Oct 20, 2014  This alone makes Driveclub a tough game to review from pre-release impressions. When I first booted up my review copy a week before release, the. DriveClub Review. Written Tuesday, October 07, 2014 By Dan Webb. That would have been the case for DriveClub, but after a series of delays, here we are, effectively one year later, and now we're sat here waiting for the truly next-generation experiences to kick in.

.: 7 October 2014.: 8 October 2014.: 10 October 2014Mode(s),Driveclub is a developed by and published by for. It was announced during the PlayStation 4 press conference on 20 February 2013, and, after several delays, was released worldwide in October 2014.Driveclub is a racing game in which players compete in racing events around the world in a variety of different fashions. Players can compete in clubs with other players, earning a reputation as one of the best clubs, and leveling up to unlock better items. Another game mode is tour, essentially a campaign mode. Players can compete in standard races, as well as time trials,by drifting events, and championship tournaments, which may take place in,. Players may customize their car, their club, or their driver, and may complete optional challenges during events. A weather system and day-night cycle is also included as.Driveclub was released to a fairly mixed critical reception.

Critics praised the visuals, sound design, and the controls, but criticized the online playability, the inconsistent AI and a lack of gameplay variety. As of July 2015, the game has reached 2 million copies sold, becoming one of the.The online servers for Driveclub were shutdown on 31 March 2020. Contents.Gameplay Driveclub is a in which players compete in races around the world in several different game modes. A major focus of the game is the club aspect. Players may join a club or create their own and will compete against other clubs to ultimately see whose club is the best.

Clubs consist of up to six players. Players complete challenges together representing their club and earn fame and XP. The player earns fame by driving well and completing challenges. Fame determines the player's level as well as the club level. As the player levels up, they automatically unlock items, such as new vehicles, accolades, or colour schemes. Every team member's action contributes to the club's overall success.The game's tracks and environments are inspired by actual places in diverse regions throughout the globe, such as Norway and India. Driveclub features dynamic weather system such as rain and snowfall and a day-night cycle.

Each rain drop has realistic behaviour.There are three main game modes in Driveclub; tour, single event and multiplayer. Tour is a campaign mode where single-player events set in various locations can be played using the allocated cars. A set of objectives are present and can be tackled during the events.

In the single event game mode, players choose what event they would like to play (drift, sprint, race or time trial) and have the freedom to select the location, weather and other options. The multiplayer game mode revolves around competition and co-operation with real life players. Players can complete challenges with social leaderboards, play with clubs, and play online races. There are a total of 50 cars available initially, as well as over 60 more cars that can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store for free or with a charge. The cars are split into five categories based on their in-game stats: hot hatch, sports, performance, super and hyper.

Each car can be customized with paintjobs and stickers. Development. Promotion at 2014On 18 October 2013, announced that Driveclub would be delayed until early 2014. In a statement posted on the PlayStation Blog, the company wrote that, 'SCE Worldwide Studios and the team at Evolution Studios have made the difficult decision to delay the release of Driveclub and Driveclub PlayStation Plus Edition until early 2014.' Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida stated: ' Driveclub will be a truly innovative, socially connected racing game, but the team requires more time in order to deliver on their vision – and I'm fully confident the game will surpass your expectations.' On 10 March 2014, PlayStation Software Product Development Head Scott Rohde mentioned that the title has met further delays with the following statement: 'What I will say is that it all comes back to that fundamental principle, and that’s that we want to build great games, and we really don't want to release a game before it's ready.'

Rohde or any other Sony representative could not at the time give a more specific release date but hinted that it might take a while referring to that the game has 'gone back to the drawing board'.Although Evolution Studios did experiment with Sony's, the final game does not support.In April 2014, game director Paul Rustchynsky stated that the delay was caused by the game's 'dynamic menu'. This menu allows players to quickly navigate from menu to menu, join clubs, race, and perform many other activities within the game.In early September 2014, Evolution Studios announced a (DLC) Season Pass. The pass introduces 11 new courses, 23 new events, and a new car every month until June 2015 (later extended to July 2015). The DLC is both paid, and free.Cars in the game contain an average of 260,000 polygons. Before release, Evolution Studios had confirmed that Driveclub runs at resolution of 1080p and would be capped at 30 frames per second. Post-release updates Driveclub launched in North America on 7 October 2014, Europe on 8 October 2014, and the United Kingdom on 10 October 2014. However, the game suffered from severe online issues at launch.

