The Crew Motorfest races onto PlayStation this September, and not too long ago we have been fortunate sufficient to get in depth hands-on time with a PC construct of the sport. With an expansive Hawaiian archipelago to discover, varied racing playlists to float by, and loads of candy new rides to check out, The Crew Motorfest is shaping as much as be the expansive arcade racer that PlayStation followers have been ready for.

We have been instantly thrust into the frenetic Motorfest in the beginning of our preview — an island-spanning occasion that guarantees to incorporate DualSense gripping races throughout all kinds of car sorts. Our helpful in-game information, Malu, aptly summed up the tone of all of it by stating that Motorfest was all about “vehicles, bikes, rides and good vibes”. The vibes have been definitely “good” as we whisked our approach by the sport’s opening montage-like stage, which put us on the wheel of every part from F1 vehicles to stone chilly classics. The comparisons to the Forza Horizon sequence have been instantly obvious — reaffirming our impressions of the sport from our first hands-on.

Nevertheless, in comparison with our final session with the sport, this time we have been let unfastened within the Hawaiian archipelago of O’ahu for near 4 hours. From the beginning line, it is clear that O’ahu is a a lot stronger setting than Horizon’s newest, and most positively the most effective in The Crew’s historical past, appearing as a refreshing mix-up over the scaled-back renditions of America. From notorious seashores to the colorful fields, throughout our time we have been nonetheless seeing new and thrilling places to race round in.

Whilst we moved from one race to the subsequent, it was a delight to only take within the sights and take in all that majestic surroundings. This was aided much more so by the flexibility to modify between automotive, boat, and aircraft — a function carried over from The Crew 2. It is not fairly clear whether or not these modes of transportation will function their very own races, like in Motorfest’s predecessor, however they provide good new views on the setting, in addition to a enjoyable new methods to get from level A to B.

Amplifying its backdrop even additional is the sport’s graphical presentation, which makes Motorfest the most effective trying entry within the sequence. We in fact spent our time with the PC construct of the sport, nonetheless, we are able to inform that Motorfest might be a looker on consoles, too. We performed our preview by sport streaming, and it left us craving for a local expertise, with a cool 60 frames-per-second and possibly even some candy HDR to amplify the visible expertise that bit extra. The coastal sundown races or the lit up nightlife typically made it troublesome to maintain our eyes on the highway, and that vibrancy promised to make it probably the greatest trying racers on PlayStation come September.

Structurally, The Crew Motorfest is similar to most different open world racers on the market — with a selected emphasis on Forza Horizon, in fact. You’ll discover the open roads, coming throughout occasions that’ll earn you XP, credit, and elements — which you’ll be able to then use to improve your rising private assortment of vehicles. We didn’t get to play with different gamers, however multiplayer will naturally be an enormous a part of the sport’s full launch, with the Grand Race and Demolition Royale teasing us with their inclusion on the map. We simply have our fingers crossed that becoming a member of pals and occasions like these might be good and straightforward.

All of these worries of sameyness or untested multiplayer elements fell by the wayside, although, once we have been let unfastened on the open highway. Motorfest is pure unadulterated enjoyable, as you rip by sandy seashores, drift round twisty mountain paths, or partake in a little bit of off-roading. The controls felt finely tuned and every automobile distinctive, and that was with us taking part in by sport streaming! We don’t but know the extent to which DualSense haptics might be carried out, however we are able to solely think about that it will take that driving expertise to the subsequent stage.

The enjoyable solely continued as we ventured into the sport’s playlists, that are Motorfest’s five-or-so race occasions with their very own themes and automobile sorts. We got entry to the 911 Legacy, Electrical Odyssey, Made In Japan, and the Hawaii Scenic Tour playlists. There was a cracking sense of selection to those, in each the vehicles we have been racing and the methods through which the tracks have been embellished. The Electrical Odyssey specifically was a spotlight for us, with the electrical automobiles providing a singular and powerful-feeling driving expertise. And that individuality continued throughout all the playlists, every counting on totally different racing types which means that we have been saved on our toes throughout our complete session.

This seems to be simply the tip of the iceberg too, with Motorfest promising to take us on a tour of the assorted automotive cultures of the world. And that doesn’t simply apply to the playlists that’ll be there from day one. The Crew Motorfest will function new seasons each 4 months, with every season being full of month-long themes. Throughout our preview we have been dropped into the center of a European-themed month, with our explicit week specializing in the elegant sports activities vehicles. However we may see that the next week would deal with luxurious vehicles, and the week earlier than was all about velocity. It’s a pleasant approach to make sure that there’s at all times a purpose to drop into Motorfest, and it will be attention-grabbing to see how the sport’s post-launch help pans out.

All mentioned and carried out, although, we walked away from The Crew Motorfest extremely impressed and eagerly awaiting its full launch on 14th September. It’s received a supremely numerous assortment of content material that’ll check your driving abilities, and a beautiful new setting that we’re genuinely trying ahead to discover some extra. Whereas there are some uncertainties as to how this complete expertise will translate onto PS5, PS4 honestly we really feel it is going to solely serve to enhance the expertise.

Extra importantly, nonetheless, it’ll be nice to have a vibrant giant scale arcade racer expertise on PlayStation that basically scratches that Forza Horizon itch. It might not be essentially the most authentic tackle the open world racer components, however The Crew Motorfest is aware of how you can have a superb time, and that’s all we actually want from it.

Because of Ubisoft for giving us entry to The Crew Motorfest. Are you trying ahead to this Forza Horizon competitor? Rev up your engines within the feedback beneath.