Hindsight is 20/20: Driveclub

Spent more time with DC than I did with GT5. Fantastic racer, really loved the uncompromising approach to the racing by Evo, the 10s track loading times. Great value season pass too.
 
Just got it. Played a couple of tracks and had fun. Looks good but waiting for the "omgwtfbbq" graphics I saw in the screenshots. Does look good though - especially the race through a rainy UK.
 
Best supported game on a console hands down. I bought my Ps4 when this came out, bought the season pass and only just finished all trophies a few months ago. Best racer this gen.
 
We all know impressions and thoughts can be either overly critical or positive right around a game's release, and it can take months for those impressions to settle into more reasoned and thought out opinions.

With that in mind, what are everyone's thoughts on Driveclub today?

Driveclub_box_art.jpg

One of the best driving game experiences I have ever played. The scenery, the real time weather affected global illumination, the simcade driving model, the weather system (driving in the snow is just something else...), etc... I drive through the Apps quite often and this is the first game that capture the experience the best so far... plus Evolution Studios did an awesome support of the game. There were some problems at launch with online, but the game was trashed unfairly in reviews (oh not open world? Not original enough then...) and gamersrage feedback online... this certainly did not help to prevent the studio being shut down, it probably helped a fair bit...

I would really like a Pro batch boosting the IQ further though, it would make the game even better.
 
I understand people not liking the questionable IQ over distance, AI not being able to keep up with player (IMO cheating rubberband is worse), rather basic / boring "career" progression, lack of tuning / mods and / or the handling (though going bit deeper than "it's bad" would help to understand).

But I don't understand the "gameplay is boring" thing, what else should there be then? Weapons? Nitros? 200m jumps with tricks? Transforming vehicles? What else should there be in a racing game that isn't trying to be over the top? You have races against AI or human opponents, traditional time trial, sprints and drifting. What do you people mean with the "gameplay is boring"?

It means that driving is boring. Cars are not fun to drive. For me, it's too realistic, I wanted something faster and easier to control. I don't even like driving in real life, ffs. Other people found it too arcade and wanted something more realistic. Opinions, how do they work?
 
Just got it. Played a couple of tracks and had fun. Looks good but waiting for the "omgwtfbbq" graphics I saw in the screenshots. Does look good though - especially the race through a rainy UK.

It would look much better without all the jaggies.

I enjoy the game, not the best racer out there though. The racing is very sterile but still enjoyable and I prefer tracks over open world but a lot of the tracks feel similar and narrow.

I prefer Dirt Rally and Forza 6.
 
It means that driving is boring. Cars are not fun to drive. For me, it's too realistic, I wanted something faster and easier to control. I don't even like driving in real life, ffs. Other people found it too arcade and wanted something more realistic. Opinions, how do they work?

Enjoying driving in real life helps. I fucken love it, used to drive 800kms per day in a truck and trailer for work, knock off, drive the car home then hop on my motorbike for a hoon. Nothing is better, it's my drug and probably why I love driving games.

From my perspective, the cars are fun to drive and the races are exciting.
 
Love everything about the game. As close as we are going to get to PGR this gen.

Haters gonna hate.
 
Enjoyed it. Graphics and atmosphere was great.
Though I'd pick Horizon 3 now. Turn up the difficulty a bit on FH3 and it's very PGRish (for me at least!)
 
Amazing game, day one purchase but I don't compete online much so the launch server issues didn't affect me much. Now I drive around in Driveclub VR and park on the edge of mountains just to get out and look at the scenery.

Edit: Timely specials on Driveclub (for PS+ users), Driveclub VR and Bikes expansion are on the EU store at the moment.
 
I personally loved it from day 1, because I couldn't care less for the on-line features.

For someone that wants quickly accessible races, where the thrill comes from pulling out the the perfect combination of speed, braking and cornering and who enjoys shaving fractions of a second on a every new try - this game is perfect! It's not about developing a drivers career, or participating in 'fun' events, or driving hundreds of vehicles. It's about you, the car and the track and how to approach it perfectly. I said it already, but for me this is a driving equivalent of games like Velocity2X or ...Dark Souls, where one tiny mistake is a difference between life (1st place) and death (last one). It's not 'arcade' in a sense of NFS series, where you can take 90-degrees turns or slalom between cars at full speed. This gets a lot of people confused, when they approach it as arcade game and end up in 1st ditch...

The graphics, fluidity (despite 30fps), music, track variety is just a bonus. So much so, that I bought all the DLC-s and the game itself twice (boxed & digital) :)
 
Great game with a insane amount of content.

I just think it should get a PRO update. It needs to have better AA. So downsampling would be really welcome.
 
I didn't give it much time, because it felt a little sterile and the tracks too narrow, but then I'm only into arcade racers and (recently) the Forza Horizon series.
 
I tried to get into it but I hated the controls, the 30 fps and the narrow tracks. GAF really overhyped this game.
 
I figured that I've made my stance on Driveclub clear enough times in the past that I'd just sit this thread out. However... it's come to my attention that people be taking shit about Daytona USA in here.

