-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
DriveClub Review Thread.
- Thread starter Saty
- Start date
Cthulhu_Steev
Member
Yeah, they're a bit of a pain. Also, when that happens you've pretty much lost the race, so unless I'm trying to learn the course, I just restart instead Trials-style.
Sales do equal the opinions of the average gamer though, which is what you were trying to pass aggregate reviews off as. 60 reviewers who played for free versus 5 million customers who plopped down a minimum of $60 to play a game, what is the more valid sample size?
They do no such thing. The vast majority of the lower reviews for Driveclub spend almost no time talking about if Driveclub itself is fun and instead focus entirely on how it isn't some magic reaffirmation of "NEXT GEN" in driving game form. It's a contemporary racer. It wasn't going to do anything new. It is targeted at one specific audience, racing game fans. Most games can't live off a single target audience. GT and Forza have proven that racing games (much like sports games) can.
Instead of getting some kind of meta-commentary on the state of next gen game development and the lack of major innovations we should be reading real critiques about the game's AI (something Evolution has struggled with in the past), how well it handles sense of speed, if it's visuals live up to the hype, how well the social features work, and if there is enough content to keep people happy until the free DLC starts showing up. Far too few of the reviews linked in this thread really focused their attention on those elements.
So the fact that Forza 5 was basically a direct assault on consumers wallets can go unmentioned, but the fact that Driveclub borrows features from a beloved but now dead franchise made by some of the same staff who worked on Driveclub is a reason to knock it?
How about a little consistency here? Why not just review every game on it's own merits as a fucking game and not a reason to spend another $400 on a console, a statement of gender inequality prevalent throughout an industry, or a personal soap box to preach some other random completely unrelated bullshit through? Tell me what the game is like. What makes it fun, what makes it not so fun. What it does well relative to other games. What it does poorly relative to other games. I've gone through a decent number of the Driveclub reviews and there aren't many who do any of those very well at all.
The gaming press has lost focus on servicing readers with what they say they're going to give readers. Reviews are a bait and switch for editorializing at this point and the divergence between review scores and what the mainstream gamer will buy is only going to increase as long as the industry conducts itself in that fashion.
So then why hasn't that scenario been flipped for the Xbox One then? I mean, everyone is buying the PS4 now instead. Nothing MS has release is a legitimate reason to buy the system. So where is the constant hand wringing and concern trolling over "when will X1 get it's reason to exist?"
Completely, inherently, morally, and factually wrong. This is false equivalency bullshit spouted by people unable to form legitimate and objective evaluations. Reviews do have a single way they have to be. They have to be about the game in question, factual, observant of the details the average person might miss from not knowing the history of the genre, the studio that developed the game, or the franchise. They should be the equivalent of a peer review response to an article published in any credible scientific journal. But then the people who are good at doing exactly that tend to land jobs far better than video game reviewer.
The image is stupid and I can't believe you're falling for it.
I mean if we're really gonna crank up the dumb, might as well add Gran Turismo 6 to that chart as it was announced May 2013 and released in December 2013. So that's two "Sony racers" whatever the hell that means.
Majmun
Member
Did you also do the same for Ryse after seeing the reviews?
I have a bad feeling that that image is the evolution of list wars.
FantasticMrFoxdie
Mumber
Pretty much expected scores from what I saw. Looking forward to trying this on PS+
Got emmmms
Got emmmms
BlackBuzzard
Banned
Announced time=development time apparently. The more you know sponsored by Bruiserbear.
Most people that own a PS4 have PS+. That means most potential Driveclub purchasers will be playing the smaller piece of it for free. So in this particular instance, poor review scores won't have as dire of an effect as normal game releases. Because people will be buying based on whether or not they enjoyed the PS+ version.
Everyone's said the load time for restarts is snappy, so that's actually a nice trade-off in that regard. I'm glad the filesize stayed lean and the loading fast. That's something the racing genre could stand to stay in line with.
LookAtMeGo
Member
Dont be. The game is a blast. The only people who you should feel bad for is people who can't make their own decisions about something and rely on some shmuck to validate any pre conceived notions they have about a game.
R3TRODYCE
Member
Ryse didn't have a ps+/free version but I don't know what that has to do with anything.
Miles Quaritch
Member
Agreed. It may not sound like much, but a fully fleshed out weather system and corresponding handling system can take what some people might consider to be a hum-drum, by the numbers racer into an entirely different league.
