Not too many racing games get mainstream acclaim as much as they used to. More recent examples likeForza Horizonget a lot of love for mixing arcade and sim driving together in a happy medium. For those looking strictly for a more arcade-like experience,Need for Speedused to fit in that niche quite well.Need for SpeedUndergroundandHot Pursuitwere landmark racing games that brought the street racing craze fromFast and Furiousto video games in a big way. Though as of recently the franchise has had continuous struggles with its identity.
It’s no well-kept secret that EA’s signature racing franchise has struggled in the last few years.Need for Speedhas been trying to find its footing in the last decade, despite being a powerhouse gaming franchise in the early 2000s. Last year’sNeed for Speed Heatwas a step in the right direction, despite ultimately being Ghost Games final project. And now that a supposedHot PursuitRemasteris on the way, which in and of itself is a reboot of the originalNeed for Speed 3: Hot Pursuitfrom 1998, looking to the past could informNeed for Speed’s future.
Need for Speed Has Been In a Tough Spot
Arguably since the firstNeed for Speed: Hot Pursuitreboot back in 2010, EA’s racing franchise has had far more downs than ups in the last decade. There have been some bright spots like theMost Wantedreboot, which was generally received well despite being nothing like the original from 2005. That being said, it is telling thatthe majority ofNeed for Speedgames developed after theHot Pursuitrebootalso ended up being reboots of previous titles. Eventually the racing series started branching out into newer/original titles instead of reboots, largely to middling reception in many cases.
One of the first wasNeed for Speed: The Run, which frankly is a little underrated despite not being fantastic. This game took on a more grounded driving experience with lesser arcade-like flair compared to previous entries, along with a linear world/stage design. After that wasNeed for Speed Rivals, which was Ghost Games' (now rebranded as EA Gothenburg) first foray into the iconic franchise.Rivalshad a much better reception compared toThe Run, but was still in contest with other racing titles likeGrid 2,Forza 5, andGran Turismo 6. It wasn’t until the 2015Need for Speedfull-reboot, and even worse soNeed for Speed Payback, where the franchise took a deep dive.
Remedying the Sins of Need for Speed Payback
2015’sNeed for Speedreceived criticism for its always-online nature, despite being primarily a singleplayer experience. While the game’s art design and visual fidelity was great, a slew of performance issues related to connectivity problems hampered the online experience for many. Plus not being able to pause a singleplayer game due to the online requirement definitely rubbed players the wrong way. 2017’sNeed for Speed Paybackdid at least fix that issue, but a slew of otherissues like the loot box “speed cards” for car customizationunnecessarily randomized car customization. Not only that, but the lack of free-roam cop chases and strange handling decisions hampered the game.
Ghost Games' swan song was the best of the most recentNeed for Speedgames, despite the last few titles not doing very well.Need for Speed Heatdidn’t reinvent the franchise in any way, but did bring back a lot of the positive aspects from the series' past to improve the experience.Need for Speed Heatfollow more closely to the originalMost Wantedfrom 2005, focusing on an open world full of tense and tough cop chases with a campy storyline. Granted this was easily one of the best games in the series in years, it still wasn’t enough to prevent thelayoffs and restructuring of Ghost Gamesinto a supplementary development studio for other EA games.
Hot Pursuit Remastered Is Good For Now
Nowan allegedHot Pursuit(2010) remaster is on the way, and that could be just what the franchise needs for now.Need for Speed Heatwasn’t a sales giant or massive success by any means, but it did break player records for all of the series' entries during this generation. Continuing that momentum with a widely enjoyedNeed for Speedgame could be the perfect move, whilst potentially giving more time forNeed for Speedto make a resurgence with something new and exciting. There is a next-genNeed for Speedgame in development for PS5 and Xbox Series X, so biding time with a remaster could set up a beneficial buffer for the next fully-fledgedNeed for Speedgame.
