Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered Reviews
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered teleports players back to more innocent times a decade ago, when simply taking on a series of races was considered enough to keep players entertained. Many would argue its simplicity is a strength, however, and the reality is that despite the lack of depth it's still a hugely entertaining time whether you're playing as a racer or a cop. If you struggle to stay afloat with all the faffing around in modern games, this old-school dose of straightforward racing goodness is your life jacket.
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is a very faithful remaster of Criterion’s best Need for Speed, though its graphical upgrades aren’t as noticeable on PC as they are on consoles.
While it may not be the Need for Speed title that fans most wanted, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered does enough to satisfy series veterans. It works as a brilliant reminder that without the various gimmicks that the franchise has tacked on over the years, the simple premise of street racing and police chases is where the series shines best. A variety of cop and racer events, fun weapons, and the Autolog system set it apart from its NFS siblings, but on Nintendo Switch, the game doesn't go beyond being a more feature-complete and graphically improved version of the original. Newcomers may not find as much to be excited about in it when compared to more contemporary racing games, but for fans of the series, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is a welcome return to form.
While it's fun, it doesn't bring much new to this port so It ends up feeling dated and the progression grindy. While nothing can match the chaos of a good cop chase, the rest of the package could use some updates. That being said, those looking for a new arcade racer will surely find a good time here.
Need for Speed as a series is not easy at the moment, although most games were not bad at all. But with every new announcement a large part of the fans hopes that either "Underground" will appear in the name or even better that the game will pick up the concept. Especially Need for Speed Underground 2 has a huge fanbase. If a remaster is announced, the fans have a justified hope that it could be their favorite. If you leave the disappointment that it didn't happen like that aside, you have to say objectively that you made a comprehensible choice with Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. The title came off quite well, basically reflects the concept of the series and is quite fun. One will like the single player area, the other one prefers the multiplayer mode and surely there are many who find good entertainment in both variants. Visually the game is no revelation even as a remaster, if you look at Need for Speed Heat for example. But they managed to eliminate the technical flaws of the original version, like edge flickering and muddy textures, and with greater visibility, higher resolution, new environment elements and better performance they made the whole thing a fun title even in 2020. Since this is not a full-price title either, a fan of action-packed frenzies is definitely entitled to strike.
Review in German | Read full review
For those who still have a copy of it on PS3 and Xbox One and want to buy and play it again on modern hardware, here’s my tip: only do it if you have an enhanced console to play it on 60 fps. Other than that (and extending to PC users), don’t waste your money on this remaster. But if you never played Hot Pursuit before and like arcade racers, this is the one for you. Get ready for some of the most intense races and police chases ever created on a videogame. You’ll be on the edge of your seat for hours and crave for more!
Overall, my first impressions of this remaster is a good one and it just keeps getting better the more I play it. I have streamed it a couple of times not because tons of people have been watching but simply because I want to share my love for the game with others. It is normally $29.99 USD but is currently on sale on all platforms for $17.99 USD until December 14, 2020. Go get it if you want to have a good time with a racer.
That is somewhat of a bummer as we head into an aggressive new age of consoles this month, yet Hot Pursuit actually holds up as an extraordinary game in its own right.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit originally released a decade ago. This refresh from Stellar Entertainment Software offers classic Need for Speed racing but is this remaster left in the dirt? Drive up to the starting line, start your engines and find out in this Rapid Review.
If you want an arcade racing game to have lots of fun, Hot Pursuit Remastered, is an ideal choice.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is a mixed bag. On one hand, its simplicity in its pick up and play race-to-race gameplay style can suit those who enjoy "back to basics" game modes. Anyone seeking an experience that can be fun to play with limited options will find Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered a joy to play, especially given its relatively budget price. Petrol heads and those looking for a bit of nostalgia will be satisfied with the car selection and arcade gameplay. However, Hot Pursuit Remastered's game modes both inside and outside of career mode are fairly scant, and fall short of standards set by other racing games in the modern landscape - even those upheld historically within the Need for Speed franchise itself.
An unfortunately thin experience Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered, is a fun romp while it lasts, but it lacks any draw to return to it after completion. The multiplayer options are limited, but the online mode is solid and functional. For anyone who loved the remaster in the past, this will feel exactly as it did back then, but missing local play. A decent driving game with some weird changes.