The Crew Motorfest is the latest in the hit racing video game franchise The Crew. Set in a more intimate environment than in previous games, The Crew Motorfest takes drivers to the Hawaiian island of O’ahu and gives a deeper look at some of the most iconic car cultures worldwide. I recently had the chance to explore The Crew Motorfest in a hands-on preview that left me salivating for the full game in September.
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The core setup of The Crew Motorfest is pretty straightforward. A massive car festival is taking place all over the island of O’ahu and players get to create their own driver and dive in headfirst. There are different events called playlists that each feature a unique car culture. I was able to experience the Porsche and Made in Japan playlists in my four-hour preview and was quite impressed with what I experienced.
Each playlist takes players through a set number of challenges that gives them the opportunity to drive different cars from that car culture. This gave me the chance to drive a slew of cars based around a specific theme in various different events that tested my driving skills. Completing each event unlocks new parts as well as new vehicles once the playlist is complete. There are going to be 15 total playlists to start once the full game arrives, but I was only able to spend time with a small handful during my time with the game.
What really stood out to me in the playlists was the cultural aspect. The cars are important when it comes to car culture, but where The Crew Motorfest really impressed me was the various non-playable characters the story introduces you to. Making my way through the Made in Japan playlist, for example, was made even better by the fact that the various NPCs I was driving with and against were telling their own personal stories about their love for their Japanese racing cars and the styles of driving they excel at. It might seem like a small thing compared to the actual driving itself, but it drew me into the specific cultures in a way that just simply driving and checking off boxes would not have been able to do on their own.
The driving in The Crew Motorfest is, of course, instrumental to whether or not the game will be a success. Thankfully, controls were intuitive and easy to grasp while trying out a steady rotation of cars. Every car handles differently, and the environment you’re driving in also makes a world of difference when it comes to getting the most out of the different vehicles. I was personally really drawn to the Red Bull Formula 1 car that is available to unlock as well as the various plane that can be flown to make travelling easier. No matter what vehicle I got behind the wheel of, I never felt like things were difficult to drive and they were all incredibly fun.
There is a lot I am looking forward to seeing once The Crew Motorfest releases in full, but the taste that I got to experience left me really satisfied and excited. There are so many cars to collect and drive and the cultural experiences make The Crew Motorfest a racing game worth keeping an eye on when it releases this fall.
The Crew Motorfest releases September 14th on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
