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Need for Speed Rivals is a racing game developed by Ghost Games and Criterion Games, and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The game covers the notorious “cop versus racer” aspect of the Need for Speed franchise. The story mode also follows this aspect of the game; as the story mode involves rogue cops & hot pursuit races. The game aims to capture the racing/action loving audience and it did so with ease. Rivals’ unique mechanics keep the game unpredictable, which is good for a game focused on cop chases.
Need for Speed Rivals has a short but diverse car list. The car list mainly includes “high-end” cars from brands like Ford, Dodge, Porsche, BMW to Lamborghini, and Koenigsegg. Rivals’ graphics are very impressive for a game released in 2013. The game’s world has some very diverse biomes. From beautiful forests, snowy mountains to scorching deserts and more.
Rivals’ mechanics and overall gameplay is very good. The game also you to alternate between being a cop and being a street racer. The game gives your car a health bar and driving through gas station maxes out your health bar and refills your pursuit tech. The longer you keep racing, the higher your heat level rises, and the tougher it is to get away from cops. If you get caught by cops or end up wrecking your car, you’ll lose all the money you’ve collected so far. It’s high risk, high reward.
Rivals has the most brutal cops in Need for Speed history. The cops add that “fear factor” to a game that showcases the cop versus racer rivalry. The police will do just about anything in their power to stop you from racing and that level of complexity is really thrilling.
The game has added “pursuit tech”, which allows the player to be more aggressive to both cops and racers. The more you upgrade your pursuit tech, the more you can fire it and the stronger it becomes. There is different pursuit tech for cops and racers.
Racers get the following pursuit tech:
Electromagnetic pulse or EMP, which can temporarily disable both racers and cops.
Electrostatic Field or ESF, which can make a vehicle temporarily lose control when hit by a car with the ESF.
Jammer, which surrounds your car with a temporary field that protects it from pursuit tech hits.
Shockwave, which emits a burst of energy from a vehicle that can forcibly repel and damage vehicles that are close by; causing them to collide with the environment’s elements or civilian cars.
Stun mine, which can disable any vehicle’s electrical system who drives over it.
and Turbo, which allows your car to have a temporary high burst of speed.
Cops get the following pursuit tech:
EMP & ESF
Helicopter, which allows you to keep a visual on a pursing racer.
Roadblock, which allows you to block a road to stop or divert a pursuit target.
Shock Ram, which is similar to the shockwave, but is located in the front of the cop car and causes a high amount of damage to the racer’s car.
and Spike Strip, which allows you to deploy a spike strip in order to pop the racer’s tires.
The game allows the player to unlock cars by completing challenges. Police will get fully upgraded cars for free, but you’ll still need to buy the pursuit tech. And racers must pay for new cars, performance upgrades, and pursuit tech.
Need for Speed Rivals does have its fair share of downsides. Firstly, car customization is very limited. You can’t lower your car’s suspension or add a body kit… the only thing you can do is change the paint color, add decals, and change your license plate.
Secondly, the game has a tendency to extend the crash cams. If you crash your car, the game will show your car’s collision in a crash cam. But, if another racer crashes into your car while in crash cam. The crash cam extends the time before the player can keep racing. This lowers your chance of winning races or escaping the cops.
Thirdly, the game has a lot of paid DLC (Downloadable Content). Most of the DLC being car packs and decal designs. Need for Speed Rivals has its fair share of glitches and bugs.
Ghost games made a good first impression with Need for Speed Rivals. The game is really fun yet challenging. The “thrill of the chase” is very present in the game. Rivals isn’t perfect but it’s a good game for those who loves the high speed cop chases in the Need for Speed games. The game makes the player learn the map to be able to use the nearby environment & obstacles to their advantage. Rivals is a must-play for those who loves Need for Speed, high speed chases, and for those who love cars.
