The Crew: Motorfest
Developer/publisher Ubisoft (Ivory Tower)
Format PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series (tested)
Release Out now
Three games in, it still feels as if The Crew has yet to find a distinct identity of its own. With Motorfest, Ivory Tower attempts to resolve that by trying on several at once. Having given us two games set within a scaled-down version of America’s 48 contiguous states, it travels to one of the remaining two, situating itself on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu, where the first two Test Drive Unlimited games were set (there is, admittedly, some crossover between the development teams). Its brash festival vibe and whistle-stop opening that teases various event types obviously owes a debt to Forza Horizon. Its attempts to celebrate car culture and playlists themed around specific vehicle types are a nod toward Gran Turismo and its menu books; the first of these, a neon-glazed tribute to Japanese cars and drifting, naturally brings to mind Ridge Racer. An ostentatious loop at the festival hub area is pure Trackmania. And there is even a ‘demolition royale’, which takes place across a gradually shrinking play space and poses the question ‘Would Fortnite with cars be any good?’ (The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly: not really.)