We hit the open road in the Closed Beta, and here's everything we learned.

Loot, in a Racing Game?

Challenges are short events scattered everywhere across the country. There are 8 kinds of Challenges and 11 different part types for rewards. Each Challenge has three tiers of completion: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Bronze earns you the part, simple enough. Silver and Gold offer better versions, and also randomly-select a bonus attribute applied to the part. Example: Lv. 6 Silver Muffler with bonus speed, or a Lv. 4 Gold ECU with bonus grip.

Earning parts from Challenges feels great. The RPG-like nature is unmistakably addictive. You always want to hunt for more 'loot', improving your stats and filling your weak spots. I found myself happily repeating challenges over and over, trying to earn Gold versions with bonus grip – something my car lacked. Car parts as loot is a fantastic system that I suspect, and very dearly hope, will be copied and expanded in future racing games.

I'm Comin' Home!

One of the most exciting parts of The Crew is the chance to visit your part of the country. Most racing games take place "elsewhere", but The Crew takes place everywhere. When I arrived, it looked almost nothing like my actual town/state – but wait, there's the boardwalk! And hey, those buildings with porches look like the hotels downtown!

Even though it wasn't quite right, they managed to capture the essence of the area. I suspect that will be the case in most of the game, but understandably so. Any more detail would be absurd on such a large scale. The work Ivory Tower put in is evident, and that's good enough for me.

And Now, the "Why"

I won't get into spoilers, but the game's story – while technically believable – is a bit cliché and won't pull a lot of people in. Plot has never been a defining strength for racing games, and it doesn't need to be. The Crew, like most racing games, quickly lays down a basic premise to make sense of the world you're in. To their credit: it's efficient, functional and suitable to the genre.

Disclaimer

It's a Closed Beta, so problems are sort of the point. Graphics frequently popped in and out. The game crashed. I tried teleporting to a player, and my car got stuck in the map. I wouldn't put much stock into these yet, because they've got a few months to finish piecing things together.

'Verdict'

So, it's only a Closed Beta, but I'm comfortable to say that The Crew is worth your consideration. As a frugal, patient gamer, I'm thinking of The Crew as a possible launch day buy – a big deal in the age of Steam Sales.

As an in-game stranger said, The Crew reminds them of the venerable Need for Speed: Underground 2. With solid customization, an open-world style, great music and a top-notch aesthetic, I see exactly what they mean in the best way possible. Perhaps The Crew has all the makings of a new classic. We'll find out in November.

Colt "ShdwFlm" Casey
Deputy Editor