15.11.2017

Perhaps it's the default community response only because it's made by EA or because "the old NFS (or the old anything) was better" or perhaps I am biased as Hot Pursuit 2010 is my favourite racing game, and Rivals is the most similar thing to it, too bad Hot Pursuit is not on PS4 though.I have always preferred Racing+ games, I don't like "dry", no-frills racing, I'm not a big fan of simulation, I want arcade, flashy fun, if you like simulation, why not invest in a real, actual car, make for example rally racing or whatever your hobby? Probably even cheaper than the cost of all the required systems and tools, gaming steering wheels, etc. and way more realistic than the best of digital simulation.Back to the point,the pluses are the following:+ Very good graphics, even for today's standards.+ Rich in particle effects and physics, rain drops, leaves, parts of damaged cars' plastic flying around, destructible environment effects, etc.+ Dynamic time of day and weather.+ Open world environment which feels alive, action-filled and dense with diverse activities even in offline single-player.+ You can challenge random A.I. racers while free-roaming for a one VS one race right on the spot.+ The controls are good, responsive. Even more satisfying if you properly upgrade your car.+ No always-online requirement, no micro-transaction loot boxes.+ Cheap in price due to its age despite still holding up in quality.+ Minimalist in story telling, no cringy, unlikeable characters with bad facial animations, just some cutscenes with action and little monologue along with it, both in racer career and cop career, some amusing jabs targeting popular culture.+ Upgradeable cars (in Racer career) both in performance and visual style, upgrades are noticeable and satisfying, free cars in Cop career.+ Usable weapons, similar to Hot Pursuit 2010, things like EMPs, spike strips, jammers and some new coming tools are here as well.+ Game rewards you in racing like crazy, taking risks and being good at avoiding, outsmarting cops in Racer career, it adds sense of adrenaline - the longer you hold on and faster, better you do, all point rewards get multiplied (multiplier is similar to wanted level in GTA, for example 2 "stars" in here means you get double points of all actions which reward them, 3 stars - triple and so on) while obviously, higher multiplier means higher police resistance.And now comes the choice:1. Do you raise the heat and farm loads of points and risk losing them all you have accumulated in the current session if you get busted or wrecked?OR2. Do you rush to the closest safe point to cash in your points when the heat gets a little too high, thus resetting multiplier (wanted level) and securing those points you already got?You are encouraged to follow the 1st point, because unlike in Cop career, Racers must purchase their cars with these in-game points, unlocking car in Racer career (by advancing in the story) merely mean - available for purchase. Also all the upgrades on higher levels get quite expensive.Of course, 2nd point also in some situations can be the smartest choice, depends on the situation and how good are you.However, the game is not perfect, that's why 4 stars not 5, and the minuses are following:-Needs for patch ASAP, out-of-the-disc version got some frame pacing problems, even back in the day when this was released, patches even after release were included in the "development cycle".. thus, making gamers who bought on release day unpaid beta testers.-Outrageously overpriced DLC, but it is not necessery to purchase it, there are just some new cars, that's it. However, that DLC is included in the patch, it already takes your previous HDD space! Purchasing it merely unlocks the ability to access it.-No pause option. Even in offline single player. This was EA's "test" how to push people online, adding inconveniences, getting them used to having no pause as it is online even if you're playing offline. They took it much further with NFS 2015, forcing always online even in single player. Luckily that's not the case here.-The soundtrack sucks. I know, some say "taste of music is subjective" but I disagree. The music in this game is objectively bad, and even putting tastes aside, it doesn't even match a racing game! Luckily the music can be turned off.-The cops are completely BS in this game when you play as a Racer. While the IDEA of it is fine, which I described in the pluses, they quite often get extremely aggressive very quickly, also even if you are just free roaming (not participating in a race, hot pursuit, etc.) driving slowly and not hitting anything, merely passing a cop will trigger a pursuit against you which is completely moronic!You also feel squishy even with maximum durability upgrades.- When you crash or your car spins out, it does NOT reset position. If you were facing sides or even the opposite direction after a crash, it will respawn in such position. Thus, some crashes, some mess-ups can be much worse than others. Especially if you also got wanted level, get T-boned by cops as soon as you respawn and then get EMPs spammed against you. For extra "fun", combine it with a lot of points accumulated in the current session!-While overall graphics are very good, distant terrain environments, especially in the desert areas could look much better.. also the snowy mountain area doesn't look visually impressive, the snow in previous game Most Wanted 2010 looked better. Luckily the rest of the game's areas look very pleasing and are satisfying, even exceeding expectations.-While the particle physics are fine, sometimes actual car physics get wacky. I got a weird crash which made my car fly up straight in the air and "stop" where the game's invisible height "ceiling" was... well, that's how I got an all-time speed record of 700 MPH with an entry-level, un-upgraded car!-At some parts of the game world it is not clear whether or not the obstacle is destructible or would result in a car crash, also some places got confusing layouts and sharp turns, can be annoying but at the same time, these are very helpful to fool and escape from cops.-When you select a race, it does not show on the map it's shape, thus the first time for any new race might be a wild ride, especially if it got confusing or sharp turns.-While this "dark souls" principle of accumulating a lot of points and risk losing them if you get defeated can be fun, in here it is worse than dark souls, you do not get a chance to get them back after messing up the first time. Combined with overly aggressive cops, it can be very frustrating.In conclusion: This is the last good Need for Speed. It does the most things right and got the least of negatives. NFS 2015 is out of discussion, forced always-online, especially on a PlayStation 4, this is not PC we're talking about, is completely unacceptable and as far as the new NFS: Payback is like, it sucks, there's no fun actions in open world, graphically it doesn't even look that much better than Rivals, it removes your control and immersion from awesome action stunts with a cutscene and it's infested with grinding made especially such way to encourage you to purchase microtransaction lootboxes! To hell with that!It's a shame that NFS franchise has died and that this rather old game is the last good one, but as I had mentioned, it still holds up quite impressively even for today's standards!

