Byte Size – Need For Speed Heat Review (Xbox One X)
Everyone knows the Need For Speed franchise. With well over twenty games to its name you would be hard pushed to find any gamer who hasn’t played a Need For Speed title at some point. So how does EA keep the franchise fresh? Well to be honest, they don’t. Need For Speed is a known litmus test in the arcade racer genre so why mess with a good thing.
This time round Need For Speed Heat has taken a little bit of Forza Horizon and a splash of The Fast and the Furious and added it to the mixture.
The Fast And The Forza…
The whole storyline this time around is a very Fast and Furious style plotline that seems to have been used in many a movie and game. You will know the one. New guy comes to town, wants to race, buys car from local wrench monkey, hooks up with said wrench monkeys sister, takes on local big time players, etc, etc….
Add to this day and night, similar to Forza Horizons seasons, and you have the setting for Need For Speed Heat. Throw into an open world, add collectables and events and it all starts to look very familiar.
Lots of Need For Speed.
Don’t get me wrong though, Need for Speed Heat comes together as a very enjoyable and playable game. Just not original at all, but what would you expect from a release that is number twenty something in the franchise. Visually there is nothing ground breaking which allows for some great draw distances and a nice feeling of speed. Which is important when that is what you have a need for.
The soundtrack is not my cup of tea and I am yet to recognise a song. Nothing against the songs (word used loosely), just not my genre or era. And get off my grass you young whipper snappers!
Closing Comments.
So it is all about winning races, evading cops, earning money and increasing your reputation. And there are plenty of ways to achieve this, all very familiar to racing fans. Cars are varied and affordable for the casual player not to be stuck with a starting model. And the tuning and upgrading systems complex enough for the real enthusiast to sink their teeth into.
It has been a while since I had the need for speed but I must say, the return to the fast lane has left a smile on my face.
