Need for Speed Rivals Review

We’ve been talking so long about mechanics that it’s probably time to focus on what the game is actually about – cars and racing. The vehicle selection in Rivals isn’t overly extensive, with only about 20 cars to choose from. However, you won’t be driving a squeaky Honda. Instead, the game puts you in a Porsche and cars get faster from there – Lamborghinis, McLarens, et al. Ferraris return to the Need for Speed franchise for the first time in many years. Each car has a variety of stats, such as top speed, acceleration, control, and durability, so it’s easy to compare and plan your performance upgrades .

Rivals is an arcade racer through and through, so the only thing that affects handling is the stat on the car. There’s no difference between a Ferrari and a Ford if their handling rating is the same. Overall the cars feel rather heavy, and the game seemingly has steering assists to make up for the lack of precision when turning. Turning around on a dime from top speeds is no problem, so is jumping long distances and drifting. It’s a highly accessible driving model, but one that feels restrictive and needlessly oversimplified. Physics can get wonky sometimes, especially during high speed crashes or bumping into something can cause cars to go flying.

Rivals also introduces a concept called AllDrive. The game lacks the traditional multiplayer options; instead you’re placed in a world where all racers and cops are just other players that are roaming about the map. Anytime an event is started, all nearby players get an invitation. Spontaneous challenges and pursuits are the lifeline of the game, and players who elect to join the same gameworld and roam in a group are likely to be rather unstoppable. Should you decide that online racers are too focused on harassing each other for no reason, as is sometimes the case, the game can be played offline and will still be populated by AI racers and cops in freeroam. Regardless of how you play, Autolog will continue to track and compare all of your stats and records to those of your friends, and provide recommendations and challenges as in previous games.

Redview County itself is a fairly large map, with lots of variety and open highways. However, it feels quite familiar in visual style and its vistas compared to the last few titles in the series. A full day/night and various weather cycles add to the atmosphere. Cars themselves look great, but strangely seem to be covered in water all the time. Only two view modes are available –in and outside the car. Audio design is satisfying; cars sound loud and empowering, while the soundtrack is varied and catchy.

The game runs on DICE’s brand new Frostbite 3 engine, but fails to impress on the same level as Battlefield 4. Collisions still produce an overload of metal scrap, but they look rather generic and ugly. Car damage is respectable but not very detailed. There are a couple of issues with draw distance, as textures stream in late. The framerate is locked at 30fps, so the game takes a while before giving players any sense of real speed. And when effects overwhelm the screen, Rivals notably slows down below that threshold. But overall the game runs stable, and joins multiplayer sessions seamlessly.

Need for Speed Rivals may be the first title from Ghost Games, but they are mostly veterans from Criterion, so the level of quality shows. After a disappointing Most Wanted reboot last year, Rivals comes roaring back with a better career mode and seamless multiplayer integration. This is still an arcade experience so the driving mechanics may not appeal to everyone, but the gameplay design provides a very solid foundation for hours of racing fun. A few technical issues aside, the game looks and sounds good. If you were disappointed with the series in the past few entries, now is a good time to check it out again.