The Crew 2 Reviews
With Ubisoft's newfound focus on making singular games into long-standing experiences, there is hope that The Crew 2 gets better. In the here and now, it is a very difficult game to recommend. The use of multiple vehicles and presence of different disciplines is grand, but it doesn't help that the physics and handling for some of the vehicles feels off. The open world remains impressive but less so when there's barely anything fun to do. Although it's designed for constant online play, good luck trying to find someone who stays long enough for you to engage with, let alone someone who can witness the sweet decal job on your vehicle. It may get better in a year's time, but for now, The Crew 2 is more of a chore than an enjoyable experience.
The game, unfortunately, represented a big frustration after waiting for a long time and many were hoping it becomes Forza Horizon available for all platforms and compete with it, but the game compels you in some way to go back and update Forza Horizon 3 instead of investing more hours in it, we're used to Ubisoft on Support and update games and listen to criticisms but there's a lot in the game that can't be fixed with updates specifically for the open world activities, the game really pushes you to think, did we need a second installment of the series with current state?
Review in Arabic | Read full review
At the start of this review, I came in thinking I would really like The Crew 2. And that was certainly my first impression of the game; the ambition and energy was infectious. But a few hours more play on and I've realised that The Crew 2 really isn't all that engaging.
It looked promising, but The Crew 2 falls wide of the mark, in infuriating fashion. It tries to grab people's attention with its technically impressive map, its instant vehicle-switching, and with even flashier motors, yet all of this is just a deluded sales pitch for a seriously lacking package. It doesn't address any of the fundamental flaws of the original, such as repetitive races and too many bland open spaces. The motors from within each vehicle type aren't distinguishable in handling at all, the physics are poor, and the voice acting and music are irritating. There's no sense of achievement from anything, thanks to a poor XP and unlock system. Worse yet, there's no real multiplayer to speak of - posing the question, why on Earth does it require an Internet connection to play? The Crew 2 might seem enjoyable for a couple of hours, but it quickly starts to feel empty. Stick with Forza Horizon.
A lack of focus clearly hurts the game overall. There is plenty to do to be sure, and a wide range of race types, but The Crew 2 seems like its trying to hard to be an unrealistic arcade racing entry, a hardcore street race simulation, or a loot-drop MMO, and the fun kind of gets lost in the mix.
The sequel is a total mixed bag, filled with odd design choices and pointless campaign race that don't match the tone.
The Crew 2 is worse than first Crew game. Yes, there are airplanes and ships now, but gameplay is too arcadian and sterile.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Even though its racing events and driving experiences are fun, The Crew 2 is not good enough for you to pay its full price.
Despite the bolstered vehicular options and the novelty of beaching a boat in Central Park, sadly there’s just not enough here to keep you on the starting grid.
The Crew 2 changes things up with a new look and new vehicles but fails to take the series to new heights
Even the cool opening sequence, in which the world literally bends itself into a new state as you swap vehicles, doesn't carry over to the game. You just press a button and morph to the other type, and perhaps fall with a big clunk from the air before driving off as if nothing happens. It's like banging hot wheels together, if the rest of the cars in the box you aren't playing with hate you. I was kinda hoping for a more mature Diddy Kong Racing with some more hardcore trappings. Instead, I got a headache from squinting ahead for turn arrows and playing with loot boxes.
Despite its satisfying core loops and drip-feeding of loot slathered in mechanical jargon, it's hard to recommend The Crew 2 based on what many would consider to be its selling points. The world is barren despite being billed as a greatest hits of American landmarks and 'car feel' itself is frustratingly basic and holds your hand far too much. The interconnectivity did its best to compel me to stick with it but The Crew 2 is a sad case of wasted potential.
The Crew 2 is an enormous title with plenty of content. Sadly, I have a feeling it's the quantity the developer focused on, instead of the quality.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The Crew 2 improves upon the many missteps of the original. The controls have been significantly improved, the grim story has been abandoned and the graphics are better than ever. However, thanks to limited online play and a lack of open-world activities, this sequel feels strangely unfinished.
The Crew 2 still isn't fully delivering the ambitious open-world racer that Ivory Tower nor Ubisoft wants the series to become, and I can't help but feel it's because it's trying to accommodate both the single-player and multiplayer camps. Its single-player content, while fun, lacks any real impact due to its literally non-existent story, and its the absence of any PvP feels like a massive missed opportunity.
The Crew 2's evident ambition to encompass cars, planes and boats into a seamless sporting experience is admirable, but constantly undermined by the bland, unattractive shell in which it's contained.
Ubisoft's free roam driving sequel is full of things to do, but the environments can feel a bit empty at times
While it's disappointing to see The Crew 2 fall into some of the same pitfalls as its predecessor, its open world remains one of the most impressive playgrounds, in terms of scale, out there. Sure, there's very little reason to explore its vast road networks outside of its visual appeal, but the sheer variety of different events, from nerve racking aerial races to coast-to-coast endurance runs, will still get your heart racing.
Jack of all trades, master of none. The Crew 2 is ultimately a more enjoyable experience than the first game, but one that also buckles under its own ambition.
The Crew 2 offers players the chance to drive everything with a motor across a shrunken version of the United States. It provides a fun driving experience and looks stunning, but ultimately it lacks focus from being pulled in too many directions. There are bright spots here and there, like Monster Truck trick courses or Rally Cross events, but The Crew 2 falters in equal measure.