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Cars can do strange things to men, and none stranger than what happened to Matt Southern as he revealed Evolution Studios' DriveClub on-stage at the dawn of the PlayStation 4. "We've modelled the direction of each metallic flake of paint in multiple layers," he drooled, explaining the exquisite detail on each of DriveClub's cars. "We've emulated each thread of the weave of the carbon fibre!" By this point Southern's eyes had darkened into slick pools of car oil; you could sense him muttering the hum of a straight 6 to himself under his breath. "Even the suede and carpet have a fibre direction map!"All that detail might have been obscured by an infamously stuttering start, and of course Evolution Studios has since been shuttered and its staff subsumed by Codemasters, yet despite its early failings DriveClub came to be cherished by many; an arcade racer with a remarkably pure heart and astounding visuals, it blossomed into one of the PlayStation 4's finest exclusives. DriveClub VR finds itself in an odd position, poised to take a posthumous victory lap for one of the generation's stranger success stories. It doesn't quite pan out that way.
Still, all that detail that was pored over at DriveClub's reveal has never been better served. DriveClub VR's cockpits are the real stars here, lovingly recreated cabins that help immerse you totally in your environment. It's an incredible interactive automotive showroom where you can smell acres of premium plastic and fresh leather, where you can lean in and read the digital dials or simply appreciate the lurid finish of a Pagani's dashboard. There's a premium feel to this part of DriveClub VR that matches the subject matter - the artistry on display here is exquisite.
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