The Crew: A Closed Beta Hands-On Story
We hit the open road in the Closed Beta, and here's everything we learned.
This week, The Crew went into a short 5-day Closed Beta: started Monday, ending Friday. We've had a chance to run through The Crew coast-to-coast, and want to give you an idea what to expect with the full game on November 11th.
Take #1 - Taking Control
The Crew starts with a cutscene. You're in a truck, being chased by a dozen cops which – quite hilariously – are all in trucks. You're tearing through the countryside, and the cutscene smoothly transitions to a new, static angle. "Wait, am I already playing?!" I frantically wonder, mashing WASD to no effect. I get busted immediately.
Take #2 - Lock & Reload
Second time around, I'm ready. The cutscene 'ends', and I test the arrow keys. Duh, they work. While casually smashing through fences, I work out that Shift is for boost, and Spacebar for the e-brake. The cops quickly lose interest, and I open the all-important nationwide map. The scale is very impressive, and it's incredibly easy to navigate and filter.
As the game explains the map, it locks up and freezes. For a moment, I think I'm just confusing the controls again, but the game has clearly hit a brick wall. Oh, right: Closed Beta!
Take #3 - The True Beginning
I reload the game, lose the cops, and stop to appreciate the details. The HUD is fantastic, and perfectly fits the game's aesthetic. I bring up the menu to see the controls, and a floating grid of icons (your 'phone') pops up. It's great to navigate options without breaking immersion too heavily.
I change the camera angle and opt to plug in a controller. The Crew immediately recognizes the new input and swaps all button cues. Smooth. I set a waypoint on the map, and begin to drive. A blue streak floats in the sky, guiding me to the waypoint. Awesome. It feels totally intuitive; my eyes hardly have to look at it directly, and it never gets in the way.
One of The Crew's greatest strengths: everything works the way you'd want it to work. Map controls, the HUD, the floating waypoint guide, the way you start challenges, swapping between inputs...
Voices in My Head
As I begin to drive, I suddenly hear a voice. It's not my voice, a friend's voice, or even one I recognize. It's another player, and they're confused why they can hear other people. Then they wonder if their mic is on. Good question.
Soon, we collectively figure out what's happening. Seemingly at random intervals, you're thrown into a Session with 4-6 nearby racers. Pressing the right thumbstick brings up a multiplayer menu which identifies who's nearby, and gives you quick access for muting/inviting them.
It's a neat system overall, but having zero warning for voice chat was jarring – and honestly, a little unnerving. I can easily foresee how a spontaneously-open mic could go awry. Fortunately, most unaware players simply create screeching feedback.
The Wheels on the Bus
Controls, HUD, and voices aside, let's talk about the core gameplay. Cars felt a little floaty, but this may be a symptom of stock, early-game cars + getting used to the game. After a few hours, some car improvements and a controller, the floaty feeling felt very controllable and realistic.
Braking feels good, and gliding around turns is satisfying. The game is pretty forgiving, with many objects and small trees getting smashed aside. Your car can sustain damage, but it doesn't seem to affect performance and is cheap to repair; it's a nice feeling that your car isn't 100% indestructible.
There are about 8-10 cars in the beta, with the final game having roughly 40. Some people feel that's too low, but visual customization, damage models and "car specs" must've had an impact on that number. While more would've been nice, 40 or so should be fine.