Need for speed rivals took what Hot pursuit did and made it free roam, you have two teams you complete missions and try to complete the game (Two careers in one) i honestly love this concept you can focus on the aspect you like the most about need for speed, do you wanna escape cops, race other people or do you wanna try the one thing that most games doesn't even allow you to do? Drive as a cop, yes ma'am. The details of rivals has many things in common with criterions Hot Pursuit and i personally loved it, the level of car model details are eye candy and refreshing from the usual hyper sci-fi or budget cetails of other racing games out there. Need for speed rivals in short is a game that took the best things out of the series and made the best cop vs racer game ... MoreNeed for speed rivals took what Hot pursuit did and made it free roam, you have two teams you complete missions and try to complete the game (Two careers in one) i honestly love this concept you can focus on the aspect you like the most about need for speed, do you wanna escape cops, race other people or do you wanna try the one thing that most games doesn't even allow you to do? Drive as a cop, yes ma'am. The details of rivals has many things in common with criterions Hot Pursuit and i personally loved it, the level of car model details are eye candy and refreshing from the usual hyper sci-fi or budget cetails of other racing games out there. Need for speed rivals in short is a game that took the best things out of the series and made the best cop vs racer game there is today.

“Need for Speed” delivers high-octane excitement with stunning graphics, diverse car options, and immersive open-world environments. The customization features add depth, but the storyline may lack originality. While the racing experience is thrilling, occasional AI quirks and limited innovation compared to previous titles slightly impact its overall appeal. Still, it remains a solid choice for fans of the racing genre.

An excellent game but with some flaws

The first ever 'Need For Speed' title to feature ferrari's in their series. There are quite a few upgrades and option available for you to make your car unique. All of these costs speed points to upgrade, which if you have quite alot and you get busted without making it back to the safehouse and 'banking it', you will lose the whole lot. The game doesn't have as many cars as I would have liked, there's just 3 different versions of each car for the cop side; Patrol, Enforcer or Undercover. However, the racers have a different selection of cars that the cop side don't have which can give the racers a greater chance of evading a pursuit. The game isn't perfect though. There are some obvious flaws which you will find as you roam. For instance, there are certain areas in ... MoreThe first ever 'Need For Speed' title to feature ferrari's in their series. There are quite a few upgrades and option available for you to make your car unique. All of these costs speed points to upgrade, which if you have quite alot and you get busted without making it back to the safehouse and 'banking it', you will lose the whole lot. The game doesn't have as many cars as I would have liked, there's just 3 different versions of each car for the cop side; Patrol, Enforcer or Undercover. However, the racers have a different selection of cars that the cop side don't have which can give the racers a greater chance of evading a pursuit. The game isn't perfect though. There are some obvious flaws which you will find as you roam. For instance, there are certain areas in the game if you drive through, the car will just get randomly stop for about 2-3 seconds. The online matchmaking system works well if you decide to do a public game or a friends or even a private game (there is also an option for single player). However, if you join with a friend and try to join a public game, the other player always ends up in a session alone. This may be fixed in the future along with the other bugs. Moreover, owning previous Need For Speed titles, you can tell that most of the game has been recycled from the older games - 'Hot Pursuit' for instance, the map seems fairly similar, hence why the faults i found in the game also were in the previous titles. However, these issues were not enough to distract me from taking my controller and joining a world with active players, joining in on the action from around the world.

Bit of an empty shell

Average visuals, very average "open course" (you cant call it a world) you're almost certainly going to have more fun and experience a fuller open world racer with its predecessor Most Wanted. It has some bizarre problems, the draw distance is woefully short for other vehicles (although the backgrounds all look nice enough but no real improvement over Most Wanted) with cars suddenly appearing in front of you. Oh and you get a migrating host game stopper if you're online about every 45 mins. The open world is pretty bland compared to it's predecessor, its really just a big long winding "track" style course than a "world", its all very samey, it's miles apart from Most Wanted's ingenious world with rat runs, spectacular jumps and places to hide from cops where ... MoreAverage visuals, very average "open course" (you cant call it a world) you're almost certainly going to have more fun and experience a fuller open world racer with its predecessor Most Wanted. It has some bizarre problems, the draw distance is woefully short for other vehicles (although the backgrounds all look nice enough but no real improvement over Most Wanted) with cars suddenly appearing in front of you. Oh and you get a migrating host game stopper if you're online about every 45 mins. The open world is pretty bland compared to it's predecessor, its really just a big long winding "track" style course than a "world", its all very samey, it's miles apart from Most Wanted's ingenious world with rat runs, spectacular jumps and places to hide from cops where whenever I looked deeper and wondered what was behind that building I'd find something pretty cool. The Rival's world is very basic, and quite often I feel like I'm actually playing Chase HQ, it's all rather one dimensional. When you're online it takes a long time to find your rivals, and when you do it usually ends in short encounters. The free form play where you can dip in and out of races rather than the "everyones in the events" (ala Most Wanted) makes it quite frustrating when all you really want to do is race a live opponent. Bottom line - play Most Wanted - its a better game in every department on the 360.

