Need for Speed: The Run

[cdj]

A number of sites have uncovered the next Need For Speed game expected to launch on November 18th (IGN is stating November 15th). The game, entitled Need For Speed The Run, seems to be going back to the NFS days of story-based racing. The trailer reveal - available below - gives off the vibe of a game that could be an intense version of The Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit and/or nearly every Fast and the Furious Films.

Take a look at the trailer below, and let’s begin the speculations behind the plot.

Update: We know a little bit more about the game.

- The game will ship for PS3 and XB360 but also for PC, Wii and 3DS

- DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine will power the game’s graphic engine

- Autolog will return

- The game will be developed by EA Black Box

Courtesy: GameFocus.ca

[JBHuskers]

Over saturation. Shift 2 wasn't well received (and you see that with it going on sale already)...I still kinda like it, but overall that is the feeling.

[morsdraconis]

Shift 2 sucks. It has like 30 cars. How can any racing game only have that many cars?

[souljahbill]

Never played Shift 2 and I'm one of the few people I know that didn't like Hot Pursuit (I HATED the car handling with a passion). I'll keep an eye on this but if it comes out in the Batman:Arkham City/Mass Effect 3/Uncharted 3 window, it has no shot with me.

[cdj]

[cdj]

You'll have the opportunity to sample Need for Speed: The Run's signature combination of dramatic racing sequences and inexplicable on-foot excursions in a demo on October 18. It's running out in advance of the game's November 15 release date.

According to EA, the sample places you behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni, in a desert setting. Additionally, you'll get access to an in-game 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S if you "refer a friend" to the demo.

Courtesy: Joystiq

[DariusLock]

I wanna see how they did with the on foot stuff. I also hope there is a good bit of variety in the racing.

[GatorfanStovy]

Sounds interesting.Glad the demo is right out after summer season here at Mt.Rainier.Will be looking forward . I miss the old days of nps underground.

[cdj]

Did anyone pick this up? I've seen a lot of positive comments but also some people/critics saying they felt it was boring.



It's sitting just under a 70 on Metacritic right now. I'll probably wait and get it when it gets cheap in 2012. The single-player is approximately six hours long, so I can't justify a $60 purchase since I don't play racers much online.

[JBHuskers]

I heard the story mode was pretty lame, it'll be a wait til it's cheap thing.

[GatorfanStovy]

Dang that is too bad. NPS was such a hit back on the ps2 then went down hill. A few remakes of underground series would be so nice about now.

[JBHuskers]

They did an awesome job with Hot Pursuit this past year.

[cdj]

Some free DLC (cars and courses) courtesy Old Spice.

[cdj]

I picked this one up for $20 and figured I would blow through the story mode (The Run) and then trade it in. However, I've actually had a pretty fun time with the entire game and will keep/play it for a few extra weeks.

"The Run": The big knock on this story mode is the short length, taking six or so hours to complete, with the difficulty level dictating how quick it can be finished. I played this on Easy as my goal was to fly through the mode and I am not the greatest at racing games. There was some misconception at release that "The Run" only takes two hours to complete and I can see where that came from. On the main screen for this mode, it tracks your overall time based on completed legs of the journey. I finished at approximately 2:15 but that ignores multiple attempts on several (most) stages.

The actual story is fun, but lacks depth (no background on main character) and an anticlimactic finish. Not surprisingly, it teases a sequel to the game. Each stage consists of passing X number of racers as you move up the standings or is a boss battle where you must defeat a particular racer and survive pursuing cops. (Frustratingly, the cops only seem interested in you and not the other drag racers and you cannot take out the bosses. Basically, this makes them like racing a ghost. You can make them crash and slow down, however, but they will come back to full speed rather quickly.

The mode got knocked for being short in length, but I don't think it would be as engaging if it required 10-15+ hours to complete. For die-hard fans of the series, they will sink most of their time into the Challenge Series or Multiplayer.


The game also consists of Challenge Series events (win a race in a certain amount of time to medal) and online play. There's a large amount of unlocks (cars, profile badges/icons) to make online interesting.

Online is pretty fun as most tracks are relatively short in length, so even a bad round ends in just a few minutes and XP is rewarded even for struggling. However, there's quite of bit of glitching (cars moving around the track so you aren't sure what is coming in terms of oncoming traffic and I've had two races where some sort of glitch led to a rendering issue (I believe that is what it is) where my screen gets completely covered and I cannot see. It stays there until the race is over, so you basically are done as you can't see.


Overall, I'd say the game is pretty fun and would recommend it for those who like racing games, especially if you can get it a nice price ($20 or rental).