Need for Speed Reviews

Need for Speed is ranked in the 28th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
ThisGenGaming
ThisGenGaming
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Nov 16, 2015

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.

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6.5 / 10.0
Dec 1, 2015

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.

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65%
Nov 16, 2015

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.

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IGN
Top Critic
6.3 / 10.0
Nov 2, 2015

Need for Speed looks the part, sounds the part, and is surprisingly reverent to real-world car culture. I like the direction Ghost has taken here, and I think it's the right one, but beneath its flashy exterior it's not quite firing on all cylinders.

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6.3 / 10.0
Nov 7, 2015

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.

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Nov 3, 2015

Need for Speed takes driving into a gorgeous world with a modern edge, but its pesky attitude and strict online-only requirement make you yearn for the good old days.

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6 / 10.0
Nov 3, 2015

When you factor in Need for Speed's forgettable story, you're left with a slightly above average racing game that's not as enjoyable as past series entries. From a pure gameplay perspective, it works, but it never manages to elevate itself. If you're in the mood for a new cinematic racer though, you could do a whole lot worse.

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6 / 10
Nov 3, 2015

If you're a long-time fan of the series, you'll find something to enjoy here, but if this is your first time behind the wheel, you're going to want sit this one out and check out some of previously-released Need for Speed titles.

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Nov 3, 2015

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.

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Game Rant
Top Critic
Nov 2, 2015

This year's Need for Speed reboot feels like a fresh start for the series — and one that will likely be improved upon when its inevitable 2016 sequel rolls around.

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Nov 13, 2015

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.

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Nov 3, 2015

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.

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Examiner
Top Critic
Nov 2, 2015

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.

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Nov 3, 2015

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.

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Nov 12, 2015

Without much new, Need for Speed is less of a "reboot" and more of a "rehash."

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6 / 10.0
Nov 16, 2015

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.

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3 / 5.0
Nov 2, 2015

There are so many glaring flaws right up front; the framerate bottoms out, the story characters forced upon the players are atrocious and the always online requirement simply eats up bandwidth while adding nothing to the experience. When it hits that perfect line, however, this manages to be a satisfying and beautiful experience.

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Mar 9, 2016

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.

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6 / 10
Dec 6, 2015

Neither fast nor furious

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6 / 10
Nov 1, 2015

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.

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