Game Preview: DriveClub on PlayStation 4

In early 2014 the recently announced PlayStation 4 will reportedly pump mind-melting 3D graphics into our eyeballs at a rate only super humans can comprehend. So it will be a perfect medium for the fast reactions needed by racing game fans as they head to the DriveClub.

Developer Evolution Studios was there when Sony released the PlayStation 3 back in 2006 and is again at the starting line for the release of the PlayStation 4 with this launch title.

As is increasingly the case with modern videogames today - and hence the 'Club' part DriveClub - Sony is playing the social card with this pretty-looking title, making it crucial for players to team up with mates to earn rewards together. Expect to see a lot of hashtags... #driveclub FTW!

"DriveClub is all about you and your friends.  It’s about teamwork; it’s about everyone fighting for one another and earning rewards together – and most importantly it’s about sharing in the sheer thrill of every race," reads the PR spin.

However the game is fundamentally a racing game, so the driving will also be crucial and it will made all the more appealing thanks to exquisitely rendered 3D polygon versions of real world supercars.  

According to Sony, each car in DriveClub is a pleasure to drive, recreated with an insane level of detail and accuracy both inside and out. Better yet, gamers can personally customise the cars in their garage to show off unique looks, which are can used to represent your club’s colours out on the track.

The game will feature real-world "inspired" locations around the globe (which could mean fictional locations) through the usual scenarios engineered for pulse-pounding racing: twisty mountain passes and also fast-paced open freeways.

Clubs will be like clans, and can be created with up to 12 friends or colleagues. Clubs then garner in-game currency by driving in varying events.

Every section of every track offers a new opportunity to face-off with your clubmates and rivals, so there’s always something to race for. You can earn 'fame' for your club by beating rivals' times, smashing high-speed records or pulling off lurid drifts through corners. There's even an option to create custom challenges and gambling also gets a nod as gamers/clubs can up the ante by wagering on the outcome of said challenges.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the DriveClub is its cross-platform compatibility. Indeed, once the PS4 gets too hot and inevitably burns out, or if the real-world beckons, gamers can take DriveClub on the (real) road with the iOS and Android DriveClub app.

The social side of the game allows participants to keep pace with their team mates performance, watch the races live as they happen, set and send challenges, plus check out all of the latest and greatest achievements and clashes from the DriveClub world.

If the game truly does become a social hub for racing game fans, it could set the benchmark for the genre, to be cloned by all games to come, from Forza to Gran Turismo. Time will tell if it's a successful recipe.