Feature: Four Reasons Why PS4 Racer DriveClub Will Finish in Pole Position

We could sense that DriveClub was about to hit rockier terrain back when we played it last summer. A bullish Evolution Studios was targeting the PlayStation 4’s launch at the time, but we just couldn’t see it crossing the finish line. There were numerous issues with the release: the visuals didn’t quite match the next-gen vision that enthusiastic director Matt Southern had promised during February’s pacey PlayStation Meeting press conference, while we felt that the handling still needed tightening up. However, there were signs of promise – and so the title’s time extension late last year prompted our engine to purr rather than roar. Now, with the Runcorn-based studio on the home straight ahead of release, here are four reasons why we reckon that the socially connected racer will finish in pole position this October.

Friends before hairpin bends

We may have taken issue with DriveClub’s overall presentation prior to its delay, but that wasn’t why the release was booked back in the garage for additional polish. Game director Paul Rustchynsky has stated on several occasions now that the title was actually taken off the road due to its social features – and ambitious these certainly sound. While the idea of a constantly connected experience may not appear especially new to those who’ve played a Need for Speed game over the past four or five years, Evolution Studios is taking things to the next level by building a Facebook-esque social network into its game.

By joining the release’s titular clubs, your performance will not always be rated based on which position you finish in, but also your moment-to-moment achievements. As you race, dynamic challenges will be pulled onto the track, asking you to beat a rival faction’s best drift on a certain corner, or best a friend’s fastest lap. Succeeding in these dynamic scenarios will earn you fame, which can then be used by your club to create custom liveries and unlock new cars. This information will then be displayed within the title’s user interface – and will even be accessible via the game’s iOS and Android app.

Oh my car

A racing game would be pretty rubbish without any vehicles, but fortunately DriveClub will have over 50 different cars to select from. While this sounds like a low number compared to the thousands found in Gran Turismo, the developer has adopted a Polyphony Digital-esque approach to recreating them, rendering everything from the engine screws to the hubcaps in obsessive 1080p. Moreover, the studio wants you to really appreciate these vehicles, including a cut-scene that sees you enter each supercar from a first-person perspective before you get ready to race. And as for which types of rides will be on offer – expect everything from the Volkswagen GTi to the Hennessey Venom GT, and plenty more in between. Most importantly, each option has been tuned to offer unique characteristics, meaning that you’ll never feel like you’re driving the same car twice.

No cut corners

Prior to the generation starting, cynics argued that the PS4 would struggle to outpace the PlayStation 3’s already stellar visual output. Those that caught a glimpse of last year’s DriveClub demo would have had fuel to support that argument – but these days, the racer looks like a completely different game. Evolution Studios promised obsessive attention to detail, and that’s exactly what it’s delivered – though this time its ambitions aren’t merely limited to the cars. For many years now, Gran Turismo has delivered stunning virtual vehicle representations on otherwise static tracks, but this time the focus is on thick foliage, authentic vistas, and the most impressive dynamic lighting engine this side of a NASA engineer’s personal project.

While the benefits of this may not be immediately obvious, it’s allowed the British organisation to achieve some impressive visual feats. For starters, you’ll be able to set each track’s time lapse speed before you race, meaning that the lighting will change as you drive. As a consequence, you may start out with headlights, before watching the sun rise as you head into your second lap. Furthermore, while there’s no weather system in the game, it does feature dynamic cloud cover, which will adapt lighting conditions depending on its density. And this is all in addition to busy roadsides, which will include sprinklers, falling leaves, and authentic plant life that’s accurate to the location that you’re currently racing around.

We call this simcade

Simulation racers like Gran Turismo are not easy to get into. Unless you’re a petrol head, the unforgiving vehicle handling – which aims to mirror real life – can be difficult to learn. However, without the depth enabled by real world physics, more accessible arcade games can outstay their welcome at times. As a result, DriveClub aims to straddle the line between both approaches, resulting in a game that will still require you to brake and accelerate accurately, but will be a little more forgiving than Polyphony Digital’s aforementioned real world replication. It means that both vehicular veterans and learners should manage to get something out of the game, and the studio has worked tirelessly to replicate each car’s quirks under these ‘simcade’ ambitions. As for the responsiveness of the controls, despite the game being 30 frames-per-second, the company’s cut DualShock 4 lag to an absolute minimum, allowing you to maintain control at maximum speed.

Are you impressed with what Evolution Studios has achieved over the past year or so? Are you intending to race away with your copy of DriveClub at release? Will you be checking out the free PlayStation Plus taster first? Watch for the green light in the comments section below.