If you describe playing Daytona as "just turning left and right and pressing the gas a bit" you are 100% full of shit, period. Nobody that has any fucking clue how to take a corners in Daytona USA would utter such BS.
 
Best supported game on a console hands down. I bought my Ps4 when this came out, bought the season pass and only just finished all trophies a few months ago. Best racer this gen.

Hmm, nah I'm gonna disagree. Maybe best supported racer, but even then I'd say FM5&6 got quite a bit, too. Blizzard alone beats DC with Overwatch and D3 support.
 
You've never played beyond the first track in Daytona. If you've never used braking in Daytona USA you have clearly played it as a kid, smashing into the sides and have no conception of how the game works.

Haha, I had a jap sega saturn and finished the game at least 20 times, And my fav soundtrack in a racer still remains BlueBlueSkyD'azur, from the last track of the game.
Try again.

I play videogames since 1986. I wasn't a kid when I played Daytona...
 
Beautiful game, but only fun in small doses for me. Being a hardcore racing fan it doesn't quite scratch that itch for me. Too arcadey.

Edit: I do actually enjoy arcade racers from time to time but this just lacked something. I can quite happily burn several hours on GRID, Burnout or similar, but something about Driveclub had me bored after just a few races every time.
 
I really like it for all the things it doesn't have. No racing line (and I sure as hell could've used it), no rewind, no story, no narrator, not a single cutscene, and especially not open world - in a time when being anything but is unfashionable unless it's a sim or a kart racer.

The challenge system combined with the almost non-existent load times made it an addictive and thrilling experience

The sense of speed is still unmatched.

I'd rather race in a corridor than in a corn field (open world) as I prefer more lean and focused experience. Open world racers are fine, but they get old pretty quick for me. I enjoy driving around in those games, but racing part isn't that compelling and boring imo, besides there's too much bloat for my liking in those games.

An amazing old school style racing, no upgrades, no boosts, no bullshit, easy to play hard to master, just pick an event/track and race

30 fps yes but the most rock solid 30 fps possible, never drops to even 29, (people play with camera stuttering on and often think its drop fps)

Snappy UI and super short loadings make it an awesome pick up and play racer

I understand people not liking the questionable IQ over distance, AI not being able to keep up with player (IMO cheating rubberband is worse), rather basic / boring "career" progression, lack of tuning / mods and / or the handling (though going bit deeper than "it's bad" would help to understand).

But I don't understand the "gameplay is boring" thing, what else should there be then? Weapons? Nitros? 200m jumps with tricks? Transforming vehicles? What else should there be in a racing game that isn't trying to be over the top? You have races against AI or human opponents, traditional time trial, sprints and drifting. What do you people mean with the "gameplay is boring"?

I love how fast you can get into a race and how you can restart and not wait more than 2 - 3 seconds to start the race again. Had to really learn the game's driving mechanics, but after I did I really fell in love with it. Every thing in the game feels tense as taking turns were challenging and even driving full speed straight down a road was incredibly tense as you feel you could lose control if you mishandle the car even a little bit. Made me feel I was really driving a powerful car that you had to master to get its full potential.

And even though there was no customization or car tweaking, I felt that each car became more like characters in a fighting game. They all had their own feeling when driving and specialty. The 370z felt very heavy and was easier to control taking turns while something like the Renault felt lighter with better acceleration, but was easy to spin out when taking a turn.

Those pretty much sum up my feelings as well.

Also, the fact that the comments are so polarising is a sure sign that the game is special. Not for everyone obviously, but those that "get" it will get immense value and enjoyment out of it.
 
Loved it. I enjoyed it from day one.

I enjoy a large variety of handling models and Driveclub scratched a kind I had been wanting for a long time. Even though I prefer sim handling I often find them to be a bit too demanding at times depending on my mood but have always found open world driving games to be lacking when it comes to the racing and that is ultimately why I play racing games. I enjoyed that there was no setups and that each car felt distinct, that the tracks were unique and fun to race with really nice variety. The addition of weather, more tracks, more cars, motorbikes and VR the game got better and better with ultimately the VR version being my preferred option even though it lacked a few features. I really enjoy how grippy the sp300r is and that you can try hit corners like you would never dare to in it with any other car, I love the undulations of Atlanterhavsveien and the way the car dances in the top section especially in the One:1. The ghost system is the best I have seen in any game and the dynamic lighting (precipitation or not) always made the tracks feel unique.

Dirt Rally VR is my current racing game of the generation simply due to the handling model and the sheer fun being on the edge all the time but I have spent nowhere near the amount of time with it as I have with Driveclub.
 
Beast racing game of this generation IMO!

Part of my top 3 favourite racing games, it sits firmly amonght PGR (2/3/4) and Rally Sports Challange 2.
 
Haha, I had a jap sega saturn and finished the game at least 20 times, And my fav soundtrack in a racer still remains BlueBlueSkyD'azur, from the last track of the game.
Try again.

I play videogames since 1986. I wasn't a kid when I played Daytona...

Then why are you blatantly lying? You can't just turn in Daytona and not use the brake intelligently. Stop pulling down games just for the sake of it, when the arguments are just plain lies.
 
