Title: Need for Speed: Heat
Type of Game: Arcade Racing
Developer: Ghost Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: November 8, 2019
Platforms Available: PlayStation, Xbox, Pc Game
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Level of Maturity: T for Teen
Reading Time: Approx. 9 minutes

Reviving the Series with a New Twist

Nothing special has ever been expected from a new Need for Speed game in recent years. Heat, however, is a surprisingly interesting title that unfortunately suffers from the same old problems. The Need for Speed brand has not been in good shape in recent years. Not even a controversially received reboot in 2015, which saw the return of tuning and street racing, could save the series. Two years later, the bad situation was exacerbated by the microtransaction-filled if otherwise quite acceptable Payback. No wonder no one was jumping in the air with joy after the announcement of Heat. Moreover, the previews before the release didn’t look very convincing. However, the result is not bad at all. But there are a number of big “BUTs”.

A Nod to the Franchise’s Legacy

In 2019 franchise celebrated 25 years since the release of the first installment when NFS: Heat was released. Forget about returning to the brand’s roots for this addition, though. The developers at Ghost Games are continuing in the same vein, once again targeting fans of Underground, Most Wanted and Carbon in particular. The main role is played by tuning, street racing, and chases with the police.

Tuning and Upgrades: A Double-Edged Sword

The upgrade options for individual cars are again robust and are undoubtedly one of the game’s plus points. In addition to the visual modifications, there is no shortage of performance ones, which were ruined by the lootbox system in the aforementioned Payback, for which EA deservedly received criticism. Thankfully, there are no lootboxes in Heat, so you won’t feel like you’re playing a free-to-play title anymore.

As for cars, the game offers a total of 127 models and 33 different brands, which is a decent shift from Payback, which “only” had 74 different cars. For example, a large group of Ferrari cars returns after some time. With these cars, Need for Speed Heat takes you to the fictional city of Palm City, which is inspired by Miami. To my disappointment, the developers have failed to bring the vibrancy and diversity of the big city into the game here. Traffic on the roads is sparse and the city as a whole feels very generic. In this respect, NFS has missed the time and the developers need to do something about this problem in the future.

The Visual Dichotomy: Day vs. Night

So the environment doesn’t look amazing, but at least it can be destroyed decently. The destruction of the landscape is significantly more extensive than before. The car easily destroys smaller trees, street lighting, fences, or other similar objects. A close-up view of falling palm trees to the ground might make you think it doesn’t look pretty, but in the frantic pace of racing, the destructibility of the environment is justified.

You’ll suffer most from the dead environment during the day. That’s also when the graphics don’t excel. The developers were obviously aware of this, so they tried to cover up the weaker textures and details with almost permanent rain outside. However, the potential of the Frostbite engine only really comes into its own at night, when the combination of lighting, raindrops, glare, and neon creates a nice atmospheric mix that’s very pretty to look at. The optimization deserves better care. This is because more tense scenes sometimes result in more pronounced frame drops and occasional game crashes.

Dynamic Day-Night Cycle

The method of alternating day and night also plays an important role and is one of the main innovations of Heat. While during the day you’re racing legally on fixed tracks (but still on regular roads), at night you become an illegal street racer, driving through the streets of the city and its surrounding area in full traffic. What’s great is that you can easily switch the time of day almost any time you want as well. The game doesn’t push you into doing one type of race or another unnecessarily, which again is a nice change from earlier installments.

High-Stakes Police Pursuits

As always, the police play a very important role. During the day, you can run at the speed of sound around town and the police don’t care. At night, however, they’re after you whether you’re currently breaking the rules or not. The game’s economy is built on the regular alternation of day and night races. During the day, you win money with which you buy new cars and visual or performance upgrades.

At night, on the other hand, you collect respect points, which unlock cars and upgrades and allow you to progress through the story. After winning a regular day race, the money is added to your account and you never lose it again. At night, however, it’s not enough to finish first. Since fast travel is limited at this time, you also have to get rid of the police, who often join the race as well. If caught, you lose most of the earned respect points, which adds a certain sense of tension to the game.

Versatile Racing Experiences

In addition to the fun on closed tracks or between designated points, there are also the traditional drifts and rough off-road racing known as Payback. However, you’d be hard-pressed to find sprints. For different types of racing, it’s a good idea to play around with the car setup. Drivability or drifting can be largely adjusted simply by playing the game or buying the right parts from the garage.

