Need for Speed gets a reboot, but is it what the series needs?
The Need for Speed series has had it’s ups and downs over the years, from the highs of Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit to the lows like The Run and Nitro. This one doesn’t have a fancy name or a sequel number attached, it’s just purely “Need for Speed. A complete reboot of the series headed up by developer Ghost Games who has worked on past NFS titles.
The story is right for you if you enjoy the many Fast and the Furious films, it tries to fit into that demographic and does so quite well, despite some pretty sketchy acting and especially one actor who uses the term “bae” as if it’s not a dumb thing to say. The story won’t be for everyone, but it does enough to get you through the whole game.
Need for Speed is set in a connected world, you have to be online to play it as you bump into other players cruising the streets and send them challenges. It’s a neat idea, but it’s hardly ideal if say your internet goes down temporarily and we all know the issues with “always-online” titles, I’m looking at you SimCity.
As far as a reboot goes, Need for Speed feels like it has returned to it’s roots with a nice variety of racing events to do including racing, drifting and of course, pursuits. There is a huge emphasis on customising your cars, as in past titles…but never as much as this, it’s almost on a Forza level which is something I wasn’t expecting. The city that Ghost Games have produced is brimming with life and full of potential, but it’s not all good news…
There are a few performance issues, the framerate can be inconsistent at times. I’m hoping performance will be improved over time through patches. Visually though, the game is a real treat for the eyes…the cutscenes are live-action and the transition to gameplay seems very smooth, but like I said…the script and acting isn’t for everyone. The level of detail on the cars are impressive to say the least, overall it’s a great game to see in action.
The Verdict
Need for Speed probably didn’t need a reboot, but nevertheless it’s here and is a solid racer with a great city to explore. It brings the series back to it’s roots and rarely faults, despite some performance issues it’s well worth going behind the wheel once again.