6.1.2014

When I preordered my PS4 I initially preordered this game anyway, but then switched to the Adrenaline pack which came with this and Killzone Shadow Fall, which was a no brainer as I am a fan of both series. With all the games I got at launch (a total of five), this was the one that I knew would be the "pick up and play when I have half hour spare" type game, rather than the "must play for hours on end game" (not that its not both of those of course).It has a lot going for it, but also a few problems as well.Graphically it certainly takes advantage of the PS4, with water streaming down the rear window, and realistic weather and lighting.And on top of that the whole thing runs so smoothly with a real sense of speed while racing around.For me the racer part of the game is more fun with the ability to buy cars once unlocked, then upgrade their performance and add the weapons like EMP etc.The cop part of the game is a bit of a let down though. Cars cannot be upgraded for performance & when you unlock them you can use them without having to buy them which takes away two of the aspects of the racer game, seemingly reducing that actual interaction with the cars.Overall the game has been summed up well by many who have said its a cross between Hot pursuit and Most Wanted, but for me its not quite as good as either of those as the game itself just feels too short. The open world of Most wanted seemed to have a lot more going for it than the open world here.That said, I still find this game highly enjoyable.Now, the two things that really annoy me in this game, and actually spoil my enjoyment of the game may not be as annoying for others, but they certainly let the game down for me.Firstly when you play the cop section of the game, the other cop cars can pretty much ruin any mission for you. They drive like idiots, and often either run you off the road or just get in your way by driving across your path of park across the road in front of you while they do a u-turn. During the racer missions I fully expect the fellow racers to try to take you out, but you dont expect police cars to seemingly want to take fellow officers out.The other thing that bugs me is the online aspect. I really dont mind the fact you are all driving round together, and players can be cops or racers in the same session, meaning another player can ruin your race if they decide to bust you. Thats all part of the game. What I do hate though is when the host leaves and you are all left looking at a loading screen while it selects a new host. That in itself is annoying enough, but if you are in the middle of a race or event, then you will almost certainly end up losing.Thankfully the overwatch app seems to have vanished, as that could ruin a game for you as well if someone decides to keep knobbling your car for giggles.Overall though this game is just a fun thrash around, not to be taken too seriously.The racer section is certainly the highlight, and going on the online sessions I have been in, its the one that most players seem to spend most time doing.

