Pacific Drive Review - Buy, Wait, Never Touch?"

[@ACGreviews]

Pacific drive is a twisting and turning insanely deep game! Are you getting it? www.patreon.com/AngryCentaurGaming

[@thegamevault1970]

I was on the fence till I saw your review. Pre-ordered.

[@HermannTheGreat]

Nah, looks like it would become depressing with the atmosphere and colors, the repetitively gameplay with a handful of similar biomes.

[@kensmith5108]

Yes steam purchased

[@ThunderGod9182]

it's made the top of my steam wishlist.

[@samsonchan7496]

Added bonus is that it HAS A DEMO! It's a single mission but it means you can check if you can run it and if it feels like your jam :)

[@jonr7364]

i really hope the full game is better optimized. demo ran like ass.

[@jepeman]

@@jonr7364 @2:35 Sure doesn't sound like it.

[@popcornfilms1]

Actually brilliant

[@Doc_Valparaiso]

I hope there's a PS5 demo🙏

[@whittakerman4305]

@@jonr7364 try turning down shadows, worked for me.

[@vahnn0]

I only listened to the couple opening minutes where you said "it only got more unique from there," and left a positive impression from that point. Have to go in completely blind! Seriously really pumped for this weird game.

[@ACGreviews]

I see well enjoy

[@ohnoitisnt666]

There’s no such thing as “more unique” 😂

[@verkpunk]

I'm with you. I try to support the channel by clicking(and patreon) but i already preordered this and I don't want to know more.

[@vahnn0]

@@ACGreviews I came back for a view after I played!

[@JamesSmith-sw3nk]

I had a 1984 Ford LTD station wagon with wood trim as a college student. Body was in perfect shape, the V8 302 had good power for it's time. The only thing wrong with it was the reverse gear didn't work. Luckily I was a near 6'5" 265lbs and lifting heavy weights for football, I could just push the car backwards when needed, lol!

[@ACGreviews]

Right on

[@giroromek8423]

The Zone in Stalker meets the buggy part of Half-life 2

[@lags7164]

This is going to be the most excellent secondary to my current Helldivers 2 primary! I hope, in game, I'll be able to slap fake-wood paneling on the station wagon's sides!

[@ACGreviews]

Hell ya get it abnd leap in its great

[@imkiraL]

Loving Helldivers 2!

[@SL4PSH0CK]

2024 starting with indie reinvigorating the survival genre with mix-genre: palworld, enshrouded, and now Pacific Drive 👏

[@Doc-Glock]

Since the first trailer, I knew Pacific Drive had a chance to be really interesting, and the demo confirmed that for me. It's one of the few games as of late that I've felt secure enough about being good, even enough to pre-order.

[@ACGreviews]

Oh hell ya enjoy

[@unknownuser3000]

Enshrouded, granblue fantasy relink, helldivers 2 are all worth buying in 2024. This year is already better than 2023.

[@OldMateJohn]

@@unknownuser3000 Bold to say after games like Hi Fi Rush, Baldur’s Gate 3, Jedi Survivor, Zelda and Resi 4 came throughout the year. Granblue looks really cool and Helldivers 2 is terrific but Enshrouded is pretty stock standard as it comes for early access survival. I don’t think 2 games alone beat out the quality of 2023

[@ricepony33]

Demo? PS5 or PC?

[@Doc-Glock]

@@ricepony33 PC, via Steam, where the demo's been live since the Steam Next Fest. Not sure about other platforms.

[@judsondelira1412]

Great review. You answered my questions. I was definitely worried about it's simulation depth being shallow. Doesn't appear so at all. Bought as soon as I finished the video. Thank you.

[@zacharron]

Glad to see Pacific Drive getting good reviews. We need more games with unique takes and originality.

[@madclown329]

simulation ✓ survival ✓ car ✓ mystery ✓ everything I want from a game

[@ACGreviews]

Thanks for being here mad

[@iggswanna1248]

no boobs tho

[@thegrimreaper7709]

😢 cc did c c s c c c c!!!@@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-!!!++++++-⁴ 11:44

[@critical-thinker666]

you should apply for work at gas station.

[@CallingAllMadMen]

@@critical-thinker666 lmao

[@joshgarcia4859]

Ah, all of my childhood road trips. Really takes me back!

