"A Driving Playground," So Says The Game Itself
Video game bundles are always an intriguing treat for gamers as it's impossible to know what to expect upon purchase. It was through a recent game bundle via Fanatical that I found about Crash Drive 3. Even looking at the screenshots I wasn't sure what to expect. Was it a racing game? An exploration title? Stunt racer? All of the above?
The correct answer was truely 'all of the above' as Crash Drive 3 was a playlist of many events rolled into one. This wasn't the only game I picked up from the Fanatical bundle so there will be many more first impressions to come. For now, let's look at the vehicular party game with explosive ambitions.
Tony Hawk's Pro Driver
Upon starting the game, Crash Drive 3 drops you in the middle of a lobby on a Western-inspired map. The tutorial asks the player to complete several basic tasks. These include accelerating their car, braking, drifting, and doing basic stunts. While this is going on, a countdown will appear detailing the next event. For me, it was a race event in which I wound up getting third place. It was a fun checkpoint race, but I needed a tutorial to finish.
As I was in the middle of finishing the tutorial, another event was in a queue. This time, the event asked the drivers in the lobby to hit a beach ball. Whoever had the most points by the end of the timer won the event. It was then I made the perfect comparison, which segues into the title of this post. Crash Drive 3 is a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater lobby and here are the reasons why I came to this conclusion.
Chase A Beach Ball One Moment, Play Cops And Robbers The Next
Beginning with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, online lobbies were as important in the series as the base game itself. These lobbies pit players in one of the many levels and a "playlist" of events awaited players. Events including a Combo Challenge, Grafitti Challenge, and "Best Trick" were one of many in rotation. Players could explore an expansive map that they could trick to their heart's content if they wished as well. The same mentality exists in Crash Driver 3, with enough stunts to compare itself to a Hot Wheels title.
When I came to this realization, I became more impressed with its player base. The game has been out for almost a year and yet there's still an ample number of players online. It was then I realized that Crash Drive 3 is cross-platform. There's support among all platforms including console, Switch, PC, and Mobile. In the following screen captures, you can see the platform each driver is playing on from the icon next to their name. There's Switch, mobile, PC, and others all in one lobby and I found that to be impressive. It also widens the net of potential players by a lot.
The Quality Of Gameplay Depends On How Long The Player Plays
There's always someone to play against as the wider the net increases for its players. The simple controls make it so that there's an even playing field for everyone involved. It was also here that I realized that the game was meant to be one to play as a means to chill out. There's no story, progression is tied to how well you do in these random playlists of events, and you spend your hard-earned money on cars and upgrades. It's something players dive in, get their stunts in, and events as well for an hour at a time. The player starts off in the Wild West but as they progress they will enter a Forest map, an Arctic map, and lastly the moon.
As mentioned, Crash Drive 3's investment depends on how much the player wishes to invest their time in what's essentially a glorified stunt arena. The fact that there's at least a full room of players that awaits the player helps a lot. It means that there's always a guaranteed number of players to not make a lobby empty.
Crash Drive 3 Is A Fun Multiplayer Experience That Doesn't Overcompensate
As the player progresses in objectives, they will slowly unlock the many vehicles available. There are over 40 cars available meaning that there's always something unique to drive. Overall, it's a fun title that players can explore to their heart's content. With little in the way of an objective or a "story," it's literally a way to play with some friends and make some new ones among several vast car arenas.
Overall, it's a fun game to play whether in a lobby of people, which is made possible thanks to cross-platform capabilities. It's also equally as fun in a solo venture although unlocking new maps requires players to explore every inch of existing maps. Crash Drive 3 may not have a story, a way to select events individually, and is barebones. It proves that a fun game doesn't need to be a "total package" to be worth the player's time.
Crash Drive 3 is available on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.