E3 3013 Preview: The Crew

Ubisoft had quite a unique setup for their upcoming game, The Crew, here at E3 2013. You could wait in line to play the PC version, wait in line to play the Xbox One version, or wait in the hour-long line for the eight minute full simulator version. Since I hadn't touched an Xbox One controller yet, I figured I'd give it a shot.

Unfortunately for me, the guy doing my demo was French and his accent was so thick I couldn't understand him over the headphones with all of the other noise that was being blasted around me. I had no idea what he was saying, what I was supposed to be doing, or where I was supposed to go. So I picked up the controller and took off in my black Porsche, riding like the wind. Until I crashed into a telephone pole. Then a wall. Then another car. Then a palm tree. What the hell was going on?

For some reason, I had a heck of a time controlling my car. I don't know if it's the driving mechanics of the game or the Xbox One controller, which didn't feel as comfortable in my hand as the PS4 controller. I didn't have any problems controlling my car in Need For Speed Rivals so I'm just gonna chock it up to the game's mechanics. Even Gran Turismo 6 wasn't this squirrely.

Graphics looked great on the Xbox One. The cars all shined, they showed damage when you ran into something (which happened a lot), and the cities are vast. Your job is to form a crew with three buddies and take on various challenges in different cities within the United States. The Crew is a BIG game. There were so many missions on the map I couldn't keep track of them all.

One of my missions was to try and take out a Hummer that was smuggling drugs. You take him out by ramming into him. But first, I had to modify my Porsche so it would be up to the task. Heading back to my headquarters, I painted the Porsche yellow, gave it a new engine and stuck some giant tires on it built for all-terrain driving. Honestly, it looked kind of stupid.

As far as trying to catch the Hummer? Forget it. I couldn't control this car if my life had depended on it. The car's mechanics were just too loose. No matter which view I went with, I just wasn't having fun. In fact, I wanted to leave the demo early because I was hating this game. It was frustrating, despite the fact that I was on the same crew as three other dudes next to me. I finally managed to take the Hummer out and complete the mission (nobody thanked me), and earned cash and experience points, which can be used to upgrade your ride.

I need to spend more time with The Crew when it gets closer to launch in early 2014. The time I spent with it I didn't enjoy it. Maybe that will change in a few months. It will also give me a chance to brush up on my French so I can understand what the hell it is I'm supposed to be doing.