Need for Speed Reviews
The customization and racing itself is fantastic, but Need For Speed reboot has certainly not gotten out to a fast start behind frame rate issues and the insistence to be always online.
EA's famous racer is promisingly rebooted in its 21st installment, but still needs some work under the hood
This latest entry in the Need for Speed series seems to be a reboot in name only. It neither feels like a reimagining of earlier ideas or a refining of the series' roots, but more of a mishmash of parts from the franchise's long history. As such, it lacks any sense of real identity. Ventura Bay often feels empty, the story is inconsequential, and the AI opponents are infuriating at times. That said, vehicle handling is quick and responsive and makes driving a real joy, while performance upgrades and customisation gives players an almost unlimited number of ways to make their cars their own. Those looking for a racing title to surpass all others should look elsewhere, but fans of the series' earlier street racing scene won't be disappointed.
Despite its less impressive iterations over the years, the Need for Speed name has delivered some truly excellent games - from Underground's street racing to Shift's wannabe-simulation, all the way to Hot Pursuit's absurd action. But rather than build upon this rich diverse history of fun, Ghost Games has sucked the fun out of a game that should epitomise the outlandishness of going really bloody fast. When you could be playing Driveclub, or Forza Horizon 2, or Project Cars, or even the beautiful and superiorly quick Forza Motorsport 6, offering a racer without speed? That's suicide.
With completely acceptable racing, cringe-inducing cutscenes and a questionable online mode, Need for Speed for PC is a worthwhile racer, if not the best one available. You won't regret your purchase, but you're not likely to be recommending it to all of your friends either. Maybe wait for a sale, but rest assured that this is a well optimized port of a decent, if not amazing racer.
Need for Speed is not a horrible game, but it is definitely not the amazing 'reboot' experience I was looking for.
Even with its missteps, I really enjoyed Need for Speed. It tried to return to form in some aspects and it really scratched that itch I was looking for with a car customization game. It handles how the player wants it to, and while performance can be spotty in some instances, it's still a great looking and playing racing game.
Need for Speed's got many of the parts required of a great racer, but it's lacking a mechanic to assemble them and apply a lick of paint. The cutscenes, as obnoxious as they may be, are the real stars here, which may just be an indictment of the game as a whole. Sure, the handling's good, but the events are insipid – and the visuals may sparkle, but Ventura Bay is as vanilla as open worlds come. For as pumped-up as its excitable cast of characters are, this reboot quite simply lacks energy. Now, has anybody got any Monster?
With strong arcade-style racing, great visuals and sounds, Need for Speed looks the part, but falls short in other areas such as poor A.I., limited body part options and lack of incentives to keep you motivated to race.
When the pedal is to the floor, its a great experience. However as soon as you let up and are left to explore the other aspects of the game, things start leaving a lot to be desired. The new direction of the franchise shows promise, but there is still a ton of room to grow.
Utilizing the full extent of the current-gen hardware, Need for Speed revs up into a promising experience that is all about underground and urban street racing, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee a smooth ride.
The aesthetic of the game is immaculate, stark yet beautiful, suggesting what a Fast and the Furious might look like as helmed by Michael Mann.
Need for Speed is likely to disappoint just about anyone who tries it out. Whether you're a casual fan looking to scratch a racing game itch, a younger player, or a loyal fan, there's bound to be something that frustrates you. Its story is run-of-the-mill, its competitive gameplay is undercooked, and its open world features are dull. Need for Speed tries to cast a wide net and instead comes up empty.
Electronic Arts' newest PC racing game is gorgeous, and offers lots of customization options, but it's super-buggy and features some of the most annoying characters in video game history.
While Need for Speed may look and sound great from afar, it's sadly little more than a mostly empty box wrapped in shiny wrapping paper (and one which you can only open when connected to the internet to boot). If you're desperate for a new racing game experience, you could do worse, just bear in mind that your mileage will definitely vary.
The new Need for Speed does a good bit of justice towards the original Underground games, it falls a bit short on the new aspects it tried to incorporate. The open city aspects and the way you start races might feel familiar to Burnout Paradise players. It honestly seems to share the same setup, which isn't a bad thing. The cars are certainly the focus, as they should be, but the tacked on story and constant interruptions hinder the experience. Add to this the A.I. uses rubber band aspects. The racing is solid enough, and it is pretty cool to see other people on your server completing challenges across the bay, live.
Ghost Games' Need for Speed reboot came with lofty promises, but fails to achieve greatness in any category, be it racing, building or customization. The core gameplay experience is half-decent, but it's marred by frustrating AI, technical imperfections, handling hiccups and constantly wet roads.
Need for Speed is an excellent racing title with a laid back attitude and plenty to enjoy – if you can get past a few of the glaring design choices that is.
Not the best of reboots, but certainly not the worst, the latest Need For Speed plays it safe with a reborn franchise that is focused on finding the lust for momentum that it had lost in previous instalments. A solid start, even if it doesn't finish ahead of the pack.