Need for Speed Hot Pursuit

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $17.70
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I was so pumped to hear that Burnout developer Criterion was behind the new Hot Pursuit. What could be better than that? It's like double chocolate chip cookies and half & half cream together. Fans of the series, such as myself, have waited almost a decade for a return to the roots. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to see so many aspects that made other Hot Pursuits great completely removed from the finished product.

First of all, there is no manual transmission. That's right. You get to go through the whole game enjoying lazy automatic transmission. Last I remember, driving are much more engaging, exciting, and nerve-racking when you can control shifting.

The soundtrack, while having some quality tunes, really is not put together well. There is no flow i.e. jam to adrenaline-pumping electronica followed up immediately by slow-paced hip hop. Doesn't exactly transition well and really kills the vibes you get going. You can't pick and choose what tracks you listen to either. You can choose to add your own playlist of custom songs which is an alternative, but they don't fade-in/out and just continuously play as long as the disc is running.

OK, so I can attempt to make due with no manual transmission and an unbalanced soundtrack, at least I can still rocket these cars off some jumps while I'm racing in traditional Hot Pursuit fashion, right? Not this time! Well, I'm over 60% through the Career and I haven't experienced any air time yet, I'm assuming the worst...

All is not lost though, at least I can say I have exclusive cars thanks to ordering the Limited Edition. One of my biggest selling points to purchase on launch was because I could receive the Ford Shelby GT500, "EXCLUSIVE" to my version with the code included with the Limited Edition, one of the sickest in muscle car history. Turns out, you can simply unlock it, as I did before punching in my code, along with different variations, playing through the story mode... Seriously?!

...what ELSE could I also possibly complain about?! Bombs away... NO REPLAYS!!! Whaa...?

Did I say there was no steering wheel support?

While I'm on a roll, other things that annoyed me but didn't necessarily take away from the experience: most time trials are tedious, restrictive (bump into anything, automatic +2 seconds added), and there's a bit too many of them in the game. Mandatory cutscenes and forced in-game advertisements are not classy, EA/Criterion/whoever's idea it was to do that. Oh yeah, Need For Speed: Facebook. As if the common American doesn't spend enough time on normal Facebook, you can enjoy Need For Speed: Facebook by uploading in-game shots to your wall, commenting on them, and also comment on your friends' walls and their pictures instead of actually playing the game. Also, restarting a race results in you having to watch a good portion of the original intro cutscene instead of just restarting at the beginning of the actual race.

I do digress though, this game has some definite highlights. Graphics are stellar. Incredible, really. Handling is a good balance between arcade feel and realism. It seemed only appropriate that Criterion would add a constant nitrous system à la Burnout. The selection of vehicles is top-notch and pretty diverse, at least they kept that positive aspect of the series. The online is actually pretty entertaining and surprisingly smooth without tons of lag. Pre-match wait times seem longer than most online games though. The photo mode is fun and a good distraction, you can capture your special moments but it's really is just there for novelty and an addition to Need For Speed: Facebook. I'm glad to see they included some offensive/defensive choices to use against the law, such as the epic "Turbo", the "Jammer", or your own spike strips to use against the piggies.

Don't get me wrong. This is a fun game... for about a week or less. Actually, it's an amazing game... if you've never played any other Hot Pursuit titles before. In reality, I don't see myself replaying this lackluster title again, let alone finishing it 100% knowing I am missing out on all the standard features. The flat-out boring and "safe" track designs alone make me not want to continue. It's a simple, featureless game that is probably loved by simple gamers. As EA unsurprisingly has been doing largely these days, they are again "feeding the masses" with this one.

I feel I need to be critical and analytical towards a product that has such a strong history. If I'm not, who will? A series of legendary caliber should have simply delivered a better experience. Forwards, not backwards, guys. Let's try to aim for that. I'm sorry EA, but I am going back in time almost a decade ago to enjoy your true racing masterpiece; Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 for PS2, where I can enjoy manual transmission, an excellently balanced soundtrack in which you can choose what songs you listen to, air time and jumps, more creative, detailed, and quantity of tracks, and customizable replayswho's with me?!

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Let me start by saying this is the last time I am pre-ordering a game. I was clearly blinded by the hype machine. I certainly have to applaud EA and their marketing department because I was hotly anticipating the release of this game. With the knowledge that Criterion Games was behind the wheel bringing back the classic cops and racers gameplay, I was pumped. But the reality soon hit me once I got my hands on it. There are a number of features that are mysteriously missing. And knowing EA, I fear will probably be added eventually, as paid DLC.

The biggest problem for me, is the lack of split screen and the huge focus on online gameplay. I have never been a fan of online multiplayer as the biggest joy of multiplayer is to talk smack with friends you know, when they are in same room as you. Online is just about the same as playing with AI bots, especially in a racing game. If you do not have an internet connection this game is going to feel very limited. Acknowledgement about the demand for split screen has been all but absent from Criterion who continue to be focused on Autolog. I have done several hot pursuit events online and while it functions just fine it felt no different from the single player events. It's just not anymore compelling when you don't know who you are racing against.

Besides the lack of local multiplayer, also absent is any replay functionality. While some games only let you view a replay such as Need For Speed Shift, Hot Pursuit does not even give you that option. Your only option is to take a photo during gameplay which of course can only be uploaded to the EA servers so again, if you do not have an internet connection, you can't even save photos. What is the problem with saving a photo to your console's hard drive and then uploading it later if you choose to do so?

While I do not mind, others might be also disappointed to hear that there is no manual transmission to speak of. I personally do not see the need for it in an arcade racer but if that is your thing, you won't find it here.

