In the absence of Forza Horizon this year, The Crew Motorfest is here to let you just cruise and have a great time.

Whether it’s by land, sea or air, you get the full package in one of the most complete, satisfying games Ubisoft have put out since Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

I’ve gushed over this a lot already, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk about it a bit more.

The game has a ton of variety with its slew of playlists – whether you want to take a scenic tour of beautiful Hawaii or fancy more of a Japanese flavour with an environment custom-built to feel like whizzing around the streets of Tokyo.

I touched upon this in my initial impressions, but the thing I love about The Crew Motorfest is that it feels like all of my favourite racing games built into one. From Hydro Thunder to RIDE and Project Gotham Racing, it’s like the perfect selection box of content that lets you pick a style that suits a mood.

Racing across the waters, with the regular bumps and jolts as you cruise across the water just feels great with DualSense and whizzing around corners on a bike is as good as I’ve played.

Flight does leave a little bit to be desired and probably makes for the weakest of the races, but it still provides a nice palette cleanser when you want to try things from another perspective.

The original Crew games were great proof of concepts for what Ubisoft want to achieve in the genre, they offered some nice ideas, the handling was always pretty solid and the games looked great. But The Crew Motorfest absolutely feels like the definitive edition and the ultimate compilation that brings the best of those ideas together in a sole package.

There’s just a ridiculous amount of vehicles to choose from, all feeling very different, but their distinct styles captured brilliantly via the game’s huge amount of playlists and options.

Fancy just racing around in a dream car? You can do that as part of a self-contained, series of exclusive concept events, hosted by Supercar Blondie. Or maybe you’re looking for something off-road and want to get ground and gritty with a 4×4. The game has a playlist featuring mud hour.

The presentation in The Crew Motorfest is just excellent. It’s easy to get around, choose what you want, fast travel and just dive right in. You’re not bound to a strict code or rule on what you should or shouldn’t be doing, it’s up to you to make the choice that makes sense for you.

And all the cover art and video really adds slick and style to everything, whatever you might be in the mood for. It’s all eye-catching, it all looks appealing and for the most part, it all plays great.

That said, it’s a little bizarre how disposable the playlists feel once completed, disappearing off screen as if you wouldn’t possibly want to revisit them. The ever-connected nature of the game also means you always have to be online to play, and if you’re inactive even for a little while, you’re kicked out for your troubles. Which is disappointing.

Still, this is all complimented by some stunning graphics. These are at least comparable to last years’ Forza Horizon and in some areas look even better, from the reflections in the water to the blades of grass and trees flapping in the wind. Even the detail of the car models which are just first class.

That visual style is only hampered by the familiarity you often see in the game’s wider areas as you traverse from event to the next. While still beautiful, seeing the same places over and again does grate a little bit.

But everything about this one feels meticulous, well-done, and expertly implemented, whether you’re a casual racer or want a meaty experience to get the best of all worlds.

The live competitions offer some nice range and variety when you’re not sure what to step into and with crossplay active, weeks post launch, I’m still finding matchups in record time. The game remains healthy and active.

I also have to commend the use of DualSense with the game. I don’t always appreciate how it’s used and sometimes find it quite distracting, but here it added to my enjoyment, between the different sounds whirring out of the speaker, the differences in adaptive triggers for different vehicle types and the whirring and responsiveness when in motion. It just works and feels great.

A lot of my sentiments from a few weeks back still echo for The Crew Motorfest, I love the customization, the amount of choice I have available, the vast map I can whizz around in, and the types of vehicles I can experiment with. It’s about as comprehensive a selection as I’ve seen from any game.

And you don’t even just have to race either, opting to go for a destruction derby, the epic grand race where you switch up vehicles throughout, or taking to the water or the air, you just feel like it’s a game you can lose yourself in for hours at a time. And one you can unwind to and relax with.

The Crew Motorfest is a real sleeper hit for 2023 and one of the most enjoyable racing experiences I’ve had in ages. I love it.

Verdict

The Crew Motorfest offers fun, fast-paced variety, all with a stunning aesthetic and excellent presentation. The always on component is disappointing, environment repetition becomes noticeable, and playlists disappearing is a shame, but this is such a brilliant game with so much content you can lose hours without even realising.