Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Review

Some friends and I recently went shopping for Black Friday. I went along for the experience and didn’t plan on getting much of anything. A few of them were excited about getting some new Need for Speed game. I just thought, “Oh great, ANOTHER need for speed game.” I really hadn’t played anything since Burnout which was quite a while ago. So, I didn’t get the game.

A few days later I asked them what the actual name of the game was. They said, “Need for Speed Hot Pursuit” and it blew my mind! WHAT!!! A third one!? Why didn’t I know about this? (and I work for Gamerzitch!) There were only two Need for Speed games I’d ever played: Need for Speed Burnout, and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit II. The second Hot Pursuit game pretty much raised me. I played it ALL the time and got gold medals on EVERY course.  I immediately went out, bought Hot Pursuit and popped it in my Xbox.

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Pros

• Amazingly fast cars
• Great control
• New weapon upgrades on both sides (Cops and Racers)
• A new ranking system
• Online play is fun and challenging
• Incredible graphics
• Solid soundtrack makes racing fun
• Do I need to go on?...

Cons

• Explanation videos are nice but unable to skip
• A new car is awarded after almost EVERY race (at least in the beginning) No challenge? 
• It’s sometimes difficult to get all your friends into an online game

Threading the Needle

The first thing I noticed about this game was the high speeds you could achieve while still maintaining good control. If a hairpin turn is approaching just a tap of the hard brake will allow you to drift around it with ease. You have the ability to weave in and out of traffic at gut wrenching speeds. If you do happen to lose control and crash it’s not too big of deal. You can usually get back up to the pack and continue racing but be careful. If you crash too many times your car will be wrecked and you won’t be able to continue.  Keep an eye on your Damage Meter and note when your damage is critical.  

 

Pedal to the Metal

 A new feature in this installment is the Nitrous Oxide System or NOS. Driving dangerously will increase your NOS Bar and allow you to boost for a longer period of time. It’s great for acceleration, straightaways and can really affect the outcome of the race. Fill your NOS bar by driving in oncoming traffic, near misses, slipstreaming off another car (drafting), and drifting. The faster you fill you bar the faster you will go in the long run.

"Sir, we have a 604 in the southbound lane" "10-4"

There are some new weapons for both the racers and the cops. For the racers there is the, Spike Strip, System Jammer, EMP, and Turbo.  For the cops there is the Spike Strip, EMP, Roadblock, and Helicopter.

Spike Strip

When activated, drops a strip of spikes behind your vehicle and tears up anything in its path.

EMP

It targets another vehicle and if locked on, disabled their car for a short period of time.

System Jammer

When used it puts the Cop’s weapons offline for a limited time.

Roadblock

The cops can call in a Roadblock to be setup ahead of them and slow down an enemy

Turbo

Allows for a quick Turbo boost

Helicopter

Once activated you are brought to the view of a chopper gunner and you try and shoot the car out with a .50 Caliber Chaingun….Just kidding. The Copter goes ahead and drops spike strips from the air although the alternative would be awesome.

“Movin’ up the Ranks”

You still get awarded when getting first second or third, with a Gold, Silver, or Bronze, medal but there is whole new ranking system as well. Bounty. You want bounty. The more races you win, the more bounty you gain. The more runners you catch, the more bounty you acquire. The more bounty you have, the faster you will move up your Levels. For the racers you have a wanted level, and for the Cops you have a rank. You start at 1 on both sides and must move up to the top and become the best.

NEW VEHICLE AWARDED

If you play this game, you’ll be seeing that A LOT! It’s not a bad thing to be awarded for winning races but when you’re awarded after EVERY race its starts to get kind of annoying. You can’t skip the little video and sometimes you just want to move onto the next race. The cars are awesome so that helps but c’mon, seriously. I was even awarded a new car when I finished in LAST PLACE. It’s one of my few and only gripes about this game.

Overall this game is one of the best. It’s incorporates all of the awesomeness of Hot Pursuit and combines it with some Burnout. One of my favorite games this year. It’s a right below Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. Criterion really nailed this one! Definitely pick up a copy!