[@ACGreviews]

Indeed

[@HeathBlythe]

What kind of trips have you been in, man? 🤨

[@joshgarcia4859]

The Pacific Northwest is wild! X-Files did not do it justice.@@HeathBlythe 😆

[@lanta-darren]

I've finally got round to playing this (August 2024) - ACG's review is spot on, and the game has had a few large patches with bug fixes and some new features since release. Its just really good fun. I found the learning curve a bit steep initially, especially the UI, but just roll with the first few missions and let the game explain to you how it works. Most of the negative reviews I've read its folks that have played it for 30 minutes, its not what they expected, then slap on a 1 star Steam review after barely touching it. I feel the game is extremely forgiving to begin with, and *expects* you to screw up. Once I figured that out, I was having a blast.

[@ShonnDaylee]

I just bought the game a few minutes ago. My day off, tomorrow, will be dedicated to getting to grips with the game. You see, I live in the Pacific Northwest (just north of Seattle, WA). I'm also a huge fan of games like Outer Wilds, Firewatch, Dear Esther, What Remains of Edith Finch, etc... So, the games setting, art style, themes, gameplay loop, etc... all fit perfectly into what I like out of a modern gaming experience. I am super excited to jump in!

[@TrueWodzu]

So, how is the game?:)

[@LieDetectorMusic]

I like the prominent visual you used to indicate that the game is a "Buy". Nice touch

[@aaronwright6891]

The game 100% needs checkpoints. Individual drives are too long for many people to be able to commit to. Before anyone tries to say "oh but it is a roguelite." You can still maintain the same feel with checkpoints. Something like failure is also a checkpoint would basically resolve the issue.

[@chrisw1555]

Adding a Supernatural reference into a review? I'm sold!

[@TheProphegy]

This game looks pretty sick and original. Surprised it only has a 72 on metacritic right now. I think you convinced me to buy it.

[@clayor124]

From what I've seen from looking it other reviews, some reviews seem to have found the scavenging to be just a bit to frustrating/tedious. Seems to be the major thing affecting whether people found it really good or just okay.

[@brian13un]

Tried this during Next Fest, glad it delivered. Excited for the full game later :)

[@Captain.AmericaV1]

Not for me personally, but i can see it selling well and appealing to many with its interesting concept. Unlike Skull & Cutscenes. 😂😂

[@scout9593]

One of my favorite details in the game is the little blinking sign yelling at you to “DRIVE!” when you open a portal back to the garage

[@otherreality]

Still cant decide on this. Looks great and all, but im kinda worried its overcomplicated and eventually get uninstalled.

[@randomcro24]

I'm the same but just bought it on ps5 let me know if u want update

[@LoneStarr240]

Once again..... Best reviewer on KZbin! Excellent work!

[@BloopsnBleeps]

I was working my shoe sales job in 1998 in salt lake city. I saw Victor walk oast the store while helping two ladies. I looked st them and said, I know this is unprofessional but I just saw my hero walk past and ran out to grab him. I stopped him and asked if he'd be willing to come sign something for me in the store. He said absolutely and was extremely kind. Made my year as a 16 year old.

[@william41017]

This should be in VR

[@LordChAoS667]

Great Review, can't wait to jump in! VR version would be incredible

[@ACGreviews]

Fingers crossed!

[@spence6195]

I had to pre-order Pacific Drive, it seems awesome. I'm glad there are good indie games in a world were garbage like Skull & Bones are shat out

[@mowbr1]

As always, thanks for the reviews. Cannot wait to get this. Appreciate all your hard work.

[@prettyflowers9956]

The lack of save issue is a big one. This mistake makes this a wait for a sale game for me. Games need to respect people's time.

[@samueltheprideofafrikarobi9319]

Karak, I swear to God that you ALWAYS give me enough information to be the deciding factor in a purchase! And this time is no exception. I'm pre-ordering my PS5 copy of Pacific Drive from Play-Asia as we "speak". There's something about the way this game presents itself that reminds me of Oxenfree...and I adore that.

[@TacticalShed]

Honestly, Pacific Drive looks just like the average Top Gear special, and I love it!

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

I thought the demo was fun, but I somehow still have a problem doing first person stuff with a controller - though driving with a keyboard has never been a good plan. So I just kept switching back and forth like a psychopath. I was also concerned with all of those sentient creature things coming to get me, but it seemed like they're focused on the car rather than the player. I don't know if that's the way it is throughout the game, but it made the whole thing a lot more appealing for me since I don't like horror games.

[@EvEnMoR]

Can't wait for this one. Had my eye on it for awhile....so refreshing to see something different, creative and innovative ....so much of the industry(AAA especially) feels so stale, greedy, agenda-driven, and creatively bankrupt. There's been so many releases yet very few purchases despite having every platform at my disposal....So it's great to see smaller studios and titles beginning to buck that trend and fill the void of good quality single player experiences. Congrats to the developers. You've earned my purchase 🫡

[@ACGreviews]

Hell ya

[@UnlikelyDesigner]

Pre ordered Pacific Drive through GMG for about $15 off. After playing the demo, I can't wait to dive deeper!