Then why are you blatantly lying? You can't just turn in Daytona and not use the brake intelligently. Stop pulling down games just for the sake of it, when the arguments are just plain lies.

No way you can play Daytona USA without braking and expect a good time or place, this is just impossible.
 
My favourite and most played racing game.

- Graphics are amazing
- Load times are incredible
- Face-Offs are actually fun, especially when you have that one dude in your friend list that's always ahead of you
- Sense of speed (inb4 sense of speed at 30 fps LOL)
- Incredible DLC value
- At a certain point of your skill the AI is just not a challenge anymore (except for maybe night time rain hyper car races). You can finish like 20-40 seconds ahead of them in longer races (i thought this had rubberbanding?)
- At that point, it's all about the leaderboards. Working your way up to the Top100 feels great
- Never enjoyed drifting events before, but in DC i had fun with it
 
My favourite and most played racing game.

- At a certain point of your skill the AI is just not a challenge anymore (except for maybe night time rain hyper car races). You can finish like 20-40 seconds ahead of them in longer races (i thought this had rubberbanding?)

Yeah, it doesn't have rubberbanding but people still refuse to believe facts.
 
Then why are you blatantly lying? You can't just turn in Daytona and not use the brake intelligently. Stop pulling down games just for the sake of it, when the arguments are just plain lies.

The beginner course in Daytona USA has three turns. Of those three, one of them is specifically designed to instill the requirement of drifting into the player.

"Full of shit" doesn't even begin to cover his description of the game by the time you're talking about the expert course.

No way you can play Daytona USA without braking and expect a good time or place, this is just impossible.

This isn't true actually. You can initiate drifts in manual transmission mode by shifting down to different gears. There's not a whole lot you actually need to brake for unless you're playing with automatic. However, managing the gear shifting and controlling the drift has a world of depth of its own.
 
Horrible IQ, bad physics, boring driving, by hey look at those weather effects wow.

Played around 6-8 hours, around release and after the updates, opinion has not changed.

There's a threshold that makes the car instant snap around a turn, feels like ridge racer sometimes but without the over the top feeling.

Might look pretty good sometimes in screenshots and gifs, though.
 
I had a nice time with this game, solo and multiplayer and used to play it beyond my Platinum trophy but...

Solidified my opinion that unless racing games shoot for 60fps they're a waste of time.

Very much this. Last gen spoiled me, the Forza series (not Horizon) in particular.
Yeah, DC is beautiful and I was able to turn a blind eye to its 30fps but once I grabbed Project Cars in a sale, there was no going back. It was the wake up call I needed: Never ever will I accept a racer running on 30fps, unless it features massive, slow responding vehicles. Icebreaker or Oil Tanker Racing or shit like that.
 
I definitely didn't like it. I don't know if that actually means the game is bad, because it's hard for me to pin down what turned me off the game. I just personally found it very hard to drive consistently in the game, especially as you graduate to faster cars. Meanwhile I'd spent years playing Forza and Gran Turismo, so I'd like to think I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to racing games. I remember having so much trouble with AI that would try to bully their way past you constantly, which is also one of my complaints about Gran Turismo.

It's a very pretty game, I'll give it that. But I found Driveclub very hard to love personally.
 
This isn't true actually. You can initiate drifts in manual transmission mode by shifting down to different gears. There's not a whole lot you actually need to brake for unless you're playing with automatic. However, managing the gear shifting and controlling the drift has a world of depth of its own.

Well, the discussion started with this:
Oh stop it please, Daytona is a left-right racer as I used to call them. No need to brake, just turn the wheel in the good direction and release the gas pedal a bit.

I know what you mean (and I am still mad this didn't really translate to the Saturn version of the game) but the way guildo described Daytona is just completely wrong.
 
Well, the discussion started with this:


I know what you mean (and I am still mad this didn't really translate to the Saturn version of the game) but the way guildo described Daytona is just completely wrong.

Oh yea, I definitely agree that his description is ridiculous. I was just being slightly pedantic tbh.
 
There's a threshold that makes the car instant snap around a turn, feels like ridge racer sometimes but without the over the top feeling.

Like in real cars? Who'd have thought! ;) :P

Also, depends on a car - some are more firmly planted and difficult to destabilise (like e.g. GTR), other are very nimble and eager to turn but require careful balancing around that 'threshold' (like e.g. KTM). I think the driving model of DC is just perfect for game of that type, even though - or maybe: because! - it's not fully realistic.
 
Well, the discussion started with this:


I know what you mean (and I am still mad this didn't really translate to the Saturn version of the game) but the way guildo described Daytona is just completely wrong.

I was over exagerrating the thing, I agree, because when you compare the feeling of the handling in a game like Daytona (150% arcade) vs DC handling (50%arcade - 50%sim), it is the way it feels...
Daytona is very simple to master, there is no nuance in the way of breaking, SegaRally was more subtle in that context... I don't even compare it to F355 challenge which is the most difficult to master...
 
My favourite racer this gen until Assetto Corsa arrived.

But then Drive Club VR turned up and now that's my favourite racer this gen.
 
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