Racing games are fun for almost everyone. We all dream of going incredibly fast while screeching around a tight corner. What makes these games so much fun is the fact that we can’t perform these feats in our 92 Ford Taurus on the real road. Rivals need for speed is one of the few co-launch games for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Fortunately for us, it doesn’t include any family-sized sedans to compete with.
After the initial setup time for Xbox One, I was finally able to play EA’s latest addition to the series. When the game starts, you are greeted by a very confusing sequence of cutscenes involving racers and policemen. basically in Rivals need for speed the game allows you to choose between the two factions and you can switch back and forth at will.
The story of the entire game focuses on this aspect of the game. It would seem that the Racer archetype is a Fast and Furious brother inspired character. Your goals are to drive fast and cause chaos to the police force on the way. Of course, if you’re playing as a cop, you’re tasked with stopping these vigilantes and pretty much nothing else. It’s shallow and wears out quickly, no matter what faction you choose.
As you can guess, the story isn’t exactly Game of the Year worthy. Throughout the experience he was confused about what exactly was happening. Of course, there’s usually not much depth with the racers, but when it forces you to pay attention with pointless story segments, it can negatively affect the experience as a whole.
That said, the gameplay in Rival need for speeds almost makes up for his ridiculous attempt to sell a narrative. Obviously, with a frankness like need for speed, the end game is just driving fast. The game does this better than any other runner currently available. Wind and leaves whip past your Corvette C7 Stingray as it slides around a slippery curve, brakes and caution be damned. It’s nice to have an arcade racing game after last year’s ultra-realistic one. force 5 Y grand tourer 6.
Whether you are a racer or a cop, you are always looking to complete various objectives that are given to you every time you rank up. For example, as a racer, I was tasked with taking down three police cars with some of my various gadget upgrades, like an EMP blast or a Spike Strip. When you complete these objectives, you essentially level up, unlock a new car to race, rinse, and repeat. That’s all the variety of missions you get with Rivals need for speedfor a complete set at retail price that is ridiculous.
One of EA’s selling points for the game was its persistent online functionality. I hope you enjoy long load times with your games because that’s all that really persists in this title. Players won’t even get a menu title screen until AFTER the game assets load, which ranges from a minute to almost three. I wasn’t even sure if the game was loading because it was taking so long. Of course, EA’s servers have been anything but functional lately when it comes to next-gen games. There is a very good chance that we will see a patch for this issue.
Once it’s finally loaded onto the map, you can interact with other players within the world. At one point, as a policeman, he was chasing three criminals who were participating in an illegal street race. Pursuing them, reinforcements arrived from other players who were playing as policemen. With all the hiccups with online functionality, there are sometimes flashes of brilliance too. Of course this was a random event and most of the time the map is usually empty of players; I hope you like AI controlled cars!
Along with exciting random happenings, there are other highlights with Rivals need for speed. What I am talking about is, of course, the graphics. The sense of speed in this game is nothing short of spectacular. The way the leaves fly past your car and the gloss on the roads reflects the light is quite impressive. I really enjoyed all the effects of the water and how good the environment looked. One thing I noticed was that it was always very rainy. Don’t expect to run anywhere happy in this one.
Launch games are a fickle thing and Rivals need for speed try that. Okay, the game was also released for PlayStation 3 along with Xbox 360, but the real focus for consumers is the next-gen version. At its best, the latest need for speed is a great arcade racing game that may leave you searching for your extra can of Nitrous. At its worst, the game is completely boring and completely forgettable. With buggy loading screens, terrible online infrastructure, and a generally empty gaming experience, you should skip Rivals need for speed.
