Need for Speed: The Run Preview

EA heard that you like races, so they put a race in your race! That is the basic premise of Need for Speed: The Run. The protagonist Jack Rourke is involved in a coast to coast race, but within each stage there are objectives set. The overall goal is to arrive in New York as the leader of the pack of over 150 competitors. This is more than a race for prize money or bragging rights. Along the way Jack must avoid cops and criminals who are willing to do whatever it takes to stop him. This is a race for Jack’s life.

Need for Speed: The Run uses the Frostbite 2 engine and puts it to good use from what has been showcased thus far. This engine allows the EA team to go bigger and better than ever. The landscapes look beautiful, although you can't pay too much attention when racing at breakneck speeds. Environments can be changed and its impact felt on the race track. With the landscape of the United States so varied, it presented a challenge and an opportunity to the development team. Races through snowy planes fall subject to avalanches, while more urban settings can be altered thanks to third party influences.

One particular level features a race for survival against the criminal elements presented in Need for Speed: The Run. As you come under a barrage of bullets and heavy impacts it really does feel like a survival challenge. And then, the helicopter is called in. This addition will test every fibre of your racing ability. It is no longer about racing quickly, but about dodging bullets, spotlights, falling debris and dead ends. This is a tough and unforgiving mission that changes the feel of the game. Suddenly, it is a completely different type of Need for Speed game rather than the same formula that has been seen in the series to date.

The racing is exciting with a range of exotic cars, environments and challenging competitors. There is great variety included in The Run as well. It is no longer about earning the quickest car and simply racing to the end in that. From what has been shown off so far, players will be forced to adapt to new cars for one reason or another. When the new environments are also taken into account, there will be plenty to keep new and old Need for Speed players occupied.

It is fair to say that the E3 trailer concerned many players. In it, players were shown Jack running about on foot with Quick Time Events (QTEs) thrown in. This is something that EA was keen to highlight. While these are present in-game, they represent less than 10% of the overall gameplay. It was pointed out that the choice was to use this interactive segment or use a cut-scene instead. In the end, EA decided to go down the route of QTEs and is happy with that choice.

EA has been cagey when it comes to the multiplayer side of The Run. All that could be confirmed so far is that there will be multiplayer. Like the more recent Need for Speed titles, it will feature the Autolog and allow players to compare their times with those of their friends. This is a social feature that EA is committed to and goes back to the basics of multiplayer gaming: bragging rights become important once more.

Need for Speed: The Run is shaping up to be an exciting rollercoaster ride across America. It is the biggest game of the franchise and looks to push the boundaries of what players have come to expect from the Need for Speed series. The game comes out on PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and 3DS. The release date is staggered with North America getting it on November 15, Australia on the 17^th and Europe on the 18^th. Japan must wait until December 1^st.