Need for Speed: Rivals Reviews
Rivals brings a solid, core competency while introducing interesting new online features. Unfortunately, these features never quite gel to their full potential.
There is no doubt that the driving mechanics of Rivals are fantastic, and most of the game's systems are a success. However, it's a multiplayer-oriented game that fails to bring players together, and the content elsewhere is merely good.
If you like to bring grief to other players, this may be the racing game you've been waiting for.
It's most certainly a launch title racer and it's not doing much to rectify that. I'm reminded of the limited scope of Motorstorm as a launch racer for PS3. Like Motorstorm, however, the core Gameplay is solid enough to earn a recommendation to NFS fans
A fun, engaging arcade racer with thrills, spills, explosions and crashes aplenty, Need for Speed: Rivals is let down by the largely pointless AllDrive and a lack of race types. A mixed bag.
A good arcade racer that is fun to pick up and play, but after awhile the lack of depth will leave you wanting more.
Need for Speed: Rivals is a wholly enjoyable open-world racer. The driving is solid, its streets are a joy to explore, and its racing assignments--though a bit repetitive at times--are incentive enough to keep you coming back for more.
Excellent driving mechanics and visuals are sadly hindered by too many major issues.
This is agonisingly close to being at the front of the pack, and is the best arcade racer on the PS4 by default, but its missteps mean that it's a millisecond away from a podium place.
While the driving is superb and the visuals are stunning, the inherent limitations of Rivals' AllDrive concept begin to hamper the experience near the end. The result is a game that's three-quarters great fun, one-quarter miserable, frustrating slog.
While All Drive is a fluid and impressive system, Rivals has a player limit of only 6 people and a game space that is best described by words like giant, colossal, immense, mammoth, gargantuan, and also stunningly beautiful.
Need For Speed: Rivals is an exhilarating thrill ride that's very nearly brilliant. The foundations for fun are present and correct, but last-gen compromises transform AllDrive from a game changer into a nigh-on dealbreaker.
Need For Speed Rivals is decently fun, but marred by underwhelming presentation, an insanely stupid story, unfair AI, and repetition.
There's a fantastic game hiding inside of Need for Speed Rivals, but there aren't enough systems in place to draw that greatness out where it belongs.
Need for Speed: Rivals will wow you initially, but there are too many missteps for it to keep you engaged for a sizeable length of time. The nonsensical story, surprising lack of features and an online component that may as well not be there overshadow the fantastic driving mechanics and lead to a rather monotonous game.
Need For Speed: Rivals puts you in a gaiant , connected web of high-speed car chases where you can join in on (or spoil) other people's fun.
To be honest, we spent the majority of our time just cruising around the county, drooling over the views and picking off random racers that happened across our patrols. Need For Speed: Rivals had Marcus Nilsson as an executive producer – who's previously worked with EA and Dice on the Battlefield franchise. It's clear his philosophy for online gaming has carried over to Need For Speed – though there is an option for solo play, this game is a far better entity when you've got friends on the server. That's what it was made for, and that's where it excels.
The organic "lobby" structure of Rivals' open world is a promising idea, unfortunately mismatched with a low player limit and an imbalanced power relationship between the cop and racer. I suppose you could seek to defy the odds and play as a racer, but eventually the cops will find you, and they will wreck you—probably more than once. Don't be offended though; they're just doing their job.