1.1.2014

Since its launch i've been tossing up whether or not to get this game and for Christmas the decision was made for me. My other half bought me a copy which i am grateful for. However, the reason i was reluctant was i wasn't convinced it was worth the money having listened to many professional reviewers and indeed some friends on a different platform that had bought it but didn't like it.First things first, the game looks beautiful and runs very well with no lag or screen judder, indeed i would say it's the best looking racing spectacle to date, i instantly took to it and liked the way it played, almost arcade like but thankfully not quite.There was a fear that this game would be completely different to past outings as it's a new studio that made it but there wasn't much worry of that considering the brains behind the past games moved to the new studio, so those old school fans fear not as that same DNA runs through this game, although perhaps too much??The title really suits this game down to the ground, "Need for Speed" and make no mistake, there's lots of speed with some intense chases (especially if you become the cops) as in this you can play both sides! You can play in a connected world in which you can see other players, both to race against as "RIVALS" and like i said earlier you can become the cops and chase them down. The map is like a shrunken USA albeit twisted and cramped to an extent! So the Cars then, they look and handle beautifully and are a laugh to drive especially when you have friends to race with, i do have concerns over the weapons that are available as many have stated, they just seem dull and like we've been there before. However my biggest gripe and the reason why i gave it 4 stars is simply because I've been playing this game for over a week now and have to say it has become very repetitive with very few different challenges but then again i have yet to meet a racing game that doesn't get repetitive so i guess everyone will know what they are getting into when they buy this game.PROS: It looks stunningly beautiful * The cars are great to drive * some great races * you can become the cops * more fun than Forza 5 (yes i also own an Xbox One)CONS: I was hoping for better weapons * Gets very repetitive far too quickly * Expensive for the amount of content i would argue (personal opinion)VERDICT: Certainly the best looking racing game of the next gen so far, it's lots of fun racing other players or indeed trying to catch them if you are the cops but sadly it's repetitive nature is what lets it down. If anything at certain points it feels short on features and different challenges. However, if you want a racing game that looks great with fantastic vehicles then look no further. Playing with friends is a blast!My one piece of advise is to wait for the price to drop as at full price the game simply isn't worth it!!

16.2.2014

The game play feels different, but only took a few minutes to adapt, I am enjoying the more open free world (fences are not hard barriers) and the graphics is brilliant (could be the PS4), but I have hit a hard barrier mistaking this for a fence that would break. So this works as good and bad.In terms of the game play, in my experience this is a good arcade racer, with some nerve wrecking moments trying to get to garage or hideout to bank my points (not always ending well).I found this a bit frustrating in the early part of the game, but once I got some car upgrades and started to learn the track, this got much easier. Just remember, this is no GT5/6, it's all about the drifting and dodging traffic,

29.11.2013

The game play feels different, but only took a few minutes to adapt, I am enjoying the more open free world (fences are not hard barriers) and the graphics is brilliant (could be the PS4), but I have hit a hard barrier mistaking this for a fence that would break. So this works as good and bad.In terms of the game play, in my experience this is a good arcade racer, with some nerve wrecking moments trying to get to garage or hideout to bank my points (not always ending well).I found this a bit frustrating in the early part of the game, but once I got some car upgrades and started to learn the track, this got much easier. Just remember, this is no GT5/6, it's all about the drifting and dodging traffic,

21.12.2013

This is a beautiful game to play. The graphics are super smooth and when you use the turbo add on they remain super smooth and really show what the PS4 can do. In addition you get to drive at day and night (not a choice made by yourself) and to drive in different weather conditions including lightning storms.I personally prefer playing as the racer. Took me a few hours of playing to get the handling right and learning to keep an eye on the map to look out for the petrol stations where you repair your car even if the police are chasing you. You don't need to stop you can drive at any speed you want through the petrol stations and it repairs your car.I like the fact that you don't get access to

22.12.2016

A previous generation game re-released on the PS4.Having played the NFS classics from previous generations like Most Wanted and Burnout from Criteron, I was curious to see how it stands up.I took this chance as this game was on sale for less than Rs.1000!Gameplay is fun, there is a constant pressure of getting caught by the cops which is a lot of fun. Playing as a cop is also good, but I had more fun being a racer. The range of cars are great, probably not like Forza or Gran Turismo. The driving is a little arcady, so definitely not for hardcore driving game enthusiasts. This is a game where you can spend 10 to 15 hours finishing off various racing events, upgrading cars,

22.11.2019

(playing it even in p2019)Very good controls and viriety of challengesPros:- Selection of cars;- Rivals are great (you blink or if you are bad at driving - fellow racers are gone with the wind);- Road blocks are epic;- Car enchantment options;- Rules - you get busted as a racer - all accumulated points gone (not the achievements, just all the points, which during a good run can be in five digits, once I've lost car worth of points (more than quarter of a million to be exact))Cons:- ONLY ONE:For me personally - only cops are the downfall of this game, they are too stupid and no matter what HEAT you get up to while chased, if you just zig zag back and forth past a service station, fix your car,

