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The Crew Season Pass is $25 of early, exclusive car access
The Crew Season Pass is $25 and grants owners one-week-early access to four add-on car packs totaling 12 cars plus all of their paint jobs and rims, two exclusive cars, 23 unlocked tuning kits, and an exclusive sticker with each new pack. Each of the car packs cost $7 individually, and the first pack rolls out in January, following the full game's launch on December 2. The two exclusive cars are the McLaren 12C and Ferrari 458 Speciale, both available at launch with the Season Pass. Each car pack launches alongside new missions that will be available for all players for free. The Season Pass comes for all Crew systems – PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC – and it's included in the digital Gold Edition, which is not available for Xbox 360. The Crew closed beta for Xbox One and PS4 begins today, November 6, and ends November 10. Those who pre-ordered the game in North America get access to the closed beta, otherwise, try signing up here. [Image: Ubisoft]
Gear up for The Crew with minimum, optimal PC specs
You've got one month to pop your PC's hood and tune its innards for The Crew, Ubisoft's social, open world racer. Optimizing your machine would probably be easier if you knew what sort of performance you're aiming for though, which is where Ubisoft's recent post to the Ubiblog comes in. While a bulletpoint-style breakdown of minimum, recommended and best-case-scenario specs is waiting for you after the break, The Crew will only support 64-bit operating systems and will need a sound card that's up to date with DirectX drivers. Support for Xbox 360 (or similar controllers) will be offered. While laptops that resemble or exceed the recommended specs may be able to run The Crew, Ubisoft notes that such models "have not been exhaustively tested." You don't have to own a competent PC to play The Crew, of course – drivers sporting a PS4 or Xbox One can rev their respective triggers in anticipation for next week's beta. [Image: Ubisoft]
Here are The Crew's PC system requirements
Ubisoft has released the system specs you'll need to play The Crew on your PC. Let's skip right over the quote-unquote minimums and go right to what's recommended, shall we? You should have a Core i5-750 2.66 GHz or a Phenom II X4 940 3.0 GHz (or better), Ubisoft says. Eight gigs of RAM are recommended, as is a GeForce GTX580 or a Radeon 6870 (or better) for your graphics processing. You'll also need a 64-bit version of Windows. Ubisoft's dev blog lists the full requirements including minimums and an optimal setup.
The Crew's PS4 and Xbox One beta starts next week
When Ubisoft pushed back the launch of its upcoming racing game The Crew to December, it revealed plans to hold an additional beta phase around the time the game was previously expected to launch. Today, the publisher announced the PS4 and Xbox One closed beta for The Crew will start next Thursday, November 6 and last through Monday, November 10. The Crew's PS4 and Xbox One beta will allow players to cruise across the country, completing challenges in two of the game's five regions, the Midwest and the East Coast. It will also feature the game's PvP lobby in the dirt and street classes. The closed beta is open to all players, though Ubisoft said some features will require an Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus subscription. Those interested in participating in the beta can register on Ubisoft's official site for the game, and those that pre-order The Crew will be guaranteed access to the beta program. The Crew will launch on December 2 for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. [Image: Ubisoft]
The Crew preps second console beta test for November
Gentlemen and ladies, start your virtual engines! The Crew is preparing to roll out its second closed beta test, starting on November 6th and ending on the 10th. PC players will have to wait in the wings, as this beta test is for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players only. The test will cover two regions of the game, the Midwest and East Coast, and include PvP competitions and both Street and Dirt car specs. The Crew is currently aiming at a December 2nd launch date. [Source: Ubisoft press release]
The Daily Grind: Are you looking forward to The Crew?
I can't wait for Ubisoft's upcoming open world racer called The Crew. I'm not convinced that it's an MMO, but it looks like a nifty combination of online action RPG mechanics and arcade-style driving. And hey, I liked Test Drive Unlimited as well as its sequel, so it's not like I'm hard to please when it comes to car games! What about you, Massively readers? Are you interested in The Crew, or is it outside your gaming wheelhouse? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Crew's latest vid talks mobile mechanics, customization
Ubisoft has released a new video for The Crew, this time focusing on the racing title's customization elements. Much of the video's four-and-a-half-minute running time is devoted to car specs, and you'll recognize the Street, Performance, Raid, Dirt and Circuit nomenclature if you've been following the game. Interestingly, the video mentions that you can swap specs without returning to a garage. You can also make use of a handy mobile mechanic in case you're better at trading paint than you are at clean racing. Click past the cut to watch the new vid.
