For the last decade or so, the Need for Speed franchise has pretty much seen an annual release in the Need for Speed franchise, and both Ghost Games and Electronic Arts have been saving their release plans for the 2013 installment until the last minute.
Set for release during the month of November for all current and next generation Xbox and Playstation consoles as well as the PC, Need for Speed Rivals is hoping to provide the best racers vs cops experience in a seamless open world where races and chases collide to create a unique gaming experience which provides just enough leverage to set itself apart from earlier installments.
Will it succeed? We shall soon find out…
Super meh.
The cars look great, but so do current gen cars. And when in-action, it’ll look mostly identical methinks. Still, it’s a pretty game for sure.
What really rubs me the wrong way though is the tone. NFS used to be fun. Between this and the first trailer for the movie, it’s clear EA thinks they have some heavy-handed, joyless, gritty racing franchise on their hands. I do not agree with this. I wouldn’t have a problem if Burnout were still around, and EA could differentiate the two franchises by attaching this tone to NFS and keeping the fun in Burnout, but since this is the only option, it just isn’t right.
Also not a fan of the open worlds direction Criterion/Ghost has been shoving their racers towards since Burnout Paradise. Adding social features and online connected gameplay (a la SimCity) definitely does not make this sound any better.
Count me out.