Evolution Studios had released the first premium DLC packs (Ignition Expansion Pack and Photo-Finish Tour Pack) for free to affected players in November. PlayStation UK executive Fergal Gara apologized for the marred launch of the game.On 8 December 2014, Sony released a weather patch which added dynamic weather to the game.

The feature was delayed up to two months after launch to include all improvements to the weather that the developers wanted.In January 2015, Evolution Studios released a new patch that brought several new features to the game, with the most significant one being the introduction of Japan. A total of five tracks were added, including Lake Shoji and Nakasendo.On 1 April 2015, as a tribute to the racing game series, Evolution Studios released a free special DLC pack containing the Wombat Typhoon from the very game series.On 22 March 2016, Evolution released their final DLC pack for the game, 'Finish Line', which includes events named 'Clocking Off' and 'The Long Goodbye'. On the same day, Sony announced that Evolution would be shut down.

Subsequent updates for the game would be created by other Sony studios. These updates were the game's first city circuit, Old Town in Scotland (along with six route variations), and Hardcore handling physics, available via Patch 1.26 on 11 February 2016, and five more city circuits (one in each country of location), all of which first appeared in Driveclub VR, added to the game via Patch 1.28 on 31 October 2016.Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that online services for Driveclub would be terminated on 31 March 2020, meaning that players can no longer access the online features from that date onwards. The game, along with its DLC packs and standalone expansions, was removed from the on 29 August 2019.PlayStation Plus Edition Driveclub: PlayStation Plus Edition was a version of the game that was available for free to PlayStation Plus subscribers.

It came with all the game modes and online capabilities of the paid version, but had a limited number of cars and locations available to the player. The PlayStation Plus Edition was originally set to be released on the same date as the full version of Driveclub, but was delayed to ease the load and traffic to the servers. On 31 October 2014, Sony announced that the PlayStation Plus Edition would be postponed until further notice. The Edition was released on 25 June 2015, but has since been removed as of 6 October 2015. Driveclub Bikes Driveclub Bikes is a for Driveclub and was released on 27 October 2015. The expansion focuses on 'superbike racing', and features a new Tour, a new gameplay mode, new challenges and new events.

Similar to the main game, the motorbike and the rider can be customized, and the player's result in each race changes the reputation of their club. The expansion initially contains 12 bikes, including the R, and winning bikes such as the and the.

There are also 8 bikes available through free update or paid DLC packs.Driveclub VR Driveclub VR is a new virtual reality version of the original PS4 exclusive game, Driveclub. However, this edition is only compatible with the PlayStation 4's Virtual Reality headset,. It contains almost all the assets from the full game, with a total of 80 cars and 84 tracks, reworked for VR, with full 360 view of the interior and all views, while introducing five new city circuits.

It was released on 13 October 2016 as one of of for Japan. This game is essentially a standalone expansion, with its own separate save file and stats, but does not feature online leaderboards.Soundtrack Driveclub Original Soundtrackby. Released7 October 2014Recorded2013-14,Length2: 03: 14Mike Truman, Chris Healings, Charlotte Jamessoundtrack chronology(2013)Driveclub Original Soundtrack(2014)(2015)Alternate coverThe official soundtrack for the game was composed and produced. The soundtrack was released on on 7 October 2014, and also includes remixes by, and.The in-game music is turned off by default. This is done to place emphasis on the sound design of the cars. Driveclub Original Soundtrack No.TitleRemixer(s)Length1.'

Be Here Now'-4:572.' All Torque'-4:483.'