[@cartermelon]

how in the world did you get it for $15 off?! Sounds like a no brainer to me!

[@RedheadJack]

I live on the Olympic peninsula and this game captures the serene beauty here perfect! Love this wierd gorgeous game

[@stramasher2953]

Will be all over this Thursday. Been avoiding spoilers. So will be only listening to your review later!

[@ACGreviews]

thabnks for watching

[@jonr7364]

yup, watched skillup review since hes usually good about avoiding spoilers but he pretty much blew the whole thing with no warning. kind of a dick move.

[@thegameslave2]

I've been wanting more car centric games like this for a while. I hope we get more stuff like this in the future. Also, I know why you only drive the station wagon, since it's basically alive or an entity or whatever, but I would love for DLC where you can drive some different vehicles. I'm sure they could figure out a way to explain that story-wise. I think the only thing aside from that I'd like is some form of combat outside of the car, but this still looks like a good survival experience, and a good time. Like you said, atmosphere is important here, and I think Ironwood did a good job with that, and the way the car handles looks great. Can't wait to check this out, because I love survival games, and I love car games, and I love sci-fi anomaly games, and all that wrapped up into a single game is right up my alley.

[@ACGreviews]

I can imagine tons of dlc for this

[@stanislavkimov2779]

I was really waiting for this game. It looks really great. This is actually how games should be: not a stagnating corporate AAA blockbuster, but a smaller more unique and lovingly made game that is actually fun and atmospheric.

[@SkydazeSP]

Hell yes! Been waiting on this one! Thanks @ACGreviews!

[@ACGreviews]

you bet

[@JackWse]

So we had a bit of snow and ice a few days ago, and I remember this weird joy of busting through the built up snow dividing the lanes, where I would have no traction... Just waiting and hoping that I would get something to go forward because turning the wheel further would just make it worse... Some of the most fun I've had driving in a while.

[@joergbock1976]

Your preview and the demo already sold it to me :D I am glad you like the final product too. Looking forward to it.

[@bryanbayne1194]

Had my eye on this since it was announced. Taking a chance on the pre-order after seeing some previews. Loving how it looks!

[@Fe6b0lA]

Even in the demo my ps5 controller had responsive triggers from the get-go, which is freaking amazing. Game seems awesome.

[@BigBoss-dr5hd]

The one review channel that must be supported. Thumbs up 👍🏻

[@ACGreviews]

thanks

[@michaelschneider1365]

this and extream mudrunner seem worth it this year.

[@ACGreviews]

oh ya

[@FireManiac58]

FINALLY, I've been wanting a game like this for so long with a persistant vehicle and good exploration. Great review I think I'll buy it day 1

[@Maelferis]

Roadside Picnic + My Summer Car was a mix I never knew I needed, but now I can't get enough of it

[@Baseballgear7]

I didn't know anything about this game, but after watching your review I'm extremely interested. Thanks again for a great review.

[@ACGreviews]

you bet baseball

[@ElijahNMitchell]

I love your reviews as you really tell it like it is. That said, I RARELY hear you call something a “definite buy”! Definitely going to grab it now!

[@myles5388]

Loving it so far, only thing I would change is the Ui/hud, for a game heavily reliant on atmosphere having little to no hud is a must for me. Apart from that little gripe it’s great

[@BitLyrist]

Love the atmosphere and ideas here - created something pretty special with this title

[@ACGreviews]

I agree it is just something unique

[@blokin5039]

The second review of this game I've seen and very positive but on opencritic and metacritic it doesn't do stellar.

[@rd-um4sp]

yeah, I was mid on the steam next fest. Then there was Pacific Drive, Children of the sun and Cryptmaster. Worth it

[@Sirthatguy]

Just watched skill up compare it to the feeling you get while playing Subnautica, and now watching yours I'm sold. Insta buy.

[@ACGreviews]

Subnautica?

[@Sirthatguy]

@@ACGreviews in the sense of exploration into the unknown and the accomplishment in the journey in itself.

[@Squid9708]

Great review! I preordered this last week and this review made me even more excited to play it!

[@ACGreviews]

Glad to hear it!