The absolutely awful performance upgrade method from the last game has thankfully been abandoned by the developers. On the other hand, you have to expect a weak story with characters again. As expected, it revolves around the duel between racers and police officers. It’s a kind of classic filler between races, from which you’d better not expect anything. For the first time ever, you can choose and subsequently customize your own character. In a racing game, however, it’s understandably not a big deal.

The AI Conundrum

I would have much rather welcomed the better intelligence of the other racers. They, unlike the police, look quite foolish and sometimes illogically slow down or speed up. Their variability isn’t helped by a mere three difficulty levels. Need for Speed loses in this aspect too. I would also have welcomed a more varied soundtrack, the composition of which seems to me to be quite similar to the last few episodes without major changes. On the other hand, traditionally the soundscape is saved from my point of view by very solid car sounds.

Multiplayer and Final Thoughts

Traditionally, Need for Speed doesn’t lack an online part either. In multiplayer, there can be up to sixteen drivers on the map. Unless you have a group of friends to ride the world with together, there’s not much point in going into multiplayer without them. You can also play completely offline. Need for Speed Heat doesn’t bring any revolution. Only two years after the previous Playback, it wasn’t even to be expected. However, despite the limited time, the developers have managed to fix a few major issues that dragged the previous games down.

Final Drive

NFS is still a fun arcade game years later, with detailed tuning, aggressive police, and a fun driving model. Plus, unlike the last few installments, it doesn’t annoy you with unnecessary stuff and provides surprising freedom. However, the developers have fallen asleep on the spot in some areas, which is especially evident when looking at the world and story treatment.

Where To Buy Need For Speed: Heat

Steam (PC): Delux edition available for $69.99. You can purchase it directly from Steam.
Xbox Store (Xbox One): Available for $59.99. Check it out on the Xbox Store.
PlayStation Store (PS5): Available for $59.99. You can find it on the PlayStation Store.
Epic Games Store (PC): Delux Edition available for $69.99. Purchase it from the Epic Games Store.

Official Page: Visit the official Need for Speed: Heat page for more information.
Subreddit: Join the discussion on the Need for Speed Subreddit.

The post Need for Speed: Heat – Chases In The Heat Of The Night appeared first on WePlayGames.net: Home for Top Gamers.

Title: Need for Speed: Unbound
Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: December 2, 2022
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Platforms Available: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Article Reading Time: 8 minutes

A Familiar Road with New Turns

As is customary in the Need for Speed racing series, just like in the earlier installments, we get our hands on furious races, omnipresent tire smoke, and tuned supercars in a new art style this time. Need for Speed, with the latest console version, got a chance to do something originally different. And it was an exceptional experience. The first impression immediately after starting the game was evident. Criterion was very heavily inspired by its previous work. Once again, you take on the role of a young racer looking to make a name for himself in the city. Starting from scratch with an old car, you race in day or night events to earn a living while trying to shake off the cops who come down on you after every race. A concept familiar from the older Need for Speed Heat. But this time, it’s been tweaked slightly. You create your own hero or heroine at the start of the game. The choice is broad; you can make a weird hipster, a Japanese anime-style doll, or something decent.

Night and Day, Risk and Reward

The races in Unbound are divided into day and night. During the day, it’s quiet everywhere. The races are characterized by less risk from the police, but at the same time, you can’t expect any more significant rewards. At night, on the other hand, the money starts rolling in. Law enforcement is alive and well, and the most frantic races are held for big money, which only the best can win. Of course, at night, the cops are hot, and your Heat level after each race is higher than in broad daylight. If you get caught, you lose all the money you didn’t manage to take to the garage.

The Heat of the Night

Several racing opportunities will appear on the map throughout the night. You will also often be chased by the cops after a race. If you shake them off, you can park and save your accumulated money, but this will jump you forward half a day, and the night’s events are gone. It’s more tempting to keep playing at night and run all the events. The more events you complete in one night, the higher your Heat level. Escaping the cops from level three onwards requires skill and a fast car. That hurts a lot when they catch you and confiscate all the money you didn’t manage to stash in the garage. It’s a thrilling aspect of the game, and the “this race will still work before they get me” style of decision-making was something I really enjoyed.

