My impressions from the OT, for what they are worth.
Its been disappointing not having access to PSN and being unable to engage in DCs social function and multiplayer component. These technical issues are all too common these days, but that is neither here nor there. With the network down I had plenty of time last night to familiarize myself with the game, get a handle for the controls/physics, and make solid progress in the Tour mode. Ive gotten every trophy or challenge or whatever they are called for all of the races in the first two categories (Rookie & Amateur) and have made solid progress into the Semi-Pro Tour. I think I stopped my session last night when I got to level 12. My thoughts thus far are as follows:
The graphics are quite spectacular, but I really wish there was better AA. As you level up into faster and faster cars, cockpit view becomes a bit difficult to drive from considering the POV, subtle jaggies, and speed do not play well together. The sensation of speed is spectacular, but until I memorize the circuits, I just cant see clearly enough to race from the cockpit view in the really fast cars at the moment. So towards the latter part of my play through I opted for the Dash cam. Minor quibbles aside, the graphics, especially at sunrise and dusk are spectacular. Mid-day cloud cover is also a highlight. I cant remember the name of the track, but in the Amateur Tour (I think) there was a point to point race in Chile that was a photorealistic jaw dropping spectacular turbo-beauty-shed-a-tear kind of amazing experience. There was ominous cloud cover above as I climbed the desert mountain, at one point I was racing along the side of a ridge with a spectacular view of the valley to my left
in the distance the cloud cover broke and sunlight was piercing through and illuminating the valley. At that moment the depth and scale of the landscapes really set in. It looked like a photo.. it was amazing blasting along the ridge in the Lotus Evora, the painted lines on the road flying under the car, the supercharger squealing as I redlined
really, truly, spectacular. This is just one (probably the best so far) of many graphically impressive moments I had last night.
B+ on the Graphics
Speaking of cars. Ive unlocked most of the hot hatches, many of the sports cars, two supers, and one hyper. The hyper is the Ruf, and as I mentioned above, it was unwieldy from the cockpit view racing on an un-memorized track
it was a beast. I really love the Lotus Evora, it handles well, inspires confidence, and sounds amazing. Ive got a full on home theater system with 7.1 Klipsch speakers, a 1000watt Onkyo receiver, massive Outlaw Audio subwoofer, and the game really shines. The cars also strike me as sounding very accurate. The first few races from the cockpit view, I was slightly underwhelmed with the hot hatches, they didnt sound all that powerful, but then I got the A3 (my friend has one in real life) and I realized, shit
this is exactly how the A3 sounds when you wring it out to redline. The second I was in the seat of a Mercedes AMG, the audio started having more grunt. Then I drove the Evora, and the supercharger was phenomenal, as was the rear engine audio coming through the back speakers. Then the R8, then a Ferrari, then a Ruf
they kept sounding more and more beastly. Evo nailed the sound design.
A on the sound.
Going into the release I was super bummed that my G27 is not supported, but considering how the game is being billed as a sim-cade racer, I hoped that it would be assessable without a wheel, and it definitely is. It did not take long before I felt very confident driving the cars with the DS4. There is just enough sim in the handling to make the cars feel unique. Even when I push a vehicle to the edge, the DS4 allows me to catch an error and recover. In this regard I am very pleased and am no longer in a rush to get a T500/300RS. Drifting took me a few laps to get down, but now Ive got it and can collect the points when pop-up drift challengers are goals in any give race
though drifting is not really my style, Im a hug-the-apex kind of driver and like to get on the power early when exiting a corner. Oh and also, the bumps, and rises on various tracks are awesome, the sense that you are on the verge of catching air when you go over a rise in the road is thrilling (its caught me off guard a few times and Ive lost control).
A+ on the sim-cade physics.
The AI is also fun, though it does like to really get up on your ass. It seems rubbing is racing is a credo of Driveclub. I dont mind (in fact I enjoy) the side to side jostling, but I really avoid rear ending the AI because its a bullshit way to race. I wish the AI was as polite on the road as I am, but its understandable. Often when I get rear ended by the AI they are in significantly more powerful cars and they blaze up on me after a long straight
its the nature of the beast though. The AI is plenty fun, and only once or twice last night did I feel I was unfairly impacted in a way that ended up affecting my race negatively. Honestly running the hot hatches with cars 3 abreast nudging one another side to side, was awesome. I dont think that kind of racing is going to fly when I get to the hyper car level, but at slower speeds it is very fun.
B- on the AI.
Finally... The menus
oh god the menus (and music) are excellent, best in class, minimal, tight, quick, effective, clear
sharp is the best word I can think of. You can blaze through the various layers from the intro menu all the way through to a Tour race in a matter of seconds. It is so fast
and just sitting on any give menu, listening to the background music is good times. Last night Id do a few races, then sit on a menu and post a message on GAF and I was repeatedly impressed by the background music. design/graphics and sound are stellar.
A+ on the menu & way-finding.
So that was a bit of a novel, but I hope many of you agree with my assessment and are enjoying what Evo has developed. More importantly I hope that many of you sitting on the sideline wondering if this game is for you, have been able to gleam some useful information from the post. What is presented at the moment is a really good couch racing game, and we all know its simply going to get better once they introduce proper leader boards, private lobbies, race replay, photomode, and weather. I just hope those updates are not all that distance.
Well done Rushy & team. Kudos
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