Fast & Furious: Crossroads

Fast & Furious Crossroads is yet another uninspired licensed game with lousy driving mechanics, dated graphics and a short, forgettable story. The few unique ideas Slightly Mad Studios does bring to the table, like the ability to easily switch between multiple drivers with unique gadgets and an original multiplayer experience, are bogged down by too many boring missions and droll writing that saps away at most of the opportunities for anything resembling excitement.

With the petrolhead pedigree of Slightly Mad Studios, I expected far, far better of Fast & Furious Crossroads. There are certainly glimpses of a game that respects the film franchise as much as fans do, with a well-curated vehicle roster, some familiar sequences that riff on the some of the most memorable moments from the movies, and the occasional cheeky wink at the audience, but overall Fast & Furious Crossroads is a short and superficial relic of a previous generation.

Many of us lived through the era of video games that was overflowing with bad movie-to-game adaptations, and Crossroads is a pointed reminder of those days, showing just how far games have come since then. It’s a mess of a game that hones in on why the Fast movies are great, but will make you want to put the controller down to watch one of those movies instead.

Perhaps the biggest frustration, coming to Crossroads as a Fast & Furious fan, is those glimpses of what could have been, and seeing an enjoyable enough slice of series lore being under-served so severely by the game behind it. In a saner, less cruel world Crossroads might have been put to rest when it became clear it just wasn't going to work - as it is, it's just been left to limp out in this sorry, sorry state. What a disappointment.

While sixty bucks might be a big ask for most, anybody who's longed for a return to dumb mid-aughts car games, or anyone who broke down into heaving sobs at the end of Furious 7, will likely get their money's worth from this one. Plus, you get to play as Michelle Rodriguez. C'mon. What more could you want?

Another deeply disappointing Fast & Furious game that’s all the more upsetting because of the obvious talent it wastes in terms of both developer and cast.