It's hard to believe, but Electronic Arts finally changed her mind, throwing onto the market not just another craft "based on Most Wanted", but a completely full-fledged remake of one of the most successful parts of the series Need for Speed- Hot Pursuit. Neon signs are a thing of the past, the gloss of nightlife went out to smoke on the balcony, and sultry girls went where they belong - to the dustbin of history, that is, to the nearest brothel named after " playboy". Hot Pursuit 2010 is probably the most anticipated arcade racing game of this year, and at the same time the "dark horse" from Criterion Games. And these guys know a lot about "good racing", because the series Burnout- this is their handiwork.

Let's start with the main thesis, which will become the basis for all our further reasoning: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is, in a sense, a regression in relation to all the developments that its previous owners brought to the series - Black Box Games. Through the efforts Criterion not only the plot fell under the knife, but also all the hints of the "ordinary nature of what is happening on the screen." Serial cars, a bunch of available visualizers, urban slums ( underground 1 and 2); you can safely forget about all of the above, take it to the crematorium, and then, after crying enough, scatter the ashes of the killed "raccoon" in the wind. Reincarnated Hot Pursuit takes away another - the atmosphere. Or, if you like, by the spirit of a dashing chase" Cops vs. reckless". There are two sides to choose from, as in the original dilogy. One, as you might guess, is law enforcement officers, and the other is ordinary racers in expensive supercars. The intro, meanwhile, tells about a certain zone in which the police got so much lawlessness, created by the "bad guys" that they organized an elite unit, that is SCPD. He has one function - to catch violators of the speed limit, but the methodology and available tools (as well as powers) are somewhat wider than those of ordinary workers of the striped stick.

Last year's Need for Speed: Shift was not forgotten. Only, as in the case of V-Rally, has been moved out of the main loop. According to the team responsible for developing the sequel, Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed will provide players with even more drive and adrenaline from real racing battles. And, most importantly: the release of Unleashed is scheduled for March 2011.

Reckless cars are possible - and, moreover, necessary! - ram, push into a ditch, take into the ring; in short, have fun from the heart. Help in this difficult (what can we deny something!) Lesson - special opportunities. Four on each side. Some of them are duplicated. So, for example, spikes and EMP (a useful thing; it helps to immobilize a presumptuous bastard) is an ideal tool to allow you to break away or delay the object of persecution. It all depends on the chosen side, because, as mentioned earlier, in Hot Pursuit Criterion Games included two full-fledged campaigns: one - for the police, and the other, located in the "contra" in relation to the first - for the racers.

Naturally, the rating system, which migrated to, apparently, from Shift, each side has its own. For successfully completed competitions, points are awarded, they are directly proportional to the medals earned. A plus special conditions like perfect driving or aggression on the track. The maximum number of points is gained after a series of conditions are met. For example, gold in the regular sprint is only awarded to the first person to cross the finish line, silver to second, and bronze to third. For a long time fan NFS these "requirements" will not be new. Time trials are another type of competition that has moved to Hot Pursuit permanent residence from ancient times. Interestingly, the victory conditions for the cops are a little tougher than for the reckless ones. In addition to the main condition - to arrive on time and without delay - there is an additional one: not to crash the car on the way from point "A" to point "B". For each dent, they are fined, taking away time from the total moneybox of the race. A couple of hickey kisses with a curb will be enough to forget about the gold, and if we are talking about the accident, and at all - about the victory.

Fortunately, such an outcome is a rare and highly predictable thing. All the salt in physics, which ... completely arcade. Cars easily enter turns, and almost all the differences relate to their visual part. It gives the impression that Criterion each frame emphasizes the "return to forgotten roots." How else to explain purely " Ridge Racer'ovskie "controlled skids? Yes, so smooth and spectacular that you want to cry with emotion. After all, all those metamorphoses that happened to Need for Speed over the past few years - a completely understandable desire of brand owners to probe that bottom, a gold mine, relying on which it is possible to release video games that are different from competitors over and over again. Budding Shift (about him in the sidebar), online Need for Speed: World and finally Need for Speed: Nitro- a petition to the genre of absolutely frivolous rides, akin to karting with Mario or Crash.

