Need For Speed Hot Pursuit - They Have Gone To Back To What It Use To Be (sort of)
The game plays much the same, except the Autolog. This is a signature soon to be of Need For Speed. Allowing you to chat on photos friends took set records for your friends to beat, ext. Plus it has a recommendation second to finding friends (how it works not sure but I play to try it out soon). So right when I start the game I go to edit the controls and I find two issues already.
The first being I can't adjust my sensativity. I use a racing wheel (Logitech MOMO force feedback), and sometimes am not satisfied with the default setting, such with this game. I have a dead spot in my controller which irritates me alittle but I can deal with it. The other problem is there is no shift up or shift down option. That's right all transmissions in this game are Automatic (Criteron carries over an idea from Burnout). Now this upsets me I love to use manual makes it easier for me to drive, now I am forced with an automatic transmission. But I say okay whatever and I go into the game.
I decide to just do the freeroam option (drive around the world no cops and no effect your career). I do this to get the feel of things and am impressed with another few exceptions. First of all you can't tune your cars, which I liked since I would always have them set up to drift around corners, and two default designs (in otherwords no customizations like other previous need for speeds). The tuning of the car does both me and I would like to have that back, same with the customization (but I can live without that).
Some of the map feels very nostalgic as the remind me of previous Need for Speeds. So does the vehicle select as a friendly voice gives you a brief description of the car (Hot Pursuit 2, except this time female voice).
The cars look amazing even if I only have a set of preset colors to choose from, and to unlock more I have to create bounty (usually break the law stuff like in previous ones).
But one thing is driving me insane more then anything else and that is the sound if awful. It is constanly being distorted and I mean unbarably. Now I don't think it's my PC or sound system but I am going to do checks to see.
So in the long run, I have only played for a few hours but thought I would share this review with otherss. I think this will be the need for speed you pick up, play alittle then put back.
ALSO I am very mad about this, they removed classic muscle cars from the game which I loved about Need For Speed Carbon, and I wish I could see Autoscripting back. Also te game uses your EA account username for you gamertag which sucks for me cause I don't use that one anymore and Criteron brought over another from burnout of using your webcam for a driver profile photo, well that's just great I don't have a webcam)
Pros: Looks nice, back to the classics, enjoyable so far
Cons: Automatic transmissions, non adjustible sensitivity, no classic muscles, sound is distorting horribly, Autolog account issues, no custom cars
In the end it may seem like more cons then pros and sadly this is the case. Alot of people wanted need for speed back to what it was before underground (who I have no clue I loved the following series). Never the less I love need for speeds and will probably play this game to the end, but I really think EA should have stuck with Blackbox or even better previous publishers as Criterion has seemed to have dropped the ball. Never the less it is Need For Speed I am finding some enjoyment out of it and will play it (World is the only exception to that)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay starting to warm up to the game, getting a friend on the autologs was nice cause now I am trying to beat all his highscores. My advice just keep playing and it gets enjoyable, switch between cop and racer, get some friends to have autolog scores to beat, race online, and just have a good time