Need for Speed Payback Reviews
Need for Speed Payback with its gambling system based on speed cards instead of real car parts is pure Pay2Win. In addition the open world is empty and lifeless though there is a lot to discover in terms of racing events. The rubber band effect is really bad in this game and cops are as unrealistic as ever in the Need for Speed franchise. Last but not least is the grind which you will have to do if you want to proceed in the game. Don't touch this game – ever!
Review in German | Read full review
If arcade racing is what you're after Need for Speed Payback will deliver in loads, but don't expect to fall in love with each and every discipline in the game that's obscured by a frustrating upgrading system.
Need For Speed Payback is a game lost trying to do everything at once, ultimately giving you an uninspired arcade racing title. It's almost as the franchise forgot the simplest beauty of what it was: a racing game full of speed and its thrills.
Need for Speed: Payback is fast, exciting and beautiful, with breathtaking landscapes and great looking cars. Unfortunately, the final experience is watered down by a hard to digest progression system that feels like a whole lot of grind, loot boxes and multiple currencies.
Electronic Arts and developer Ghost Games took a break from the Need for Speed series last year because of various negative feedback and the Need for Speed team decided to go back to the drawing board. Payback features the largest open world than any of the previous Need for Speeds has seen and includes different varieties of racing. The most noticeable change to the 2017 version is the revenge-driven story, which almost mimics car racing movies like Gone in 60 seconds and Fast and the Furious.
Need for Speed Payback wants to be the Racer for everyone but does nothing really well. The core elements of the series are broken down to pieces with microtransactions and grinding-systems and besides a decent soundtrack nothing stands out in Payback.
Review in German | Read full review
If you’re a big enough fan to still excuse what I’ve encountered and play what’s fun in the game, go right ahead. But for those new or not too crazy for the Need For Speed franchise, it’s worth holding off until the mess is cleaned up.
Need for Speed returns with another flawed entry. There's the core of a great racing game here and when you're just driving around the open world, it's wonderful. The progression system encourages grinding and the basic story is delivered with B-movie seriousness, taking away from the racing pleasure. There's a better game inside of Payback, but you have to go through everything else to get to it.
Downfall of the Need for Speed franchise continues. Payback isn't a long awaited return to form and although developers fixed some of the predecessor's issues, the overall impression is even worse. They added microtransactions, loot boxes, card upgrades, and the story is also quite silly. The resulting game has some qualities, but they are buried under a pile of rubbish.
Review in Slovak | Read full review