Gravel PS4 Review
Credits
We have only used two months in 2018 and Milestone has already released a couple of games. The likes of Monster Energy Supercross and now with Gravel it is the turn to see how it is given to the Italian studio to create a new IP, something that was not done since Ride in the already distant 2015 . In addition, far from the simulation attempt that tries to be the general tone in this games, with Gravel Milestone it enters the style of arcade game offering a frenetic experience in which to destroy obstacles, take shortcuts and leave behind the rules to win.
The Changes
Moving away from the "seriousness" that is presupposed to a licensed video game, which is usually the specialty of Milestone, with Gravel take much more freedoms in a game that embraces the pure arcade and in which we probably have more problems in removing the seal of the cover that in doing with the steering wheel of the different vehicles that conform their different categories.
Moving away from the classic trajectory of Milestone, which always makes us create an avatar to start from the top and reach the top, Gravel has given a twist that feels pretty good to the main modality of this driving arcade . Framed within the Off-Road Masters, Gravel really refers to a fictional television channel dedicated to the craziest driving , which follows the development of a series of contenders to become the king of off-piste driving.
The 4 different categories
For this, the game segments its tests according to 4 different categories: Stadium Circuit, Wild Rush, Speed Cross and Cross Country. Each of them has a current champion, so our ultimate goal will be to unseat them from their own specialty and thus confirm us as the definitive "Off-Road Master". In between, we have a series of pre-set tournaments that make up each of the episodes of this show full of speed and adrenaline and that make use of the star rating system, very common in mobile games, but increasingly implemented in "older" games "
In the upper part of the screen we will find the Gravel timeline, which will indicate which episodes have been completed in their entirety, which ones have not been completed and those that have only been partially completed. To access the next episode in search of crowning us as champions of the program, the Off-Road Master , we will be shown a number of determined stars that we can achieve in the order that best suits us.
Although this system of progress seems right to us to test the different locations that the program has to offer (the Pacific, Namibia, Alaska, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Florida, Franciacorta, Mont Blanc, Latvia, etc.) as well as the different moments in the day, the way in which the objectives are rewarded is almost always the same : 3 stars if we win the race, 2 if we do podium and one to complete the test, assuring us that if one of them resists we can continue in another episode trying fortune. In this sense, additional objectives related to our driving would have been quite good. It is something that Forza Horizon 3 successfully implements and that not only pushes us to win, but to do it according to certain conditions.
The 50 circuits available
In the 50 circuits available , which really are a series of variants of larger circuits, we will find competition tests against rivals and against the clock. In fact, if it were not for all its locations are here and there and are not adjacent, an open world that would unite the experience would not even be painted. On the competitive side against other pilots we will have both tests in circuit with several laps or sprints from end to end. Another variant is the elimination tests, which approximately every 30 seconds are taken out of the race to the last classified at that moment.
As for the tests against time, there is the classic time trial in which to complete a path in less than target time and a rather interesting variant called Smash-Up, which shows that there may still be some originality in the genre . This type of test presents a series of signs in our path that we have to go through. If it's green, we'll go through it normally. If it is red, it will slow down our speed. If we skip a block of signals we will return a few meters before. The peculiarity of this mode is that until a few meters before reaching the signals will not illuminate their appropriate color. The result is that the plot to follow is totally unpredictable and random from one attempt to another.
Gameplay
Something quite striking, and not for good, is the feeling of imbalance of difficulty between the tests against AI and those against the clock . While the first end up being simple to the greatest extent, with constant and obvious facilities on the part of the AI, who will not hesitate to do the kamikaze to hit the edge or leave us inside to overtake in the curves, the chronometer times, especially in Smash-Up they end up being so tight for a game without an apparent ideal line that they artificially frustrate and their stars, at least in our case, are the ones that have cost us the most.
According to the performance in the race, including jumps, skids and speed, we will be assigned a series of show points . These act as the EXP of the game, raising the level of our pilot and giving us access to new vehicles and decorations for them. In this sense, the progression system feels somewhat limited, with few incentives to continue and keep competing over time, since at least 50 pilot levels are available. One of the complaints is the clear lack of content with respect to the vehicles that we can drive. Within the 7 available categories there is a total of 40 cars and trucks once unlocked all, a ridiculous figure taking into account that possible competitors like Forza incorporate a virtual garage of more than 400. And Gravel comes out at full price as well.
Especially indicated for a game of such ease of handling is to enter the domains of your online. The multiplayer for up to 8 players presents a selection of competitive modalities and others that Mario Kart 8 would encompass within the "Battle" mode. During the matchmaking - with too much time lost between games, incidentally - we will be allowed to vote among 8 alternatives of checkpoint circuit , sprint, capture the flag and King Run . The latter places a crown in the middle of a delimited circular stage and the player who crowns will have to keep his trophy as long as possible to accumulate score.
Sound
As for the sound, on this occasion we recovered the dubbing of Castilian. In a game of this hooligan style, a phrase that serves as a thread for the television program (which is never recreated as such, but is the background of the experience) is appreciated and the voice chosen seems jovial enough and successful Of course, it would not have been more to invest a bit of money on commercial issues, because of all the Milestone games, there is not one that more loudly asks for licensed music than Gravel , because its soundtrack consists of its mix of electric guitar and electronic music.
Additional Info
Counting that there are already three games that have made use of Unreal Engine 4 by Milestone (MXGP3 and Monster Energy Supercross before this), Gravel can be in turn the best and worst use of the graphic engine of Epic Games . At times it is a brilliant game, with correct lighting or visual effects in adverse weather - snow and rain - quite credible. However, in its 40 vehicles we will find a level that does not measure up.
It is understandable that Milestone does not have the same budget as Turn 10 and Playground Games to represent the Forzavista, but in Gravel the vehicles are well below The Crew: Wild Rush, Need for Speed Payback, DiRT 4 and other contemporary games that are resemble the style of the Italian studio for its off-road cut. The level of detail is quite poor and the textures are quite blurry, causing that they do not have the definition that we know the graphic engine can achieve and that we have seen in other types of games of all kinds. Even worse is the system of representation of damages, which dents the car in an artificial way, as if it were plasticine.
With the scenarios we will also find this "lime and sand" . There are some scenarios like Las Vegas that shine both on the track and on your horizon with the Strip. On the other hand, some territories like Namibia feel very empty and in others like Alaska we see a popping of textures of vegetables that, for what to cheat, is quite shabby in full 2018 (and we have played the PS4 Pro version, which on PS4 can that is accentuated).
Game Details
Genre: Racing, Sports
Developer: Milestone S.r.l.
Publisher: Milestone S.r.l.
Release Date: 27 Feb, 2018
System Requirements
MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit or later
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500, AMD FX-8100 or equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 with 2 GB VRAM or more / AMD Radeon HD 7950 with 2 GB VRAM or more
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 15 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX compatible
RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit or later
Processor: Intel Core i7-2600, AMD FX-8350 or equivalent
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 with 4 GB VRAM or more | AMD Radeon R9 380 with 4 GB VRAM or more
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 15 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX compatible
Conclusion
Gravel is undoubtedly the most fun medium-term game of all those Milestone has developed in recent years. The absence of license allows the Italian studio to unleash creativity and the trajectory mode "Off-Road Masters" has a quite successful approach thanks to the background of television program and the structuring by stars for the progression. Their problems are mainly in the lack of content in terms of vehicles that we can drive and in certain graphic defects that had been left behind for the Italian studio seeing the visual result with the Unreal Engine 4 of MXGP3 and Monster Energy Supercross.
Happy Gaming!!!!
Wow, it looks like needforspeed, if am right. Great game with excellent viewing.