Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit review

Formats: Xbox 360, PS 3,  PC, iOS, Wii
Format Reviewed: PS3
Publisher: EA
Developer: Criterion Games
Made2Game Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit  review score: 9 out of 10

Criterion’s done a marvellous job with Burnout Paradise, so the fact the studio has at last been given a chance with the Need for Speed series is a well deserved accolade. The beauty of Hot Pursuit is that it’s got Criterion written all over it, from the social aspects, to the sheer speed and destruction. Yes, Criterion has done the Need for Speed series proud with Hot Pursuit, so much so that you will find it hard to put this one down.

The strange thing about Hot Pursuit is that it reminds me of a game I used to play when I was a kid; I think it was called Chase HQ. Basically you get in the cop car and chased down the bad guy, before eventually knocking him off the road, it was brilliant, and when playing as a cop in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, that same element of excitement is captured, albeit with a lot better graphics; in fact I think I played Chase HQ on a green monitor - anyway, enough reminiscing.

Autolog is the spine of Hot Pursuit, as soon as you turn on the game and enter the main menu you can find out what your friends have been up to, challenge them and hopefully beat their time. I had great fun trying to beat the time of NoFi from TheSixthAxis website, although annoyingly he still managed to outdo me by just 0.50 of a second, still I’m after him so he better watch out.

There are quite a few options to choose from on the main menu, the photo mode allows you to post any photos you have taken from the game on your wall, while the wall itself is the place to go to check messages and see if anyone is boasting about beating your time or challenging you to beat theirs. The career mode is one of the main options and is very important both in terms of learning how to handle the cars and in ranking up your character.

You see, whether you choose to be a racer or a cop (or both) you will earn bounty each time you take part in the various events on offer, this in turn will allow you to rank up and earn new cars. The career mode takes place on a map, with various events unlocking every time you complete a challenge. There are various challenges on offer depending on the route you take; Cops for example have Interceptor challenges where you need to take down the criminal by bashing them off the road, while other events will see you relying on Road Blocks or EMP’s to take the tougher cars down.

Other modes include Rapid Response where you have to get to the finish line as fast as you can, preferably without taking any damage, while taking on the role of a racer will provide you with similar challenges, although obviously this time you are the one being chased rather than chasing.

There are plenty of other race types too, such as Time Trials etc, so don’t think you’re limited to those I just mentioned. Within the Career Mode, each challenge also has its own Autolog section; therefore you are given information on which of your friends has the fastest time, the car used and any other relevant information. This is fantastic as it gives you real motivation to keep playing and beat their times, which in turn gives you plenty of boasting rights for your wall.

Outside the Career Mode the Autolog also has its own dedicated Recommends section, visiting here will greet you with various challenges to beat from times your friends have set. Should you wish to take anyone on, then it’s simply a case of selecting the challenge you are up to and you will jump straight into it. Should you beat your friends, you then get a warm fuzzy feeling and the satisfaction of knowing that when they log on next, they will be in for a surprise. You can even customise the message you leave on the wall to let them know you have beaten their time.

So what of the action itself? Well I’m please to say that it handles like a dream. The beauty of Hot Pursuit is that even playing for a few hours will see you unlock the cover cars as well as countless others available, which is what anyone would want. Each time you take part in an event it seems like you have a new toy to play with and the longer you go, the faster they get. Once you are on the track things only seem to get better, as a cop you have access to EMP (electronic immobiliser which conks out electrics), road spikes, road blocks and a helicopter, all of which can be used to your advantage in order to take the criminals down; being a racer isn’t a disadvantage as you also have access to EMP’s, spikes, a turbo boost, a jammer (which shuts down weapons). So no matter which you choose the balance in terms of vehicles and weapons is certainly there.

The handling of the cars is also fantastic, there is a real sense of speed, however the cars seem to stick quite easily to the road, and when you hit a corner at 200MPH the quality really kicks in. There is sometime obstacles on the tracks such as other vehicles, walls etc, however there are also plenty of shortcuts to find, meaning you can avoid these and shave some much needed seconds off your time.

Presentation wise, Hot Pursuit is definitely a keeper; the cars look fantastic as do the draw distances and the roads you tear up with your tyres. Everything runs so smoothly, giving a real authentic feel, especially when you add in the purring engines of cars like the Porsche 911 which sounds absolutely stunning. The crashes are also fairly spectacular, every time you get taken out; take someone out, or crash into a wall, your car will be crushed and your stomach will twist at the sight of your once beautiful car being turned into scrap metal.

So what’s bad about it? Well I’m not sure if you can count this as a bad point, but especially during the single player races, the action always remains quite close. I lost count of the number of times I crashed and was still easily able to catch up on the cars I was pursuing; now to me this is a good thing as otherwise the action may be deemed… well quite boring, but to those who prefer a more realistic racer there may be grumbles; though I would say to these people…maybe you have bought the wrong racer in the first place.

Hot Pursuit is about sheer unadulterated arcade action and it doesn’t want forgiven for it. Personally I wouldn’t have it any other way. Once thing we haven’t talked about yet is the multiplayer, which again is a big plus point for Hot Pursuit. By far and away the most exciting thing online is teaming up with others to chase or be chase. This is fantastic fun and never ever gets boring. The beauty of online is that it’s so easy to pick up and play, and the higher you rank the more metal beauty you get your hands on. Speaking of rank, the career mode and online mode are linked, so if you are an officer offline, then you are one online as well. Any bounty and cars you unlock online will also carry over to the career mode. Perfect. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is pure Arcade action, you’ll know it from the moment you power slide around a corner at 200mph in a SeaCrest County Lamborghini police car. Not since Burnout has there been a racer that offers so much joy, and to be honest we can’t see there being anything to touch this in terms of speed until Criterion release the sequel.

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