Close enough to the original Most Wanted

The first Most Wanted game is, for me, the greatest game to date. The story was solid but not intrusive, simply a list of 15 racers to beat throughout your career, each with a more appealing car than the last. In comparison, the recent Most Wanted was a HUGE disappointment, mostly due to the fact that being caught by the cops was without punishment. Bought and sold within the week.Rivals, on the other hand, brings back the punishment of being caught by confiscating all of your 'speed points', the in-game currency. This appeal is somewhat lessened by the fact that cops can 'resume the pursuit' seemingly at random, with no cops to be seen on your map radar, let alone in sight.An additional oddity is the fact that you can escape a pursuit by simply entering a ... MoreThe first Most Wanted game is, for me, the greatest game to date. The story was solid but not intrusive, simply a list of 15 racers to beat throughout your career, each with a more appealing car than the last. In comparison, the recent Most Wanted was a HUGE disappointment, mostly due to the fact that being caught by the cops was without punishment. Bought and sold within the week.Rivals, on the other hand, brings back the punishment of being caught by confiscating all of your 'speed points', the in-game currency. This appeal is somewhat lessened by the fact that cops can 'resume the pursuit' seemingly at random, with no cops to be seen on your map radar, let alone in sight.An additional oddity is the fact that you can escape a pursuit by simply entering a safehouse, regardless of the number of cops on your tail. Escaping in this fashion leads to a rather unsatisfying anticlimax.Though the above is my biggest gripe, the game itself is actually build very solidly. The online interaction is an innovative twist, and the concurrent police/racer careers provides some variety when things get a bit stale (which, unfortunately, they do). The cars sound fantastic, and though steering was initially very heavy for me, you quickly come to terms with their handling style and are soon sliding around corners with ease.I would recommend renting first, as you'll see everything about the game that there is to see within the first two hours, excluding some of the higher level cars.Bring back MW1!!!

Definitely Buy Again

The realism of the race track is amazing and pulls in the driver playing. This is definitely an advanced game, not for inexperienced gamers. It is fast paced and requires good motor skills for maneuvering the race cars.

Don't fall into the trap of buying this game!

After only very recently bothering to unwrap and play through (in order) NFS Hot Pursuit and then NFS Most Wanted, I decided it was high time to acquire NFS Rivals for my PS3 and give it a spin. As you can appreciate, this game, being made AFTER the aforementioned duo, had high expectations placed upon it, especially as - NFS Hot Pursuit, in particular - was thoroughly excellent. However, I was disappointed by this game, right from the outset. First thing to raise my eyebrow; the requirement for a mandatory install. Both other previous titles had excellent visuals throughout (MW especially) and required zero installation. Naturally, I presumed that this would be required due to the immense graphics, textures and details I was going to be subjected to(?!) Secondly, ... MoreAfter only very recently bothering to unwrap and play through (in order) NFS Hot Pursuit and then NFS Most Wanted, I decided it was high time to acquire NFS Rivals for my PS3 and give it a spin. As you can appreciate, this game, being made AFTER the aforementioned duo, had high expectations placed upon it, especially as - NFS Hot Pursuit, in particular - was thoroughly excellent. However, I was disappointed by this game, right from the outset. First thing to raise my eyebrow; the requirement for a mandatory install. Both other previous titles had excellent visuals throughout (MW especially) and required zero installation. Naturally, I presumed that this would be required due to the immense graphics, textures and details I was going to be subjected to(?!) Secondly, the load times are horrendously painful. No elaboration required. Thirdly and, this is the big one: visuals. The graphical presentation is terrible. Rough as hell, I don't mind saying. If you remember, when you tried to go 'back' and play a PS2 game via SCART on your shiny new 42" HD Panel when you first bought it? Yeah, very reminiscent of that effect, visually. The game VERY often runs at sub 30fps (I doubt it ever really reaches it) and the visuals actually make the game hard to look at when your trying to play it! Migraine inducing tbh. I will say, in fairness, when the framerate is up to scratch (rarely) the game actually feels and plays alright. After the great job Criterion did with the last two NFS titles though (opinions vary, but they were at least, graphically accomplished and gameplay was good) this is a massive step back. I have since had chance to experience the PS4 version and, although the game seems to lack any personality and is as dull as dishwater, the visuals are at least very nice and the game plays well enough. Just a bland 'we can't possibly lose' mix of Most Wanted & Hot Pursuit rolled into one. If you could be bothered to read this far, do yourself a favour and either: 1) Buy or revisit NFS Hot Pursuit or NFS Most Wanted 2) Buy NFS Rivals for PS4 instead The PS3 version is reminiscent of all those leading developer/publisher titles (EA, Ubi, Acti, etc) released at the end of generation for all consoles; a shoddy, quickly ported, "will have to do" cash grab. If you really have to... then you have to. But you've been warned: honestly, just avoid it...

