Need for Speed Reviews
As it stands, you can do better than this year's Need for Speed. Sure, it possesses all the traditional EA spit and polish we're used to what with a punchy soundtrack and fantastic production values, but they do little to elevate one of the lesser entries in the franchise.
Need For Speed promises so much yet fails to deliver to any high standard. While it is one of the most gorgeous street racers you'll set eyes upon, cringeworthy live action cutscenes, an empty world and a lack of singular gameplay direction mean it's nothing more than another average addition to the series.
What Need for Speed has done spectacularly is put the focus on the car. In every opportunity possible the game showcases these machines, almost fetishising them. And that's great, but in achieving this, Need for Speed has left behind what makes players stay for these games. Not matter how great my car is, if I'm not driving down interesting streets, or being able to compete in diverse challenges, then slowly the thrill of the car will fade.
Despite a few redeeming qualities, Need for Speed is a lackluster reboot that fails to reinvent the franchise, or live up to the name of the original game.
Need For Speed was an okay try at rebooting the series. It comes with positives like the newly added features to the franchise such as daily challenges, wrap editors and the play styles which I really liked more than any other addition. The visuals and sounds in Need For Speed were stunning, and a real high point for the game. There are also some negatives like having no pause button plus the always online gameplay which was an odd decision to make. If you are a racing fan it's a recommendation from me, but non racing fans might not be that accepting for this reboot. I do however look forward to the future if the mistakes of this game are improved in the sequel.
The live action cutscenes make Need for Speed painful to witness and the bland events and dull tracks mean you'll soon tire of hanging out in Ventura Bay. It's a shame, as the graphics are fantastic and the customisation options are top quality. If EA continue with the Need for Speed brand, they need to focus more on what's under the hood.
Need for Speed features a great line-up of cars, backed by the most authentic customization in the history of the franchise. The 'Five Ways to Play' and icons entice you to change up your style as you progress through Ventura Bay. While some issues might be frustrating, such as garage-space, no daytime and frame-rate drops; Ghost Games will hopefully continue to update and enhance Need for Speed in the months to come.
Need for Speed is a fun, accessible racer that's both aesthetically impressive and technically stable. The always-online requirement means server problems can affect your game and oh yeah, you can't pause, either. I'm sorry but it just wasn't necessary.
It's a good game but not necessarily a stronger one when compared to prior titles, especially if the stuttering on the Xbox One isn't addressed. For that reason, race fans may want to hold off on this title to see if things get smoothed out on this platform.
It all looks pretty nice and tries very, very desperately to be cool, but the actual game behind the graphics isn't close to being polished enough for a recommendation. The always-online requirement which is apparently only there because you have to be online to be able to share snapshots (seriously, that's the claim) is an absolute abomination but you'll be able to live with it, at least until EA kill the servers in a year or two and you won't be able to play the game anymore. Need for Speed isn't unplayable by any means, but there's a laundry list of things that can – and often do – stop that playing time from being very enjoyable.
My eightsix hovered between control and chaos, ready to spin out on every oversteer. The atmosphere was there, the game was there, the history was there, in that moment. Yet in Need for Speed the handling, the fun, the art, all of this, they are so stacked under layer after layer of meaninglessness, multi-faceted surfaces that gesture at everything and deliver nothing.
New Need for Speed could be called a succesor of the Underground sub-series. It looks really good thanks to the Frostbite engine, but there are some unnecessary mistakes that drag the gameplay down.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
I spent a lot of time wondering exactly who Need For Speed was aimed at.
I can finally say I have a new favorite racing game.
Need for Speed is an entertaining racing game, strangely, being a reboot, it doesn't quite manage to do some things in the best possible way. For instance, we can't pause the game, there is no in-car view, no rear-view mirror and the mini-map is too far from my field of vision, trying to look at it will most likely result in a crash. For a full priced game it feels like it's missing some content, the online mode is there for no reason at all. The different events we can compete on eventually feel very repetitive. Luckily there are daily missions we can complete that do add some variability. The IA is cruel, it always catches up, no matter what. EA has promised to fix this in an update along with adding Neon lights and other customizables to the already very complete and amazing customization system. Can't wait for the patch to hit so that these little quirks are fixed and the game is improved overall.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Need for Speed returns to its urban car culture roots with a gorgeous-looking, very well designed game that offers five different racing styles to tackle - and a bevy of interesting cars to modify and make your own. Its story is a lot of fun, and it's set in an impressively large environment that is very enjoyable to drive around. A great arcade racer that's both challenging and addictive.
Need for Speed is a great option for someone looking for a casual racing game. If you want to have the ultimate racing experience though, you are better off looking elsewhere.
Das neue Need for Speed klang im Vorfeld prinzipiell nach einem sehr ambitionierten Projekt, scheitert aber an der Umsetzung in fast allen Bereichen. Falls ihr einen auf Tuning und Drifting ausgelegten Racer sucht, ist das neue Need for Speed genau das richtige für euch. Lange Spaß werdet ihr beim ständigen Online Zwang und der schwachen Geschichte wenig haben. Die wenigen gut gemachten Gameplay Parts, überzeugen im Gesamtbild leider zu wenig.
Review in German | Read full review