Need for Speed Payback Reviews
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.
Once the servers for this game inevitably go offline, with no way to obtain loot boxes, earn speed cards or trade tokens, I can't help but wonder if the casual consumer would genuinely ever have the patience to fully complete this game. Need for Speed Payback is another result of EA meddling in the concept of "games as a service" and taking an otherwise mediocre entry in the series and completely butchering it in the process to achieve this goal.
This open world has plenty of racing content, but bad progression, technical problems, and throwaway storytelling make it hard to get invested
Need For Speed Payback is really very terrible indeed
Need For Speed Payback is a mixed bag. One the one hand it’s a fun arcade racer with great customization, a wide range of cars and race styles and some truly great single player moments. Yet with the other hand holding an underwhelming multiplayer experience, lather, rinse repeat story missions, and some awkward storytelling pacing, NFS never seems to hit top gear in its goal to capture the glory of the old days.
Overall, I can truly say that this game has breathed new life into the series. This is a true comeback for the series and Ghost Games has done such a good job providing lots of entertainment and fun with this game. Despite the shortcomings of the game, I have enjoyed my time while playing it and I hope that the series can continue on with the same kind of feel. It was such a rush in a good kind of way and I can’t wait to get the same kind of feeling in the next installment.
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.
Need For Speed Payback squanders its potential, favoring grind, gambling, and loot boxes over gameplay, story, and progression.
Ultimately we can say that, although NF Payback is not yet the perfect title, it actually manages to provide us with several interesting features that make it at times better than the previous one. We find a nice story and not too demanding, suitable for the type of game. Even the driving system is not bad and definitely improves, perhaps also because accompanied by a technical sector that, at least in the single player, proves decidedly superior. We do not have all those annoying frame drop that we found instead in NFS 2015 and we manage to play in a calm and fluid way, without any kind of problem. Too bad only for some details that, in our opinion, have a little 'spoiled the title, like the Speed Cards, which we find too random and unidentifiable. All in all, however, a chapter that is able to make us hope for the future, while still waiting for the real Underground 3!
Review in Italian | Read full review
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
Based on its world and racing alone, Need for Speed Payback was a lot of fun.But where Payback really disappointed is in its progression system. I miss the days of simply driving to races, placing, earning money, using that money to upgrade my car and in
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.
A famous name in need of fresh ideas
Need for Speed Payback is another miss for the franchise. The racing feels good, the presentation is great, but everything surrounding it is absolutely abhorrent.
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.
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.
Need For Speed : Payback is a game that everyone hoped might put the series back into the limelight of seat-of-the-pants racing. Instead, the game has middle-of-the-pack graphics, weak storyline, emotionless driving and a poor upgrade system. This game is definitely a car in full-throttle reverse instead of speeding off in the right direction.
You have no reason to buy this game.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
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.