Need for Speed: The Run

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $23.95
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For anyone that played NFS:Hot Pursuit, one could argue the only thing that game was missing was a "freeplay" mode (ala Test Drive Unlimited 2) to run over any part of the map you wanted. But the gameplay was top notch, as was the online multiplayer, which shows why NFS: Hot Pursuit still has a strong following.

And while I can appreciate what EA tried to do with NFS: The Run, it's just not done very well.

For a full retail game ($60) to be over in THREE hours, that's not acceptable in a racing game considering that Blur could take you several WEEKS to work through, along with racers like Dirt 3, Gran Turismo 5, etc. This means unless you're a trophy hunter or a die-hard online player, the game's over in about the time it takes to play an NFL game on Sunday. So for this reason, I suggest if you don't fall into the categories I just mentioned, give this a rental.

From a graphics standpoint, the game looks awesome, especially during the cutscenes and the areas you'll be driving. However when the graphics is the strongest point of the game, you've got a problem right there.

One of the things that has plagued the Shift series of games is the floaty handling. And one of the things that made NFS:Hot Pursuit so GOOD was how well that game handled. Sadly, in NFS: The Run, it seems you're driving a Land Rover instead of a Zonda. It's extremely hard to execute good, drifting turns, hard to weave in and out of the environmental scenes (which Split/Second did far better and more convincingly), and more often then not, you end up wrecking. While the "rewind" feature is nice, a 10 second interruption in the gameplay is not while you're waiting to get back in the race.

Furthermore, if you're going to have a story you better care about the "main" character. Unfortunately, it seems like EA went to the Paris Hilton school of "souless" acting because while the cutscenes look cool, you're really not getting a sense of intrigue (OMG, we have to win, Jack owes $25M, he's going to die if he doesn't pay. Get the ___ out of my way, I gotta win! Erm, no so much).

I had VERY high hopes for this game. But coming out around the same time Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Batman, Saints Row and MW3, and containing about 1/10 of the gameplay time, I simply can't recommend buying this game except for the most diehard Autolog/achievement hunter.

And it's a shame. We want developers to push the edge, and then crack back on them when they fail. As much as I'd like to see EA make another go at this, you're probably going to see a return closer to what Hot Pursuit was then you'll see another "The Run" type of game.

Pros:

Great graphics and sound

Autolog and lots of achievements to chase

Cons:

WAY too short at 2-4 hours long

Bare multiplayer modes compared to NFS:Hot Pursuit

Sluggish controls/responsiveness

Lack of connection with the story

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I give The Run 5 stars and I'm puzzled that there are so many complaints and 1 star ratings. I have several of the PS3 racing games, Grid, Dirt 1,2&3, GT, NFS series, and they all take a little getting used to, at least for me. Once you get the hang of it, it's simply a blast. With The Run, you get to street race in San Francisco against oncoming traffic or weave in and out of traffic on an LA freeway with spectacular graphics. Seriously, what's not to like. I'm about a third of the way thru, playing the challenges along the way and I think The Run is a 5 star addition to my game collection. That's my 2 cents.

Buy Need for Speed: The Run Now

Black Box is not Criteron Games, so I wasn't expecting anything nearly as good as Hot Pursuit. With that being said, I haven't been disappointed yet. The tracks all look amazing as do the cars. Yes, some of them are hard to handle but if you're having a hard time, just use a car with normal handling and you'll be ok. But there is great reward in mastering tracks with cars that are harder to handle as you'll take seconds off your lap time as you sacrifice easier handling for speed. There is a lot of rubber banding AI though. There's been several races that I've been on the final stretch, saw someone coming in behind me and I punch the nitro and they still fly right past me and beat me by a split second...and I started it on easy just so I could familiarize myself with the tracks. The cops in this game are more annoying than they are fun like in Hot Pursuit too. I can't count how many times so far that I'd go to drift around a turn only to be super human rammed by some cop and go flying right off a cliff or the path.

Speaking of that, the game also seems to have a problem with you being off of the beaten path. If it's not a shortcut or the actual road, the game will make you rewind (an annoying feature added that takes you back to your last checkpoint). It's a nice feature for when you wreck but more often than not, you're going to be seeing it because your car was slightly just past the cones or you were bumped through the yellow turn there arrows because they aren't an invisible wall in this game. My favorite so far has been getting a ton of air from a jump that I think I bounced off a tanker truck and then somehow I wrecked before I even hit the ground (and it would have been a perfect landing!). Bottom line is this game could have a lot of epic and cool moments but it prevents itself from ever allowing it. I'm also not a fan of a "story" mode in my racing games.

