Need for Speed Payback Reviews
Need For Speed Payback is several bad ideas on four wheels, a drab racer whose potential is rear-ended by an underhanded upgrade system and a story that belongs in a direct-to-DVD bargain bin.
Need For Speed Payback is fun when you're behind the wheel, but is constrained by questionable design decisions like an emphasis on a mediocre story and a wonky car upgrade system.
There's a good game buried within the shiny shell of Need for Speed: Payback. But between its frustrating upgrade system and self-serious storyline, it's hard to get invested in the title.
Like a nice car that comes with an aftermarket spoiler that doesn’t quite match, Need for Speed Payback is a game with some interesting parts that don’t quite mesh into one synergistic package. Its open world is beautifully vast and its diverse car selection will have something for everyone. Unlikable characters, however, combined with grindy gameplay with a hint of mobile gaming elements stall the momentum of a game with potential.
Considering how enjoyable getting behind the wheel is in Need for Speed Payback, it is frustrating that so many elements don't work in the overall experience. You may spend most of your time having fun racing but the b-movie story that stars unlikable characters, the presentation inconsistencies, and the poorly integrated upgrade system are frequent frustrations.
The Need For Speed formula seems to be a little worn out, but Payback tries to get all the good stuff from the franchise plus some new additions to renew it, even if it doesn't get to be the best game in the series.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Need for Speed: Payback delivers exciting new ideas, but it is not the arcade-racing dream we hoped for.
Review in German | Read full review
When you're racing, drifting, off-roading or being chased, Payback feels like a fine arcade racer in the classic Need for Speed mould. It doesn't have the glamour or the handling of Forza: Horizon, but it's scores big on variety, speed and thrills.
Need For Speed: Payback is a solid, lengthy and entertaining racing game, but it's unable to reinvent its genre. The work by Ghost Games is weighted down by its stiff singleplayer structure, which clashes with a progression system that, whilst clever in theory, fails to be as balanced as it should be in practice.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Need for Speed: Payback is a fun, great open world with a story campaign that works well. Racing is exciting and all of the car modifications are interesting, besides lacking from its technical side.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Nostalgia alone can’t keep this game afloat and it’s loot crate-like, monotonous system makes Need for Speed Payback feel stale.
Need for Speed Payback is a grind to play both figuratively and literally. Even if you like the arcade racing on offer, it's not worth slogging through the amateur presentation, repetitive missions and microtransaction hooks.
With some excellent improvements to car control, customization, and cinematic moments, Need for Speed Payback delivers on the promise of a better racing game. That said, it occasionally has a few engine knocks with chunky dialogue and invisible walls barring your path in the vast open world they've created. It's a good step for the series, and it should provide a good foundation for Ghost's next time behind the wheel.
The worst NFS since a long, long time. And all of this because of microtransactions which cast a shadow over variety of activities and diversified gameplay.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Need for Speed: Payback features the same fun arcadey racing from 2015's entry, minus all of the heart and soul that game had. With a by-the-books story, and a downright frustrating system to upgrade your car, it's hard to recommend Need for Speed: Payback.
2017 is a cracking year for racing fans but unfortunately for Need for Speed, Payback doesn't stand tall amongst the likes of Forza Motosport 7, Gran Turismo Sport, Project CARS 2, DiRT 4 and F1 2017.
Despite Need for Speed Payback’s accessible and gratifying approach to arcade racing, the time needed to progress in a satisfactory manner regresses the joy of the rubber meeting the road to a grind that ironically brings the pace of the game to a grinding halt. Need for Speed Payback totes itself as a romp of reckless abandon but ultimately lacks the longevity, charisma and conviction necessary to make it a ride worth taking.
Need For Speed Payback represents EA's answer to where most racers are headed -– massive worlds, large car lists, extensive customisation options and plenty of things to do.
A overall good game can still be brought down by bad business decisions.
If you stick with it you'll find a decent racer here but getting past the inane narrative, broken progression systems and longing for racers past takes some doing.