Re-Review Driveclub? Not a Chance

Driveclub was an interesting concept that never panned out into an interesting video game. That’s how we saw it; that’s what its ever-controversial Metascore says. Driveclub could have been, but wasn’t. Now there are some calling for a game like Driveclub, that suffered from significant flaws at launch, to be re-reviewed. Hardcore Gamer will be doing no such thing, and gamers should be wary of offering any game that kind of second chance.

[nX]

Yeah maybe it shouldn't be re-reviewed but gaming websites should visit this game again and write some new impressions about it so that people know it's not broken anymore. This game is a 9/10 now and it's simply not fair to the people at Evolution who really made some incredible improvements over the last 2 months. It must've been hell working there during that time, so give credit where credit is due.

[360ICE]

It wasn't broken when I reviewed it. For most purpouses, it broke when it was released to the general public. Thought it was a solid 8/10 when I reviewed it. Think it is a solid 8/10 now. The weather definitely adds to the experience, though. I don't think rain has ever been done that well before.

[nX]

I can live with calling it a solid 8/10 ;)
I just can't agree with the 5's and 6's that were thrown around at launch.

[360ICE]

@Bloodborn
At the risk of sounding elitist, I think a lot of video game reviewers don't care that much about the core mechanics. That goes for most players too. Most of what I read was a bunch of complaints that there's no customisation or meaty career mode.

Yet, the driving feels so good, the AI so interesting and the game itself is so good well-balanced that it's almost uncanny. In my opinion, anyway.

Those who wrote about the actual racing, Gamesradar for instance, usually reviewed the game quite favorably.

[nX]

^That's not elitist, that's completely reasonable. Sites like GIantbomb and Gamespot reviewed it by some stupid standards and strange expectations while overlooking what was there and forgetting what is actually fun in a racing game. Driveclub is certainly not perfect but for me it's the most fun I've had with a racer since GT4.

[d0x360]

A game should be reviewed as it launched. If we arw going to revisit every game then publishers will just release every game broken and say hey it will get better.

Issues aside a rife club doesn't know what genre of racing it wants to be. The handling model isn't good. Its not a fun game and the sense of speed is pretty poor which is unfortunate seeing as they spent a massive amount of time on visuals.

[360ICE]

@d0x360

Writers can revisit games as much as they want. Publishers should know, however, that it's very unlikely that they'll revisit most things.

Also disagree on what you said about Driveclub. Doesn't know what racing genre it is? You mean arcade or sim? Well, lump Forza Horizon, Need for Speed: Shift and Race Driver: Grid into that same hybrid category. That's some of the best racing games out there.

[-Ikon-]

SO its wah wah wah I refuse to accept its a good game now b/c once upon a time in life it wasnt working?

LMFAO GTFO

[BlissSeeker]

YEAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
TITS OR GTFO
EVEN DARTH VADER AGREES
http://img.memerial.net/mem...

[DivoJones]

Both arguments have good points, but I'll favor the article writers' opinion on this. Driveclub was delayed to resolve issues, so publishing it as a finished product at a full price is their way of saying it's 'finished'. It's one thing to have a glitch or three, but the scope of issues it experienced at launch also gave the impression it should've been delayed longer.
Much like Halo:MCC, it was greed that pushed them to release a faulty product early.. and it earned it's reviews by doing so. Want a better score, release a better product.

[dillhole]

I have it, I installed the updates, I still find it a bit boring. Nothing really wrong with it, but it isn't very exciting. If you think it's a 9/10, you mustn't have very high standards. We can do much better.

[FanboyKilla]

lol let it go. lets move on.

[Eonjay]

What are we, some kind of Mafia? Guys its really not that serious. If someone makes improvements to a product, its okay to acknowledge it.

"Hardcore Gamer will do no such thing" - Okay guys :)

Perhaps, just maybe, you are taking yourself too seriously. Its just a game man lol.

[Jazzuri]

No, the article is about more than "just a game man" and if you actually read it you'd understand its the precedence that it sets for other developers and that's not a good outcome for us.

Driveclub
Halo MCC
ACU

Nintendo is seemingly the only one who continues to consistently release working titles. They are in development circles what Qantas is compared to other airlines.

[Silly gameAr]

Thanks for writing an article telling everyone that you won't re-review a game like everyone was waiting to hear your opinion. You didn't waste your time at all. :/

[kranker]

Yeah it shouldn't be reviewed, I agree.

[Speak_da_Truth]

RE review or not This game is a 8.5-9/10 at it's current state IMO

[shadowT]

Why re-review? Driveclub is still incomplete.

[Clunkyd]

Obviously you haven't played the game recently.

[MysticStrummer]

The opening sentence up there made me laugh. The game "never panned out"… at the particular moment in time when they reviewed it.

"gamers should be wary of offering any game that kind of second chance."

Where do you draw the line for that? Day one patches I assume are acceptable, but any major patches required after that point mean the game goes in the trash? More complex machines mean more complex games, which means more potential problems, which means more patches, especially when online gets thrown in the mix. A "hardcore gamer" should know that, so who are these people?

