Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

For this task they enlisted none other than Criterion Studios, the brains behind the legendary Burnout series. The resulting Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit takes the wince-inducing crashes and mind-boggling speeds of Criterion’s franchise, and combines them with the cops vs. racers dynamic of older Need for Speed titles. Who wins? Everybody.

Gone are the vomit-inducing neon lights and tacky body kits of previous games. This is a straight-up racer with nothing that feels tacked-on. Players searching for more depth should look elsewhere, but those after nothing more than outstanding gameplay will be pleasantly surprised. The single player portion of the game is simply a series of events split between cop and racer ‘careers’ which let the player loose in an ever faster and ever more expensive roster of cars to unlock ever more powerful equipment.

This equipment comes in several forms for each ‘career’. Racers, for example, can use a turbo, while cops can call in roadblocks. Racers are instructed to use these devices to win races, while as a cop the player’s job is merely to shut down said races by any means necessary. Some may cry foul at the sci-fi inspired EMPs, or equipping racers with spike strips, but it’s all in the name of good fun. Regardless, the weapons are strictly limited, so races never devolve into Mario Kart levels of silliness. Still, a well-placed spike strip can dramatically affect the outcome.

Criterion’s previous skill at crafting Burnout’s handling model really comes into play here. As it is by no means a simulation, mammoth drifts can be initiated with a nudge of the steering, and handbrake turns are always a viable option for showing off.

One of the game’s innovations is called ‘Autolog’, a system which constantly compares the player’s best times on events with those of their online friends, alerting them when these times have been beaten. When paired with a Facebook-style ‘wall’ to boast about accomplishments on, friendly rivalries are almost unavoidable.

Hot Pursuit’s online modes are near perfection. The main mode pits four racers against four cops and has resulted in the most exhilarating matches I’ve ever played online. Sure, it may not have a wealth of customisation options to keep things fresh, but in terms of pure thrills Hot Pursuit certainly delivers. As is increasingly common, single player progress is carried over to the online modes. Unlocked the Bugatti Veyron police car in single player? Why not show it off online?

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit takes everything that has been bloating the racing genre for the past few years and strips it away. The result is a game which administers a much-needed injection of nitrous oxide mixed with a dose of pure fun to an ailing franchise.

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