Need for Speed Rivals Hands-on
The Gamescom 2013 was certainly full of “road tests”: between DriveClub, Forza Motorsport 5 and The Crew, certainly the burning desires of racing game fans have not been disappointed. Personally I tried Need for Speed Rivals at the exclusive booth of Electronic Arts for a good half hour and there I gave in, gas throttle in an attempt to get an idea of this new installment which is developed by Ghost Games under the supervision of Criterion Games (those who created Hot Pursuit and Burnout).
Need for Speed: Rivals is the essence of all that we have seen from the Need for Speed franchise in the last five years or so. The starting point has certainly been Hot Pursuit: Criterion Games attempted to revive the brand after the insipid Shift and ProStreet titles. Rivals seems to promise a much bigger map than all those featured in the previous games of the series. The version I tested was an “alpha” build, that is, a very early version of the game intended to give an idea of the final product, but far from being “perfect”. I also found out that even though that I was playing with the DualShock 4, it was actually the PC version on display. You read that right: I played Need for Speed Rivals on Windows PC using a DualShock controller 4, just like Alessio reported for Dying Light; it seemed to be a trend for developers at Gamescom.
The result? A classic gameplay that reminds very much the driving model already adopted in the last Most Wanted. The real addition brought by Rivals is the concept of the game as completely focused on online cooperation and competition. You will be able to freely roam the huge game map, which is dotted with dozens of points of interest: to name just a few of these, the “garage”, the ramparts, the starting point for access to the road. Here you can buy cars, you can buy the aesthetic and mechanical changes and you can vent the car-tuning maniac in you.
There are thousands of variables available to customize your car aesthetically. With the push of a button you can change your role on the fly, from a fugitive to being on the side of the law. This is because the world of Rivals is mainly inhabited by real players who travel, in real time, the game’s map while pursuing their own goals. I found the weapons management to be very convincing, especially those that are activated during the chase. These must be purchased by slowly accumulating credits and reputation scores that allow access to more effective equipment. Starting from the classic spike strips, there’s something from everyone all the way to electromagnetic pulse cannons.
The most interesting part of the whole test was when, in the middle of an illegal race, I’ve encountered three players belonging to the police who stopped competing amongst them and started chasing me and another fellow “illegal racer” in a a wide area characterized by highways for half and half more meandering roadways. With this unexpected excuse I could notice that there’s a good level of environmental interaction (almost everything can be shot down), also decent physics is applied to cars (I drove a Porsche and a Ferrari), although of course the game remains very far from being a simulation of any kind.
Like any self-respecting Need for Speed, the damage will only be visual and thus have no effect on the car’s performance. The player just has to be careful and avoid reaching “zero” on the resistance bar, otherwise the car will be considered unusable and it will establish the capture and / or elimination of any competition going on.
As a closing note I’ll mention a welcome surprise for fans, as in addition to the Lamborghini and Maserati vehicles, at long last in Need for Speed: Rivals you’ll be able to drive a beautiful Ferrari! The famous red cars from Maranello will join the other “dream cars” of Rivals for the delight of all players. Finally, I remember you that Need for Speed Rivals is scheduled for a November 19 release on current generation consoles and Windows PCs, while next generation fans will have the game as a launch title.
