Many gamers thought that the previous iterations, prior to Need for Speed Shift were less than stellar. Shift was a successful revival to the dying series but also moved away from its arcade based roots to a much more simulation and circuit-like approach. The game was a hit with many, including me, but left a craving for the open road feel of chasing and being chased in exotic supercars, that only few of the previous Need for Speed entries achieved.
This is why EA put Criterion on the franchise which decided to reboot the beloved Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. The Burnout developer set out to recreate the feel of the fantastic Hot Pursuit with modern day tech and lots of flair. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is butter-smooth from a technical perspective, the frame rate and visuals are to the highest standards. Racing the cars down the open roads feels very natural and intense at the same time. Criterion has nailed the driving aspects much like they did with Burnout Paradise. Revving the engines and speeding down an open road feels fantastic and the cars handle very well. I always felt in control of the vehicles while they were on the edge of losing it.
Of course, driving exotic cars through beautifully rendered environments, including day and night cycles as well as stunning weather effects, is not enough to make a great Need for Speed game. In order to do that Criterion added the Hot Pursuit element in a near perfect fashion. Players have the choice to take part in two distinct careers which have separate experience levels and progression. The two distinct options are; playing as a ‘racer’ or ‘cop’ which do have one thing in common though; epic speed and thrills. No matter if you are escaping a high speed police chase by avoiding road blocks, EMPs, nail strips or helicopters as a racer, or trying to catch the mad man in the Lamborghini utilizing those exact weapons, Need for Speed has its grip on you so tightly that you’ll exhale only, once you’ve crossed the finish line.
Cops aren’t the only ones able to use toys; the racers also have the special abilities to level the playing field. No matter which side you’re on, using those weapons and gadgets wisely will determine your success or failure. Burnout Paradise was a great driving experience and included an awesome open world, shortcuts and takedowns. Criterion has taken all of that and put it into a Need for Speed skin, which is all but a bad thing. Players can also use nitrous to get an edge on the competition which can be filled by driving into oncoming traffic or drifting, which has been implemented in an excellent fashion as well.
There are several modes in Hot Pursuit including the careers as cops and racers. As cops, players will be asked to respond to calls as fast as possible, shut down races and take out racers based on certain time limits which will be posted on the game’s leaderboards, called Autolog. The Autolog keeps track of races and challenges you have completed and compares it to your friends while suggesting challenges to each other. This is a nice feature and increases the competition between friends throughout the game without having to be online at the same time. As racers, you’ll be asked to escape cops, win races and beat certain times to get ahead. Cops and racers level up and unlock new cars based on their achievements and experience. The better you do, the faster you’ll have new and exciting cars to try out.
Players can also take their competition online in races, Hot Pursuit mode or direct one-on-ones which I have enjoyed the most as it pins two players against each other. Players will take turns as the cops and racers trying to outrun and catch each other.
When Criterion was revealed as the Need for Speed developer for this year’s entry into the franchise, many gamers were very excited and had high expectations. Rightly so, the studio has not let their fans down with Hot Pursuit. The game is fantastically well executed on every level, plays fantastic and looks gorgeous. Hot Pursuit captures what was great about the original and adds new elements to it that make this a must play for anyone, racing fan or not.
Score: 9.5 / 10
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit was developed by Criterion Games and published by EA for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 16th. A copy of the Xbox 360 version was purchased by the reviewer.
