Ben-DutkaIt has been quite some time since a Need for Speed effort has entered my “most anticipated” list for a holiday season. Last year’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit turned out to be an excellent racer and one of those games that gives you tremendous bang for your buck, but it was still…predictable. That’s not a bad thing, as racers are typically racers. But what’s this Need for Speed: The Run ? A story-driven adventure with an actual narrative to accompany the racing gameplay? The Frostbite 2 engine driving everything forward (pun intended)? Okay Black Box, you’ve got my full and undivided attention.
The story involves the main character, Jack, who got involved with the wrong crowd and now finds himself in quite a jam. The only way out is to win an epic cross-country race; one that starts in San Francisco and ends in New York. Along the way, he’ll get behind the wheel of quite a few awesome vehicles, including the Audi R8 Coupe 5.2 FSI Quattro, the BMW E92 M3 GTS, and the McLaren MP4-12C. It just ain’t Need for Speed without a McLaren! You’ll take these super speedy cars through plenty of our greatest cities, so prepare to visit Las Vegas, Detroit, and Chicago, among other landmark towns. The constantly changing environment is a huge plus.
But then we get to the interesting part- we’ll get out of the car during our trip. It makes perfect sense in terms of reality but we’ve never gotten out of the car in the entire history of the NFS franchise. So can Black Box create a standard action mechanic that doesn’t drag the game down? Well, apparently, quick-time events (QTEs) handle all the action when wandering around, so when you aren’t behind the wheel, it might feel a lot like Heavy Rain . And provided this is done correctly, that isn’t a bad thing, either. As for the driving, we can expect a blend of simulation and arcade-style physics, as the game will be both accessible and challenging.
We’ve learned that while the default controls will be simple and approachable, veteran racers will be given the option of “in-depth controls.” In all honesty, I’ll opt for the simple controls; this isn’t Gran Turismo ; I kinda want a Burnout -like experience. In regards to the multiplayer, we’ll get online and local fun, and there will be plenty of incentive to participate online; doing so unlocks cars and other perks. Oh, and what may be the new staple of NFS, the Autolog, will return. Given all this information and the fact that Black Box is using the same engine DICE is utilizing for Battlefield 3 …yeah, I think my excitement is justified.
Need for Speed: The Run races onto store shelves on November 15 in the US and two days later in Europe.
nfs the run since mostly all of the series were awesome nd question 4 u ben when is the show in mountain time
I love the look of this game, and I especially love the over-the-top action, explosions and crazy chases!!!
One thing that concerns me is the narrow corridor-like gameplay, with little to no exploration of any kind, and the heavily scripted on-foot segments. I don't mind if there are multiple pathways heading towards the same goal, but the on-foot segements looked pretty on-rails to me with only minimal amounts of player input. Very concerning.
Not sure if this will be D1P, but I think I'll check it out sooner than later.
Oh no… *when* will the industry let go of the insanely stupid QTE things? They are *so* 20 years ago, this idea comes from back when the machines were only able to show high quality pictures as pre-redered clips.
NFS with button chainpressing competitions? Errah…. NO thanks.
Last edited by Beamboom on 6/29/2011 1:38:09 AM
It'd be difficult to get across a certain sense of scale in certain battles and gameplay sequences without QTEs, but what was done in Heavy Rain, I thought, was actually really well implemented.
Yeah it worked better in Heavy Rain than usual, but that was mainly cause the scenes were not *that* interesting (it didn't matter much what happened on screen while you were busy pressing buttons), and the kind response time cut you some slack. Plus it usually in reality didn't matter much what you actually did anyways (I had my controller laying on the table many times and just watched events unfold on the screen).
Typical for those f'ing QTEs is that if you miss, you die and have to start all over, responding to flashing buttons like some damn puppet on a string. (can you tell I really, *really* hate QTEs? :D)
Last edited by Beamboom on 6/29/2011 2:14:34 AM
To me, QTEs really only have a place in terms of making a cutscene interactive. Say in a boss fight, you are chipping away at the boss and a QTE occurs, whether you nail the combination or not should not affect the outcome of the fight – IMHO. QTE driven cutscenes can draw the player more into the cutscene, which is a good thing, but I don't think that they need to be core gameplay.
what does QTE stand for?
I like the idea of The Run. It sounds delightful. But it releases day and date against AC: Revelations, and I know which one I'd choose. Of course, it'll be neither with UC3, BF3 and Skyrim releasing the weeks prior, but it's still cool. Maybe eventually.
really like the look of this, the series needed a fresh new take and its finally got it!
plus FB2 engine to boot!
just hope they fixed the control issues of hot pursuit, REALLY wanted to love that game but the controls drove me INSANE!
picked it up on PC a few months ago hoping it would be fixed by then, but its still just as bad!
how can you release such a high paced game with slow controls?
not my fault i slammed into the wall because the car decided to have a cup of tea before it turned the wheels like i asked it to 3 weeks ago!
I didn't have that problem… guess you must have a sh*tty racing line if you aren't turning in advance. You would REALLY hate Wipeout.
Looking forward to this game, big time.
I wish this QTE thing is implemented well because I was playing Most Wanted a few days ago on PC and when Cross comes and keys the side of your BMW M3. I was thinking "why can't I get out and fight him???"
But the FrostBite 2 looks insane.
Not my type of game, but it might get interesting to play a little with the driver on foot. Nice idea.
aahhhh…. if i eliminate my expectations i might enjoy it. so far im not in favor of it…. its looking like Uncharted & Heavy Rain on wheels.
i see it selling allot though considering those that like action racing thrillers, this damn near like a movie.
I don't know, this could be the first racing game I buy.
Test Drive Unlimited 2 let you get out of the car. I believe that was a key factor in it being a crappy game.
Reminded me a bit of NFS: Most Wanted, which I really liked at the time. Personally, I wouldn't mind if the cars had customization or cockpit view or something fancy.
All I'm asking is: Make it good.
Last edited by helgso on 6/30/2011 2:02:46 PM