29.11.2013

I got need for speed with the killzone bundle from amazon today.The game itself looks great and plays well. It's a mixture of hot pursuit and most wanted really, including the choice to play as racer or cop.Graphically it looks stunning in motion. The lighting and reflections are amazing. Trust me, screenshots of this game don't do it justice at all.Gameplay is very smooth with no slowdown or screen tearing in sight. The car handling is the typical need for speed arcade feel but much more fun to play than previous games in the series. Thumbs up to ghost games on this one!If I had to pick one thing I would have liked more of it would be car customisation. It's pretty shallow really,

3.7.2018

If you're into arcade-style racing, then this is for you. I've been a fan of the franchise from the first release by EA some years ago. I think these are great games to play and this one is no exception. Given the relative age of the game, the graphics still stand up well with newer games of this genre which goes to show that Rivals was ahead of its time.PROS- Open world environment- Excellent graphics- High resolution with great attention to detail- Changes in day and weather affect on driving- Easy to use controls which are responsiveCONS- Needs patching when you first install. So be prepared to wait a while whilst these are downloaded- The DLC is overpriced DLC and you don't get a lot for your money- No way of pausing the gameOverall,

9.1.2021

If you're into the Need For Speed franchise, the Rivals won't disappoint you. I came from Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted and the graphics are stepped up from the previous games. The campaigns: cops and racers were fun but my personal would always be a story mode but as a racer, in Rivals you had to always be wide awake to don't get busted and lose every single point you've earned.It's good to keep in mind that there is no option for manual transmission, something that I wish they included. The car customization was very poor compare to previous NFS but they added great open world and I enjoyed the multiplayer future.The soundtracks were spot on and the track Bastille - Pompeii (Kat Krazy Remix)

11.1.2014

I purchased this along with Fifa 14, and is by far my favourite between the two. I am generally disappointed with the launch titles seeing as Destiny, my absolute most prime wanted game of all time has been delayed and the Elder Scrolls Online is yet to be released. This game does not have as major issues as other reviews are saying, the host migrations that cut off gameplay are rare and do not affect me much, and the fact you cannot pause is okay, if you are a cop at least. I find the cop section of the game far more exciting but I haven't tried much of the racer yet so I can't say for sure. But I certainly am looking forward to getting on this game again!

24.5.2016

About time! Arcade-ish handling, fun game with loads of balls-out speed and action. I stopped playing NFS games after Most Wanted, because it wasn't NFSU2 :-) Then I went to Racedriver Grid, then MCLA just for my daily dose of action. I bought one NFS game about 4 years ago and trashed it, gave up on the franchise just as it was too serious and boring. If I want to be a pretentious throbber who plays car games for serious car physics (which they invariably get wrong anyway irrespective of how much effort they put into the programming, speaking as an ex-formula 3 driver who's owned over 40 cars and raced 10 more) then I'll buy that... whatchacallit.... Gran Tourismo. That'd put me to sleep nicely.Anyway,

24.2.2014

I wanted to add some information about this game.I looked at all the reviews and still decided to buy it. A lot of the negative reviews should be considered but as user errors and issues.I have found this can be played in single player mode so everyone complaining about having to be online are incorrect. (Check in the game settings settings)The reviewer complaining about not hearing the music over the engines. Again. Turn the engine sound down in the settings menu.Graphics are awesome and its very slick on the PS4. Content wise I have to agree that it lacks some depth. But game play should be taken as a arcade style racer. I found I could play 10 minutes or 2 hours depending on free time.Chopping between racer and cop is great.

16.3.2014

Need for Speed hats off to you for getting me back into Need for Speed. I personally was going to stop buying Need for Speeds as all the games in this game series have been rubbish ever since Hot Pursuit! The car collection in this game is seriously cool! Nothing about this game is dull anymore. I am worried about the next Need for Speed though... That is because I love Need for Speed when it has 2 sides to the game. One side is the Cops and the other the racer career!I just hope Need for Speed don't go off the tracks like they did since Hot Pursuit to now. I just hope EA and whoever their partner in crime is use their nut and create an outstanding game with 2 sides to it!

Need for Speed: Rivals - Reviews

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