Need for Speed Rivals

UPC: 014633730623

Platform: PlayStation 4

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Ghost Games

Category: Racing

Style(s): Sports Car Racing

Synopsis: EA's long-running cat-and-mouse racing series returns with more police chases, a new scoring system, and seamless multiplayer action in Need for Speed Rivals. Gamers head to the open world of Redview County, where they can play as a lone racer looking to outsmart and outmaneuver the fuzz, or they can join a crew of cops and try to track down flamboyant speedsters. A variety of gadgets and abilities are available to each side, with racers using turbo boosts, electromagnetic pulses, and jammers, and the police calling in roadblocks and helicopter support.


The new all-or-nothing scoring system rewards racers with multipliers and quicker progression if they can remain on the lam for as long as possible before finding a hideout, but if the cops make a bust, they earn all the points. Players can choose from more than a dozen supremely powered supercars, including the BMW M3 GTS, the Ferrari Enzo, and the Hennessey Venom GT, and each vehicle can be upgraded with new paintjobs, decals, rims, license plates, and performance enhancements. The new All-Drive system is designed to offer a seamless transition between multiplayer action and solo adventures, letting gamers challenge friends to races at any time, without the need for lobbies. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 8-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

What has more T-bones than the Outback Steakhouse, more sirens than Homer's Odyssey, and more smash hits than the Beatles? That would be Need for Speed Rivals, the first entry in the series by developer Ghost Games. The "rivals" in this game refer to the antagonistic nature between the "good guys," the cops, and the "bad guys," the racers.

The game's format is highly reminiscent of Criterion's Burnout Paradise (and later, Need for Speed: Most Wanted), although scaled back and streamlined. Like Burnout Paradise, you are free to drive around the world, soak in the sights, and engage in various races or missions by tapping a button when you reach certain points on the map. While the campaign initially has you choosing a side, you can freely switch between cop and racer at any point in the game to complete faction-specific objectives.

Each side has a base of operations, either the command center for the cops or the hideout for the racers, which allow you to purchase or upgrade your vehicles as you earn experience points for driving fast, completing missions, and more. Gas stations spread across the map allow vehicles to be repaired, and damage is a big factor in races, since not only will cars regularly ram into you, but the often snake-like roads make it easy to accidently hit guard rails and other obstructions.

As a cop, your primary goal is to patrol the streets and engage traffic violators by putting them out of commission in hot pursuits. Of course, it's a bit hypocritical to be on the side of public safety when you are engaged in a chase at 200 miles an hour and repeatedly ramming the law-breaker on the open road, but hey, it's a video game. As a racer, you can challenge other cars on the road to a head-to-head race, embark on a time trial, and more, with the added thrill of catching the attention of the police and increasing your "heat" rating through reckless behavior.

So while you might be in the middle of a white-knuckled race, several police cars can engage you in pursuit, forcing you to make some tough decisions. Do you ditch the race and try to outrun the cops by taking whatever side roads or shoulders are available? Or do you continue, trying to outrun everyone for the more lucrative reward?

This risk-reward system will give racers an adrenaline rush as they go about their law-breaking ways, making the "racer" faction more exciting to play. Keep doing high-speed chases, and your wanted level will go higher, boosting the number of points you can potentially earn (which are used to purchase additional cars upgrades and pursuit tech such as mines or jammers). If you damage your car, lose a race, or get busted before you bank your points at the nearest hideout, you lose them all.

Multiplayer competition uses what is referred to as an "All-Drive" system, which is to say that online players can appear in your game as vehicles instead of the AI, which gives the action an added thrill. You can work with other cops to target a specific player, or on the flip side, try to increase your heat rating to send everyone after you. One drawback for some players is that you can't freely set up "pure" races in separate modes, so you're forced to have cops enter your game. Another problem is that if you're racking up points and the host leaves the session, you'll lose everything.

Unlike Burnout Paradise, the world in Rivals is more simplistic, almost feeling like it's one giant, curvy track than an actual city filled with busy intersections and crossroads. If you love weaving through huge amounts of traffic or enjoy the freedom and exploration of open-world titles like Grand Theft Auto V, this is not the game for you. While there are plenty of places to go off the beaten path, they don't veer too sharply from the main road, allowing for more focused and intense races that are fair to both pursuer and pursuee. Need for Speed Rivals doesn't reinvent the wheel or steer the series in a new direction, but it is a beautiful, appealing game that delivers what many players expect it to: high-speed thrills and addictive action. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.