The Crew 2 is an open world racing video game developed by Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft. A sequel to 2014's The Crew, it lets you control a variety of vehicles including cars, motorcycles, boats and airplanes in a large free-roam environment.
Having never played the original game I came to the sequel as a bit of a newbie, and I have to admit that racing games aren’t usually my thing either. I cannot steer a video game car for love nor money.
But it's fair to say that with its impressive graphics and huge roster of machines to tool about in, The Crew 2 managed to win me over.
Your main goal is to become The Champion of Motornation, starting off as a mere Rookie and eventually progressing to Popular, Famous, Star and Icon ranks. You gain followers by doing races in the main events, using skills and side activities.
The use of 'followers' as a metric for progress is a neat touch, and definitely channels the real world's social media dependency.
There is mercifully no right or wrong way to progress, and while initially I kept losing races - leading to some serious frustration - with some practice and patience I finally got the hang of it and found myself enjoying the experience.
There are loot boxes dotted throughout the map for those who love collectibles, and the hunt for goodies is aided by a sound which gets faster and louder the closer you get to a box. They typically contain things that will help your vehicles run better, or worse depending on how you prefer your cars.
While there's plenty of urban racing, the off-road events stood out as being rather more forgiving and accessible. There are also some fairly enjoyable random photo op tasks in which you have to find an animal or famous site and snap a picture of it.
Players also have a wealth of customisation options to help add a personal touch to the grand collection of virtual motors. You'll likely spend a great deal of time tinkering with the colours and styles, although I didn't manage to find an option for personalised number plates which was a tad disappointing.
Exploring the sizeable and good looking environment gives you a great sense of freedom, but though it may be stuffed with activities and races in the typical Ubisoft manner, the world itself feels a bit empty.
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There's a significant level of challenge on offer, and driving game veterans will find plenty to test their skills. However, I would have liked a bit of a newbie course or beginners driving guide to help with steering and speed control.
Given the amount of time I spent flooring it and crashing into walls it might be worth me playing Destruction Derby again!
On the whole there's lots of fun to be had in The Crew 2, and while a driving game fresher like me might not pick it up everyday I can see myself loading it up and diving back in for a few races when the urge takes me.
Price: £44.99