The Crew series has been a part of gaming since 2014 and has struggled to find a full identity for itself in that time. The first was a cross-country racer, while the second went for a faux reality show framing device to give players the excuse to race in just about every kind of vehicle known to man. It played well but felt like too much to learn even if the reality TV angle was a good idea and felt like Split/Second’s plot taken to a new level. The core racing mechanics were sound and given the scope of the game, that was impressive. Now, Ubisoft is back for a third entry that goes without a formal number in favor of a new moniker of Motorfest, which is probably a wise move. The franchise would benefit from a fresh start and this feels like that.
Instead of trying to race in every kind of craft known to man, Motorfest players have cars, trucks, planes and boats to deal with – making for a far more manageable scale in terms of vehicle mastery. The whole motorfest concept is basically a vehicle festival throughout Hawaii and in execution feels like The Crew’s multi-vehicle setup mixed with the best of the early Forza Horizon franchise with a far more focused approach to racing compared to what it would become. The Crew Motorfest has a wide array of vehicles to deal with within a more limited array compared to the last entry, but they’re all better-executed resulting in a more fun experience across the board. The sub-genre selection for cars alone result in a ton of fun.
The open-wheel/F1-style cars handle like a dream and hug the road in a way that stands out from the Japanese tuner culture cars. Having just these two kinds of vehicles in the game allows for a different-feeling experience across the board because playlists can tinker with expectations and then go right back into a more normal racing structure. With the tuner scene, you can go from an exciting neon-soaked street race to a drifting challenge and then having to topple that to go back to a race. The playlist structure allows you to dip in and out of them at your leisure – so if you struggle with drifting, take a break from that playlist and try something else.
The Japanese car scene from the early ’00s is nicely replicated here and feels like both a throwback and a modernization of that concept. While we haven’t seen a Need For Speed Underground game in nearly twenty years and franchises like Tokyo Xtreme Racer have lay dormant for decades, this representation of not only a lot of cars in the tuning scene, but also nailing the whole look of that scene and doing so with modern-day lighting and ray-tracing feels like a miniature game in and of itself. The execution of the tuner culture is pretty much spot-on and the looser feel of the cars compared to the open-wheel vehicles requires just enough tweaking in real-time to keep you on your toes and avoid getting complacent with each racing style.
Since the game enables you to switch vehicles at any time, you can also try any vehicle type out in an off-road situation and that’s where things can be interesting because if you want, you can then do an open playlist for things like open-wheel vehicles in an off-road setting. It’s a bizarre mix visually, but going through a long-distance race outdoors with an open-wheel car is surreal and also changes everything up because those vehicles cling to roads perfectly, but struggle in that environment – so it’s important to be even more careful than usual with things like braking to avoid oversteering. It’s an interesting mix that shouldn’t work, but winds up being a riot in real-time.
Having other modes of transportation to work with is fantastic and using something like a plane to not only get from Point A to B, but also fly through areas in the environment – like a giant donut shop statue – is a lot of fun and brings back memories of early Horizon games having goofy things like that but with a more centralized approach. Motorfest is a far more grounded experience and feels a lot like the first two Horizon games where you have a surreal element to everything by the very nature of what’s being done, but it’s all presented in a way that simulates reality and could be done in a real-world setting to at least some degree.
Over time, we’ve seen the Horizon games grow to be obtuse and honestly more intimidating as a game because there’s so much to do that it becomes an impossible choice of just what to do next. You are still never lacking for a choice in Motorfest, but your options are more scaled-back in a good way because every major vehicle type will have a few different options available for playlists and they’ll keep you occupied. There’s never a moment during my play time where I felt overwhelmed by choice and that ensures that the game will be played a lot over the next year + because there’s a good mix of content available. Every kind of race offers up something different and keeps the challenge going – whether it’s off-road, open-wheel or a stunning neon-lit sky.
The visuals as a whole are stunning and while the game does suffer from having iffy in-game avatars, everything that needs to look great does. Cars themselves are jam-packed with detail and the night street races look as good as everyone remember NFS Underground 2’s races do in their memory. The reflection effects are remarkable and even in a regular race, the consistent framerate keeps the action smooth and ensures that your timing is on-point. A rewind feature does help cut down on frustration if you’re struggling with a particular turn or just have a single bad jump and in those instances, the world itself can’t be blamed because it doesn’t have pop-in. Even cruising through the large city is a smooth experience.
The Crew Motorfest has a lot to offer musically, with every style of racing having a different soundtrack. Open-wheel races have more subdued music, which works out nicely because it puts the emphasis on the sound effects and something a great headset will help you tell where rivals are at during a faster-paced race like that. Outdoor races are interesting with a headset too because you’ll hear things like branches snapping around you and know that you have someone close by – and then have that verified by the on-screen arrow when someone is gaining on you. The voice work throughout the game by your in-game AI and also event planners is solid and does the job.
Closing Comments:
The Crew Motorfest is easily the best entry in the series to date and serves as a new launching point for the franchise. It has needed an identity of its own for a long time and while it may seem odd, going back to what made the first couple of Forza Horizon games work well while keeping some of The Crew 2’s vehicle variety intact winds up being a winning combination. Every race type is executed well, with the street racing and open-wheel being true standouts, while the visual design shines and accents the audio with a slick soundtrack and impressive sound design.
The Crew Motorfest
An open-world racing game, The Crew Motorfest is the third entry in Ubisoft’s franchise. Unlike its predecessors which are set on the mainland United States, The Crew Motorfest is set on Hawaii’s O’ahu island and takes place during a festival. The title features multiple vehicle types along with a heavy focus on multiplayer.
