Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Review for PC

System: X360, PS3, PC
Dev: Criterion Games
Pub: Electronic Arts
Release: November 16, 2010
Players: 1-8
Screen Resolution: 480p - 1080p	Violence

Like most arcade-style games, the garage is limited at the beginning of the game. In fact, you'll only have one car per faction! However, even though you start out with a standard tuned racing vehicle and the quintessential Crown Vic for your cop, the garages on both sides get pretty interesting with Lamborghini, Subaru, Dodge, Mazda and Ford all having tuned models available for both the cop and racer factions. And honestly, you haven't lived until you have chased down racers in a tricked-out cop car going 200+ MPH. It is certainly exhilarating.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit screenshot

Most of the appeal for this game comes from the single and local-multiplayer components, but the online multiplayer has some interesting charms. The first thing you'll notice is that Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has a persistent online mode known as "Autolog" that tracks you and your friend's progress through the game and displays it on the game's main menu. The Autolog system also has a social networking feature that allows you to share photos, create challenges, and write messages on a shared "wall" that friends can see and leave comments on. The interface is a lot like Facebook, and if you have a robust friend list with people who love Need for Speed, you're likely to get a lot of use out of this feature. However, if you don't have many friends playing Need for Speed, the Autolog feature can seem intrusive, as the game is constantly reminding you to invite friends to online matches and to take photos to post to your wall. The Autolog feature almost creates a need for friends in order to fully experience the game, which means going online will net you a massive amount of friend requests as an interesting byproduct.

The online modes are good on their own, but I feel they were a bit sparse overall. There is a basic racing mode where every player takes on the role of a racer and competes for first, but the real meat of the online modes comes from the cops vs. racers modes. There is a one-on-one mode and a team-based mode that allow you to use special weapons against the other team. Things like spike strips and EMP blasts can be used by either side, but cops get access to air support by helicopter and roadblocks, while racers can use speed boosts to escape. The weapons available in the online modes make them surprisingly deep, and there's a fair amount of strategy involved in playing through each stage. However, there isn't much variety in the online modes, and I feel there could have been more content in the game's online offering. Though the weapons are nice draw, I found myself returning to the offline career more frequently than the online offering.

In the visuals department, you should know right off the bat that Need for Speed certainly isn't trying to be the next Gran Turismo or Forza. However, for what they are, the visuals are pretty and feature gorgeous vistas and locations within Seacrest County. The cars are also impressive and sport a great amount of detail. The game doesn't have any weather effects or a super-fast frame rate, but the visuals get the job done, and the game looks great by most standards.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is an outstanding arcade-style racer, and quite easily the best example of the genre that I have seen in years. Though the sim-style of racing has gained exponentially in popularity, I would challenge even the most hardened simulation elitist to give this title a try and not crack a smile. Sure, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has plenty of over-the-top action and some serious high-speed hi-jinks that wouldn't fly in any other series, but the game is plenty of fun, and certainly worth the time of any fan of the automotive genre. Plus, any game that makes the sound of cop sirens feel exhilarating instead of dreadful is bound to be a good time!

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC News Director

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.3

Graphics
Environments are beautiful and cars have an appropriate amount of "shiny" to them.

4.6

Control
Arcade-style controls work well and feature just the right amount of twitch without compromising the game's arcade feel.

4.3

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Background music features some of the best rock music you've never heard, and the sound effects come through nicely.

4.4

Play Value
The career mode is just deep enough, but the online mode feels like it could have been fleshed out a little.

4.4

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Career - For the first time in Need for Speed history, players will experience the gripping and heart-racing action of both cops and racers. Hot Pursuit seamlessly links a deep and fully-defined single-player career with a groundbreaking multiplayer experience across all race modes. In the end, whether playing online with friends, taking on challenges or the single-player career, players will earn bounty that levels them up and unlocks new cars, weapons, and equipment.

Need For Speed Autolog - In Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, your friends drive your gameplay experience. Need for Speed Autolog is a revolutionary system that connects friends directly to each other's games, enabling them to compare and share all their experiences, pictures and challenges. Need for Speed Autolog instinctively delivers challenges based on what your friends have been doing, creating a dynamic, socially-competitive experience.

Weapons and Equipment - Enhance the intensity of the pursuit using multiple weapons as the heat level increases during a pursuit. Whether taking down suspects with a variety of cop weapons or using evasion equipment as a racer to outsmart the cops, players will always have a method for gaining an edge over their opponent.

Cars - Experience the thrill of driving the world's most desirable high performance cars at incredible speeds. Feel the power of busting suspects in supercharged cop interceptors like the Lamborghini Reventon or outsmarting the law as a racer in high performance supercars like the Pagani Zonda Cinque.