Ubisoft is bringing The Crew to a college football game near you
Do pseudo-MMOs and college football mix? We'll soon find out since Ubisoft is taking The Crew on a roadtrip to various rivalry games across the country starting this month."Two trucks outfitted with gaming stations will simultaneously tour the country allowing fans from each school to play The Crew and go head to head with their rival school's fans before the big game on Saturday," according to the racing MMO's website. Highlights include the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (otherwise known as Georgia vs. Florida) on November 1st, Florida State vs. Miami on November 15th, and USC vs. UCLA on November 22nd. The Crew launches on December 2nd.
The Crew delayed to December, adds a beta
The Crew is due out worldwide on December 2, rather than its initial release date of November 11, Ubisoft announced today in a press release. Ubisoft will launch a second closed beta on PS4 and Xbox One in November, "giving even more players the opportunity to experience the game, which is something the community has been requesting." Launching the game would also do this, it should be noted. The Crew Creative Director Julian Gerighty offered the following comment on the delay: "Our philosophy remains to deliver the best game possible. We're all committed to delivering a revolutionary experience in the driving genre and we can't wait for The Crew to be in the hands of the players." The Crew was delayed once before. It launches on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Xbox 360 on December 2. [Image: Ubisoft]
The Crew pushed back to December 2
Ubisoft has pushed The Crew's launch date from November 11th to December 2nd. "The extra time will allow for a second closed console beta to be held, giving even more players the opportunity to experience the game, which is something the community has been requesting," Ubisoft's statement read. The open world racer's Xbox One and PlayStation 4 beta is currently ongoing. Gamespot reports that a second closed beta will happen some time in November.
The Crew's console closed beta launches tomorrow
Console closed beta arrives tomorrow for racing MMO The Crew, a tweet from Ubisoft has announced. PS4 and Xbox One players can sign up on the official site to secure a spot in the test. Sorry, Wii U and PS3 stalwarts; the game won't be ported for you. The game's second beta began on PC back in August. It's slated to launch on November 11th.
The Crew closed beta drifts to consoles next week
The Crew will enter its closed beta phase on consoles next Tuesday, September 30. The game took multiple pre-release spins through PC tracks in July and August, but those hoping to be picked to play the game early on PS4 and Xbox One will need to register on Ubisoft's official website for the game. The Crew presents an open-world-style recreation of the United States, or at least as it appears through the window of a car driving at least 80 miles per hour. Following a delay nearly one year ago, The Crew will launch November 11 for PC, Xbox One and PS4. Ubisoft is aiming to reach 60 frames per second on PC, but the game will be locked to 30 fps on consoles. For a lengthy look at The Crew, take a joyride with us in our hour-long archived Joystiq Stream of the PC beta from July, or check out our video preview from April. [Image: Ubisoft]
The Crew fires up a new gameplay trailer
The latest trailer for The Crew might blow your mind. It turns out the game will feature cars. And driving. And... all right, maybe it's all stuff that you've known about if you've followed the game with any sort of enthusiasm up to this point. But it's still a glimpse into how the game will play beyond its cross-country driving. The trailer shows off a great deal of both driving mechanics and interface pieces, giving potential players a clearer picture of what the game will look like in play as well as how the game is meant to be played. If you like the idea of hooking up with other drivers and hitting the road to explore, race, and take out targets, catch a glimpse of the gameplay just past the break.
