Love/Hate/Love - Pre-Patch DriveClub Write-up

This is a pre-patch write-up!! The game is MUCH better now. I'll be providing footage shortly

Towards the end of September I had 3 games coming to me through Pre-order : Shadows of Mordor, Alien Isolation, and DriveClub. I was pretty apprehensive about Shadows of Mordor. I hadn't seen much gameplay and the graphics were lookin' pretty damn generic in all of the trailers I had seen. However, I had the privelege to play Alien Isolation and DriveClub at Gamestop Expo towards the beginning of September. They had both impressed me a great deal! Especially DriveClub. For me, it was the highlight of the show (right next to Mortal Kombat X). From my time playing it there I figured I was in for a great game, especially since it reminded me of Need for Speed:Shift a great deal. I loved Shift. The way I saw it, I had what I thought to be a generic game coming to me in the form of Shadows of Mordor and I could use that to pass the time until the release of what I was really anticipating : DriveClub and Alien Isolation.

You see, I was and am a pretty big fan of Need for Speed Shift. I've bought it multiple times across multiple systems. I enjoyed the handling of the cars, the vehicle customization options, the immersion of the cock-pit view, and generally the all-around look and feel of the game. When I came across the Driveclub section of Gamestop Expo I was immediately reminded of NFS: Shift. The game had a great cock-pit view, gorgeous visuals, and a control style that I quickly picked up from my time spent with Shift. I spent a good hour or more at the booth trying out different cars and doing time-trials at different locations. I had a great time and was instantly sold.  I really should have tried out some other events..

The end of September came around and the release of Shadows of Mordor came with it. I purchased it after a long day expecting to not necessarily be let down by it, but not to be entirely too impressed either. Chris Carters' 6.0 review score was also weighing heavily on my thoughts. I regretted the purchase as soon as I read it. But you know what? I enjoyed it immensely. I quickly became absorbed in the world created in that game. The combat system was engaging, brutal, and made you feel like a bad ass with every kill; and the nemesis system gave every captain a unique feel. As many have stated, I grew attatched to the captains who came back from the dead time and time again. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. The game was near impossible for me to put down. I beat it in a mere two days because of that, and I plan to play it to 100% completion. It's a strong contender for my game of the year. I thought that if I was this impressed by a game I had little-to-no interest in, that I'd end up loving what the next week had to offer : DriveClub and Alien Isolation 

Finally, after what felt like months it was finally October 7th. Alien Isolation and Driveclub(what I was really looking forward to) were finally going to be mine. I sped home after making my purchases, ripped open my games, took a moment to enjoy the smell of the fresh plastic,  and practically slammed Driveclub into my PS4. My first race began simply, but should have been enough to foreshadow what was in store for me. I sped my BMW through the race trying my best to avoid the other drivers and for some reason was unable to do so. You see, this is when I should have noticed the aggresive A.I.. Simply put, they don't give a shit about you. At all. They push all other cars around, rear end you when attempting to pass, and will quite often give you collision penalties and corner penalties by ramming you offroad. Yep, penalties from other drivers. Now I wouldn't be so angry if it were simply a tally system, and after so many -- you're out. But that isn't the case here. When you're issued a penalty (Collision or Corner) your car is 'throttled', meaning that it's reduced to a pretty slow speed (around 40-50 mph), giving the other racers ample time to pass you. I cannot tell you how many times I've had races completely botched because I've been rammed off the track during a crucial moment in a race by these wreckless assholes. Obviously I didn't notice this during the first race, and the graphics of this game had me stunned still. It's a gorgeous game.

Alright so after getting first place in that race I was ready to move on. I took some time to make a 'club'. After all, one thing Driveclub seems to have been trying to pitch the most was their social aspects. Racing with friends, gaining points together, etc. Here's where more problems arose. I created a club and a paintjob for my crew and submitted my work. Shortly after, I realized I wasn't all that happy with my work and went to make my adjustments. When attempting to do so I was greeted with a 'You have been disconnected from the DriveClub servers' error message. I figured I'd move on, confident that this would be adressed quickly and that this was likely due to it still being launch night. But wouldn't ya know that here we are a week later and it still hasn't been fully fixed. I am still being connected and disconnected constantly, effectively barring me from their 'innovative' social features and preventing me from unlocking any cars that would be unlocked by using said features. I'm not much of a multiplayer guy but I hate that I cannot connect to see leaderboards on track times or even change the horrible paintjob I made for my 'Club'. I tried as soon as yesterday and it just wasn't working. On top of all that, they've delayed the release of their psPlus free release. Anyone that was considering purchasing this game after trying the free version has now been further dissuaded.

Ya know, despite the online not working I wanted to enjoy DriveClub that first night. I went through the single-player races, learned about the awful AI and enjoyed myself during the time trials that were devoid of them. Then I came across the 'Drift' events. Luckily, there aren't AI opponents during these events because I'm pretty sure that the developers knew that it would be a nightmare, but it doesn't really help much. There's no tutorial in this mode, there's no changes to the way these vehicles handle, and there's no indication on what this game considers drifting and how to gain points successfully. All you get is something I can only compare to FarCry Blood Dragon's tutorial parody "To look around, look around" "Jump, if you wish to jump" "Crouch to go lower". Think I'm exaggerating? Look :

 image from - gamersyde

As far as I know, that's the only information you get in regards to scoring points in this game. I still do not understand how this game wants me to drift or why it wants to. I hate the drift events with all of my being. It's awful. I tried what I think should work : Downshift/E-brake into corners, and it just doesn't cut it. Not to mention.. In a game that has a multitude of car-specific based events why is this even a thing?! I can't tell you how stupid it feels being used to how an Audi R8 handles only to have to be forced to use something like a Marussia B2 in these events and have no idea how it handles or behaves when downshifting into corners. It's frustrating! Not to mention.. WHO THE HELL DOES DRIFT EVENTS IN A "HYPERCAR"?! Why not give these games drift specific cars? Did you not want to put slippery drift event specific controls because you were going for realism? In that case WHY NOT JUST LEAVE OUT DRIFT EVENTS!?! Especially ones that use cars like the Marussia B2! This game, you guys.. This game..

In the end, Driveclub has been a huge disappointment to me. I realize that this write-up is pretty negative.. So here's a few pluses

• It's graphically beautiful
• It handles exceptionally
• The cars are all incredibly detailed

So if all of that makes a game you wanna buy, go for it! But keep these negatives in mind :

• Bad drift events that aren't explained to the player
• Unreliable online
• Aggressive AI that will consistently ram you
• Unfair penalties that throttle your car
• Euro-centric car selection (Really.. pretty much nothing from outside of Europe)

I was really looking forward to this game, and after reading through all of the horribly negative comments on any Youtube video or IGN/Gamespot article comment section, I really wanted it to succeed. I was impressed with it during my time at Gamestop Expo, but after seeing the full product I feel kind of cheated if I'm being perfectly honest. Hopefully some patches fix these problems or at least somewhat remedies them. But I'm not expecting much. But I'll be around to get the DLC considering I made the mistake of buying the season pass prior to it's release.. So I guess I'll see.

Oh yeah and Alien Isolation kicks ass. I absolutely love it.