Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is a racing game , developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. Hot Pursuit is a remake of the original NFS series, released in 1998. The game returns the series to its roots, by giving the player a chance to become either a racer or a member of the police. Hot Pursuit’s gameplay offers two career paths, each coming with different perks and upgrades, as well as other interesting features. The game was well-received by critics, who praised it for bringing back the old-school Need for Speed experience into the 21st century.

Choose your career

Like the original Hot Pursuit series, the remake features two career paths for the player to choose from. Players can either take the side of racers or cops. Choosing on the side determines the mechanics of the races the player can participate in. Both racers and cops collect the bounty, which can be later spent on unlocking new vehicles and events. The layer collects bounty by winning events as well as performing certain actions during them, such as damaging or wrecking other cars, reaching top speed, drifting or making close calls with other vehicles, and many more.

High-velocity gameplay

Like every other game in the need for speed series, Hot Pursuit focuses on the high-speed car races. The player can participate in different types of races, scattered across the region of Seacrest County, based on the Pacific West Coast areas of The United States. The types of races depends on the career the player decided to choose. Racers can participate in the Arms Race, Duel, Gauntlet, and ordinary Race. Cops participate in Hot Pursuit, Interceptor and Most Wanted. Both careers also feature a free drive mode, where the player can take any of their vehicles on a casual ride across the region. During the event, the player can use a different type of equipment, which they can use to gain upper hand over other racers or aid them in pursuit. The equipment at the player’s disposal are Helicopter assist and Roadblocks for cops, and signal jammers and turbo for the racers. Both factions can use EMP and spike strips.  

Hottest rides on the planet

NFS Hot Pursuitfeatures a set of over 50 cars. Most of the vehicles available in the game come in both cop and racer variants, however, there are some exclusives, which only one faction can drive. The cars are divided by tier, from one to five. The higher the tier of the car the better the performance on the road. The cars include popular brands such as Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Chevrolet, Ford, Lamborghini, Porsche and more.

Multiplayer and the Autolog system

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit features an online multiplayer mode, where players can face each other in events as either cops or racers. Race modes are similar to those of the single-player mode. Hot pursuit special feature is the Autolog system, which serves as a networking suite for players. The system allows the player to see their friends’ results and photos that were taken in-game on a Speed Wall and Autolog Recommendations point out races where the player’s friends achieved better results. It’s an excellent system allowing the players to keep in touch with each other’s progress.  

Reception

Need for Speed Hot Pursuitreceived favorable reviews from critics and fans, who praised the series’ return to its roots. Special praises went to the online modes of the game which allowed players to compete online and check their progress through the Autolog.

Key features:

• Career – For the first time in Need For Speed history play full careers as both cops and racers. Whether playing online with friends, taking on friends challenges or the single player career, players will earn bounty that levels them up and unlocks new cars, weapons and equipment.
• Need For Speed Autolog – In Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, your friends drive your gameplay experience. Autolog is a system that links friends directly to each other’s games, enabling them to compare and share all their experiences, pictures and challenges. Autolog instinctively delivers challenges based on what your friends have been doing, creating a hugely dynamic, socially competitive experience.
• Cars – In Hot Pursuit, the cars go from hot to hotter. Experience the thrill of driving the world’s most desirable high performance cars at incredible speeds. Feel the power of busting suspects in supercharged cop interceptors like the Lamborghini Reventon or outsmarting the law as a racer in high performance supercars like the Pagani Zonda Cinque.
• Weapons and equipment – Take down suspects with a variety of cop weapons like spike strips and call in extra support including road blocks as the chase intensifies. Racers have a range of evasion equipment at their disposal to outsmart the cops including jammers that block cop communications and jam their weapons.
• Seacrest County – Explore a world inspired by the California coastline with desert, forest, seaside and mountainous regions. The open world of Seacrest County helps deliver the most intense cop pursuit moments ever.