[@Doc_Valparaiso]

Congrats ACG for reawakening my interest in AA gaming. Watched the Banishers review, decided to finally play Vampyr, and am enjoying being LA Noir Dr House sans vicodin for blood. I'll at least try PD's demo. If I like it I'll have to figure out how I'm going to juggle PD, and Vampyr, all the while keeping current in this season of Division 2 (another ACG recommendation).😅

[@anytng2077]

The only problem is that this game requires great hardware on your PC. If not, you can say goodbye to 60+ fps.

[@HaydenEvanoff]

It’s by far, more performance expensive than Starfield. What a shock! They have suggested performance improvements for PC are coming soon, will have to wait and see. In the meantime, was a strong push for me to upgrade my CPU which was bottlenecking my GPU. Will be interesting to see if that changes anything for me.

[@acktreptow]

How is the story? I don’t need something deep but it’s gotta be somewhat interesting. Otherwise I think I’ll get bored after a few runs if there’s no real point to them.

[@KasiresHK47]

Thanks for the great coverage of releases as always!

[@kemvaarafterhours]

I've been playing demo. I tried it with UEVR injector and I must say that playing it in VR is just on another level. The main complain for me was just that I've expected more driving and exploration in car but in demo most of the time I was just walking and gathering stuff and car was more of a mobile storage. I'm not a big fan of open worlds but I think this title would really benefit from bigger open map. Maybe rather than just finding the orb and teleporting to base we could set up fast travel points and then rather than just selecting another mission from map we could drive there from our last checkpoint going deeper and deeper into the unknow... and the storm rather than activating after using the orb could be cyclic event. Then we could decide if we want to gather resources or go and try to get into next checkpoint before the storm. then there could be some mechanic that would allowed us to stay in storm a bit longer witch would allow us to find rare things inside storm or go further away that is usually possible. I'm still going to buy and play it but man I'm not sure if I manage to get rid of that feeling of wasted potential

[@ACGreviews]

True

[@joker927]

Is there a setting to remove the highlight border around interactive objects? I'm interested in a more immersive mode.

[@TheRealJohnMadden]

Honestly, one of the best games I’ve played in a long time. As much as I love the junction and highway feature, I would love an interconnected world. Being able to drive between everything and really have to manage resources would be awesome.

[@bridgesbane7032]

As someone who lives in the Pacific Northwest. This is indeed what I go through daily.

[@ACGreviews]

hahah yes

[@mrdubtee1873]

Appreciate your videos brother, always a joy to come hang. Cheers!

[@ACGreviews]

Thank you !

[@nickwarne]

Excellent review as always. Appreciate you

[@ACGreviews]

Thanks for watching

[@johannesmagnusson4529]

This might be what I'll spend my time with until FF7R comes out. Thanks for the review!

[@ACGreviews]

you bet

[@kingkurtzig]

After driving numerous old bangers in offroad rallies around the world this was a pre-purchase for me and I even have the day off on the 22nd 😃😃

[@jimmymcgreason]

A friend and I were just talking about this this morning, and this probably just sold me on it. This game looks bonkers.

[@ACGreviews]

it is a damned good game

[@ChocolatesAndChai]

“Reminding you that anything can and will happen. And that the sun always loses….” 😢😢😢

[@ACGreviews]

I knew that might hit folks in the feels

[@Chardan001]

I'll definitely check out the demo. Seems like a big screen experience so not sure how my Legion Go will handle it.

[@ACGreviews]

it works but on low settings

[@Chardan001]

Thanks man. So long as I can keep those mirrors and shadows I'm golden. Appreciate the review too. You've always had such a distinct yet clear style

[@salariqbal]

Amazing review like always! Been looking forward to this game

[@ACGreviews]

You and me both!

[@HeinSmit1]

Thanks for the review! Been looking forward to this and I can tell you really digged it

[@ACGreviews]

My pleasure!

[@HeinSmit1]

Was not a fan of the deluxe dlc so didn't go for it, but seeing the glow in the dark effect is doing something to my monkey brain, but will resist lol

[@adrianastrolux]

Super intrigued by this one - seems like it has a sense of mystery and discovery like Outer Wilds. I'm in

[@AndyMick]

Pre ordered a few days ago I've been looking forward to this game ever since I first heard about it thanks for the review

[@JammedClipper]

Amazing review!!! Will definitely check this out when I have time thanks

[@imkiraL]

Man this game seems sweet, but I just bought Helldivers 2 and Granblue Fantasy relink so I will be holding off till later in the year.

[@wille84fin]

Finally, something up my alley. A bit worried about that 4090 performance though. Only DLSS? No XeSS/FSR2/FSR3?

[@thedudewhoeatspianos]

This is my most anticipated game of the year

[@FrankyDonutz]

great video as usual! pretty excited for this one

[@ACGreviews]

Thanks!

