Driveclub First Impressions

  • Thread starter Blkout
  • 257 comments
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Well, as of 5 minutes ago still locked out of the game.

Cannot load as it says server is unavailable.

MeanElf
I'm sorry, but that really sounds like you went in practically blind and didn't know what to expect - or are you saying it's more arcade than you expected? If not, it's really adviseable to look into games beforehand.
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We are huge Burnout Paradise fans in our house. We also enjoy FM5 and FH2 - hell up until GT6 we where a GT fan-club. We understand arcade vs. sims very well and even enjoy the truly good arcade race.

I expected DC to be very arcade-like - but it is just plain rubbish.

The 5 minutes spent playing with the controller left me thinking this is NOT Burnout Paradise (which we all enjoy and playa lot), it is NOT Ridge Racer (which needs to be played in anarcade not on a console) and it sure as hell is not FM (1 or 2 even) - it does not even feel remotely like GT2 or 3 did.

It feels like a 2014 graphics shell wrapped around 1999 NFS 2 at best.
 
RC45
...We are huge Burnout Paradise fans in our house. We also enjoy FM5 and FH2 - hell up until GT6 we where a GT fan-club. We understand arcade vs. sims very well and even enjoy the truly good arcade race...
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Okay, thanks for the clarification.
 
Blkout
@Earth

That echoes a lot of the way I feel about the game. I was certain I wouldn't be the only one to feel this way. I know a lot of people had high hopes for this title, possibly even a Horizon 2 killer for the PS4 but that is simply not the case as many people are finding out. Doesn't mean its not fun but I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it feels like a launch title which is what it was supposed to be. Its hard to imagine this game was delayed a year and for what? It still has missing features that are to be added later. Puzzling.
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There was alot of internal issues at Evolution (some staff left) and possibly a good portion of the delay was wasted or mismanaged.
 
I don't understand why people preorder this game if they don't like arcade race games.
Evolution have said from the start they are making a highly accessible easy to pick up game.

@RC45 If you expacted Arcade and still don't like it.... that sucks. Sorry mate.

And on top of that there is a free version which will let try it.

I'll will check out PS+ version but will not be buying. ;)
 
RC45
Cannot start the application.
Cannot connect to server to verify the license.
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I have been reading that it's just launch day server hiccups. They will iron it out.

SuperKlonoaGT
"Corridor racer." Do we really need this term to be spread from GAF? =/
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Not sure what you are talking about?

Earth
So after 1 hour:

Car physics are very understeery, which is fine. Just wish I had a steering wheel as my thumbs are killing me. I havent raced without a wheel in years. AI is definitely rubberbanded. I was fooling around and they basically came to a crawl waiting for me to catch up. It can get frustrating when on the straights they're almost always faster then you leaving only the turns as possible passing opportunities. The AI is smart and will battle you, but rubberbanding cheapens it. The AI is also designed around pack racing, which makes picking your way through the pack almost impossible in the allotted time without trading alot of paint.

The game desperately needs a replay mode and photomode. The car models arent any better looking then what is in Gran Turismo. The beauty of the game is in its scenery, which is amplified by a sunrise or sunset. To really appreciate all that you need some way to view it from a different perspective, so replay cameras and photomode is neeeded.

Unfortunately all the tracks feel too similar except for Scotland. After driving most of them Im having a hard time looking back and separating any of them as unique from one another outside of the scenery. I also feel overall they're too difficult, too narrow, and tend to resemble racing courses but without rumble strips intstead of a dreamlike escapism route. You hardly feel like your going anywhere, it feels like your turning laps on a race circuit.

A solid arcade racer should have its tracks slowly ramp up in difficulty, with the first tracks featuring long straights and sweeping turns, and the later tracks featuring tighter turns, more elevation changes etc. Need for Speed 2 (PS1) was a good example of proper track difficulties. One of the early tracks, Australia, required you to drive flat out for about 80% of the lap thanks to long straights and long sweeping corners. The last track, Mystic Peaks, was basically Monaco in the snow.

I tried a few courses at each location and I didnt notice any real changes in difficulty or design except in Scotland which allowed you to breathe a bit compared to the other courses.

Overall feels very much like a launch game, which it initially was intended to be. It does nothing truly wrong, but it does suffer from some issues such as below average track design and questionable AI design choices. Its missing something like cops or civilian AI cars to turn the intensity level up a notch.

Now I havent even got started with the whole community thing so we'll see how that turns out.
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Thanks for the quick and dirty review. I will be doing the PSN+ version when I get home.
 
I wrote my Full review First Impression Here:
GT6 vs Drive Club
http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/Gran-Turismo-Series-General/GT6-vs-Drive-Club/m-p/44610714

CC copy of my text:
I got to play Drive Club for a an Hour Last Night.. ( 3:00 am EST it went live )

GT6 has nothing to worry about.. this is not a driving Sim by any stretch of the imagination..

12 cars on track at a time..( I think it's 12 opponents Plus you so 13 total )

Fun Factor 6 out of 10
Sim Factor 1 out of 10
Arcade factor 8 out of 10
Graphics 8 out of 10
Sounds 7 out of 10
Car Livery - 9 out of 10

Looks to be about 50 cars.. and about 20 tracks. Some Loops, some Point to point..

Didn't do any Drifting events..

you start with just Two cars
as you Earn FAME points you Level up..
each Level unlocks new car(s), new Livery, tracks.

( i'm up to level 4 in 1 hour.. )

One thing I do like - You get Bonus Points for Clean Driving ( which is Very VERY hard to do.. )
so it does try to promote good driving habits.
the cleaner you can drive the more points you score ( FAME )
you get penalized for bumping other cars, and even going off track.. you Loose FAME points.
Get off track you have 3 seconds to get back on, or you are placed back at the end of the pack..


