This past weekend, Ubisoft saw the launch of The Crew 2 Closed Beta. After 5 hours of play, I was not disappointed, although being a Beta there were some rough edges. As I had not had a chance to play the first release of the series, I went in hoping to get a mashup of Gran Turismo and Need For Speed bundled up into one great racing game. However, being an open world RPG racing game, The Crew 2 certainly is a racing game like no other. In terms of almost all racing games, the stereotypical campaign has the player joining a gang and working their way up the ranks as an illegal street racer. I was rather fond of the fact that The Crew 2 gives you the choice of completing multiplayer missions along with other players or on your own. The game sees you trying to build your reputation by gaining followers. Every time you win a race, perform some ludicrous stunt or land some truly awesome moves you gain more followers. Basically, being a cautious driver, pilot or captain of the ship won’t get you far. The Crew 2 is all about over-the-top stunts. This continuous visual representation of your progression keeps you invested in the game as you try to build your reputation. As your followers and reputation grow, you gain access to more racing events. It’s a fun and addictive gameplay loop. Players also have the option of making up their own crew of friends that can challenge other crews to various races. The open world allows the player to explore The Crew 2’s version of the United States and actually drive from one coast to the next. Where the game’s predecessor kept your feet firmly planted on dry land, The Crew 2 has added sea and air racing to the game. Where I initially feared that this would detract from the core racing experience, instead, I found that it actually complemented it by adding a whole new dimension to the game. The progression system for the closed beta only allowed me to reach a certain point, which is obvious as Ubisoft would not like to give too much away. The open world looks great, although I did notice some small graphical and texture issues. With this being a Beta, however, it is mostly expected. The Crew 2‘s controls are rather smooth and rewarding, a sort of mix between arcade-like and sim-like gameplay. Performing perfect drifts is not only aesthetically pleasing but feels natural and, of course, exhilarating at times. Similar to the land-based racing, flying planes and racing boats feels fun and, as mentioned, gives you a great alternative to the dusty roads of the U.S. The new Mechanic Fast Fav allows the player to switch vehicles seamlessly. During play you could switch from your stunt plane to your powered boat with the push of just one button. This mechanic is a lot of fun and allows for some interesting and surprisingly fluid play. The Crew 2 is boldly stepping into some unfamiliar territory by adding the air and water races to the formula, while also improving on what the first game accomplished. The addition of sea and air vehicles is brave on all accounts but, surprisingly, it fits in well with the game’s formula by adding rather than detracting from the overall experience. With some tweaking, The Crew 2 has the potential to be a great racing game that offers a unique take on the genre.<doc-sep>Hands-on with the closed beta While playing the new beta for The Crew 2, I transformed my monster-truck Mustang GT into a plane, flew to the top of a snow-capped mountain, then morphed into a speedboat and slid all the way down. Why? Well, why not? There's no shortage of pre-baked races, activities, and photo challenges, but half the fun of The Crew 2 is simply messing around in an open-world, miniaturized, game-ified United States of America. That was true of the original game and it's even more true in this sequel. When I first played The Crew 2 last year for a scant 15 minutes at E3, I called it "a do-over in the best possible way." After putting in a few hours with this weekend's beta, I stand by that sentiment. The original was flawed but had promise, and it only got better over time. The more you played, the more gear you earned for your vehicles, and the better they felt to drive. Problem is, a ton of folks never reached that point (and also missed the excellent Wild Run expansion). I don't blame 'em. The Crew 2 starts at a much better place, handling-wise. It also drops the rather forgettable revenge story for something much less serious. Here, you'll work your way up the ranks of across four categories (Street Racing, Offroad, Freestyle, and Pro Racing) as a nameless avatar, accruing followers (XP) and cash as you go. If you don't like the idea of boat racing, you can just focus on, say, rally raids or drift events. Or whatever you want! Ubisoft doesn't force you into one specific progression path. As a result of this structure, the story seems like something I'll want to skip through, but that's okay. I appreciate that it doesn't get in the way of open-world hijinks. The full map is accessible from the start. The Crew 2 is crisp and vibrant, particularly if you take the time to mess with the built-in video editor or photo mode. I can't overstate how much I love that there are proper in-game challenges, with significant rewards, for taking cool photos. One might ask you to drift through Dragon's Gate in San Francisco, while another requires you to recreate "a famous movie shot" with the moon and a bike. The RPG-style