Need for Speed Reviews
Like the stereotypical school heartthrob, Need for Speed is vapid but beautiful and strangely exciting. It's a surprisingly enjoyable arcade racer, but one that's more for casual downtime than for a serious commitment.
Need for Speed is a game that gets many things right, and brings it back to the glory days of Need for Speed Underground 1 and 2. I have not had this much fun in a racing game in some time, and even though it misses a few marks, it is definitely worth the time of racing fans.
Given the lack of content, the game feels like a work-in-progress with some poorly conceived features and contrivances that only diminish the game's few strengths.
A slightly disappointing return for EA's racing franchise, Need for Speed doesn't do anything to push things forward. You'd think that a hiatus might have given Ghost Games time to inject a little extra vigour into Need for Speed, but the overall result is falls woefully short of expectations. Still, the racing part remains good, clean fun, which is what really matters.
Yes, there are better, more realistic racing experiences on the market, but few titles can match the pure engagement that this year's Need for Speed offers.
Need for Speed operates in two parallel universes. There's the racing, which benefits from better customization, diverse handling models, competitive visuals, and assorted racing challenges. These are the things that you expect, and Need for Speed delivers. Then there are the full motion video sequences, which thrive on first-person fist bumps, Monster energy toasts, and people saying the word "hashtag" without irony. For me, this presented a distressingly serious alien world, and I savored every second of it.
Need For Speed is an okay racer. But with the likes of Forza 6, Project Cars and others that completely out performed this one, it's very hard to recommend.
Neither fast nor furious
Either you never thought Need for Speed was top of the arcade racing pack or (like me) you at least think they abdicated the crown a long while back. I don't anticipate much dispute there, and this Need for Speed is unlikely to put them back on top. A lot of love's been put into this PC port, but the game that's been ported over is a mediocre arcade racer at best.
Instead of exciting racing, Need for Speed seems more focussed on tapping into trends and desperately trying to stay relevant. Instead of bringing something new to the table, it aims to recycle ideas from its peers.
You'd be hard pressed to find an automaker willing to take an extra year to reset their car line much like Ghost Games did here with their second run on Need for Speed. What we get is a more focused and competent racer but one seemingly unwilling to risk standing out from the crowd.
The new reboot gets a definite recommendation from me, especially if you're a fan of older Need for Speed titles, and arcade racers alike.
So if you're looking for a fast-paced, fuel-injected bit of fun with no strings attached, there's really no good reason not to at least rent Need for Speed 2015. In my opinion, it easily beats out juggernauts like Forza for the top spot of racer of the year.
A title which offers good action, but perhaps a hair too repetitive and lifeless for some.
Who would have thought that Need for Speed is still going strong after two decades and given the last few instalments of this franchise, it's good to see the game go back to basics without the over the top arcade experience which the series has become.
Need for Speed is fast, fun and good looking. Godspeed.
The online requirement seems pointless, but it's an enjoyable racing game overall.
One of Need For Speed's most successful aspects is its car customisation, which is both deep yet easy to use
The best thing I can recommend is take it for a test drive and see how it fits for you. It definitely has the Need For Speed ebb and flow, which is good, but there are also a few takeaways that keep it from peak performance.
The biggest shame about Need for Speed is that the driving is so satisfying that it makes the fact that the rest of it is so throwaway stand out that much more. This game would have benefited greatly from a mode where you can just get matched with other players and do a bunch of different race types back to back. Instead you're stuck in an online only game with other players who you won't actually be doing any races with. It's got a damn good soundtrack though.