I'd give it an 8 out 10 for fun if I had a Wheel and not just the controller to use.


I can see playing Drive Club for a couple hours to have some fun..
But I don't see it being a title Like GT6 that I will play for Years..
The Fun Factor will wear off, and it will get shelved like the other Arcade drivers.


Worth the Price? 8 out 10
If you like Driving games, and don't care it's Arcadish..
It's worth getting it, If you Already have a PS4..
Don't buy a PS4 just to play this game..

Now I understand the T80
Under $100 add on to pay a game not really worthy of an Expensive Wheel investment.

so there you have it...
A Fun Arcade Racing game, But it won't take Serious Drivers / sales away from GT6

Too New to have established a CLUB and get On-line with it..
Create a CLUB - Get Friends to Join your CLUB

then the CLUB earns FAME points from all of the CLUB members..
You advance as a CLUB and not only individually
You can create CLUB challenges One CLUB challenges another CLUB to an event..
May the best CLUB win..
 
tried the game, i do not want to write down a review. Just an advice: save your money for something good. Not even the graphic here is good, nowhere near the trailers one (which was the only appealing element). what a bad game.
 
WyldAniaml
I wrote my Full review First Impression Here:
GT6 vs Drive Club...
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Wyld, I don't think anybody was thinking of seriously comparing GT6 with DC. On a related note, I think only the ones who want to fuel a fan war between FH2 and DC are the ones who want to see the other fail.
 
don't forget everyone there always the ps + version so you can at least dick around with it and not spend the $60... i'm waiting on it to come up on the store. my physical copy is still sitting in the unopened packaged. don't want to even open the package much less than game so i can return it with ease.
 
The game is getting mixed reviews. Although I can't believe some are hating this game. I absolutely love the car models and detailed tracks. From vids the game seems to have 1:1 steering with wheel too so great job in that as well. This will probably be my first PS4. Just waiting for an offer.

I hope devs continue to support this game. I know weather, photomode etc will be added soon. Hopefully many more stuff as well
 
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Yeah, reviews on gaming sites aren't really reliable or valid since a few of the writers got caught out taking money and gifts from 'interested parties'. I mean, look back in recent history at the Milestone WRC 3 and 4 games - often very bad or indifferent reviews, yet on the whole, very positive feedback from the people who actually bought and played the titles.

I'm still eagerly awaiting Friday when I can download this.
 
It's enjoyable and fun, as long as you don't expect it to be a Sim Driver..
Try the PS plus free version, then decide for yourself if it's Fun or Not..
 
Just trying it now and ran into my first snag, I couldn't press X to continue once it detected my T500RS because I have a third party Momo Wheel on. X on the DS4 controller wouldn't even work.
Thank god for the quick release!! Had to put on the crappy GT wheel again.
 
The career mode has become incredibly repetitive for me after finishing 60/250 challenges.. Its based around the 'chores' gameplay mechanic that I despise. Desperately need multiplayer to shake things up. But multiplayer has been down from Day 1. Cant even create a club.
 
Blkout
Other thoughts so far...Scotland is awesome. Game plays rather well with a T500RS even though Im slower than using a controller. FFB settings have to be maxed out though to get any real feeling which is strange given how powerful a T500RS can be.
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What degrees of rotation does this title use?
Someone said that this potentially has the best wheel experience on console ? Not sure a more arcade type of game could achieve that but I look forward to your impressions.
 
Spagetti69
What degrees of rotation does this title use?
Someone said that this potentially has the best wheel experience on console ? Not sure a more arcade type of game could achieve that but I look forward to your impressions.
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I wouldn't go that far but you can't adjust the DOR in game. I used the default 1080 degrees on my T500 and it worked just fine. I'm guessing that it probably uses 1080 since the game only supports two FFB wheels at the moment, T500 and T300 both of which are 1080 wheels. That being said, it is responsive and drives pretty well with a wheel once you get used to it.
 
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Blkout
I wouldn't go that far but you can't adjust the DOR in game. I used the default 1080 degrees on my T500 and it worked just fine. I'm guessing that it probably uses 1080 since the game only supports two wheels at the moment, T500 and T300 both of which are 1080 wheels.
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Thanks mate.
 
jabz
Just trying it now and ran into my first snag, I couldn't press X to continue once it detected my T500RS because I have a third party Momo Wheel on. X on the DS4 controller wouldn't even work.
Thank god for the quick release!! Had to put on the crappy GT wheel again.
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Yea, its strange, once you connect the T500 and start the game, it doesn't recognize the PS4 controller anymore. First time I've seen that in a game where it didn't recognize both controllers at the same time.
 
Loving the game. I'm glad the design structure is based off of the pure arcade breed in the genre, quick menus and go straight into the races. No need for filler BS with voice narration telling me the most useless common sense information, or complimenting me "Nice drifting dude!". The driving model is great. A bit more sim than PGR but still less so than Horizon 1. The sense of speed is unmatched, and the graphics are amazing. The Tracks are also very well designed. There are some noticeable shimmering especially on the cars and the AF could be better, but actually playing it on my TV it looks incredible.

sfbgts.gif
 
I've said time and time again, the game is fun as long as you know what to expect going into it. I think its a disappointment to some because they were hoping for something more along the lines of a Horizon killer for the PS4 which it is not.
 
skazz
Anisotropic filtering.

Makes bitmaps sharper as they are resized (for instance advert boards or even white lines heading off into the distance)
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Thanks Skazz, having read DF's review they do agree it is an issue.
 

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