PAX Prime 2014: Hands-on with The Crew
Ubisoft's The Crew was part of two different booths on the PAX Prime exhibit floor this year, giving ample opportunity to anyone who would like to take a test drive of this online racing game. Being the brave soul that I am and a driver of several years, I got into an elaborate car setup to see if I had the chops to handle such a machine. While we didn't get to see the larger world of the game, I did get to race alongside/against three other players in two mission modes. The first mission, which was prefaced with a short cutscene, had us chasing down a target car to ram into oblivion. The second was a standard street race supposedly set up to prove what an awesome driver I am to an NPC. In both of these, I failed spectacularly to accomplish the goal. I don't think it was necessarily my or the game's fault but the specific game steering wheel used for the demo. It was hyper-responsive and kept jerking around, causing my car to go into unrecoverable fishtails and spins. It was during one of these lovely spinouts that I learned just how indestructible the cars in this game are.
The Crew's closed beta PvP is lobby-based
What's PvP like in The Crew? You can find out if you're playing the PC closed beta this week. If not, you can read the latest news blurb on the racing MMO's website to get the general idea. It says that PvP races are enabled at level 10. Curiously, given Ubisoft's focus on The Crew's open-world design up to this point, the post also mentions that the closed beta's eight PvP races are lobby-based. "The PvP lobbies can be accessed directly from the map," the company says. "The Midwest PvP lobby being in Detroit and the East lobby in New York, both represented by a yellow lozenge."
The Crew races at 30FPS, 1080p on Xbox One, PS4, PC
An Ubisoft representative has let slip the graphical benchmarks the team behind open-world racer The Crew is currently aiming for: 30 frames per second at a resolution of 1080p on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. This revelation comes in response to a forum member's complaints that the PC beta test of the game is locked at 30 frames per second. An Ubisoft community manager stepped in to respond with a succinct rebuttal: "The final game will run in 1080p with 30 frames per second on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, and will support up to 5760 x 1080p on PC for triple screen set-ups," the response reads. "Right now the team is focusing on providing an optimal experience for all players." Later, the community manager would edit the reply to note that the development team is working to reach 60 frames per second on the PC. "We can officially say that we're aiming for 60FPS on PC at launch," he wrote. "Our Beta build is still more performant at 30FPS, but you can expect to play at 60FPS on PC when the game is launched." Whether or not Ubisoft's developers reach the hallowed realm of 60 frames per second remains to be seen. Editing a configuration file in the beta client will remove the game's 30 frames per second cap, but testers attempting that alteration have reported graphical issues, even on high-end PCs. Hopefully Ubisoft will have something more solid by the time The Crew debuts on November 11. [Image: Ubisoft]
Here are some tips for The Crew's closed beta
The Crew's second closed beta starts today for PC players, and Ubisoft has published a list of helpful tips designed to ease you into its open-world racing MMO. You'll find everything from keyboard and controller layouts to detailed instructions for equipping your cars and building a crew of friends on the title's website. You might also want to check out Ubisoft's closed beta walkthrough video. It was originally published in July, but it still applies to the current test. You can view it after the break.
Explore The Crew's gameplay options in new vid
Ubisoft has released a new promotional video for The Crew which highlights the racing MMO's 1900 square mile open world, its highly detailed cities, and its vast swathes of drivable/explorable terrain. "If you can see it, you can drive there," the vid explains. Driving off the beaten path can be profitable, too, as you'll occasionally find car wrecks and junk yards from which you can scavenge rare parts to help further customize your ride. See all that and more in the clip just past the cut.
Ubisoft explains why The Crew isn't coming to PS3, Wii U
As we reported yesterday, Ubisoft's open world racer The Crew is launching on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 platforms this November. The game will not be coming to the PlayStation 3 or Wii U, though. "The Crew is originally built for the new generation of consoles so when we made the decision to port it to the previous generation of consoles, we decided to focus solely on the platform closest to the new-gen's technical infrastructure, which is the Xbox 360," an Ubi rep told VideoGamer. Ubisoft has also announced that closed beta on next gen consoles is coming "in late September."
The Crew coming to Xbox 360
Open world racer The Crew was already scheduled to hit PCs, the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One on November 11th. Now we can add one more platform to that launch date, as Ubisoft has said via press release that the game is also heading to the Xbox 360. The 360 version is being developed by Asobo Studio with assistance from Ivory Tower, Ubisoft Reflections, and Ubisoft Shanghai. Have a look at the game's new "Playground" trailer after the break.
