Short Reviews - Need For Speed
By: Paul (@MrHarkinian)
- Need For Speed
- Developer - Ghost Games
- Publisher - Electronic Arts
- Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
- Rating - Teen
You would think that for game developers, taking a year break from an annual activity, would mean that their product has more time dedicated for improvement. Hence why annual titles, like the Call of Duty franchise, tend to be unremarkable. Having to churn out a game every year puts you on a tight schedule, where tough decisions have to be made in order to make the release date. This was the unfortunate case with the Need for Speed series. As a result, most of the series titles were less than stellar, save for Criterion Games Need For Speed Most Wanted (2012), although that game is basically Burnout Paradise 2.
EA must have realized that their games have been junk lately, highlighting the need to scale back the schedule of their games. That, or the budget constraints of Need For Speed wouldn’t allow their next game to come out as scheduled, pushing the release date back. Whatever the case, the result of this hiatus is the cleverly named Need for Speed, a reboot of the series. If the title of the game is any indication, we’re in for a mediocre trip.
It’s unfair to call Need For Speed mediocre so much as it is disappointing, because I love the Need for Speed series. But this game just doesn’t do it for me. I’ll admit I fell for the hype when I first saw the trailers promising customization and an urban setting, most akin to Need For Speed: Underground (2003).
On paper, the game sounds great; players have a large assortment of customizable vehicles, including new and returning manufacturers (Volvo and Honda), a beautiful city to explore, and an intimidating police force. The game certainly looks the part with Ventura Bay’s breathtaking scenery both within the city limits and in the mountainous region. The cars are also gorgeous with accompanying customization parts being aesthetically pleasing.
The real problems begin at the title screen; the game is always online. This annoying feature means players can’t pause the game at all. Thankfully you don’t need a Playstation Plus subscription, or an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play. Even so, for a game being online only, there isn’t much to do with other players besides quick challenges, and showing off your cars. Another issue, is that the game is always dark and wet. With the constant raining, I was worried I would have to build an ark by the end of the game. The police AI is quite frankly garbage. Often, the they don’t even make an effort to keep up with you, and crash into themselves frequently. It’s especially bad when you have to babysit the police just so you can progress in the story.
As far as the actual gameplay, it’s forgettable. The cars all look and sound great, but they drive like something out of a Toys R’ Us. There’s no level of control with the cars that you’d want like Driver: San Francisco where cars have fluid handling and work with your skill level. Instead, they are surprisingly heavy and unresponsive. In most cases the only way to make a turn is to drift, and even then the drifting feels wooden and unsatisfying. I will admit that the sense of speed is pretty great, especially on the mountain roads.
The game allows for two kinds of play styles; drift and grip. With appropriate tires and tuning, you can make your car more likely to drift or take a corner with F1 car precision, or at least that’s the theory. I found that the drift style with the drift assist on, is the only way I could enjoy the driving. The grip style makes the cars somehow less responsive, and prone to understeer. Grip almost feels like an afterthought considering a good part of the game involves drifting.
I was really hoping that this game would be the revitalizing effort that propelled the Need for Speed series to greatness. Sadly they missed the mark. However, there is a foundation for something great here, so if EA can build upon that and make a truly awesome experience for racing enthusiasts of all kinds, then I would be a happy driver. Until then, I’ll stick to Hot Pursuit II (2002) for my Need For Speed fix.
