Driveclub’s release on Tuesday came out with mixed reviews and impressions. For a game that was hailed as a “Forza killer,” it certainly didn’t deliver on that promise.
While Sony’s exclusive is not a bad game by any means, it doesn’t live up to the standards of what PlayStation gamers would and should expect.
Based on 46 critic scores over at Metacritic, Driveclub received a metascore of 72. 30 of them were positive, 15 were on the fence, and then there’s the glaring negative review by Giant Bomb, in which reviewer Jeff Gerstmann just wasn’t a fan of the game at all.
It’s a shame that Driveclub received nine scores less than 7 out of 10 out of 46 total reviews. It’s bad publicity for Sony with their latest exclusive. Perhaps a lack of confidence is why the company decided to pull the free version on PlayStation Plus that was due for release on Tuesday, forcing gamers to buy it if they wanted to check it out.
But there sure are going to be a lot of people who wait until the free edition comes out before slapping $60 down on this title.
Where did Sony go wrong with their latest exclusive?
Taking Dirveclub by itself, it’s certainly not a bad title. It’s wrongly being compared too much to Forza – but Sony asked for the comparison by hailing it as the “Forza killer” in a recent trailer.
For a general racing fan, the game is great. The graphics are incredible, the tracks are fun, and the multiplayer experience is a blast. As a Forza alternative for gamers that don’t have an Xbox One, it’s just fine.
However, “just fine” could be why Driveclub will ultimately be declared a failure. If it were a 3rd party title, I doubt it would be critiqued so hardly or be compared to Forza as much. But because it’s a racing game, because it’s only available on one system, and people have been waiting since its initial release day from the PS4 launch, the game is getting nothing but the “meh” review.
That’s not acceptable for a Sony exclusive. These are titles that are supposed to be system sellers, and it’s beginning to be a troubling trend for the PS4.
A troubling trend for Sony exclusives
Killzone: Shadow Fall, PS4’s big budget launch title, mostly received average reviews. Knack was widely panned and it was free. Infamous: Second Son has been the best title so far, but ultimately fell short in its high standards and didn’t live up to how fun either of the first two titles in the franchise were.
Sony was able to win the beginning of the generation by selling the PS4 for $100 less than the Xbox One. But even with a commanding lead in the console race, it simply hasn’t delivered in terms of content. There’s almost no reason for casual gamers that have ample options to play on the PS3 to even glance in the direction of the PS4.
Sure, the exclusives are a fun experience on the PS4, but they can wait. There are so many better high quality games on the PS3 that can be played right now, and at reduced pricing.
Driveclub is not a bad game, but it will likely fail because it couldn’t make its deadline; gamers had to wait for nearly an entire year before it came out, and it didn’t live up to the lofty, stupid expectations of it being better than the Microsoft exclusive Forza.
It just doesn’t make enough waves to be a Sony exclusive.