This game does have a rather interesting story, but it seems like it doesn't know how to go about it. Any rival races are introduced to you as text on the loading screen and that's all. But then you randomly have these poor looking cutscenes, and by poor I mean a lot of shading pixels around Jack (the guy you're racing as) and the frame rate often stutters a lot during them. On top of not being very visually pleasing, they tend to have some quick time events in there. There is nothing worse than quick time events. But the concept of racing across the US actually does work in the games favor by having a very wide and very nice variety of tracks. And while the story mode is rather short, there's good reason.

The game seems more focused on competing with friends (which hopefully you're not like me and actually have friends who did buy this game hah) so while yes, the story is fairly short, it's also to encourage you to replay it to surpass a friends autolog completion time for the campaign. But if you're not one to car for competition, then there are a good amount of challenge modes that unlock as you complete each stage in the campaign. You'll find yourself trying to better your lap times as you try to attain platinum medals for your efforts in these challenges. There are online modes, which seem to have a focus on working as a team but as i mentioned earlier, I don't currently have any psn friends who have this game yet. Hopefully after black friday that will be remedied but for now, I haven't had a chance to play online just yet.

All in all, the game is actually a lot of fun. The bugs in the game are in the parts that no one should really care about and the cars all handle well. It takes some getting used to since again, this isn't Hot Pursuit and the controls don't feel as great at first but with the right car, you'll have little to no problems drifting around tight corners. The asking price does seem a little steep so maybe wait til you can get it cheaper, but by all means this game offers quite a bit to do as long as you have friends to compete with.

Read Best Reviews of Need for Speed: The Run Here

Before I start off with this review, I would like you to know that I have been an avid supporter of the NFS series for years. I have played every single NFS game except for the first one and Shift 2. No, Pro Street never happened so I have never touched that game.

What I liked:

1. Thanks to Frostbite 2, the graphics look really good. The environment really shines. The cars aren't too shabby either.

2. The cars sounds fine. They aren't mind-blowing, but they're decent.

3. The quick=time events are surprisingly decent. I didn't mind them at all.

4. Personally, I like the licensed soundtrack a lot. It is pretty much a blend of alternative and rock.

5. Just a fun fact. Christina Hendricks plays a role in the game.

6. The cover looks pretty rad.

What I didn't like:

1. Compared to Hot Pursuit's feel of playing with toy cars, this one feels like pushing a cardboard box around. The vehicles don't feel alive. There is no sense of satisfaction in the driving portion. That could be a matter of preference though.

2. The game doesn't really pick up until your 80% into the game, when you start driving the ultra high end cars.

3. Very much similar to other non=simulation NFS titles, this game relies heavily on rubberband AI. Your opponents always catch up. You never get to the first place until the final seconds. The rubberband AI causes extreme frustrations on plenty of occasions.

4. The developer claimed that they placed a much larger emphasis on the storyline of the game. So the plot basically revolves around this guy named Jack who needs to win the cash in order to fend off the mob. Sam, his friend, hooked him up on the race. That's it. That's the entire storyline, literally. There are no further background information (such as why the mob was so interested in Jack, who are backing the race, what's the relationship between Sam and Jack).

5. Rival match ups are pointless. The game provides background info on them but never mentions why are they your rivals. In addition, their "challenges" aren't all that different from any other regular races in the game.

6. Considering it's a game named "Need for Speed", one would figure the game to bear more of a sense of speed. Surprisingly, you can't tell the difference between driving at 120 and 180.

7, The new rewind feature is essentially a checkpoint system like any other shooter games out there. What I didn't like about it is how the game seems to be built around this very feature. Whenever you get into a car crash, you'll start off at one of the checkpoints instead of just having your car reset. In addition, if you are unable to stay on the road even for a tiny bit, you'll be sent back to the most recent checkpoint.

8. The "career" is only slightly over 2 hours long. You will, however, be spending a lot longer than that since you will reattempt the races many times due to factors mentioned above. As a result, the game becomes a lot more frustrating than it should be.

Bottomline:

It's simply not worthy of a three year development cycle and is certainly not full price. Wait till it's in the bargain bin. You know what, even when it's in the bargain bin, don't get it. It's not an experience unique enough to command a fan base of its own. Just get Midnight Club: Los Angeles if you're looking for a budget arcade racing game, or NFS Hot Pursuit if you can shed out some more cash.

Want Need for Speed: The Run Discount?

As a long time follower of the Need for Speed franchise; once again I have to said that this game was a disappointment! I am convinced that EA has totally lost touch with what consumer wants from the game. We want the old Need for Speed back, like how it was back in the days of "underground" or "hot pursuit" with just newer cars and better graphics. That's all!!!