Tunnel Vision'-4:484.' Power Curve'-4:515.' The Club Rules'-4:266.' Be Here Now'4:287.' All Torque'Hybrid4:318.' Tunnel Vision'Hybrid4:459.' Power Curve'Hybrid4:3510.'

The Club Rules'Hybrid4:2311.' Be Here Now'4:5512.' All Torque'4:3313.' Power Curve'Clark5:1414.' Power Curve'& Bleep Bloop4:4715.' All Torque'4:1716.' All Torque'5:1017.'

Be Here Now'4:1218.' The Club Rules'Kilon Tek (Remix 1)3:5219.' The Club Rules'Kilon Tek (Remix 2)4:4220.'

Power Curve'(Driveclub™ Remix)4:4621.' Tunnel Vision'4:4222.'

Be Here Now'4:0623.' All Torque'4:0524.' All Torque'Second Storey5:3225.' Power Curve'4:0226.'

Scorcher six flags. Tunnel Vision'Xcalibr4:2627.' Be Here Now (Radio Edit)'-3:21Total length:123:14Reception Critical response ReceptionAggregate scoreAggregatorScore71/100Review scoresPublicationScore8/107.5/107/106/107.75/105/108.6/107.9/1077%7.5/10VideoGamer.com8/10Driveclub received 'mixed or average' reviews from critics, according to review aggregatorJustin Towell from gave the game an 8/10, praising its challenge system, accessible handling and beginner-friendly gameplay, saying 'it's a big deal for a modern racing game to have enough faith in its core handling to eschew driving assists.' He criticized the weak damage and characterized crashes as unsatisfying. He also discouraged playing unconnected, adding 'Never have I seen such a dull, lifeless and formulaic single-player mode transformed so spectacularly by online connectivity.' Dale North from gave the game a 7.5/10, praising its responsive, satisfying control and impressive sounds, as well as highly detailed environments, while criticizing the lack of replay value, constant car bashing and crashing in single-player and infrequent weird visual bugs in the in-car views, but still summarized the game as 'has enough to offer over other new and upcoming racing alternatives out there.' Ludwig Kietzmann of also praised the stunning environments and excellent sound design. However, he also criticized the abusive AI cars and considered them ruin the whole single-player experience because players often get bumped, smashed and shoved off the road repeatedly.

He also criticized the lack of difficulty options. Luke Reilly of gave the game a 7.9/10. He praised its great sense of speed and graphics, which is described as 'the best-looking racing game ever seen on a console', but criticized the overly aggressive and frustrating AI grates and the difficult drifting when compared to the accessible handling, but still summarized the game as 'a modest, conventional arcade racer rather than the sprawling, open-world types we commonly see today'. John Robertson from gave the game an 8/10, also praising its graphics and the Clubs system, but criticizing the lack of variety in race types and challenges, as well as the arcade-handling, as he described it 'sits at odds with the purity of available events'.However, 's Kevin VanOrd gave the game a 5/10. He praised the attractive cars and race tracks featured, but criticized the soundtrack and the overall presentation of the game. He also praised the graphics of the game, but stated that the environment and the surroundings are 'as lifeless as postcards'.

's Jeff Gerstmann gave the game a 2/5, praising its leaderboards, lighting and graphics, but criticizing the confusing menu, overly mechanical AI drivers, weirdly grippy car handling and lack of fun element. He summarized the game as 'a weird throwback to the old, dark days of console driving games'.Post launch, Evolution Studios continued to support their game with 18 months of free content updates and an extensive DLC Season Pass and as a result GamesRadar re-reviewed the game and changed their review score to 4.5/5. After the sudden closure of developer Evolution Studios on 22 March 2016, also published an article stating their confusion as to why this occurred, stating that the studio was failed by 'public perception' after its rocky launch. It continued to expand by praising the game and its development turn around: ' delivered arguably the finest collection of post-release content gaming has ever seen. Certainly any driving game.' , 'a photo mode worthy of release as a standalone tech demo.'