Hopefully we'll see a few sites re-review the game when the weather system is patched in.
FUEL, for all its problems, was a pretty enjoyable game simply because it offered the option to race during a tornado.
BruiserBear
Banned
Well, GT6 being released on PS3 after the PS4 launch is a whole other discussion we won't bother with here. Of course there are lots of ways people spin this stuff. It could be said that one company was "supporting the older console", and it could also be said the other guys are "supporting the new console I just paid for. You know, the one I'm excited about".
StealthGoblin
Banned
If this sells badly, Evolution may be in trouble.
Sony runs each of their Western studios like their own business and they need to justify their existence. Apocalypse was a commercial failure and Evolution can't afford for this one to be.
Sony really need to get Gran Turismo and an arcadey GT game out within quick succession like Forza. They are able to iterate faster because there are two teams working on two different aspects of the engine at a time.
Kaz is too slow and this game hasn't reviewed too well.
Sony runs each of their Western studios like their own business and they need to justify their existence. Apocalypse was a commercial failure and Evolution can't afford for this one to be.
Sony really need to get Gran Turismo and an arcadey GT game out within quick succession like Forza. They are able to iterate faster because there are two teams working on two different aspects of the engine at a time.
Kaz is too slow and this game hasn't reviewed too well.
Cthulhu_Steev
Member
Great post. Edge reviews often get hammered, but they actually do critique games in the right way, like you mentioned and that's why I like them.
Load times are lovely and short, almost N64 cartridge like for the most part. I'm really picky with load times, if I have to wait too long to restart I often drop a game down to easy and be done with it, even though the arcade game fan in me adores playing a game just for the sake of getting better - if the gameplay is compelling, that is. It's probably the reason I'm happy with 5 or 6 well-built tracks and handful of car options and don't need a huge garage with custom tuning for everything, I prefer to trust the game designer than my own tinkering skills.
T
thepotatoman
Unconfirmed Member
I've played a couple hours of it so far and the blandness is starting to bother me. Maybe I just need to get engaged with the social features once they're up, but I don't know.
The lack of a soundtrack while racing is bothering me too for a game that feels as arcadey as this.
The lack of a soundtrack while racing is bothering me too for a game that feels as arcadey as this.
Melchiah
Member
Reminds me of the PS3 days... RFOM and KZ2 were met with a lukewarm reception because they were more of the same old shooting, but that didn't somehow apply to Halo 3, which didn't actually redefine the genre either. KZ2 got point reductions in the reviews because it didn't have a co-op mode, but the inclusion of co-op didn't do RFOM any favors. Both were blamed for their linearity, but the same didn't apply to Gears of War. ME1 was perfect, eventhough it had a bunch of technical problems, and flawed gameplay mechanics. I love the game myself, but it isn't a perfect 10 game given its flaws.
It seemed like there was always some fault to be found in the PS3 exclusives, whereas the 360 exclusives were rarily scrutinized to the same extent, or according to the same metrics, by the same sites. Even if they sometimes were, that didn't necessarily affect the score. Remember the infamous Gears of War review, where the writer complains about the game but gives it a high score?
I'd actually like to know, if any of the those reviewers mention corridor racing / the lack of open world in their Driveclub reviews. The game might be mediocre and flawed, but it's just ridiculous to blame it for something it was never supposed to be, and for being more of an arcade racer. Both of those things sound like big pluses to me, as I love traditional arcade racing, and that's exactly what I was hoping for this game to be. My only worry is, that it'll be as frustrating to play as MotorStorm series was.
Majmun
Member
It has to do with the fact that cancelling a pre-order after "bad" reviews is stupid as fuck. You didn't cancel Ryse and I remember you talking fondly about the game. Even after the terrible reviews.
Driveclub isn't even reviewing horribly.
But do your thing...
loaf of bread
Member
Uhhh no theres no spin going on here. You said that MS released 2 racers that reviewed better in the time Sony made made 1 which simply isn't true. You're the one spinning.
troll harder bro
NullPointer
Member
There is one. Its set to 0% volume by default in the settings.
LookAtMeGo
Member
Go into options and turn the music on. There is a soundtrack. Its off by default.
Beat
But we aren't talking about platform. The image is saying that Sony has released one racing game from time of announcement in the span that MS has released two from times of announcement. That's not true.