In this list, Hot Pursuit is the golden mean with the "old need for speed" recreated according to all the canons gameplay. Career mode, consisting of separate races, and not united by any important motivation, except for the one called "I want to continue the banquet", and individual elements of the gameplay mechanics - everything adds up to a single picture, and the powder from a modern and very powerful engine is only gives it bright colors. Think about it for a moment: Hot Pursuit trails rarely see traffic. A couple of teapots don't count. Well, all those seemingly novelties (for neophytes, of course), in one form or another have already "debuted" in the series. Weapon - Hot Pursuit 2, singleplayer device - High Stakes and Hot Pursuit 2, cops - Hot Pursuit sample 1998, "alternative" soundtrack - Hot Pursuit 2, long sprints - the very first NFS for then still alive 3DO. The list can go on and on, but is it necessary?

In fact, the only thing worth writing down in the cohort of "fresh ideas Criterion" - it Autolog- local analogue of a social network Facebook. The system keeps track of all your achievements, keeps statistics - in short, technology adequate for the genre. In addition, there is every reason to believe that Autolog signed up for the series for a long time.

The ideal concept does not appear from scratch, but Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit from Criterion Games is an example of how arcade racing should be approached. An example and edification to all those developers who try from time to time to "invent new model bike". Having got rid of the terrible "urban past", Need for Speed transformed into Need for Speed- such as she was known before the advent of the ungodly underground, which gradually plunged the racing series into oblivion.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit by the numbers

Plot / Game world: -
Graphics / Design: 9 / 10 ;
Sound / Music: 9 / 10 ;
Gameplay: 9 / 10 ;
Interface / Control: 9 / 10 ;
Outcome: 9 / 10 ;

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Review

I need a nitrous oxide system. I only got to 140.
In no case. I've seen you drive, you'll explode.
I need one of these tanks... And you know what? Put them better 2.
k / f Fast and the Furious

Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Series Need for Speed firmly entrenched in the hearts of the players, thanks to high-quality arcade racing. Yes, in the history of the series there have been attempts to make racing with more natural gameplay. The most striking example is the fifth Porsche Unleashed. But despite the fact that most still remember this game for a good balance of complexity and realism, in the commercial aspect the game failed. Last attempt to "play the simulator" under the name Shift turned out to be more successful. The game received high marks and sold a decent circulation. However, rumors of a return to the origins of the series, a remake Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 were greeted with enthusiasm.

Action Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit takes place on a fictional peninsula called Seacrest County. This is about 160 kilometers of motorways. The plot of the game is quite simple: on this peninsula, a huge number of racers divorced expensive cars(to put it more modestly), ignoring speed limits and arranging races at any time of the day or night. The traffic police spare no time and money to fight them, buying sports and supercars in order to catch radishes by any means. In the course are spikes, blocking the road and the help of helicopters.
We also get the opportunity to alternately play for the racers and the police. Either running away from the police, or chasing troublemakers.

NFS11.exe

After entering the game, we are offered to register in a new service from EA called Autolog. This service allows you to take screenshots and send them to the Internet, writes track records to a common table and manages the network part of the game. Autolog also contains an experience points system called Bounty. The design of the menu is worthy of all praise, everything is done beautifully and with high quality.
Of the shortcomings, it is worth noting that the graphics settings are virtually absent. We are only allowed to choose the quality of shadows and textures. There is no anti-aliasing, it can only be enabled through the video card driver.

The race selection menu is a map of Seacrest County, with markers for currently available and closed races. After choosing the track, we get into the car selection menu. In total, 66 cars of 22 brands will be available to us. No family hatchbacks. Only the sports and supercars that decorate teenagers' rooms.
When choosing a car, a pleasant female voice provides detailed information about the car, the history of its appearance and other details. It is definitely worth listening to her, she tells interestingly, and the data are complete and reliable. Tuning in the game, unfortunately, is missing as a class. You can only choose the color of the car.
At first, they won’t let you ride on the very cars, for this you need to get a certain amount of experience points, which are given according to the results of the race. They are awarded for a place at the finish line, improving your own track record, driving skill and other parameters. After a few races, you get a new level. There are twenty of them on each side. Experience points completely replace the monetary system. When you get a certain number of points, you have access to new cars.

3. 2. 1. go!

