Developer/Publisher M2H has had a busy weekend. Not only did the studio port its party game, Marooners, to the Nintendo Switch, the studio’s goofy racing title, Crash Drive 2, was also brought to the portable device on the same day. A few missed opportunities could have brought much more to the portable device, but Crash Drive 2 on the Switch is a move that makes perfect sense given its overall gameplay style.
Driving Miss Crazy
Crash Drive 2 provides players with an open world to drive around and wreak havoc in, participating in stunts, races, and other challenges that award money which can be used to purchase new vehicles and maps. There’s really not much more to it than that. Crash Drive 2 is just one of those games where you can turn your brain off and go wild in the playground-style levels while unlocking extras.
One of the best things about Crash Drive 2 is its online multiplayer mode. Players are dropped right into the action upon starting a new game, driving around the open world with other online players and competing against them. Some of the various challenges include races, King of the Crown (with the player holding onto the crown the longest being the victor), and collecting the most amount of coins in a given amount of time.
What’s odd in regards to the game’s multiplayer mode is the fact that there’s no local multiplayer option. Crash Drive 2 seems like it would lend itself well for a split-screen type of local multiplayer mode along the same lines as Twisted Metal. So, that absence seems like a weird missed opportunity, especially since that feature would bring a new element to the Switch version of the game.
Portable Preference
Crash Drive 2 definitely feels like a game that was made in 2013. It looks as good on the Nintendo Switch as one might expect from such an older title, with simple graphic designs and textures that I thought would probably also pass for a good-looking mobile game.
This thought, in fact, led me to the Apple App Store to see if Crash Drive 2 actually was a mobile game, and lo and behold, it is indeed. After spending some time in the app version of the game, I can confirm that the Switch version is definitely the best portable version of the title.
The lone camera angle for the player is a bit too close for my liking (and actually caused me to get a little bit of motion sickness). It makes sense for only one camera angle to be available on mobile devices, but it seems like another missing feature that the Switch version could have capitalized on. Being able to zoom out a little bit, or entering the cabin for a first-person look, has been done similar Switch games. Adding that feature would have elevated Crash Drive 2’s gameplay for me, primarily by allowing me to play for longer periods at a time.
Crash Drive 2 is a harmless game that provides plenty of chances for players to have fun when in need of some mindless driving action. Unfortunately, in terms of on-the-go gameplay, it’s the missed opportunities that could have made the Switch version of the game stand out from the mobile version. One thing is for sure, though: if given a choice, I would - without hesitation - choose to play Crash Drive 2 over other similar racing games on the Switch like Monster Jam Steel Titans.
A Switch copy of Crash Drive 2 was provided to TheGamer for this review. Crash Drive 2 is available now for Android/iOS devices, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Crash Drive 2