DriveClub Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Features

DriveClub is clearly a big deal to Sony and the developers from Evolution Studios. The PlayStation 4 exclusive has been in development for over two years. It was originally announced as a launch title for the PS4, but it was delayed on two separate occasions.

That's usually cause for concern, but because of Sony's excellent track record with exclusive titles (Gran Turismo, MLB The Show) the game deserved the benefit of the doubt. On Tuesday, Oct. 7, the long-awaited title finally hit the shelves, and after taking it for a spin, here's my take:

Graphics and Animation

The curb appeal is apparent with this title. The backgrounds, lighting and vehicles look really sharp. If you're a screenshot guy or girl, you'll undoubtedly be impressed by the eye candy. In motion, it's even better than it is in a still shot. 

Take a look for yourself in this video:

While DriveClub does look good, it isn't quite on the same visual level as a game like Forza Horizon 2 for the Xbox 360. I hate to compare games, but we're kidding ourselves if we don't use recently released titles of the same genre as a measuring stick.

DriveClub isn't an open-world racer. Dealing with more stationary backgrounds would seemingly make it easier to impress. However, while I do cite the visuals as a plus, I cannot say I was as blown away as I expected to be based on the hype around this portion of the features.

There are some nice transitions from day to night, but overall, no new ground was broken from a graphics standpoint. We're all a bit spoiled in this regard, but such is the state of current-generation gaming.

Gameplay and Fun Factor

This is actually where DriveClub shines the most. The racing is just plain fun. It doesn't play like a racing simulation, but it also isn't a pure arcade experience. The cars handle tightly enough to keep a more novice virtual racer from eliminating themselves within the first lap, but it isn't so simple as to not provide a challenge.

There's a decent selection of cars (60) and more available post-release through DLC, and each has its own subtle handling differences. You can especially feel the diverse handling when driving on a wet track.

The grip is realistically different, and the elements help to add to what can be some intense battles with CPU opponents and other drivers online. Unless you're purely a racing simulation fan, you're going to really enjoy the on-track gameplay in DriveClub.

Sound and Presentation

The breakdown and disconnect with the title begins here. There's a rather forgettable soundtrack and no human voice included in the overall package. The menu was pretty bare, and it was almost as if all of the options hadn't completely loaded, or as if I was playing an incomplete prerelease version.

Racing games often suffer from bland audio presentation, and that's clearly the case in DriveClub. However, the visual presentation of graphics, overlays and art seems to be lacking here as well. Additionally, there's little-to-no direction provided.

From the very beginning, you're literally thrown into the car and made to race without any sort of explanation. That's fine if it's one of those interactive tutorials in which more perspective is added after the first race.

In DriveClub, the game never really gets around to setting anything up for you. Were there more style and direction provided, this might not have been counted as a negative. However, with only two real gameplay options, the lack of personality really stands out.

Game Mode and Options

DriveClub can be played in a one-player format that sees the gamer attempt to conquer every circuit by accomplishing each of its tasks. 

Gamers who are enthralled with the thrilling racing action and visuals will likely be satisfied with the long single-player experience. It could take even the most-experienced virtual racers a little while to accomplish all of the tasks.

It's fun to unlock new cars by beating challenges and winning races, and the game features a healthy number of circuits. While this is a notable campaign mode, it isn't where DriveClub seeks to differentiate itself from other racing games.

The online club component is designed to be a social and community experience that centers around competitive and fun races for bragging rights.

Creating online car clubs that provide opportunities for you and your group to compete against other clubs online is a draw. Clubs can include up to six gamers, and theoretically, it's a great idea if you have enough friends to help create the team-up experience. Thus far, the game's online performance has been disappointing, though the issues appear to be subsiding.

Per Eddie Makuch of GameSpot, the developers are "working round the clock" to remedy the issues. Since we've already seen improvement in stability, it seems safe to assume that the game will ultimately be functioning as planned.

Unfortunately, this type of adjustment period for new releases that depend heavily on online play has become commonplace. NBA 2K15, which also released Oct. 7, suffered through similar issues.

Based on that, we'll evaluate the online aspect of the game conceptually as opposed to penalizing it for issues that seemed to be in the past.

The club events are fun. As you progress and invest more time into your group, the experience could be intense and competitive.

That said, even with the online component that can link hundreds of online racers together, the engine under the hood for DriveClub seems low powered. The customization for the logo and the car wraps for the vehicles are extremely basic.

Based on the design options of other racers, this set of features seems limited. It also seems as though another mode should be included in the game—perhaps a one-off challenge mode or some sort of minigame in which there are time trials.

Something that could offer more depth to the experience would have been ideal.

Overall

At its best, DriveClub executes what it offers pretty well. The problem is, it just doesn't offer as much as I'd like. Unless you're a racing gamer that will become totally enthralled with your club, chances are, you could get bored with this feature set.

The racing is excellent, and that's a great base; however, DriveClub needs to be beefed up to run with the big boys of the genre.

Here are the numbers:

Graphics and Animation - 8

Gameplay and Fun Factor - 8.5

Sound and Presentation - 6.5

Modes and Options - 5

Overall - 7

Follow Brian Mazique aka FranchisePlay, the Sports Video Game Journalist.