Difficulties in driving a car create several things. Weak brakes, along with an overly powerful, sideways handbrake, take getting used to. If we add to this a serious drop in speed when leaving the side of the road, then the control of the car is not easy, despite all the arcade behavior of the vehicle.
It was not possible to notice a special difference in handling even between front-wheel drive / rear-wheel drive cars.
The traffic in the game is the same at any time of the day. There are not very many cars. They don't cause much trouble.
During the race, you are constantly "pouring" nitrous oxide. A little bit for normal driving, more for driving in the opposite lane and with a slide for skidding.
Opponents do not shine with a variety of tactics. They do not at all resemble real drivers and this is very frustrating.
During the race, we have a car status bar. When damaged, it decreases. This is accompanied by visual changes, but does not affect speed and handling. The condition of the car is also the rivals in the race. That is, you can simply help them break their car, thereby making it easier for your loved one to fight for the pedestal.

Game for the offenders:

Everything is simple here. You just need to come to the finish line first.
Occasionally, we are given the opportunity to use the spikes, or the EMP system, leading to the collapse of the electronics on the opponent's car, which is why he loses control and flies towards trouble.
Experience points are awarded for winning, overtaking rivals and reaching maximum speed.

Police game:

At the beginning of each task, we are given an introduction. Usually this is a description of the intruder's car and groans that they can't manage without us in this case.
Several different modes are available:
- This is the detention with the help of a ram of violators. Here you have to beat the poor scorcher until the car can not go. Several tools will help us with this. Spikes, setting up a barrier, requesting help from a helicopter...
- Race against time. You are requested as reinforcements, and you rush at full speed. You need to get there within a certain amount of time. In this case, it is necessary to avoid collisions with civilians and terrain, for which a penalty of several seconds is given.
Experience points are awarded for the duration of the task, the use of force and pursuit skills.

The other

In general, prefix roots in the game climb from everywhere. This includes a menu where you cannot use the mouse, and controls that are more focused on the gamepad, and the lack of graphic settings. Is it a minus or a plus? For PC users rather a minus. Not very big, but still...

Sound. The same tire squeaks in corners and the constant hiss of injected nitrogen frankly bother you after a few hours.
The sounds of collisions also do not differ in variety and naturalness. A solid soundtrack somewhat corrects this matter.
Autolog also allows you to play your own songs. Nobody wants to play without musical accompaniment.

Conclusion

What did happen anyway? Criterion Games?
Without going into multiplayer, you will not fully understand this. Remove the pursuer with the help of spikes, put up a barrier in good location- all this allows you to have a good time in the company of friends. This is where the fun happens.
That's the whole game. She does not try to seem serious, does not make us believe in the reality of what is happening.
It is not clear why there is no car tuning, the ability to make your car unique (at least externally) would fit perfectly into the concept of the game.
She doesn't look at all like Need for Speed: Shift. It can be seen that it was developed by other people, with other goals.
And it turned out very well. A solid eight even from me, a lover of simulators.

Grade: 8/10

Coast. Morning. The roar of twelve cylinders sounded from the subwoofer, shook the room and made it instantly goosebumps from head to toe, even on this side of the monitor. She ran faster than a bullet. There is, perhaps, nothing that could stop her. Except…….unless, the other one is the same!!!
from his series in order already, to the delight of fans, the fourteenth and everything would be fine - but already the third in a row after transferring it into the hands of other developers! And here the question arises - has the simulator become better? ...

Mostly became. The graphics have been radically worked on, the models of cars and the world around them have become ten times more realistic, so when playing this undeniably great simulator, your fingers involuntarily dig into the keyboard when passing dangerous turns. The soundtrack remained at the same level - also, as always, by the way, supports good mood during the race, and not only keeps you in constant tension, but, as it were, hints not to relax! Physics vs. NFS SHIFT ohm and NFS PROSTREET om leaves much to be desired, but the difference with other games in this series is noticeable.