The game was never unplayable, the solo mode is fun and has plenty of content, and when I bought it about a month after launch the asynchronous multiplayer stuff was mostly working, if not the actual real time online racing. Now it's all working as far as I can tell. The game was and is very fun, and that's all I need for a game to be "interesting".

I don't need a re-review to know Driveclub is a very fun racing title that I'm glad I bought, so do what ya like, "hardcore"gamer.com

[uth11]

Again reviews are for future buyers. Someone looking to buy this game for Christmas might be put off by low scores that were due to launch issues that have since been fixed.

I think if a review knocked points off due to online bugs at launch, it's only fair to reevaluate that. One site in particular lowered their score after the bugs came to light.

But we are only going to see more and more launches like this, mark my words. Ever increasing software complexity is going to make smooth launches tougher and tougher, especially for new IPs.
More and more focus on online gaming is going to cause publishers to hold back content for later release to keep interest levels up and keep the online worlds populated. Reviewers are going to have to come to terms with this if they want to stay relevent

[Yo Mama]

Why do people still visit hardcoregamer.com? The fact they won't at least write up an update to give their readers new impressions, just shows they have an agenda. Why would they NOT do it? Total disservice to their readers. I refuse to click on their site anymore.

[ValKilmer]

When did they say they won't write an update?

They write updates about games they review all the time in separate editorials (EA UFC, Unity, Battlefield, etc) addressing the betterment or worsening of the game. This article is saying they won't re-review the game formally (IE: give it a new a score/assessment).

[LordMaim]

Is that not exactly what they just said?

[BlissSeeker]

Little and fat are a little contradictory aren't they?
Therefore your opinion is invalid.
There will be no further questions.

[firelogic]

If a game has undergone significant changes, it should be reviewed again. Why? Because the review should be used to judge the current state of the game which will inform people to purchase or not purchase it. A perfect example is Diablo 3. At launch it was a mess but now it's a completely different experience. You're going to refuse to review it again when the game is unrecognizable from when it launched? Doesn't seem logical.

Note: I'm not saying DC underwent a significant change or that it should be reviewed again. I'm just speaking in general terms.

[thief]

Well, then all that happens is that reviews lose credibility, and gaming magazines lose revenues long term.

Because there are massive numbers of gamers who have bought the game, far more than the number who bought the much-hyped forza for instance. And they are being justified by the game as it stands now, because it is the best most immersive, best looking, best playing racing game released this year. Absolutely brilliant game. And anyone buying the game, and then looking back at your review scores, will think: these reviewers are a bunch if idiots.

[RevengeOfTheSeth]

You sound really cool when you refer to yourself in the third person.

Yes, this is sarcasm.

[ThatOneGuyThere]

driveclub is addicting. the weather made it that much more addicting. plus photomode during lightning storms.. awwwww yeaaaah got me some awesome and damn near pornographic images of some of my favorite cars.

[Skankinruby]

Lol no need to re review, the average gamer can filter out the nonsense and see there virtually zero intellect in you criticism. So another review would simply just be more nonsense to laugh at

[WickedLester]

Personally I don't care if sights re-review it or not. I bought the game at launch and even with the early issues, I have had an absolute blast playing Driveclub and Evolution Studios continues to make it better and better! Also despite the poor reviews the game has actually sold pretty well and I look for another spike in sales when Evo finally does roll out the free Plus version.

If you ask me, the game that critics should re-review is Forza Horizons 2. After reading so many reviews where sites were absolutely falling over themselves to give it 9's and 10's I went out and bought it. Boy was I disappointed! Personally I think FH2 is a garbage racing game that's cleverly surrounded by a lot of fluff that unfortunately reviewers fell for hook line and sinker. It's bright, it's colorful, there's a lot of shit going on in front of your eyes making the game "lively" and like a big party. It truly is a racing game designed for the ADD generation. However when you strip all that crap away you have an open world driving game with absolute shit mechanics! The cars feel soooo floaty and it gives off that effect where the car sits still and everything moves around it. Weather has absolutely no bearing on handing either. It's purely aesthetical. But hey that's OK because we can veer off into the corn fields and race against jets!

[mochachino]

Most people that play the game really like it but I don't think game companies deserve a second chance at reviews when they release a broken game.

If they wanted higher scores they should release a game that works day 1, or at least fix any problems within the first week. Although, devs they should be rewarded for fixing the game as well, so sites should inform people when a game's issues have been resolved without changing the initial score.

[mochachino]

If gaming sites get into the habit of re-reviewing games they're going to need to knock points off most online games a year after release.

Titanfall, at least on PC, would need to be dropped down to a 3/10 as there's no one playing. Even the xone version is down to only about 5000 players only 9 months after release. Killzone would need to lose points because the online community is dead and MCC would also need to be docked a point or two given the continued issues. The only game that would deserve a higher score is BF4, but that probably should have been reviewed lower at the outset given its online issues at release.

In fact, it may just be better for sites to wait a few months before reviewing online portions of games to ascertain the network issues and forecast the strength and projected longevity of the user base. No one could recommend buying either Killzone or Titanfall for online gaming right now.