Now besides the lingering absence of these features, the game is still very slick on the presentation and gameplay fronts. The graphics are gorgeous, the environments are lush and believable and the cars look almost photo-realistic. The strobes from the police cruisers bounce off the environment and driving at night with your headlights off is a blast. Cars are a treat to drive as you slide through the turns and use the turbo to blast down the highway at 230mph. This is a seriously well put together package. And yet, at the end of the day, I feel like I still didn't get everything I was expecting. I expect more content and features to be added in the future...for a price.

Pros +

+ Gorgeous graphics

+ A wide selection of cars (even though some are repeated multiple times)

+ Fantastic sound effects and music choice

+ Fun to drive physics

+ Best photo mode ever in a racing game

Cons -

No replay functionality

No split screen

More time attack events than hot pursuit events

Cannot change any settings in free roam

Cannot save photos to hard drive (must be uploaded immediately or they cannot be taken)

Bottom Line: If you have yet to buy a racing game this year, pick this one up after the price drops, and expect to fork over a little more when the standard features are released as DLC.

EDIT: Updated 12/23/10

After coming back home to a stable and reliable internet connection I have been able to try out more of the online features and I am happy to say that I really do enjoy them, particularly the photo mode. You are able to pause the game at any time (provided you are not in an online race) and jump into photo mode where you have complete control to pan and tilt the camera, change filters, and really get awesome shots of your car and of the action. When you save the photo is is automatically uploaded to your Autolog account (which is separate from an EA account), and you can view it on the website in literally seconds. Speaking of which the website is surprisingly very useful and functional. You can view all the autolog recommendations you have in game, view and delete your pictures, and post comments.

I had a lot of fun using the photo mode and will most likely spend a lot more time just cruising around in free drive taking shots.

But as I said this all will only work with a solid internet connection, otherwise you are in the dark and missing out on half the content.

With this being said I increased the score to 4 stars. I still cannot give it 5 with that list of cons.

Buy Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Now

Let's get to the point...The game is awesome! If you liked the older version of this game, then you will love this one. If you are a little new to the Need for Speed "world" and if one of the only NFS titles you ever payed played was Shift, expect something a little different. As Game Informer and Gamepro Magazine says, "this title takes the NFS back to its roots" and they are not lying. The previous reviewer, somehow put "Grand Turismo" in his review on Hot Pursuit....How can that happen?! In no way, shape, or form can this game or should this game be compared to Grand Turismo. This game is as "arcade" as you can get, but if you are looking for more of a "Sim" racer, look elsewhere. If you are familiar with the old school version, then you will be familiar with the gameplay of this one. The graphics are beautiful and the framerate is "Wipeout" satisfaction. You can play as the cop and the street racer in which you can climb the ranks of "Most wanted" by the police...or The most badd@$$ cop that no one can outrun.

The controls are spot on and fully custom. If you dont like the default R1 acceleration...take it old school and accelerate with X. The sound is really nice as well..if you are familiar with NFS games (starting with underground) then you know you can expect some really nice "driving music" to set the tone of the Hot Pursuits. Also, the game does a nice job of giving you the history, specs, and special qualities of each car with really nice voiceovers..(This can be compared to Grand Turismo, but being that GT is a Sim, GT goes more into depth with this.)

As always, this Need for Speed is fast!! Sometimes too fast! Remember the shortcuts you could take from the old school version? Well, they are back..but this time they are really easy to miss because the game is so fast! So far, I havent seen any customization options for the cars other than color. If you are buying this game for the sole purpose of trickin our your rides, then from what I see so far...you may want to look elsewhere. IMO, you really don't need to do much to the cars anyway. In other professional reviews (Gameinformer, GamePro, PS magazine ect) you will read that this game is very much compared to Burnout. I myself never really got into Burnout, but if you are a fan of that series..I am sure you wont be disappointed with this game. One other thing...the game does not offer an Interior Camera View..this was a little upsetting to me, but hey...it wasn't in the old school version and with the absense of this view...IT DOES NOT take away from the excitement of this game.

This review is based on the PS3 version of the game. I hope this review was helpful.

Read Best Reviews of Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Here

Wow, you think the developers would keep improving on what works.. Take, NFS Undercover, this game is the ultimate compared to this sad attempt. I don't know what they was thinking.. Sure it works, but the interface is NONintuitive, the options for what you can do are very limited. And I paid 60 bucks for this to find out a few days later it's $39.99! I'm depressed.......... When NFS undercover came out I couldn't stop playing for 3 weeks straight! This one I avoid on purpose....... what a jip! Buy NFS undercover instead... u'll be happy, in fact, i'm going to play that again right now : )

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For the last 3 or 4 years I have sat in complete awe at the complete and total stupidity of the marketing and design teams that have screwed up the NFS series. The were revolutionary with Undergrounds 1 and 2 and Most Wanted was easily one of the best racing title of the decade. For some reason, they decided that sticking with the formula that had been so successful was not a good idea and we got the abomination known as NFS Carbon. To add injury to insult, they produced Pro Street (if you didn't play Pro Street don't worry you can find a copy in the bottom of any of your neighbors' garbage cans.)and Undercover. Finally, last year they figured "what the hell, lets re-do the concept behind Pro Street because it was successful last time." and came out with NFS Shift which wasn't completely terrible, but was a woefully overused concept (Grid, GT5, and PGR) -_-. This year we are graced with the presence of NFS Hot Pursuit. Any of the reviews above will tell you that its a crappy long term game and lacks the basic elements of a game from this century. If you are able to read this review without help, odds are that you have a higher IQ than the entire NFS team put together. Just do yourself a favor and buy Undergrounds 1 and 2 on the PC.

My Prediction (if u care): The next NFS will be titled NFS 1880's where you will race horse drawn carriages and customize your horse's color. It makes about as much sense as the last few games.