EA and Criterion have created not only the best Need for Speed game, but a racing game for the ages.
Lows: Very difficult, opponents can be unfair at times, challenge can be unfair at times as well, this NFS game dosen't have the option to turn off the damage! (Sorry, I just don't like seeing expensive cars getting totaled most of the time)
Verdict: The best Need for Speed game ever made.
After the street racing had been done to death, EA decided that it would be a good idea to take the series back to its roots: the scenario where you're in an expensive sports car and you're running from the cops. So, they got together with Criterion and made the best NFS game ever, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2010. In Hot Pursuit you race against others to earn gold medals to become the best racer out there, and you try to outrun the cops as at the same time, you become the most wanted racer out there, and you have an awesome lineup of cars to choose from. There are many cars to choose ranging from carmakers like BMW, Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren and more, and as you win more races and collect more points, you unlock more cars as you go. The graphics are excellent for Xbox 360 standards as they look very realistic. If you are familiar with the controls from past NFS games, you should have no problem getting used to the controls in this game. Each car can drift and even has a nitrous oxide tank attached to your car to give you that extra boost in speed. There are many different missions like time trials, hot pursuit, regular races and more. The awesome thing about the hot pursuit races and whatever race involves the cops is that your car is equipped with many gadgets to help you outrun the cops, like a turbo boost system, EMPs, and spike strips. The cops have this too as when you do the police missions, your job is to stop all the racers. The game's soundtrack is pretty good, as it has songs by Weezer, 30 Seconds to Mars and more. The level design is great as each track has it's own variety of challenges like oncoming traffic and what have you. There are levels that take place out near the coastside, in snowy mountains, forests, a desert and what have you, as in free drive mode, you get to visit those areas as you have a huge world to drive in. This is a huge game. However, it does have it's flaws. The game is very difficult as the challenge is for real, the opponents and the challenges can be very brutal. Also, it kinda sucks that this game dosen't have an option where you can turn off your car's damage because there are people out there(like me) that don't like seeing cool cars get destroyed. Overall, NFS: Hot Pursuit is one great game that you will be playing for hours, with friends or not. This game should be easy to find as the game should still be for sale in most GameStops or Targets or Best Buys, so if you can, pick up a copy of Hot Pursuit for your 360 or PS3. You'll be glad you did.