The Crew: Motorfest

The Crew Motorfest is a robust racer with a confident sense of style, but its smaller map lacks life, its multiplayer isn't really worth the wait, and its omnipresent microtransaction opportunities are still tedious.

An open-world Hawaii and a generously spirited racer, chafed by always-online irritations and a lack of originality.

Forza mimicry aside, the improved handling and visuals, along with Grand Race mode, are a revelation.

An open world racer that gets better the more you play it, revealing a wealth of high-quality racing in a beautiful, technically spectacular Hawaii. While it lacks originality, it is better than Forza Horizon 5 in several ways.

The Crew Motorfest is the best in the series to date. While some may miss the enormous US map of old, O'ahu makes for a much more inviting setting with its tropical vibes and varied environments. The handling has never been better either, somehow feeling good no matter what you're driving. A wealth of things to see and do is made manageable thanks to the addictive Playlists, although some presentation decisions can make the game feel a little scattershot sometimes. Even with a couple of potholes, though, Motorfest is an entertaining drive and, knowing Ubisoft's track record with live service, will only get better over time.

The Crew Motorfest is an acceptable reproduction of the Forza Horizon concept. If you focus on the thematic playlists and roam the colorful open world listening to the radio, you’ll get a lot of mileage out of the game. There’s enough content here to last you well over 20 hours between events and exploration. However, apart from the ability to change vehicle types on the fly, the game is unfortunately short on original ideas. The limited multiplayer, lack of compelling side activities, and restricted crossplay also hold The Crew Motorfest back from passing the finish line ahead of the curve.

The Crew Motorfest is easily the best entry in the series to date and serves as a new launching point for the franchise.

I can finally say it: Forza Horizon has competition, and serious competition at that. The Crew Motorfest came in strong, offering an amazing map paired with highly satisfying gameplay and excellent visual presentation. Ivory Tower has finally hit the sweet spot for its franchise, and I sincerely hope they continue on this path, as the future of The Crew looks incredibly bright.

Hawaii Five Oh!

The Crew: Motorfest is just that, a celebration of (almost) all things that have a motor. There are a ton of cars from dozens of manufactures, even a DeLorean which I am currently saving for. I am not a race guy, but I had a lot of fun with Motorfest, especially once I unlocked the vehicle switching. Being able to go from a car into a plane at the press of a button is dope, while I wish the developers had tuned the controls for all the vehicles instead of just focusing on the cars; I never had a real issue controlling the planes, boats or off-road vehicles. But if you are looking to catch some beautiful Hawaiian sun, drive some of the most beautiful cars you’ve ever seen, then The Crew Motorfest might be for you.