Racing Perfected

The story of Unbound is quite exciting and expansive by series standards, with well-written characters that are memorable and believable. The dialogue may be simple and annoying. However, we’re still talking about NFS, where the central aspect isn’t the deep story but the racing. The racing aspect of the game is perfect. This is precisely how I imagine arcade racing. In city traffic, at full speed, cutting corners, jumping, and passing closely with other road users flatting out. In Unbound, you will be dealing with surprisingly challenging races. It took me a while to learn how to drive at full speed amongst all the pitfalls, and I needed to tune the car to get to the front. The race modes don’t stray from the familiar standards; we have classic time trials, city circuits, drifts, and a special mode where you collect points for spectacular track runs and try to hit as many cones, paint barrels, and preferably jumps and skids as possible. At this point, one thing that really bothered me throughout my time playing was the lack of a fast travel option on the map. You have to transport yourself everywhere. Suppose the police patrols have it in for you and your high Heat level. In that case, you won’t just drive to the next challenge unleashed, but you’ll be dodging the police patrols with fear, marked on the map by a moving red icon. It’s neither cool nor fun, but it fits the game’s concept that the cops are here and will take your money if you’re not careful.

Aesthetic Overdrive

What would Need for Speed be without a good dose of tuning. You can customize each licensed vehicle, of which there are a staggering number, to your heart’s content. The ability to detail the powertrain is a big plus. Compared to previous installments, the authors have gone into even greater detail. Moreover, any minor modification of the car is noticeable on the road. Of course, many stickers, shiny wheel rims, bumpers, tinted glass, etc already exist. The graphics of NFS Unbound on the latest gaming consoles, especially on the PlayStation 5, are simply breathtaking. The game’s setting, Lakeshore, is a bustling and vibrant metropolis with towering skyscrapers, busy streets, and poverty-stricken suburbs, all of which are beautifully rendered with stunning attention to detail. The surrounding countryside is equally impressive, offering a plethora of scenic routes to explore. The cars in the game are also incredibly detailed, with every aspect of their design and mechanics flawlessly captured. The only downside is the lack of an interior view, which would have made the experience even more immersive. Overall, NFS Unbound is a visual masterpiece that truly showcases the power and capabilities of the latest gaming consoles.

New Styles and Online Shortfalls

A controversial pre-release feature was the new comic book style, where all the effects, like clouds from spinning tires, collisions, crashes, and flyovers, are complemented by cartoon and graffiti effects. Also, all the characters in the game look like they are from an animated movie. I was skeptical of this concept, but the developers have kept this style at bay. The graffiti is a tasteful art addition that often adds to the game’s atmosphere. The characters look too cartoonish for my taste, with bland facial expressions that make the contrast between the cartoonish and photorealistic visuals all too apparent. In addition to the 30-hour campaign, the game offers an online mode and a separate city map where you can race against other players and earn money. However, it appears that the developers did not invest enough resources in this mode. The lack of police cars, which add excitement and challenge to the races in the campaign, makes the online mode feel somewhat lackluster and empty. This is a missed opportunity, as the potential for engaging and competitive multiplayer races is certainly there. Hopefully, the developers will address this issue in future updates to the game.

Conclusion and Legacy

So, in conclusion, Need for Speed Unbound is an excellent addition to the famous franchise. Suppose you overlook that the developers were heavily inspired by the subtitled Heat and put in next-gen graphics. In that case, you get excellent arcade racing complemented by the original art style. It’s clear that the game was made for the fans, who get exactly what they expect but in a new and prettier package. The number of cars, their upgrade options, and the frantic racing are precisely what NFS has always been about, and that’s not changing. Here, all of this is brought together by an interesting story. Disappointingly, some repetitive activities and an unfinished online mode. In short, the franchise is still maintaining a relatively decent quality because it’s about to celebrate 30 years.

Purchase and Experience the Rush of Need for Speed: Unbound

Steam: Race to Steam to grab your copy and hit the streets in style.
Epic Games Store: Speed over to Epic Games Store for your adrenaline-fueled adventure.
PlayStation Store: Drive your way to the PlayStation Store and experience next-gen racing on your PS5.
Microsoft Store: Accelerate your game on Xbox by visiting the Microsoft Store.

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