When it comes to racing games, there are few titles that have achieved the esteem that Need for Speed has. If you grew up in the nineties and loved cars and video games, there was no doubt that you would have picked up at least one Need for Speed title. The adrenaline of the high-speed chases and the ability to build and customize your dream car were things that were irresistible to teenage car lovers.

However, a lot of the status of Need for Speed has waned in recent years. Its arguable that the only reason that new Need for Speed game still get bought, and the series hasn’t gone under is the deep nostalgia that the audience has and the hope that one day a new Need for Speed will achieve the same magic of the old ones. So where did it all begin? And where did it all go wrong?

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The Golden Era Of Need For Speed

In 2003 the formula for Need for Speed, games had already been established. It was an arcade style racer where you picked a car, threw yourself into a street race, and that was that. This made it an incredibly bold move when EA and legendary studio Black Box changed the focus and gave the player a much more story centric experience with Need for Speed Underground.

Alongside a brilliant story was the ability to totally customize your car, from the engine to the side skirts, which was near-revolutionary at the time. Most Wanted (2005) brought its own charm to the table, with a story mode still considered edgy by today's standard, but that was adored by the grunge teens of 2005. The driving mechanics and the thrill of police chases solidify this game as one of the best arcade racers in history.

In 2010, we got Hot Pursuit which continued the excellence we had come to expect in terms of customization, racing mechanics, and car selection. This game came with a brand-new mechanic as well, not only could you street race and run from the police, but you could also become the police. This breath of new air made gamers excited to see where the series might go in the future. Little did they know that Hot Pursuit would be the last real fun they would have with a Need for Speed game and all that awaited them was disappointment.

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The Beginning of the End For NFS

Promo Image for Need For Speed Most Wanted at Gamescom 2012
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An image of a promotional poster for Need For Speed Most Wanted at Gamescom 2012

After Hot Pursuit came Shift 2 and The Run, fun but different ventures for the series. Neither were terrible but neither particularly memorable. So, when fans hear that they were remaking one of the most beloved installations in the series they were ecstatic. Most Wanted was getting a reboot.

Unfortunately, the only things the 2005 and 2012 game had in common was their title. Most Wanted (2012) was the first game handled by new developers Criterion and came with a slew of gameplay issues. From cars feeling lightweight and crashing out at the first sign of resistance to AI racers rubber-banding and magically catching up to you no matter how much faster you were than them, the game was a mess.

It was also the first in the series to showcase publisher EA’s insatiable greed. Half the playable content in the game was locked behind DLC paywalls, with their being more locked cars than there were cars in the base game. All in all, the DLCs collectively cost more than the base game.

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The Madness Continues

A modded 2002 Nissan Silvia in Need For Speed (2015)
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A side shot of a modded 2002 Nissan Silvia in the video game Need For Speed (2015)

After the disaster that was Hot Pursuit, Criterion had one more attempt at the series (which they fumbled) before new developers, Ghost Games, was brought in to hopefully save the series. Once again, gamers’ hopes were dashed against the rocks.

Need for Speed (2015) encapsulates everything that makes the modern installations in the series boring. At its core, the racing was unengaging. It didn’t really matter what car you picked because they all handled the same. Even a front-wheel-drive Honda Civic Type R acts and handles like a rear-wheel drive car. Even the story mode that players had once revered in Need for Speed games was not safe and had become a theater of cringe.

The game wasn’t all bad though. The car collection in Need for Speed was amazing. With modern sports cars fulfilling the dreams of the new era of car enthusiasts and classic legends of the underground era like the BMW M3 and the Toyota Supra. This along with the excellent customization meant that the game had the framework to be excellent, making it all the more disappointing that it felt so soulless and empty once you left the garage.

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Is There Hope For Need For Speed?

1969 Dodge Charger in Need For Speed Heat
TREXX1021 via Wikimedia Commons
A 1969 Dodge Charger driving down the road in a sprint race at night in Need For Speed Heat

In 2019, we saw Need for Speed Heat praised for having a solid core, a fun story mode, a revamped customization mode, and challenging races. The series was finally looking like it was getting back on track. There were some areas of improvement but Ghost Games had finally delivered a game their audience enjoyed.

Instead of praising Ghost Games for finally moving the series in direction fans were happy with, however, EA disbanded the developers and brought Criterion back. Need for Speed Unbound mostly kept a lot of the mechanics from Heat unchanged, a weird choice considering the completely different art direction, with characters and effects being done in a cell-shaded, comic-book style. However, everything good about this game was marred by the nearly unplayable story-mode, with whiny, entitled characters lining the main cast.

Seeing such a brilliant and nostalgic series fall from such grace is never fun as a fan. Being given hope in the form of Heat only for it to be followed by Unbound was a slap in the face for gamers. Unfortunately, Need for Speed as we know it is well past its prime and we continue to eagerly await for a worthy successor.