Need for Speed, review: Impressive, but not enough to satisfy the market anymore

Two years have passed since the last instalment of Need For Speed, which means we finally have our first current-gen version of the household street racing game. Yet it still feels like it’s 2003, the year that the phenomenally successful Underground series launched, and that we haven’t really come anywhere since.

The problem here is that it’s not 2003, but 12 years down the line Ghost Games have rolled out something very similar to nearly every other Need For Speed game made – and there’s been a few.

The emphasis is clearly on online integration, given that you can’t even make your way to the main menu screen without an internet connection. While the bulk of gamers in today’s age use an internet connection, it’s worth remembering that some households do not have an active internet connection or one that can handle the rigours and data consumption that online gaming consumes, but that’s a different argument that we won’t get into now.

So what about the gameplay? It’s impressive, but that’s no longer enough to satisfy the market anymore. The rough edges of previous versions look to have been smoothed out, giving Ventura Bay – the fictional city used as a street racer’s paradise – a very realistic look. However, one annoyance is it always seems to be raining and nearly all races take place in the middle of the night, and while this gives persistent drifting a nice look, it would have been nice to see a dynamic time and weather system capable of 24 hour conditions.

Racers set out immediately to try and earn driver reputation and cash, which goes on to unlock the fancier cars and more lucrative events (sound familiar?). But here comes the best bit, finally. The garage system is rather entertaining and you can find yourself losing large chunks of your day by tinkering with your cars. Sadly, this isn’t the aim of the game, and it’s no surprise why Need For Speed disappoints overall.