But ... there is, in my opinion, a huge omission of the creators of this masterpiece - this is the absence of any, at least the most unobtrusive storyline, which would induce in the player the desire to find out - what will happen next? ... Well, it's boring to procrastinate the tracks just like that, aimlessly !!! NFS HP again with only graphics, is it really not clear. The idea of ​​the meaning of the game, to some extent, is new and original in its own way, but there is not enough pepper, let's say it would be more pleasant and interesting for many to steal a car than to stupidly open it and get it for passing the next level, without even spending money on it!
In general, the game is good. It remains to be hoped that the staff of consumer researchers at Criterion Games eat their bread and caviar not without reason, and the next, anniversary simulator will once again become an object of admiration and pride in front of other games of this genre that have already chosen the staggering podium! The game: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)

Second freshness

The English town of Guildford is located in the most popular part of England - in the county of Surrey; described as a paradise for landscape painters, as it is surrounded by beautiful countryside known as the Surrey Hills. Criterion Games, which was acquired by Electronic Arts six years ago, is located in the center of Guildford.

In the past, Criterion Games was called Criterion Software Ltd and developed the RenderWare family of game engines, which were popular with Rockstar Games. But after the studio turned out to be the property of Electronic Arts, she started creating computer games.

Today, Criterion Games is working on Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit arcade racing game, in which they will try to revive the spirit of the first games in the series. The question immediately arises: why is there no number “three” in the name of the project? The fact is that the developers, for some reason, are sure that there is no person on Earth who would remember the old games of the series Need for Speed, subtitled Hot Pursuit.

On both sides of the barricades

In the new part of the notorious arcade series, there is no plot, night city and photo models. In Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, the player will have to play "cat and mouse" with the police in the fresh air. You will have to visit both sides of the barricades: for each side, the developers have made their own company.

To catch violators, the police block the road with cars and shoot at the racers with electromagnetic discharges, which invert the control of the car. In a particularly difficult situation, representatives of the law resort to the help of a helicopter, which, after circling over the racers for several minutes, throws spikes onto the road. To make everything fair, the developers gave the violators of the rules traffic a radar detector that removes their images from the police mini-map, nitro and the ability to create the ghost of your “iron horse”, which should switch the attention of rivals to yourself. Chases will not take place along previously set routes, but in an open world, which will bring a little realism to the game.

In NFS: Most Wanted, many players liked to ram into the police "carts" blocking the road at high speed. But in the current game, it is better to perform such actions only in extreme cases, since in Hot Pursuit any car can be broken.

Top gear

It's time to talk about the car park. The guys from Guildford decided that in their new project there is no place for a cheap family hatchback and popular Japanese models. On the roads Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit only the most expensive and beautiful supercars of such automakers as: Aston Martin, BMW, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Maserati will drive. The developers have also licensed two concept cars that will be exclusive to the Need for Speed ​​series. The first is a Porsche 918 Spyder, the second is a C9 from the Italian company Pagani. True, igrodelam from Eden Games found something to answer the "fathers" Burnout: In Test Drive Unlimited 2 will be the pride of the British car industry - Aston Martin one-77.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuitt will not be able to paint or customize cars. And who would think that the Bugatti Veyron lacks a funny face on the hood, and the Aston Martin will look cooler with a huge spoiler on the trunk.

In addition to two full-fledged companies, the developers have made multiplayer, designed for eight players. The number of law enforcement officers and riders will be set by the players themselves. Thus, it is possible to make it so that six policemen will chase two violators at once. For those who like to show off their achievements, the British added special tables and social network Need for Speed ​​Autolog, where you can compare your results with other players.

The English studio Criterion Games in its new project will try to return everything that the players loved in the first games of the series Need for Speed: breakneck speed, adrenaline, the roar of the engine of expensive cars. Craig Sullivan, the creative director of the project, somehow broke off that the Criterion Games studio grew up on old games NFS. So the concept of "the spirit of the first games" for her is not abstract.

Our assessment: Not

The return of the Need for Speed ​​series to its roots by the authorship of the famous studio Criterion, the creators of Burnout! Did they manage to rehabilitate the fairly ossified in last years TV series? More on this in our review!

send

When we say "good arcade racing" we mean the studios Criterion. And when we say "annual crafts about cars", we mean a series from Electronic Arts. But now the need to memorize the names of studios and released racing games has disappeared - this year the annual craft was released Criterio n. They tried to reboot the series, which had slipped into self-copying many years ago - and took the exemplary arcade game of the 98th year as a guide.

