The Crew is an online racing video game developed by Ivory Tower and Ubisoft Reflections and released in December 2004 by Ubisoft. It tells the story of Alex Taylor, who got framed for murdering his brother whom he was giving a ride, but later was given a chance to redeem his non-existent sin by helping the FBI to infiltrate 5-10 motor club. The game is strongly focused on the multiplayer and lets you drive dozens of different cars across the roads of the scaled-down version of the USA.

Story

In The Crew you will play as Alex Taylor. In the first minutes of the game you will be tasked with escorting Alex’s brother and the founder of the 5-10 motor club, Dayton, to the meeting with Shiv – a man, who may know where did the lost money go. The plan is to beat Shiv on the road and force him to talk. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned – Dayton is killed, and once the police arrive, Alex is framed for murder. Sometime later he is offered a chance to leave the prison, but he must help the FBI to infiltrate the 5-10 and get to Shiv, who apparently became the new leader of the club.

Gameplay

The Crew gamefeatures a large open world that can be freely explored. The game requires a constant internet connection, and puts a strong emphasis on the multiplayer, resulting in the possibility to meet other players on the road and interact with them as you play, but also comes together with the single-player campaign. Due to the size of the map, players are given a variety of different environments to race in and are not limited to street racing. The game features over 100 fully customizable licensed cars.

Reception

The Crew received very positive reviews. Critics praised the size of the playable area that takes approximately 45 minutes in real-time to get from one side of the map to the other, as well as the driving model, which strikes a balance between realism and arcade to provide the most enjoyable experience. They also appreciated the possibility to tune cars that significantly affects the car’s performance on the road.

Key features:

• NEVER DRIVE ALONE - Jump in and out seamlessly and build your crew of four through bonding or intense rivalry. Whether your objective is to take down a convoy or to escape the police, achieving it with friends ensures a fresh experience each time you join in. 


• A PLAYGROUND OF UNPRECEDENTED SCOPE AND VARIETY - The entire United States is your driving playground – all roads and everything in between. Every type of terrain imaginable is yours to master – from downtown city streets to suburbs, hillsides, cornfields, canyons, desert dunes or even race tracks. 


• PREPARE YOUR CAR FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE - Collect body and performance parts as you progress to customize and upgrade your licensed cars. Equip your ride with 5 different tuning specs (street, perf, dirt, raid, circuit) to adapt to different driving terrains. Choose from a wide range of perks to enhance your vehicle according to your driving style. 


• THE EXPERIENCE GOES ON, WHEREVER YOU ARE - Continue the experience on iOS, Android tablets, and on the web. Track of your friends’ performance and fine tune your ride before taking it live to set new records, or send your crew on jobs while on-the-go to earn more XP and parts.