When I picked up Need for Speed (2015) at my local video game retailer on a Black Friday sale, I was cautiously optimistic. The reviews I’d read up to that point were a bit lackluster in enthusiasm and praise for the game in its vanilla state. Widely recognized as an utterly gorgeous game, what was under the hood just didn’t give it the “oomph” people wanted from a new Need for Speed title. However, once the game was out of its wrapper and the disc was spinning in my Playstation 4, I immediately knew I disagreed with what I’d read. I realized Need for Speed (2015) is truly a fantastic game that deserves your time and investment.

I’ll get this out of the way up front – I live and breathe cars. While I was completing my post-secondary education, I decided I would learn about the internal mechanics of mass-produced vehicles to become an automotive technician. Unfortunately that didn’t pan out because being 6’5’ and hunching over engines 8.5 hours of the day don’t mix well. I then found my way into the automotive collision industry, and ended up learning how vehicles are manufactured and assembled. Saying that, the roster of racing games I have fully embraced is pitifully small. Forza is probably considered to be one of the more popular racing series with a large fanbase, and I have never played a Forza game because I lack an Xbox console or PC. Gran Turismo is the next mainstream series that comes to mind, but I found I was disappointed after being let down from the hype for Gran Turismo 5 on the Playstation 3. The game was advertised as being a simulation racer, and that was one aspect that Polyphony Digital absolutely nailed. The complex damage engine they boasted about, however, was only firing on one cylinder, with straight-on high speed collisions resulting in a minor “thunk” noise and the car bouncing away from the impact source. I was disappointed, and after that I distanced myself from the genre for a while, although I’d greatly enjoyed Need for Speed: Shift and Shift 2: Unleashed, as well as the amazingly fresh and criminally under-appreciated Driver: San Francisco. Since enjoying those titles, there has been a stagnant five-year gap in my pursuit of finding excellent racing games. When Need for Speed (2015) was released, that long stint of being in personal racing purgatory was finally over.

While definitely having buckets of cheese saturated in the dialogue and acting, seeing these scenes unfold in the first person perspective of the nameless racer that is you, the player, gives you a sense that you are present at the beginning of carving your mark in the underground racing world of Ventura Bay.
As soon as I loaded in, I felt immediately nostalgic as the first live-action cutscene played out in front of me. While definitely having buckets of cheese saturated in the dialogue and acting, seeing these scenes unfold in the first person perspective of the nameless racer that is you, the player, gives you a sense that you are present at the beginning of carving your mark in the underground racing world of Ventura Bay. Even the first-person gimmicks of drinking a beer and high-fives were comical additions, but appreciated. As my career went on, I found the presence of my crewmates became welcomed between races. These interactions didn’t go much deeper than these short “hangouts,” but it solidified the foundation that you are part of the street racing underground and are making a dent in your own way. The transitions from these live-action cutscenes to gameplay are also very impressive, with your customized vehicle often visible in the background while the scene plays out.

The very first car I purchased was the Subaru BRZ. For my first car it was decent, but I quickly changed out of it due to the fact I wasn’t that enthused about the vehicle itself, and there were two identical versions badged differently. I prefer the visual design of older vehicles anyhow, so I opted for the Sprinter GT Apex, a fan-favorite of mine after watching the anime Initial D, which is centered around drift racing in Japan. Soon I was tearing up the streets in my custom GT Apex, styled exactly like the vehicle in the anime. After switching to my new vehicle, the first thing that struck me was how different the GT Apex handled compared to the BRZ, even with the handling setups between the two vehicles being very similar. My third car ended up being a 1967 Ford Mustang, and when I tried that on for size (also tuned for a drift-based build), yet again the vehicle felt completely different from the previous two. Each car is very unique and has its own drive feel, which I wasn’t expecting from a racer that leans more to the arcade-side of the racing spectrum. This gave me excitement every time I’d purchase a new vehicle, because I knew the driving experience would be unique and fresh to me.

