Need for Speed Rivals

Need for Speed: Rivals is an open-world racing game that lets you create a name for yourself as the best driver in the fictional location of Redview County.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Need for Speed is one of the most successful racing franchises ever made, and that series has sold millions of games over the years. While many of the Need for Speed titles have relatively linear races, the team over at Electronic Arts decided that they wanted to mix things up with Rivals. Need for Speed: Rivals puts you in an open-world with a diverse array of environments to drive through. While the game does have some clear drawbacks, the ability to cruise through a massive world with the car of your dreams makes up for those shortcomings.

Unlike many of the other Need for Speed Games, Rivals is set in an open world that you are encouraged to explore. When you log into a map, you are going to choose whether you would like to become a police officer or racer. Those two groups are constantly going against one another in a unique game of chicken, and they each have their own tools at their disposal. The police officers and racers also have extremely different goals and tactics, and that gives this game an incredible amount of replayability.

One of the most unique aspects of Need for Speed: Rivals is the fact that the single-player and multiplayer games coexist within a single gameworld. While that concept has become very popular in the past few years, this was one of the first games to successfully implement it. When you log into Redview County for the first time, you are going to be given an introductory race car or the generic police car. As a racer, you can simply drive around completing single-player quests for relatively small rewards or jump into larger multiplayer races.

Any match that involves multiple racers can be joined by any other human player who happens to be on the same server. While those types of races are much more difficult, they also have the biggest rewards. The reward and purchasing system in Rivals is based on Speedpoints, and that currency allows you to modify your current car, buy a new car, or invest in Pursuit Tech. Any vehicle in the game can be outfitted with two Pursuit Tech upgrades, and that equipment is going to be vital if you want to compete with other players. Those upgrades include everything from spike strips to EMP pulses, and they must be used at pivotal moments.

As you cruise through Redview County, you are going to notice a few different icons on your pop-up display as well as the general display. The icons will notify you of various single-player challenges, multiplayer challenges, customization shops, and hideouts. When you beat a race or perform a dangerous stunt, your Speedpoints and Speedpoints multiplier will go up. At that point, you can either head to a hideout to bank your points or keep increasing the multiplier. If you lose a match, destroy your vehicle, or get caught by the police, then your Speedpoints are reset. It is also important to note that having more Speedpoints will increase your Heat, and that stat is going to attract more law enforcement officers.

While driving around in high-powered supercars can be very fun, playing as a law enforcement officer is going to be very entertaining as well. Each police officer has a generic vehicle, and those cars can’t be modified in any manner. That is why most people are going to dump their Speedpoints into Pursuit Tech. Whenever you catch a racer, you will be awarded some Speedpoints, and you can use your points to send out recon helicopters, set out spike strips, or even call in additional officers.

The single-player mode of this game will allow you to master the basic controls, but you will eventually want to jump into the multiplayer action. When a race icon pops up and you find a slew of players revving their engines, you know that you are going to be in for a wild ride. As soon as the race starts, you will need to avoid bystanders and keep a close eye on your rivals. You must also constantly be on the lookout for any cops that might be trying to hunt you down. Pulling past the finish line ahead of your opponents is going to be challenging, but that hard work will be worth it.

After acquiring a variety of cars and some Pursuit Tech, many players enjoy simply driving around playing cat and mouse with one another. Redview County has some beautiful scenery, and you will be able to drive through dense forests, long highways, desert roads, and busy city streets. There are also quite a few areas with inconspicuous ramps and jumps where you can set traps or push your vehicle to the limit. The gameworld isn’t huge by today’s standards, but it still gives you plenty to look at.

While this racing game is eye-catching, there are a few downsides as well. One of the biggest problems with Rivals is the inconsistent damage. Some of the patches have helped with the damage bugs, but you might still find yourself very annoyed when a seemingly minor bump nearly totals your vehicle. There is also limited customization within the game, and that is going to turn off some players who enjoy in-depth racing simulations. That being said, Need for Speed: Rivals is still one of the most iconic and exciting games in the racing genre.