The Crew is poised to release its first major expansion, Wild Run, this coming November. It aims to give players more of what they liked about The Crew (read our official review here). They’re adding new types of cars, recurring championships/events and graphical improvements with the aim of expanding upon the apparently three million player-large player base. My time with the beta was short, and sweeter than I was expecting, and this is a genre I generally have a hard time getting excited about.
Upon booting up this beta, I immediately had fond memories of Burnout paradise, which the Crew emulates on a grander scale. You can drive across an entire content (that is condensed, but still absolutely massive), and partake in all sorts of challenges with a variety of vehicles. Outside of the almost cringe-worthy story in the initial offering, Wild Run opts to instead focus on the content, and it is a smart decision. There’s a staggering amount to do, and while it’s no Forza, there’s a fairly deep degree of customization for each vehicle, allowing you to really make your own identity.
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“Considering this was merely the beta for this title, the sheer amount of stuff that was available to do can really not be understated.”
The game handles well for the most part, and there are a variety of challenges. Some are definitely more exciting than others, with the score-attack obstacle course being my standout favourite. The drifting one was a little trickier to deal with, due to the way that mechanic works in this game, but it offered an interesting spin on the challenge. There’s no goal. You merely drift as much as you want, and you could even double back and do a section that you nailed to help inflate your score further. The other new addition I’d run into involved “burning” your tires to an ideal temp and then engaging in a drag race. Ivory Tower seems to have listened to what fans had to say about the last game, and focused on providing a boatload of new content that is admittedly light on a story that many fans found forgettable.
The Crew seems to have a fairly potent suite of options as well. Players can form crews on the fly to partake in challenges, be it co-operatively or even competitively. It’s a pretty seamless transition, and the menu doesn’t take you out of the game in any capacity. It feels very organic and is one thing that particularly stood out to me.
Considering this was merely the beta for this title, the sheer amount of stuff that was available to do can really not be understated. I ran into no cut off areas in my time, and I could simply drive across the country, should I have chosen to do so. Couple this with the sheer variety of challenges to tackle, and The Crew: Wild Run is shaping up to be what the team had intended to do with the initial offering.