And 'The best damn wet weather effects in all of gaming' were some of the praises given. On 31 October 2016, Driveclub received what was presumably its last update adding 15 new tracks and reverse variants of them from the recently released Driveclub VR. At the release of this and VideoGamer.com published articles saying farewell to the game. Eurogamer called it 'the PS4 launch disaster that became a racing great' whilst VideoGamer called it 'an exhilarating, gorgeous, feature rich, and addictive racer that will likely be looked back on as one of this generation's finest games', both articles acting with the basis of how the game was a complete turnaround from its initial launch on 7 October 2014.Sales Despite mixed reviews, Driveclub has sold over 2 million copies as of 31 July 2015. ^ Karmali, Luke (29 April 2014). Retrieved 29 April 2014.

31 March 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2015.

Langshaw, Mark (22 May 2014). Retrieved 18 May 2015. Leack, Jonathon (4 October 2014). Retrieved 18 May 2015.

Mahardy, Mike (8 July 2014). Retrieved 18 May 2015. Linneman, John. (11 December 2014). Retrieved 10 September 2015. ^ Kollar, Philip (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014.

Martin, Tim (20 October 2014). Retrieved 18 May 2015.

Sarker, Samit (6 June 2013). Retrieved 18 May 2015. Pereira, Chris (7 May 2014). Retrieved 18 May 2015.

Kato, Matthew (22 May 2014). Retrieved 10 February 2016. 18 October 2013.

Retrieved 31 October 2013. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014. 20 March 2014.

Retrieved 29 April 2014. 30 April 2014.

Archived from on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014. ^.

8 July 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2016. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014. Rob Crossley (9 October 2014). Retrieved 12 December 2014. 17 October 2014.

Retrieved 10 December 2014. Tom Ivan (11 December 2014). Retrieved 11 December 2014. Wesley Yin-Poole (8 December 2014). Retrieved 11 December 2014. International Business Times. Retrieved 23 January 2015.

Phillips, Tom (1 April 2015). Retrieved 18 May 2015.

Scammell, David (23 March 2016). Retrieved 28 March 2016. Benson, Julian (23 March 2016). Retrieved 28 March 2016. Wald, Heather (31 March 2019).

Retrieved 6 April 2019. 8 October 2014. PlayStation Access (official Playstation account).

Tom Ivan (31 October 2014). Retrieved 2 November 2014. Yoshida, Shuhei (24 June 2015). Retrieved 25 June 2015. 30 September 2015. Brayshaw, Jamie (27 October 2015). Retrieved 28 October 2015.

Martin, Matt (27 October 2015). Retrieved 28 October 2015. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016. Whittaker, Matt (7 October 2014). Hardcore Gamer.

Retrieved 10 February 2016. ^. Retrieved 31 October 2014.

^ Robertson, John (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014. ^ North, Dale (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014. 'Driveclub review'. Edge Magazine: 110.

November 2014. Channell, Mike (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014.

Kato, Matthew (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014. Tan, Nick (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014.

^ Towell, Justin (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014. ^ VanOrd, Kevin (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014. Bloodworth, Daniel (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014. ^ Oestreicher, Jason (7 October 2014).

Retrieved 7 October 2014. ^ Reilly, Luke (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014.

^ Kietzmann, Ludwig (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014. Play magazine review, November 2014. Scammell, David (7 October 2014). Retrieved 7 October 2014.

Retrieved 13 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016. Robinson, Martin (3 November 2016). Retrieved 13 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.

Campbell, Evan (31 July 2015). Retrieved 1 August 2015.External links. (archived).

Cars can do strange things to men, and none stranger than what happened to Matt Southern as he revealed Evolution Studios' DriveClub on-stage at the dawn of the PlayStation 4. 'We've modelled the direction of each metallic flake of paint in multiple layers,' he drooled, explaining the exquisite detail on each of DriveClub's cars.

'We've emulated each thread of the weave of the carbon fibre!' By this point Southern's eyes had darkened into slick pools of car oil; you could sense him muttering the hum of a straight 6 to himself under his breath.

