Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit – Enforcing or Breaking the law can be such fun!

For most people out there it’s fair to say that we all find a balance between right and wrong and make our decisions from it. If games are to be believed then whether we choose to obey the law or break it, it’s easy to see that when driving is involved you can have heaps of fun cruising around at high speed on some of the more scenic locations.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a shot in the arm to the much hyped and arguably overdone racing game genre. NFSHP is not just really pleasing to the eye (which is not a huge surprise due to the brand), but a doddle to get racing with right from the start. The hardest thing to really decide is whether you wish to enforce the law and drive some of the most powerful cars on the planet clamping down on the reckless petrolheads, or if you wish to be a modern day Smokey and the Bandit. In either case, one thing is for sure – totally disregard the highway code and open the throttle fully.

When you’re a cop, your career develops from a fresh recruit through the rankings by exploring the missions and proving a success on the road. Some missions are simply for you to be as fast as you can and beating the clock in a race to a crime scene, others are being brutal with those who flout the law (bashing and using weapons to stop the pursuit), and of course racing (against other cops).

The roles are of course reversed in this game of cat and mouse should you decide to drive as an outlaw. Similarly, you are rewarded with bounty for being the fastest, brashest driver on the road. You have access to other equipment to help you stay a step ahead of the law, jamming equipment which helps immobilise the police cars hunting you down and of course brute power of the Nitro.

You can play the game watching it in third person or indeed you can switch the view to inside the car – in either case, the effect is much the same – one huge thrill-ride.

On the downsides, and these are only minor grumbles. I would have loved to have seen a few bits of finesse like rear view mirror (or reverse view mode), so you can look around you for better experience. More importantly, no amount of shunts, prangs or bashes have an impact on the ride or performance of the car. For the purists amongst us, it’s a bit of a letdown but I guess when you have to drive your car like a missile around the tracks it wouldn’t work quite the same if your car comes off second best.

Since I’ve got that off my chest, on the plus side, and it’s a huge plus, you do get to drive some hot vehicles like a pro and can modify the game to either ride automatic or manual for a better feel. Steering is a dream, as is drifting around the corner, powering through with hitting the nitro and using the handbrake to cut inside the opposition. All in all, this is a delight to play and any driving enthusiast will be happy to get to ride in each of the cars.

Positives

Stunning to look at

Brilliant fun to play

High powered speed fest

Negatives

Upgrading your car and doing the basic levels is too easy

You can buy your car upgrades rather than earn them through completing missions (rather defeats the object of the game – not to mention a shameless way of earning an extra buck)

Damage (or lack of realistic damage – regardless of the carnage)

4 stars