Driveclub is the fear of risks and the embrace of the ordinary.

Ordinary menus?
Ordinary races?

What did you expect GS? Tornados in the middle of the road and cars flying through the sky? Not to mention that the social aspect of DriveClub is just as or better than any other Racing game available!

Journalism is going down much faster than I really thought.


Ouch. Wonder if we'll see the exact same quote for The Order 1886 in the future.


I'm even more clueless when it comes to judging a racing game - for me it's just graphics, audio, handling, and whether it keeps me playing; so we'll see once I get a copy in my hands.
 

Apath

Member
Well at least it is pretty and free. I'll probably end up loving it since my views don't tend to align with reviewers these days.
 
Out of curiosity, did any other fence-sitters actually get sold on Driveclub today?

I've been casually lurking DC threads for some time and it mostly seemed like two extremist groups -- trolls vs. pre-release hype -- were just constantly beating on each other and drowning out everyone else. It was really hard to take anyone seriously when everything was so black and white.

Reading through the reviews, it was nice to get a more balanced and realistic view of the game. The USGamer and Gamersyde sets in particular were pretty great.
I've been wondering that too. Especially simce some people say the free area is the least good looking area of the game.
Anyway... I still got 5 hours befor the game unlocks... :(
 

Hugstable

Banned
Out of curiosity, did any other fence-sitters actually get sold on Driveclub today?

I've been casually lurking DC threads for some time and it mostly seemed like two extremist groups -- trolls vs. pre-release hype -- were just constantly beating on each other and drowning out everyone else. It was really hard to take anyone seriously when everything was so black and white.

Reading through the reviews, it was nice to get a more balanced and realistic view of the game. The USGamer and Gamersyde sets in particular were pretty great.

I actually got sold on Driveclub today, but I'm still having to wait til a bit later before I can jump into the game and buy it since there are so many games coming out right now, and it's hard to fit it in. I love racing games, especially closed circuit, and even with the limited makes and limited Customization, just hearing about the great sense of speed coupled along with those beautiful backgrounds makes me want to pick this up.
 

Ethelwulf

Member
Yikes, I was hoping it would be better. The PS4 is looking less and less appealing to me. Bloodborne really is the only thing substantially holding my interest

Next year will get better :) Sony created an awesome console and have great studios working on more games. Give them time.
 

-tetsuo-

Unlimited Capacity
I need a long post to explain this, but in a few words I've seen good racing game players "ruined" in their skills because of this "button".

I love real racing competition and how professional driver spens hours to improve their skills on every turn, trying to "eat away" every inch in every point of the track.

The rewind button is simply against my philosophy.
If you make a mistake it's a lot better trying again after a few minutes, in the meanwhile you will improve your skills and your knowledge of the track and then, when you hit again the same point where you made your mistake, you attention will double and there are good chances you will not repeat the same error.
I thinks the rewind button is a very lazy option, maybe someone manages to use this option in a very good way, but right now, all my friends who are hardcore racing players just "hate" that option.

How is the rewind button not to your liking if that is how you like to play? That seems crazy to me. You get immediate feedback and correction with the rewind button. It helps immensely when learning how to handle a car without having to restart a race to get to the same point and then hope for the same conditions.

If I have learned to take a turn when I am out ahead, and I want to learn how to take it best with someone on the inside and or outside of me, it is MUCH more efficient to have that button there. It isn't dumbing the game down. What if I am always out ahead of the AI and never get many chances to take said turn at that condition. Say you blow the turn and lose places because of it. Say you restart the race like you used to have to do and once again you are out ahead of the pack. Instead of restarting the race and sandbagging or trying to get the conditions you want to practice, they are there at that moment for you to do over and over. This is besides the fact that you can just turn it off at any time.

The rewind feature is a fantastic tool. It helps people who aren't great at racing games ease in or advance in the single player game with absolutely no adverse effect to anyone else. It helps junkies learn specifics without having to restart races. If there is a nasty hairpin at the back end of a 10 minute long point to point race, who the hell wants to restart a race to get practice on it?
 

Kilau

Member
After playing most of the morning this game gets the thumbs up for me.

I am a NFS, Burnout, Horizons type driver so I was worried the more strict rules of this game would ruin it, they do not, at least for me.

For the first time in a racing game I am actually trying to hit the proper lines, using the brake ;) and not trying to just ram everyone else off the road.

The AI is fun to race and I am really looking forward to servers coming up and getting into some online action.
 

UberTag

Member
Reviewers love quantity over quality.
Gamers love quality over quantity.

Reviewers love robust and complete online modes so they know what's there when they dole out their grades so they can move on to the next game.
Gamers love games that parse out content over time so they can keep revisiting the titles they buy again and again.

Reviewers that don't care for racing games will often review racing games.
Gamers that don't care for racing games won't be buying racing games... only the ones that enjoy racing games will.
 
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