progression is still present in The Crew 2, but it's streamlined and less of a fuss to tinker with; the same also goes for the vibrant new user interface in general. After completing activities, you'll earn semi-randomized drops containing parts (breaks, suspension, tires, etc.) that will gradually raise a vehicle's overall Performance Level. Parts have rarities, and some come with bonuses ranging from things like "Nitro refills by 1.4% while drifting" to "Increase loot quality by 5.8%." That sorta stuff. As for the boats and planes, it took some practice, but I'm getting the hang of them. There's more nuance to boats than I first thought (you want to try and lean back to rise above the water for more speed) and planes are tricky enough to handle that performing even basic stunts feels satisfying. With only very limited access to event types in the beta, it's hard to say how the multi-vehicle approach will pan out, but just in terms of goofing off with friends and passersby, it's super fun. Being able to switch from a car to a boat to a plane on the fly opens up so many traversal opportunities. There are nitpicks here and there, but generally speaking, I like how The Crew 2 is shaping up. I expect the game to come into its own after launch, much like all of Ubisoft's major releases these days, but if this beta is representative of the final game, I'm stoked. Only four weeks to go.<doc-sep>THE WINNERS HAVE NOW BEEN EMAILED. HAPPY RACING! Thanks to Ubisoft Australia, we’ve got 100 The Crew 2 closed beta codes to give away. These codes can be redeemed to access the closed beta on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The closed beta will run from May 31st at 6pm AEST until June 4th at 6pm AEST. Players will be able to take part in the first level of the progression system as they compete in races across all four disciplines. These includes Street Race, Rally Raid, Powerboat and Aerobatics. The Crew 2 The Crew 2 releases on June 29th on PS4, Xbox One and PC.<doc-sep>Ubisoft is teasing The Crew 2 open beta news at E3 2018. After what’s been by most accounts a pretty exciting showing, it seems players who missed out on The Crew 2 closed beta will have another chance to try out the game before launch. Sometime after the closed beta ended earlier this week, The Crew 2 beta official site was updated with a message confirming that an open beta is “coming soon”, with a promise of more details at E3. It’s not yet clear if the open beta will have the same content as the closed beta, so we’ll have to wait and see. As developer Ivory Tower ramps up production and enters the final stretch of the game’s development, the original Crew is being left by the wayside. In a blog post, Ivory Tower confirmed that The Crew, including the most updated Calling All Units expansion, will no longer receive patches. Content updates have been absent for a while, but this news makes it official. Ubisoft is not shutting down servers, however, and the studio promised to continue to perform “occasional” server maintenance as well as provide support for any new issues that arise. “With this in mind, after three years of continuous support we have taken the decision to make the already temporary halt on patches in The Crew, permanent,” the developer wrote. “Moving forward, no new content will therefore be added to The Crew and its expansions; Wild Run, and Calling All Units.” The Crew 2 is out June 29 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. As for Ubisoft’s E3 conference, it takes place at 4:00pm ET / 9:00pm BST on Monday, June 11.<doc-sep>
Ubisoft's open-world racing game The Crew 2 is set to arrive on PS4, Xbox One, and PC in June, but some players will have the opportunity to try the game out ahead of its release. Ubisoft has announced more details about its upcoming Crew 2 closed beta, which kicks off on all platforms later this month. The closed beta begins May 31 and runs until June 4. As is the case with most other closed betas, space is limited, so only some players who have registered for the test on the game's official website will be selected to participate. Those who are chosen will be able to pre-load the beta beginning May 29. "During the closed beta, players will experience the first level of the progression system as they compete in races across all first four disciplines [Street Race, Rally Raid, Powerboat, and Aerobatics] against the backdrop of a fully redesigned USA," Ubisoft says. Players will be able to try out the game's Fast-Fav feature, which allows them to instantly transform their vehicle depending on the terrain. Even if you don't get chosen to participate in The Crew 2 closed beta, you can already begin building up your car collection by taking part in The Crew Rewards Program. By completing monthly challenges in the first The Crew, you can unlock vehicles for the upcoming game. More details about The Crew Rewards Program can be found on Ubisoft's website. The Crew 2 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on June 29. Along with the standard version, Ubisoft is releasing a special edition of The Crew 2 dubbed the Motor Edition. It includes the game's season pass, a Motorsports Deluxe Pack that contains several outfits and vehicles, a Crew-themed license plate, steelbook case, roadmap, and four stickers. Everyone who purchases the Motor Edition will also receive access to the game three days early, on June 26.