Okay Geek Farm
PS3 Review - Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Alex Tretrop
What’s Hot Pursuit about?
Need for Speed has been a long time staple of the racing genre in video games, and after countless titles that have delved from everything from street racing down to realistic driving settings, Hot Pursuit brings the series back to its roots - back to a time where it was all about the chases between Cops and Racers with fancy cars.
EA entrusted this game in the care of Criterion, a studio known for their work with the Burnout franchise, where racing games in the 2000’s really took speed to a whole other level. The intent was to give the game a nostalgic feeling, all while taking that familiar idea and intergrating the play style racers have grown accustomed in this current generation of racing titles.
How’s the Gameplay?
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was originally the name of the third title in the franchise released in 1998, so some may think that this is a remake of that game. And while there are a lot of similarities between the two, this Hot Pursuit has been completely built from the ground up, offering features that could only be dreamt of in the late 90’s:
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Arcade Style Racing w/ 60+ Licensed Vehicles
- Multiple Single Player and Online Multiplayer Modes
- Innovative “Autolog” Mini-Social Network Feature
- Dyamic Weather Effects and Power-Up’s
If there’s one thing that Hot Pursuit has, it’s a variety of fun modes. You have the standard Hot Pursuit, which pits the racers and cops in a chase to the finish line. And the Cops here don’t just pull you over and give you a speeding ticket, I’m afraid. Oh no! They’re out for blood and go for takedowns, blowing racers completely off the road.
Hot Pursuit also boasts a new feature called the Autolog, which is a sort of ranking system and mini-social network meant to track each and every little thing you and your friends do. By that I mean, your times in races, how many crashes you’ve had, your overall car progression, etc., will all be monitored and recorded, so whenever someone beats your time in a race, the game immediately informs you and, with the push of a button, allows you to jump into that event and earn back your respect. The system works amazingly well, and if you and your friends are into it, you can have a ton of fun just trying to beat each other’s accomplishments. That being said however, if you don’t have anyone else playing it doesn’t really do much to add to the game.
But none of this would matter if the cars themselves were crap to drive right? Well, with Criterion’s expert knowledge of speed, you’re unlocking cars that go 180 to 200 MPH right off the bat, and the sense of speed is appropriately ridiculous. The selection of hot rods should be enough to satisfy many car lovers tastes, from the Porsche’s and Mercedes’ to Lamborghini’s and BMW’s.
During each event, the game makes use of what are essentially power-up’s to spice up the action. Each team gets 4 right from the get go, with each “weapon” being limited to about 3 to 4 uses per event. Both teams are given spike strips to drop behind them, while some are exclusive to one side, like the ability to call in a roadblock when playing as the police, or jamming the cop systems when playing as the racers. Each one of them is very satisfying to use and makes you think extremely careful about when and where to activate them because of their extremely limited use.
How’s it look and sound?
The visuals in Hot Pursuit are gorgeous! Although the game only runs at 30 fps, it still looks great all around. Interestingly enough though, what caught my eye the most was the pretty dynamic weather effects. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better looking thunderstorm in a game before! The rain just looked slick and slippery, the thunder and lightning came in at extremely believable intervals, and the car’s wheels also swerved with nice water effects as I was flying by through each winding road.
Real-time gameplay footage can be seen: HERE
In Criterion’s previous game, Burnout Paradise, one of the few problems I had was the soundtrack. It was awful, in my opinion. But thankfully, that seems to have been remedied this time around. Thanks to lots of licensed music that’s upbeat and quick, you’ll actually want to listen to them instead of opting for your own tracks.
How long does it take to finish? Is it hard?
15 hours, which alongside the replayability of the multiplayer and Autolog features, can push that number even higher. And if you’re the kind to want to unlock and try out every single car in the game, well then you can expect to be playing this throughout the next few weeks and perhaps even months.
While Hot Pursuit starts out simple to learn, it’s pretty hard to master. In fact, it can get extremely difficult during some parts if you aren’t expecting it. Most of the events themselves can be passed with minimal effort but try to go for the gold, especially in Time Attacks, and you’ll see that this isn’t just a game about fun - it’s also about accomplishment..
Overall
“An old school racer with fun at its core.”Hot Pursuit is an old school racer with fun at its core, where it’s more about speed and playability than anything else. With nothing really driving you other than car unlocks and beating friend’s times, there may not be enough to do for hardcore racing enthusiasts, especially since games like Gran Turismo 5 offer so much more in terms of a well-rounded racing experience. To name one fault in this respect, is that Criterion working on a Need for Speed title means that there is now zero customization involved. This is fine in a Burnout title, but many people purchase Need for Speed games because of the ability to custimize their cars, and just being able to change the color isn’t exactly enough to satisfy that urge.
But what Hot Pursuit does do right is enabling players to simply pick up their controller and play with friend fast and pain-free. Though, that doesn’t mean that it’s any less of a racer just because it’s watered down. Far from it! Everything is so polished and wel done - from the graphics to the gameplay - that regardless if you have friends or not you’re guaranteed to have a great time! But let’s just say that your overall enjoyment can be multiplied oh so much depending on if a bunch of friends go pick it up as well.
While it isn’t quite on the level of Burnout Paradise, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is still a fantastic entry into the stagnating NFS franchise, that takes all the fun of Burnout’s arcade style racing, and throws in the frenetic and unpredictable cop chases from the past into the mix. All of it makes for a great time, and if you’re even remotely interested in these kinds of games, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Just be aware that Hot Pursuit is more about fun and fast cars than realistic driving physics and customization.
