The Crew: Motorfest does nothing wrong except for the fact that Forza Horizon exists

opinion: I was already able to take my first laps in Ubisoft’s racing paradise. I had a lot of fun, but one important question remains unanswered.

The Crew: Motorfest is Ubisoft’s next foray into the racing game genre. Now in its third installment, it transports us to Hawaii, where the bright sun never seems to set and lead-footers from all over the world gather to celebrate a big motorsport festival.

Does that sound familiar to you? Yes, you’re right: it sounds a lot like the concept of the Forza Horizon series – which brings us to the big problem I have with the extremely fun game after my playthrough.

The Crew: Motorfest is fun

I’ve parked the most important statement right in the subheading, because it runs through my entire impressions of The Crew: Motorfest: Nothing about this game screams total loss, it feels like it’s produced to a high standard throughout, and I can feel from the very first second that a lot of effort and passion has gone into it on the part of the team at Ubisoft Ivory Tower.

After arriving at the Hawaiian festival, I find myself behind the wheel of a variety of cars in quick succession to get a taste of the diversity of The Crew: Motorfest. From Japanese drift slingshots to ostentatious Lamborghinis to Formula 1 runabouts, everything my motorsport heart desires is represented here.

What already convinces me across the board is the production! The mix of fast-paced camera movements, loud party music and the colourful colouring of the on-screen displays makes you feel really good from the very first second The Crew: Motorfest is one of those games that I ideally fire up on a hot summer day, when even the fan next to me is sweating and I’m thirsting for the illusion of a cool breeze.
(Pure holiday feeling, The Crew: Motorfest already gets that very well!)

Following that, I am free to explore Hawaii and decide for myself which playlist I tackle. No, I don’t mean Spotify soundtracks, but that’s the name of the racing series in The Crew: Motorfest. And that’s it! You’ve already got a good overview of the game, even if it sounds unspectacular.

I race through the beautiful scenery, fight against useful AI or, if desired, human opponents and unlock new cars and other upgrades in the course of the game. The driving behaviour tends strongly towards arcade As a simulation fan, I can’t expect any comprehensible cornering behaviour here, which is absolutely fine for entertaining races.

The realistic damage model was confiscated by customs at the Hawaiian airport. There is indeed a simulated tyre wear – but I deliberately put the word in inverted commas. Because an unadorned bar displayed at the top of the screen that continuously empties no matter how aggressively or carefully I drive is nominated by me for the most nonsensical game feature of 2023. Congratulations!

First of all, I would like to emphasise: I really had a lot of fun with The Crew: Motorfest during my half-hour or so play-on session! The problem, however, is that every time I took a turn and fired up the nitro boost, a Nett bounced through my head. And the uncomfortable question for Ubisoft is: Is nett it still enough in times of a Forza Horizon 5 

In search of an own identity

The Crew: Motorfest hardly does anything wrong at first glance, but neither does it do anything really different or even better than the competition. The only exception so far are the night races, which in my eyes are really chic and reminiscent of a new Need for Speed: Underground.

However, I have not come across another unique selling point – until now! – I have not come across. I’d love to show you the cutscenes from Motorfest and Forza Horizon 5 and have you guess which game you’re looking at – believe me, it would be very difficult! Look, this is what I mean:

I can absolutely understand that Ubisoft naturally takes its cue from the top dog in a fun racer. If you want to raise the bar, you have to understand what makes the front-runner so good. On top of that, however, you need your own ideas that go beyond a rechargeable nitro boost or a location other than Mexico.

After the first 30 minutes I still have a great desire to continue playing The Crew: Motorfest That’s a good sign! The important question mentioned at the beginning is: Does Ubisoft have a few more aces up its sleeve that will be revealed in the coming months? How well is the open world filled with side activities? Is there unique content that I haven’t seen served up umpteen times in Forza or any other racing game?

Okay, that was actually three important questions. Their answers will decide whether The Crew: Motorfest can keep me in front of the screen for a longer period of time or whether I’d rather go straight to the big model from Microsoft. But Ubisoft doesn’t have much time left, because the trip to Hawaii is already scheduled for autumn 2023.

What is your first impression of The Crew: Motorfest? Would you have no problem playing a kind of Ubisoft Horizon? Or were you hoping for more from the title? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments!

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