VG247 Impressions
Driveclub
Evolution Studios was up next, and this session went a bit wrong as technical difficulties meant there was no live gameplay demo as promised, but we still managed to see captured footage and to prize some interesting facts out of the studio’s hands. Driveclub is playable on PS Vita via remote play, and we saw recorded footage of the team playing it without lag or any of that nonsense. We also saw another staff member playing the game via PS4 on the same couch.
But then a neat twist; a third developer logged into the Driveclub phone app and selected a custom time trial challenge he made on his PS4 the night before. He then sent it to the members of his club and within seconds it was flagged up on both player’s screens. At the touch of a button they were both playing the challenge as posed by the phone user, and each trying to beat his record time.
We were then told that anyone can send these created challenges to their friends, and Evolution hopes that they will go viral and in turn create a thriving, competitive community of racers around the world. The club component is interesting as well, because every action – from a hard-fought victory to a simple drift – earns your posse Overdrive, which progresses your club’s unlocks and overall standing.
We saw a snippet of gameplay around a hill-top circuit, flanked by observatories and blue skies that stretched to mountains in the distance. We were told that the mountains weren’t just flat backdrops, but fully-modelled terrain that actually bore their own tracks. While visually-slick, I would have liked it if we were shown more, but it’s clear that Driveclub is no visual slouch.
The game will launch as both a free download and Blu-Ray release along with PS4, and game director Cole Rodgers confirmed that every mode and feature from the paid release will appear in the free version. The only difference is in the volume of cars and tracks. While Rodgers was cagey about the differences in volume, the room was assured that the freebie won’t be light on content.
Finally, the game was built in an all-new engine, with no hangovers from the Motorstorm franchise, and while Evolution is targeting 60FPS, the gamescom build was locked to 30 for now. DualShock 4 tilt steering is a control option and the Havok engine is in there too. It fuels Driveclub’s car damage model, but it should be noted however, that damage is purely cosmetic and doesn’t impact a vehicle’s handling.
If the game can succeed in forging a strong community – and it may just do that thanks to confirmed weekly events and challenges, along with a stream of new cars – then Evolution and Sony could be looking at a solid day-one release that has the potential to sustain well into the PS4′s life-span.
http://www.vg247.com/2013/08/21/ps4-gamescom-2013-sony-brings-its-next-gen-darlings-to-cologne/