When fleeing from a pack of cops at 150mph through a forest after midnight, I found it difficult not to be excited by Need for Speed: Rivals – and then a helicopter’s searchlight pours in through the trees for an additional adrenaline kick. Those initial potent highs aren’t sustainable, though, and after a while I was left wishing for just a bit more variety and depth to keep the thrills coming beyond simply doing the same thing online. That said, I still found it an exciting, highly polished experience, which appealed to both to the racer and more casual thrill-seeker in me.
Developed by Ghost Games, Rivals feels like the natural successor to the work of previous NFS developer Criterion. (Unsurprising really consider the majority of the staff went over to the new studio.) It combines Hot Pursuit’s cops-versus-racer dynamic with the freeform gameplay of Most Wanted’s open world. In many ways it’s the best of both, although if you’ve played either of those a great deal, as I have, you may get a feeling of déja vu from Rivals.
Rivals takes place in the fictional Redview County, which has probably the most diverse geography imaginable. Within the confines of its map you can take in parched deserts and lush vineyards, upmarket seaside promenades and snowy mountain passes. It provides a welcome change of pace after the urban sprawl of Most Wanted, though I came to really miss those concrete labyrinths when I was outrunning the cops.
NFS Rival Screenshot/Photos
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