Good use of next Gen capabilities

Good game, better than hot pursuit because this makes good use of next Gen and therefore is more enjoyable for me objectively. I've enjoyed the new dynamics such as voice commands and the driving is something to get used to but it's very good after a day or two because it really suits the street layout and overall map design. Finally need for speed embraces their arcade style more and they done good with that. Haha :) awesome use of voice commands for Xbox one. Sweet upgrading system also. Races and pursuits are really fun. So is joy riding. Open world is back and it's better than ever with better interactions with other racers. Lots of awesome pre made paint jobs. Nice soundtrack if you're into newer age stuff. Overall, good game but ai could've been a tad bit ... MoreGood game, better than hot pursuit because this makes good use of next Gen and therefore is more enjoyable for me objectively. I've enjoyed the new dynamics such as voice commands and the driving is something to get used to but it's very good after a day or two because it really suits the street layout and overall map design. Finally need for speed embraces their arcade style more and they done good with that. Haha :) awesome use of voice commands for Xbox one. Sweet upgrading system also. Races and pursuits are really fun. So is joy riding. Open world is back and it's better than ever with better interactions with other racers. Lots of awesome pre made paint jobs. Nice soundtrack if you're into newer age stuff. Overall, good game but ai could've been a tad bit better. Ai is annoyingly good at destroying your car at first but with a good selection of power ups it's easily counteracted. Power ups are for both racers and cops. Moving on... killer multiplayer features and integration and good community features definitely make this a good purchase if you're new to the series or if you're a fan. There are cut scenes that tell what I think it's a good story/probably the best need for speed story I've come across, mind you I haven't played every one or seen the movie. That's all I got, cheers!

Great game, best racing launch title

For those who have suffered through sub-par racing games when various consoles have launched, you won't have to do that with NFS: Rivals.NFS: Rivals takes the best parts of NFS: Hot Pursuit and makes them better. You've got two distinct tracks to go (Cops and Racers# up to 60 ranks, and the game's map is open from the start. You progress by choosing and completing Speedlists. Some of them are very simply #"Bronze any Interceptor event"). Some, near the end, have 5-6 different requirements which all must be filled. Basically, the game will force you to try all the tech options and force you to be consistant if you want to unlock all it has to offer.The newest edition to the series is AllDrive. This means that if you are playing single player and another driver is ... MoreFor those who have suffered through sub-par racing games when various consoles have launched, you won't have to do that with NFS: Rivals.NFS: Rivals takes the best parts of NFS: Hot Pursuit and makes them better. You've got two distinct tracks to go (Cops and Racers# up to 60 ranks, and the game's map is open from the start. You progress by choosing and completing Speedlists. Some of them are very simply #"Bronze any Interceptor event"). Some, near the end, have 5-6 different requirements which all must be filled. Basically, the game will force you to try all the tech options and force you to be consistant if you want to unlock all it has to offer.The newest edition to the series is AllDrive. This means that if you are playing single player and another driver is also playing single player, you games could literally MEET in the same place at the same time. You might be on an interceptor event and see a race blow by you, now it turns into a Hot Pursuit event! Busting human racers as a cop or getting away from a human cop definitely is the highlight of the title, as some epic cat-and-mouse games can happen.Contrary to the other review, you CAN play offline and free roam just fine. There are 80+ jumps & 80 + speed cameras to find. There are no billboards or gates like in NFS: Most Wanted, so yes, if you're one of those perfectionists/play a game to death people, you might run through most of the content fairly quickly.But if you need a next-gen racing game that runs butter smooth with no lag, that improves on one of the best NFS games ever released, then NFS: Rivals is an outstanding choice.

Takes a while to get going but as good NFS has been for a long time

This game has bad reviews and great reviews . I'm thinking the EA loot box backlash effected the scores on this game . This is a vast improvement over the last 3 NFS games . My oldest son loves this game . an open world racing games with Cars, Exotics , Trucks and more . The graphics look great and there's a lot to do. You do not have to put extra money into this game to finish it or enjoy it and there's a ton of free car skins online .Sure the characters in the story are lame but they always have been . At least this time you get to race off road and in the daytime . Nothing wrong with this game at all .