'Even the suede and carpet have a fibre direction map!' DriveClub VR. Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment. Developer: Evolution Studios. Platform: Reviewed on PSVR. Availability: Out now on PSVR, and at a discount for DriveClub Season Pass ownersAll that detail might have been obscured by an infamously stuttering start, and of course Evolution Studios has since been shuttered and its staff subsumed by Codemasters, yet despite its early failings DriveClub came to be cherished by many; an arcade racer with a remarkably pure heart and astounding visuals, it blossomed into one of the PlayStation 4's finest exclusives.

DriveClub VR finds itself in an odd position, poised to take a posthumous victory lap for one of the generation's stranger success stories. It doesn't quite pan out that way. The career's a lot shorter than in the original DriveClub, though progression through driver levels and unlocking of cars is duly sped up. Which is good, seeing as your old DriveClub save is next to useless.Still, all that detail that was pored over at DriveClub's reveal has never been better served. DriveClub VR's cockpits are the real stars here, lovingly recreated cabins that help immerse you totally in your environment. It's an incredible interactive automotive showroom where you can smell acres of premium plastic and fresh leather, where you can lean in and read the digital dials or simply appreciate the lurid finish of a Pagani's dashboard.

There's a premium feel to this part of DriveClub VR that matches the subject matter - the artistry on display here is exquisite.Beyond the cockpit DriveClub VR doesn't quite fall apart, but it certainly disappoints a little. The sense of speed - always one of DriveClub's trump cards - is intact, and is a perfect fit for VR. Racing games come alive when played with a headset, and DriveClub is no exception, the ability to look to apexes and pick out exit points enhanced no end and making the driving that much more satisfying. The driving itself is great, too, as you'd know if you'd already sampled Evolution Studio's weighty yet accessible handling model that does a great job in providing you with pliable momentum. Swinging supercars around corners has rarely felt so satisfying.The visuals that also helped earn DriveClub its following have taken a hit here - understandably so, but to a noticeable degree. Beyond the windscreen, and beyond those lush interiors, the visual splendour that DriveClub has dined out on these past few years is washed out to an unfortunate smudge. Those long, lovely vistas of Scottish highlands warmed by low evening suns are smeared to the point where it's like playing DriveClub while submerged in water.Which is fitting how so much of this feels like a watered down DriveClub.

Strip down DriveClub's exceptional visuals and you're left with a competent, enjoyable but quietly unremarkable racer that's saved by its resolutely old school personality. There are no rewinds here, no dynamic open world - it's just you, your competitors and a ribbon of road. Vanilla DriveClub built upon that in new, often surprising ways, relishing in its splendour with a photo mode, adding spectacular weather effects and in its final days even introducing motorbikes into the fray.

None of those find their way over to DriveClub VR, so if you're coming from the original it can feel like something of a backwards step. The UI's nicely handled, sitting on the dash of each car. Here's its story.Some surprises for DriveClub veterans do find their way into this. Five new tracks build upon the urban focus introduced in one of the original's final updates, bringing tours of cities and towns in the game's existing locales. They're kind of awesome, especially the ludicrous inclines that wind their way up and down through a colourful village in India - but they're all also coming to the vanilla game as a free update. In light of that, it seems strange that this diluted DriveClub is being offered as a relatively expensive standalone.To pin too much on that peculiar decision would be doing a disservice to the great work that's been done here to make a compelling VR game. A fair amount of thought has been put into what makes VR a success, from the little things such as the ability to reset your driving position at the start of each event to bigger upheavals such as the way the UI now sits neatly on a monitor positioned on each car's dashboard.

There's a magic to driving games in VR, and DriveClub isn't immune to it. At the launch of PlayStation VR, it's as good a showcase as any for what virtual reality can do.If you're a returning DriveClub player, however, you might feel a little short-changed.

The fundamentals are as entertaining as ever, and this digest of one of the generation's best driving games is still one of PlayStation VR's most complete games at launch. A small shame, then, that in the process of being ported to VR DriveClub has lost more than it's gained.