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My take on Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit: EA's nostalgia trip
A review of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The graphics are decent, but optimization is lacking. Controls aren't perfect, yet the missions are engaging. Overall, it's the most successful NFS in five years.
Developer: Criterion Games CIS Publisher: EA Worldwide Publisher: EA Genre: Racing System Requirements: Pentium DC E5200/Athlon II X2 215, GeForce 9600GT/ATI Radeon HD4670, 2GB RAM Recommended System Requirements: Core 2 Duo E8400/Phenom II X2 550, GeForce GTX 260/ATI Radeon HD4870, 4GB RAM
⤢ ВІДКРИТИAbout the past...
Nostalgia. That single word probably best describes what I felt during my first race in EA's latest creation. Memories of the good old NFS HP2 immediately came flooding back. But something still felt off. What was it? The graphics are better, and the controls haven't changed at all (still those same logs smoothly rolling down the road). But only after three races did I suddenly realize: the new HP isn't as boring as the last one! We all remember what races were like in HP2: two or three incredibly long laps, opponents falling half a lap behind — basically, you were racing against yourself. That was back when EA handled things. Now, the recently famous Criterion Games team developed the game.
First launch
But first things first. Upon launching the game, you're prompted to create a profile and simultaneously register for EA's new 'feature' – Autolog. This greatly upset the gaming community. Not the new feature itself, but the fact that you couldn't play online without it. So, after (presumably) registering, we're shown a trailer for the upcoming NFS Shift 2! I was really impressed by the wheel flying off in the trailer; now it's up to EA to make that happen in the actual game. Slightly stunned by the quick arrival of the next NFS, I continued to navigate the game's 'rich' menu. Naturally, I first delved into the graphics settings and was disappointed by the lack of anti-aliasing! As practice soon showed, texture filtering is only available on AMD/ATI graphics cards; NVIDIA cards simply don't have such a setting (verified on two different systems equipped with different types of graphics cards: GeForce 9800GT/GTX280 and Radeon HD4670)! Oh well, it's not the graphics that make the game, it's the gameplay. Let's move on to the map size:
⤢ ВІДКРИТИWell, it's not much. We're offered about 30 different tracks. But there's a pleasant bonus: a free roam mode. Players get a chance that HP2 fans could only dream of! You can cruise the open world for what feels like ages, if not forever, and thankfully the game's graphics allow you to fully enjoy the scenery.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИHitting the track!
The first song that greets the player is performed by the world-renowned rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. Subjectively, it's the only track in the game that isn't annoying. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, driving feels like a log rolling down a hill. While the handling is a step better than in NFS Shift, it feels more like a step sideways than a step forward. Everyone expected Burnout-level damage from this game, right? Well, you won't get it. Cars don't crumble or compress like an accordion; they elegantly dent. Though, considering everything in past NFS titles, this is a huge step forward.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИWhile the gameplay is still tied to the good old 'chase > overtake > escape cops > be first' formula, a smarter AI makes it quite enjoyable, and at times, even captivating. The cop missions are quite interesting. However, the new 'time trial' mode is really frustrating. Hit a barrier, lose 2 seconds – it was tough to get used to at first. If you recall NFS MW/Carbon, you could pretty much just rub against them. Dirt 2 is a different story... oops, got a bit sidetracked there. Still, these are completely different types of racing.
Graphics and optimization
⤢ ВІДКРИТИIt's an interesting situation. The game looks good, even without anti-aliasing; textures are decent, and at speed, nobody's really scrutinizing them. Shadows are sharp, as much as the engine allows. Cars—well, that's always been a strong suit in the NFS series. But gamers are complaining! About what, you ask? Optimization! The graphics card is only loaded to about 50% during gameplay! This is true for practically any graphics card! Whether it's a Radeon HD4670/HD4890 or a GeForce GTX260/GTX280, it's the same everywhere. At the time of writing, the first released patch was in use. EA claimed it would improve game performance with multi-core CPUs, but I noticed a gain of only about 1-2fps.
I'll supplement this section with something else: An attempt to play NFS HP on the following systems:
CPU – AMD Sempron LE1100@2600MHz RAM – 1GB DDR2 900MHz Graphics Card – AMD Radeon HD4670 512MB GDDR3 Resolution – 1024x768
On minimal settings, the game ran at 10-15 frames per second; raising it to medium dropped that benchmark to 7-10 frames per second. I won't even mention maximum settings.
CPU – Intel Celeron D 330@3000MHz (775 Socket) RAM – 1GB DDR2 533MHz Graphics Card – AMD Radeon HD4670 512MB GDDR3 Resolution – 1024x768
This system showed the lowest results. On minimal settings, it managed 5-7 frames, and medium settings were simply unplayable. The game's intro cinematic before a race even lasted two minutes.
CPU – AMD Athlon II X4 620@3500MHz
RAM – 2GB DDR3 1440MHz
Graphics Card – GeForce 9800GT 1GB GDDR3
Resolution – 1280x1024
The game runs on maximum quality settings at an average of 45-60 frames per second.
CPU – AMD Athlon II X4 620@3500MHz
RAM – 2GB DDR3 1440MHz
Graphics Card – AMD Radeon HD4670 512MB GDDR3
Resolution – 1280x1024
The game runs on maximum quality settings at an average of 35-50 frames per second.
CPU – AMD Athlon II X3 435@3600MHz
RAM – 2GB DDR2 1000MHz
Graphics Card – GeForce GTX280 1GB GDDR3
Resolution – 1920x1080
This was probably the most successful configuration; the game ran smoothly, without stuttering, averaging around 60 frames per second, even at its minimums.
⤢ ВІДКРИТИConclusion
What to write in conclusion? I racked my brain half the night over this, but nothing meaningful came to mind, so I'll stick with the obvious. No matter how you look at it, the game turned out pretty good. It offers beautiful and, at times, even impressive graphics, and a decent car damage model (for an NFS title). Yet, it also features a meager soundtrack, though some might find it ideal. The car handling is inadequate, and the repetitive races get boring by the middle of the game. Still, this is probably the most successful Need for Speed in the last five years.
