In my experience thus far, the best cop evasion strategy is to try to outrun them on straightaways or cut off the road and hope they struggle to keep up or hit a tree along the way. You can also bribe cops with a small amount of cash at the start of a pursuit if you aren't in the mood to spar with law enforcement. You need to use these repairs wisely though, since you only get three per night. One way to stave off destruction is to drive through a gas station to repair your car. Player vehicles also appear to suffer a disproportionate amount of damage from cops ramming into you, compared to when you hit them. For example, the escape meter depletes very quickly, even if you have a clear path away from trouble. Police helicopters and Rhinos units (heavily armored SUVs) are back too, but they only show up at higher heat levels.Ĭop chases seem more difficult than in years past. For instance, cops frequently try to ram into you and then box you in, as they did in those games. Some of the cops' tactics are similar to those from NFS: Carbon and NFS: Most Wanted, too. Also, as with 2010's NFS: Hot Pursuit, you can get hit a certain number of times before being totaled (and busted) and can equip passive and active anti-pursuit tech to your car. For example, your heat level (1-5) increases the longer pursuits continue and the more destructive you are.
Pursuits combine mechanics from several past Need for Speed titles. This is a significant improvement over the unsatisfying former Bait Crate mechanic (you had to manually trigger pursuits with preset start and end points) from Payback. Cash payouts are lower for these events, but they are typically safer ways to earn rep than trying to start and escape from massive pursuits.Ĭops now freely roam Palm City and can come after you at any time. Cruisers often interfere during a race, but sometimes they wait at the finish line, ready to engage the winner in a pursuit. After a few repetitions, the cash prize amount starts to decrease.Ĭops play prevalently into night events.
Note that you can't endlessly replay races and get the same monetary reward. Pay attention to the recommended car level for each event, since the further your car is below that level, the harder the event will be to win. However, as the game progressed, the NPC competitors improved. I played the game at medium difficulty settings and didn't find early races very challenging.
Cops are present both during the day and at night, but are much more aggressive once the sun goes down.ĭaytime events are straightforward and include sprints, circuit races, time trials, and drift contests. Illegal street racing happens at night and those events award you rep (points that go toward Heat's leveling mechanic).
Sanctioned race events (part of an event series called the Speedhunters Showdown) are available in the day and reward you with bank (the game's currency).
NFS Heat brings a brand new dynamic to the series instead of a full day-and-night cycle, players now choose between Day and Night modes every time they leave the garage. I have not finished Heat's main story at the time of this review, but have spent about 12 hours in the game. The story mostly takes a backseat to the racing action (as it should) and the dialogue is not masterful, but Heat's streamlined narrative framework works much better than NFS Payback's convoluted action-racing plot. As you might expect, tensions and stakes rise between the cops and racers as you progress. Unfazed, you team up with a pair of siblings: Ana, a fellow street racer, and Lucas, a car mechanic with several garages, at the start of the campaign.
In NFS Heat's single-player campaign, you start off as a newcomer to the fictional Palm City, a sprawling, Miami-inspired locale with a brutal police department determined to crack down on street racing. Heat also features a more fitting setting and story than the last game, tapping into the adrenaline-fueled racing spirit that defined its most successful predecessors. This latest entry in the long-running Need for Speed (NFS) racing game series recreates some of the best aspects of previous titles, including engrossing pursuits, ample car customization options, and inviting arcade-like racing mechanics. Tense pursuits are common in Need for Speed Heat and not all of them end with a getaway. I floor it across the next corner, cutting across part of a marsh, and just barely get out ahead of yet another approaching cop's radar. I reverse again and am lucky that the original cop changed course. I reverse and head the other direction, before noticing two more cops coming at me from that side. On the map, I see a flashing red triangle rushing towards my location. I slow to a stop at a bend on a two-way street.