Even the menu screens look and sound slick. Every car selection is met with a high-speed camera pan-around accompanied by the sound of the selected vehicle's engine screaming, snorting or burbling to life. Audio commentary is also available on your favourite models--which range from the Porsche Boxster Spyder and Subaru WRX STI up to machinery like the Pagani Zonda Cinque and Koenigsegg CCX.
You know those cars you search on YouTube for a Top-Gear 'Stig Lap' or shootout video? They're all in here. Unlike some racing titles, players needn't spend hours in a Toyota Yaris or Honda Fit before graduating into the world of supercar racing.
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| (Photo:NeedForSpeed.com) |
All said, the latest Need for Speed is an arcade-racer at heart. It focuses on pure entertainment value more than a rewarding learning curve as racers develop digital driving skills. Power-slides encouraged and easily pulled off, cars handle similarly in the wet and dry, and all vehicles get a nitrous system.
The latter engages a speed burst and cool-looking blue exhaust flames, and much like real life, it recharges faster during dangerous driving. Refill your NOS bottle by doing powerslides, driving into oncoming traffic and narrowly missing collisions with other motorists. Entertaining, yes-- but somewhat cheesy and offensive to racing game purists.
There's no selectable manual transmission in any of the vehicles, either-- which is blasphemy. Your writer and thousands like him considered returning the game to local retailers in protest.
Play it, though.
Turns out, with so much eye and fingertip coordination required to evade police, crashes and other angry racers, shifting gears would border closely on overload. Still, one can hope Criterion will release a patch and give us enthusiasts the ability to shift our own gears. Of course, if you're more a driving purist, you might want to check out a 'simulation' title, like Forza Motorsport 3 or Gran Turismo 5.
End of the day, it's all heaps of fun. With the sounds and sights of Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit driven home on a big TV and stereo system, gamers will find hours of entertainment at their disposal. Online play with buddies will be a hoot, too.
The latest Need for Speed title is on sale now--just in time for the holidays.
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| (Photo:NeedForSpeed.com) |