Over the past 30 years, the Need for Speed franchise has reinvented itself with a big selection of titles, mixing recent genres, gameplay, and visuals to maintain the series feeling fresh.
But rewind to 1994, and the primary Need for Speed was a reasonably typical point-to-point arcade racer. You had some real licensed cars – including the Lamborghini Diablo and Honda NSX – a collection of routes and the choice to race with (or without) opponents.
By the point Underground was released in 2003, the racing environment followed an ‘open world’ theme with the addition of a correct profession mode and integrated storyline. The more you honed your skills and progressed, the more cars and parts you’d unlock. All while looking for out racers and challenges while driving around Olympic City.
What about Shift and ProStreet? Often overshadowed in Need for Speed’s history, each titles adopted a more sim-racing approach to their gameplay, with the profession mode very much staying on the ‘right’ side of the law relatively than any illegal racing.
Was it right for the series? On the time, probably so, and in hindsight, these titles still arise as being good fun without taking themselves too seriously. Don’t forget the world has modified immensely within the last three a long time, so it’s only natural the gaming world do the identical.
But there’s one particular theme which has recurred more in Need for Speed history than some other. A theme which has actually been present since day one and still stays lively within the very latest. We’re talking about Hot Pursuit – a series which is now accountable for no fewer than 4 standalone games, in addition to appearing in multiple others, including the most recent volume update for Unbound nicknamed Cops vs. Racers.
So, what’s it about this particular format which we just can’t get enough of? And why is it still such a prolific addition, even in modern Need for Speed titles?
It’s easy to forget that cops have featured in NFS ever because the first game back in 1994. Granted, they’d pop up randomly and only briefly attempt to obstruct you (versus being caught or arrested), but when your game’s premise revolves around fast cars driving fast on the road, it’s only natural to have some type of police presence…
However it wouldn’t be until the third instalment of Need for Speed launched in 1998 that the very first Hot Pursuit format was born.
Genesis – Need for Speed: III Hot Pursuit
Need for Speed wasn’t the primary racing game to include police – you’ll be able to trace that back to the likes of Road Rash and Turbo Outrun from the late Nineteen Eighties and early ’90s. But what Hot Pursuit did was spin this format on its head and switch the police element into its very own gameplay mode relatively than a feature throughout the ‘standard’ racing.
Inside Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit lurked two game modes – the primary a regular, head-to-head utilising circuits and routes with a tournament function. The second? A brand new ‘Hot Pursuit’ function where dedicated police pursuits then became the essential think about each race. Not only are you battling one other racer, however the environment becomes a pitfall plagued by cops attempting to stop you in any respect costs.
Think about the power to ‘role reverse’, and suddenly the speed-hunted becomes the speed-hunter… get it? Terrible puns aside, the power to affix the dark side was a novel feature implemented by Hot Pursuit and the primary of its kind to achieve this. Not only could you assume the role of the police, but you furthermore mght had some properly special cars at your disposal – including the Chevrolet Corvette – to assist apprehend and arrest the opposite racers.
On a separate note, Hot Pursuit also introduced the Need for Speed world to in-game automotive tuning, something which is now a given in nearly every racing game no matter genre. Granted, tuning in Hot Pursuit was a tad basic with the likes of brake balance, gear ratios and other mechanical elements, but this still paved the best way for tuning to look in all NFS games from that moment onwards.
Latest Platforms, Same Format – Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit II
4 years later would see the second instalment drop, handily generally known as Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit II. However it wasn’t the subsequent NFS game to be launched after the unique – during those 4 years, each High Stakes and Porsche Unleashed had subsequently been released.
Nevertheless, what made Hot Pursuit II different was the actual fact it’d be the primary Need for Speed title to launch on the next-gen gaming consoles of the early 2000s, including the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube… keep in mind that?
Given the brand new capabilities of those next-gen consoles, it made perfect sense to rekindle an old title like Hot Pursuit to permit somewhat of a direct comparison between the 2 – especially as the unique had been received so positively. But Hot Pursuit II can be rather more than a jazzed-up version of the unique…
Once more, Hot Pursuit was split into two modes – ‘World Racing’ for more traditional head-to-head races, and ‘Hot Pursuit,’ which now features multiple different modes, including the ‘Ultimate Racer’ which then adds police into races who don’t just attempt to slow you down, but actively capture you too.
Other than the improved graphics and gameplay, the most effective recent elements for Hot Pursuit II was the varied toys added while playing because the police. Typically, you’d have to ram speeding vehicles multiple times to disable them. But Hot Pursuit II now introduces spike strips, barricades and even helicopter assistance.
Then there’s the automotive selection. Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Jaguar, McLaren, Porsche and plenty of others. Sure, there have been games on the market boasting more models, but Hot Pursuit II features those ‘halo’ supercars of the time – lots of which had only just been released while introducing Need for Speed Edition models that got here fully upgraded in comparison with the stock cars. Something that continues to be implemented in Need for Speed games today.
But with Underground and Most Wanted just across the corner – two titles which would really define the Need for Speed brand and its give attention to automotive tuning and customisation, it wouldn’t be until 2010 that the Hot Pursuit name would make one other appearance.
Retro Revival – Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010) & Hot Pursuit Remastered
When the official game trailer (launched back in 2010) encompasses a police Bugatti Veyron chasing down a Koenigsegg CCX, from the get-go that Hot Pursuit (2010) can be taking that initial concept from 1998 and dialling it as much as 11.
Its format once more harked back to the unique Hot Pursuit, with gamers in a position to play either because the cops or racers, but unlike previous versions, the 2010 edition introduced a whole profession mode for each side of the law.
Now, you’d think with playable cars just like the Koenigsegg CCX, Pagani Zonda and McLaren MP4-12C that evading police can be pretty straightforward. But Hot Pursuit (2010) went to town on the police AI and strategy. Not only were pursuit vehicles equally as fast however the tools at their disposal were beefed up to incorporate radar jammers, EMPs and even the power to call for a helicopter to drop spike strips ahead of racers.
Just about all the cars featured in Hot Pursuit (2010) may very well be utilized by either side, too. Custom soundtracks were added to accompany the badass in-game track list (which included artists like M.I.A, Deadmau5 and Pendulum) while key elements just like the open-world format – once more set in Seacrest County – were retained to offer gamers the choice to freely drive around in search of challenges at their very own pace before embarking on head-to-head carnage.
Consider Hot Pursuit (2010) as a completely refined version of the unique concept. Yes, the graphics seem otherworldly in comparison with the unique, and the general pace of racing feels massively faster and more intense, however the concept remained the identical.
Hunt or be hunted. And with so many racing games focused on the hunt for perfecting your driving skills to an almost sim level, the Hot Pursuit concept stays a breath of fresh air for those wanting fast, arcade fun without the frustration of missing your apex.
In the event you’re an everyday to Speedhunters or the Need for Speed series, you’ll know the Hot Pursuit mode is back as an internet addition for Unbound: Volume 8, which continues to indicate just how adaptable this format has been some 26 years since its original launch.
Whether you’re an adult who remembers those first few titles and loves the nostalgia, or a younger gamer having fun with the fast-paced motion from the more clinical sim racing, Hot Pursuit still feels as entertaining now because it did all of those years ago.
The true query is, given the selection to play just one variant for the remainder of time, which game are you firing up? Tell us within the comments below.
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