The desire of the authors to isolate themselves from the latest games in the series is felt in everything - from the complete abolition of the car tuning system, for which the series was loved and hated since, to the removal of the system EA Trax, which more than once saved the players' music lover's hearing. With music in this part, by the way, things are not very good - obviously, in an attempt to please everyone, everything that was at hand was stuffed there: from Pendulum - Watercolour to M.I.A. - Born Free. The only thing missing is Tokio Hotel to turn off the music in anger.

However, back to the game. Criterion decided to follow the knurled path and threw aside all attempts to make a racing simulator out of the game, giving us an arcade in its purest form - with accidents, acceleration from zero to hundreds in two seconds, drifting on sharp turns at a speed of under two hundred miles, with ramming rivals and cops, as well as with a small set of weapons. good firm Hudsentech produces equipment for both sides of the conflict. The arsenal of racers and cops is slightly different - cops can call a support helicopter that throws spikes onto the road and request roadblocks. Porshe cries bloody tears, but gives back to angry cops another batch Porsche Cayenne Turbo S to block the path of the intruder on Nissan 370Z. The violators, instead of the above, have the following on board: a jamming generator that jams all the pursuers' electronics, without which spikes are not dropped, helicopters are not called, and EMP is not induced; turbo acceleration.

In addition, all vehicles are equipped with a spike release system and mobile EMPs that temporarily disable enemy electronics. All these tools turn the game into a good thriller when, by the end of the track, the cops, seeing that they do not have time to remove violators from the game, use their arsenal to the maximum. Racers, in turn, want not only to survive, but also to take prizes, so there are moments when the game captures to the fullest - at a speed of 250 km / h, the driver tries to see a loophole in the barrier, trying to throw spikes under the wheels of a wheelbarrow hanging on its tail opponent, holding him at the sight of EMP. Successfully disable a dangerous opponent, drive through a barrier, dodge an oncoming car and suddenly see a spiked tape falling next to your car - this action does not leave anyone indifferent. It's just a pity that such moments are not so frequent enough.

But do not think that, having run into spikes or had an accident, the car immediately leaves the race. Each car has its own amount of health, which decreases not with one hit, but gradually. Having accelerated your McLaren to 350 km / h and kissed a truck loaded with bricks, you can not worry - the car will return to the track with minor cosmetic changes. Even the driver will sit still, even though he should be resting under a pile of crumpled metal.

Hopes for spectacular accidents also did not materialize. A shaking camera from a close angle will show pieces of paint flying off the car (by the way, they do not always match the color of the car itself. Apparently it was repainted) - that's all. Beautifully crumpled accordion cars from ? Forget it. It seems that the creators were greatly squeezed in time.

The fleet of the game impresses both with its variety and the total cost of the car. Cars here range from unrealistically cool to completely exclusive and most importantly - they do not need to be bought. For prizes and beautiful driving, the racer receives points (the whole game is based on this - you need to accumulate as many points as possible and climb to the top step of the podium), as you accumulate points, new cars open that go directly to your garage for free.

In addition, they often indulge in a “preview” - for example, McLaren puts a racer behind the wheel of his car and demands to drive from point to point in a certain time. If the driver is “on duty” at the same time, by the end of the race he will also be asked for damage to the car, punished with penalty points. So we forget about the plot, money and tuning - and go ahead, earn points to get into a new car, to earn points faster, to open new cars, in order to finally go online and show everyone how skillful you are as a driver. At the same time, we also do not forget to use technical means - the more often they are used, the faster they are pumped, allowing you to more effectively take out opponents in the game through the network.

The design of the tracks is impressive - an abundance of turns that ask for a beautiful drift along the entire arc (with the obligatory ending in the form of an oncoming lane that jumps right in the forehead), a lot of beautiful highways with bridges and tunnels, and most importantly - beautiful nature, causing an acute feeling of deja vu in everyone, who was lucky enough to visit California. Different weather conditions and times of day add rich colors to the landscape, and there is even snow in the mountains.

In this way, Criterion did something remotely reminiscent of both, and at the same time, called it the proud name of Hot Pursuit, but could not do it simply good game- I want to believe that the lack of time is to blame. Well, the next annual car craft is still a year away, so let's hope they come up with something good.