Four Things You Should Know About The New Need For Speed

Need for Speed has been around for 20 years or so and with each iteration, it has seemed to bring something entirely different to the table. Unlike sports games, it’s difficult to adapt any single gameplay feature when all the games, from various developers, are so vastly different from one another. With that in mind Need for Speed (2015) from EA Ghost, the newest edition of the series and first to not have a subtitle for a long time, is being described as a relaunch. Following a presentation at this year’s gamescom, here’s what we know about it so far.

 

It Includes a Live-Action Story

Story always takes something of a backseat in racing games, and Need For Speed is no different. Games of the past have featured stories such as (not so) dramatic revenge tales, or gaining acceptance in the racing scene; all of which are ten-a-penny. Although the story seems somewhat similar in Need For Speed, it is presented in an entirely different way.

Live-action footage is used to tell the story, with characters interacting with you face-to-face during cut-scenes and via the in-game social media website. You essentially play yourself, and after arriving in Ventura Bay you meet me with Travis and Amy, two fellow car enthusiasts who know everything about cars and the racing scene in the area.

While it still seems like a rather generic, ‘prove your worth on the streets and impress the big dogs’ type thing, the way in which Need For Speed is presenting its story in this edition is certainly an exciting development.

 

It's Graphically Stunning

With the live-action footage used by EA, Need For Speed offers an equally innovative and impressive graphical leap. Built using Frostbite, the same engine used for Star Wars: Battlefront, Need For Speed is undeniably gorgeous. Everything from the smoke of a drifting tyre, to the reflection of lights on a puddle all immerse the player into what is the most realistic addition to the series yet.

What’s more, the Frostbite engine has allowed developers, EA Ghost, to produce the combination of both live-action footage and your in-game vehicle on one screen. The example shown was when you first arrived into Travis’ garage, as he greets with an all too cliched fist-bump, you turn your head to see your in-game car amidst the real footage you are watching. And it wasn’t a one off, whatever your vehicle, no matter how grotesque or beautiful you’ve made it, it will always show. As racers goes, this is one of the most impressive features I’ve seen.

 

If You're a Car Culture Nut, You'll Be In Your Element

While the style and presentation of Need for Speed screams street racing and the Underground editions of the series, on closer inspection, it takes parts from many more. Five real life icons from the driving community are all featured in the game, with elements of their driving style having influence on how you play. These are Magnus Walker (speed), Ken Block (style), Nakai (build), Risky Devil (crew), and Morohoshi (outlaw), all of whom you cross paths with and try to impress during your playthrough. While they may not be instantly recognisable names, within the car community, they are legends of their individual fields and it shows how diverse Need For Speed will be.

The demo shown during gamescom was closely linked to the build legend, Nakai, and how you can customise your vehicle. When you enter the customisation mode, you’ll see your car is covered in small dots, all of which are a part of the car you can edit and personalise in an easy to grasp manner, with nods to current trends in car customisation like different coloured front and rear alloys… apparently. What was perhaps most impressive was the car’s tuning menu, which this time around is one of the most complex seen in a Need For Speed game, allowing you to tweak all kinds of intricate settings within your car’s heart. For the less mechanically inspired though, rather than changing every piston and spark plug in the car, with the adjustment of one slider you can have your car tuned to your desire. Positioning it between Drift and Grip will alter your car's performance to whichever event your are preparing for.

 

...It's Always Online!

Need For Speed is an online experience. Your game’s HUD and menu system require connections to your gaming network and are constantly updating and comparing you and your friend’s score. You can set challenges, try those set by friends or even meet up and tear up the streets of Ventura Bay together. These are all typical features in most games now, but rather than being an optional feature, EA told us that Need For Speed would be an always online game; if you don’t have the internet, you can’t play on it. It’s yet another attempt at moving the next step forward, whether it’ll pay off is still unknown, but don’t rush out to buy it just yet if your internet is terrible. A patch for single-player offline may be imminent a matter of days after launch.

While the threat of always online is still a huge problem for large parts of the industry, it certainly doesn’t stop Need For Speed looking like a fine ‘relaunch’ of the series. It looks great, it feels great and it plays great, which are ultimately the triple threat. There's a huge new step taken towards the story and the introduction of real life icons should be enough to draw in a larger objective. It still feels like Need For Speed, but with a current-gen lick of polish and love attention.

Need for Speed will be released on 5th November on PS4, Xbox One and PC