R3TRODYCE
Member
Next time I'll contact you before I cancel a preorder.
JackAubrey
Member
Horizon 2 doesn't have an "off road focus". There are many more on-road events, both point to point and circuit than the cross-country events.
Cross country got a lot of press pre-release because it was new to the series. But the game is still largely based on racing on tarmac and gravel roads. Just like the first one was.
And while the handling model is easier than the one in Forza Motorsport 5 it is still a very nuanced and detailed one. Played with higher level drivatars the game is far from chaos.
Which doesn't seem to me any way inferior or less pure than Driveclub's super-grippy approach. I'm certainly itching to try Driveclub on Friday when I can try it for myself, But watching video reviews and Twitch makes me think Driveclub's handling model doesn't offer much depth at all. I will be happy to return and eat humble pie after playing the game if I'm wrong about this though.
Not sure about everyone else, but for a game that apparently shouldn't exist I think 74 is pretty good.
Saying a game shouldn't exist is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen in a review.
I don't feel bad for them, it's their own fault. People where doing it without waiting for reviews, let alone the PSN+ version. Even if reviews are not your thing they where acting like smart-asses 2, 3, 4 etc days out from release posting pictures of their pre-order receipts without waiting for the PSN+ version to try for themselves.
As if some of you couldn't wait acouple days.
BruiserBears been going off the deep end lately.
boredandlazy
Member
Having is parroted by particular GAF users is almost as embarrassing.
BlackBuzzard
Banned
Should have stayed at the shallow end or the kiddy pool.
It did get generally positive scores, but the low scores are causing all of the fuss.
Why? Because it doesn't fit your agenda? Please. The image is stupid to begin with.
boredandlazy
Member
But a lot of people seem to focus on the really harsh scores whilst simultaneously ignoring the high ones. A few people were pigeonholing the game before release and are just choosing the low scores to suit their narrative.
BruiserBear
Banned
Sorry. I made the mistake of focusing on the platforms this entire industry is currently focused on, the new ones.
NullPointer
Member
I don't mean to suggest Horizon 2 is all chaos - but its a lot more chaos than the first Horizon, and more than what I've played of DriveClub. Its enough of a difference to actually let me down a bit as I've noticed the AI cheating, or driving perfectly smooth while a random bump sends me careening, but I guess I'm just learning that I personally prefer more precision in my racing, and that's drawing me to what DC is offering here. Never expected that really as I always figured myself an open world racer through and through.
I still need to get a better sense of DriveClub's AI and how the more difficult events play out.
Lol. Keep spinning and moving goal posts dude.
Based on all the hype leading up to this game on GAF, I really did expect it to destroy Forza Horizon 2 in the review scores.
I'm happy I waited till after they were both out before making a decision on which racing game to buy this year.
Unlike Destiny... Which I bought and am still suffering through nightly... Lessons learned. Wait for the reviews.
I'm happy I waited till after they were both out before making a decision on which racing game to buy this year.
Unlike Destiny... Which I bought and am still suffering through nightly... Lessons learned. Wait for the reviews.
boredandlazy
Member
Slight tangent here, but I am one of the crowd who thinks making GT6 PS3 only was a huge mistake. I would have bought it on PS4 but I skipped it on PS3.
BlackBuzzard
Banned
With Bruiser we will be out of the stadium in no time.
Cthulhu_Steev
Member
It might surprise you when you play it, it's not super-grippy and some of the races and cars feel like trying to keep the Stratos in place on Sega Rally while nailing a fast, clean lap - and I'm only on the early courses
TheExecutive
Member
So it sounds like a solid foundation but needs some work? I am ok with this. Get started on 2 evolution!
GeordieMark
Member
You are the one who brought up bias in reviews.
You didn't say that originally.
Nowhere does it say that. At all.
nowheretorun
Member
Great comments.
It takes me back to the older games of years gone where attention to detail/feel were nailed spot on (probably mainly due to lack of hardware complexity/cost to make for the most part).
Other than the Aliasing comments (I've not got the game on my tv yet so not experienced it first hand), lack of wheel support and lack of damage, this game looks to be hitting all the 'right' spots for what I want a 'racer' to be:-
- The Sense Of Speed (no matter what view you choose should be fucking applauded to fuck!).
- The Lighting/Weather System Already In (looks to be the best ever in a racing game?).