I found that I’d be mid-race gunning towards a large intersection, and as I came closer, another player in their own, separate race, would blast across the intersection before I got there, solidifying the foundation that the world you’re driving in is truly living, breathing, and shared.
Probably the most divisive aspect of this game to the fans was the fact the game required a mandatory online connection to be played. This I can understand completely, as all previous entries in the franchise were able to be enjoyed offline. However, the people who were fortunate enough to play this game online were in for an incredible racing experience that would be hard to find anywhere else. I found that I’d be mid-race gunning towards a large intersection, and as I came closer, another player in their own, separate race, would blast across the intersection before I got there, solidifying the foundation that the world you’re driving in is truly living, breathing, and shared. Even so, let’s not forget that having an online component will undoubtedly connect you with some internet trolls. Due to the nature of racing in a city setting, there are many obstacles for you to impact and wipeout on, and trolls will often use this to their advantage. As some players prefer the easy way of winning races, I’ve found throughout the last year of playing most racers like to drive dirty, and perform pit maneuvers to spin you out so they can take your position. It’s unfortunate, but it pushes you to drive even better, and it’s incredibly rewarding when you are first place on the Speedlist purely from driving clean. Teach the trolls how to drive!

Ghost Games has also been excellent in supporting the game with additional content and features since it was released, up until all the company’s creative resources needed to be focused on developing the upcoming entry in the franchise, Need for Speed: Payback. Ghost has clearly been listening to its fans and their feedback. Since release, the option for manual transmission has been added, the hot rod vehicle class is available (although the options are sadly limited), your vehicle can be repaired by driving through a gas station, player versus player racing has been added in the form of Speedlists, there are additional racing missions as a direct throwback to a certain popular antagonist of an older Need for Speed game, and now even a Prestige Mode has been added to maximize replay value by increasing the difficulty of previous races. If you bought this game and traded it because of a lack of content, you may be surprised at what it now has to offer.

The arranged soundtrack for the game is a mix of modern and old songs which leans more on the EDM side than alternative or rock genres, and pairs extremely well with the high-speed gameplay that gets adrenaline pumping.
Racing through the streets at breakneck speeds begs for a soundtrack to cement the feeling of travelling at high velocity, and Need for Speed comes to the plate with full force in this regard. The arranged soundtrack for the game is a mix of modern and old songs which leans more on the EDM side than alternative or rock genres, and pairs extremely well with the high-speed gameplay that gets adrenaline pumping. There were some truly awe-inspiring moments in the game solidified by the music playing at that time. One memory comes to mind where I was in a Speedlist in third place, and was steadily gaining on the racer in second with the other in first not too far ahead. We began to climb a hill with a slight curve, and seeing that my nitrous gauge was full, I decided to take my chances with overtaking the two racers in front of me. I blasted past the second place holder, then the first, and as I came to the crest of the hill, suddenly the sky began to lighten, almost in rhythm with the thumping electronic soundtrack complementing it. For a moment it seemed like time was slowing down, I was in the eye of the storm looking at a gorgeous skyline in its dawning and sunset at the same time. As I went over the hill, the sky shifted back into night, and the moment was over, but unforgettable. I liked the soundtrack so much I even use it for my workout sessions to give me more energy. And it works!

…It seems that a lot of thought was put into what they would include, such as iconic cars from pop culture or cars well-known in previous Need for Speed games.
The last aspect of the game that needs to be discussed is the cars themselves. They look gorgeous and are spectacularly detailed down to beads of rain being illuminated by the midnight lights, and are a joy to look at when driving through the streets at high speed. The lineup of vehicles leaves a little to be desired (not sure why three seemingly identical vehicles with different badges were included, cough cough), but even so, it seems that a lot of thought was put into what they would include, such as iconic cars from pop culture or cars well-known in previous Need for Speed games. Some offer vast amounts of customization while others offer little (my heart sank when I’d worked my rear off to buy the Ferrari F40 – it barely had any customization I was interested in), so depending on your vehicle choice, you may or may not have this issue.

Need for Speed (2015) is a hidden gem that deserves to be played. While it may have not met initial expectations, the game now feels like it provides the experience it was meant to all along. Thanks to the huge post-release support from Ghost Games and free content updates, the persisting online community (non-trolls AND trolls), an excellent soundtrack and solid driving mechanics, Need for Speed (2015) offers a street racing experience like no other that deserves your time and investment, and will undoubtedly fill that Need for Speed-shaped hole in your heart until the much-anticipated Need for Speed: Payback releases on November 10th, 2017.
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