[@TMX1014]

Does it have a photomode?

[@bananasean5145]

It sucks I have to wait 6 weeks for the physical copy of this but at least i have Ultros to hold me over till then.

[@ACGreviews]

Ultros is good

[@bananasean5145]

@@ACGreviews agreed. People were upset about the rouge lite aspects but after one loop ive already permanent locked 9 abilitys. I also found a really fun exploit with the air dash that gives you 2 frames to jump from if you ar holding up and when combined with wall jump you can gain momentum and get almost anywhere. I haven't uploaded my clips cus im afraid the devs will patch it.

[@BrandonHeat243]

Rather disappointing to hear that the game has performance issues even on a 4090. As someone with a 3080 TI this is not the sort of game I would expect to struggle to run on ultra.

[@ACGreviews]

Luckily you can get it stable its just a couple options low than I think it probably should need

[@PsychCoffee]

This looks great! Thanks for the review!

[@eiadtarabulsi]

I'm digging what I'm seeing so far. Pacific Drive looks really interesting and unique. Solid review as always! Thanks, Karak! God bless and stay safe!

[@ACGreviews]

Thanks!

[@eiadtarabulsi]

@@ACGreviews No problem!

[@zaryel1337]

Loving the atmosphere in this one. Thanks for the review!

[@ACGreviews]

You bet!

[@bme2ri2t]

Been looking forward to this one! ❤

[@ACGreviews]

its a great one

[@dailotan]

Nice Supernatural reference. Great show!

[@QueensErik]

This is a pleasant surprise on a Tuesday morning. Thanks Karak!

[@ACGreviews]

you bet

[@Miligoran]

Can't wait for this one! Hope it runs decent on the PS5.

[@ACGreviews]

Not bad some stutters

[@nuno.craveiro]

@@ACGreviewsi bought it because of this review and it runs between 20-50 fps, totally unstable. Shame cuz i really like the concept but yeah I regret the purchase and I honestly think you should have mentioned it better. "Not bad some stutters" definitely does not represent how it runs on ps5.

[@lurtz8656]

My friend recommended i get this game because it seemed to have a "me vibe" when he saw it. One of my favorite art books of all time is Electric State by Simon Stalenhag. This. Game. Hits. That. Vibe. Sooooooooo hard, its so, so successful in nailing it.

[@chacachaca11]

I am worried about those performance issues as i am on ps5. My pc is just too weak for me to bother playing on that. Going to seek some console reviews. thanks for the vid regardless. it sounds like a great game regardless

[@MrMightyZ]

This game seems to be made with care by experts hands and I freaking love the teleportation effect. I’m like a cat with laser pointer over that one effect. (I’m a simple man) But it gets my award for weirdest disparity between its appearance on a 4090 VS its performance on a PS5 especially when it looks so similar that in a 4K comparison I often couldn’t tell which was which. It looks like you’ll want VRR if you play on PS5 but given that the experience is going to be extremely comparable. As far as I can tell. Which is odd.

[@evolancer211]

I completely forgot about this game, can't wait to try it

[@Rx_PillPusher]

What a unique title, really want to give this one a shot. Any word on how it performs on PS5?

[@Rx_PillPusher]

Found the answer to my question below 😅 wishlisted!

[@ricardorego4139]

Steam forums post demo mentioned that similar to Returnal, this suffered from no mid-run save and that runs are long and non-interruptible by general life. Is this the case in the final game?

[@ACGreviews]

some runs are 15 minutes some are longer. It for sure doesn't have a mid run save as thats the whole point

[@ricardorego4139]

@@ACGreviews got it, good to know. Appreciate the reply. At least I now know this one ain't for me in that case!

[@nosamaj]

Not a game I am going to get chance to play any time soon, but your reviews always make for good watching.

[@ACGreviews]

Thanks

[@kigeruse]

might give this one a try at some point to many games im playing right now.

[@ACGreviews]

Thanks kig

[@bugsb70]

Thanks for the review. I’m going to like this game as I become acclimated to the system. Starts out as a little clunky for me. Then I realize I need to go back and do some things I could have done before.

[@PaulDean]

I absolutely love the "pissy buffalo" comment. Perfect.

[@C-M-E]

Back when this debuted, it looked like a cross of The Long Drive via Mad Max, Control and a dash of Half Life. Definitely got my attention, but the longevity looks rather limited. We shall see!

[@ACGreviews]

Ya sorta I can see that comparison

[@DeadSpaceMartyr90]

This looks cool. Wish VR grabbed me as much as gameplay trailers do.