- The Sounds (even from what I've heard via youtube ffs, sound great with loads of detail and nuance).
- Cockpit & Views (especially love the close up of windscreen and this should be praised to the fucking hills imo, who else has this in other than F355 on the Dreamcast).
- The Difficult Ai (they better not fucking patch it to make it easier for the moaning bitches who are too fucking lazy/soft to current games to realize sometimes games can take a while to beat - wtf is wrong with pressing restart?!). What makes this even more amazing is that I've read when you restart, the cloud formation is different every time and one reviewer even complains at this - wow! lmfao! - again they better not change this to appease the fuckers who want the game to play for itself...
- The Dynamic Weather To Come (which looks again to be the best ever in a racing game, comparing it to FH2 with all its popups and fakery, this absolutely shits all over anything I've seen. Not even seen anything in Project Cars that looks like this...)
- Graphics. PEOPLE are saying they are amazing. Personally, I'm not too sure about this cos I've not got the final game on my tv but I did stream some earlier 1080p footage of Cayanoosh? from Gamersyde and output it to my TV and was blown away! Amazing! HOWEVER, recent footage from Gamersyde looked considerably worse and the PS+ version tracks look a bit shitty to me (that's why I pre ordered the full game @ £30.45 - something in itself to make me sceptical cos it was so cheap!).
- Track Design. Seen some great looking tracks that will have to be learned big time to get the best time. Love the bumps, the wide parts, the narrow parts. Bits that are gonna make you fuck up - isn't this a great thing for a racer?
FH2 looks to be a good game to complement DC. One has lots of variety, fun playing, quite interactive vs a purist/perfectionism type of self improvement racing with a handling model which looks to 'give the thrill' of racing cars fast to be the best
= FH2 seams more geared for Co-Op/Team/Fun Online play with some competitive modes whereas, DC is for Gritty/Highly Competitive/Beat That Bastard By A Millisecond From Pure Track Skillplay Online Play with (some co-operative/team/fun parts integrated I think with how Evo have implemented the Club aspect).
FH2 looks to have a larger pool of things to do/keep people interested with variety.
DC looks to be a pure racer.
I'll will probably buy FH2 and enjoy when/if I get an Xbox One (when/if more and better exclusives are out plus wouldn't mind it just for Skype), but wtf is wrong with a racing game not following the FH/Burnout/NFS model? The last Burnout bored me to fucking death 'in parts' driving around practically straight fucking roads with big long winding same ass corners 'for the most part'. I really get the feeling that a lot of gamers (or at least those reviewing them!) are losing the ability to compete and learn. smfh...
Overall, really looking forward to the game. Disappointed in the aliasing especially as feel lied to/tricked by Evo as they said they were gonna sort that and if I hadn't already bought the game, I might not have done just yet for the principle (but £30.45 sure is a tasty apple to have a bite at). Looks to have been some Bullshots of IQ too, so my graphical expectations have come down bigtime and I'm hoping this helps and surprises me when I get it on my TV. But surely this is better looking that FH2? Surely the graphics aren't that jaggy? I don't know...
Pissed off at not getting the game same time as everyone else too (UK). I don't think this is acceptable in today's modern age and Sony need to sort their neck out - taking the piss/liberties imo...but I can wait....I'll have to!
edit:
oops and free tracks and no microtransactions of paying to win (fuck you Naughty Dog) is a big plus too!!!
test_account
XP-39C²
I dont think that has much to do with being smart-asses though. Its basically like pre-ordering a game without trying a demo (i know that the PS+ version of DriveClub is much bigger than the standard demo, but i mean the principle). Personally, i'm going to buy the full game without trying the PS+ version first. The reason for this is because i want the full experience at once. If i dont like the game, its a game for my collection.
intheinbetween
Member
to be fair, MS released 3 games (FH2 for 360)
I don't really think there has been a solid correlation between hype level and game quality in a long time... Best Buy will give you $40 for Destiny if you trade it in though. I just traded in BF4 for $25 and I'm considering putting that towards DC
But why? Sony has released two racers (one in the 7's and one in the 8's on Metacritic) in the last year, and MS has released two racers (one in the 7's and one in the 8's on Metacritic) in the last year. If that's not the point, then there is nothing to glean from that info chart, because neither is doing anything more or less impressive than the other. We can say we personally don't care as much about GT6 since it's on PS3 instead of PS4, but that doesn't mean anything.