Need for Speed

The opinions of the critics regarding the story of Need for Speed are quite varied. Some critics, such as Game Rant and Xbox Achievements, appreciate the game's efforts in providing a context to the races and events that players are tasked with completing. They acknowledge that the story, presented through live-action cutscenes and full-motion video sequences, adds a certain charm and purpose to the gameplay experience. Additionally, Impulsegamer highlights the game's five overlapping stories inspired by real-world icons, which adds depth and variety to the narrative. On the other hand, several critics express negative sentiments towards the story of Need for Speed. PC Gamer criticizes the heavy story component, where players act as a voiceless camera following street racing enthusiasts, emphasizing the lack of emotional depth. Wccftech and The Escapist both criticize the live-action cutscenes, describing them as cringe-worthy and artificial. Game Informer and Push Square find the story inconsequential and interruptive, with meaningless messages and campy dialogue respectively. These criticisms highlight issues with the execution and presentation of the story, as well as the lack of engaging and well-written characters. Overall, the consensus among the critics is that the story of Need for Speed is lacking in various aspects. The storyline is often described as clichéd, uninteresting, and predictable, with repetitive and forgettable cutscenes. Critics such as Game Revolution and Destructoid find the story mode dull and uneventful, lacking a clear purpose. The majority of critics express disappointment with the story, citing issues with the writing, acting, and overall execution. While there are some positive aspects, such as the attempt to provide context and variety, the negative opinions outweigh the positive ones, indicating that the story of Need for Speed falls short of expectations.

In analyzing the opinions of multiple reviewers regarding the gameplay of Need for Speed, there are several positive aspects that stand out. Critics such as GRYOnline.pl and Sporting News praise the smooth and stable gameplay, with GRYOnline.pl specifically highlighting the ability to use a steering wheel. The customization options for cars are also highly regarded by critics like Merlin'in Kazanı, GameCrate, and Slant Magazine. The handling of the vehicles is consistently praised, with PC Gamer, Critical Hit, and Destructoid commending the satisfying grip of the tires and the weighty feel of the motors. Additionally, the diverse event types, including drift races, sprint and circuit tracks, and a lawbreaker career path, are mentioned positively by Gameplanet and Impulsegamer. However, there are some negative aspects that critics point out regarding the gameplay of Need for Speed. One common criticism is the presence of rubber-banding AI, which can make races feel repetitive and lacking in challenge, as mentioned by PC Gamer, Game Informer, and God is a Geek. The lack of variety in race types is also noted by GamePro Germany and Push Square, with the absence of drag races specifically mentioned by IGN and IGN Italia. Some critics, such as Metro GameCentral and The Escapist, express disappointment with the lack of variety in multiplayer modes and disorienting race tracks. Overall, the consensus among the critics is mixed. While there are positive aspects such as smooth gameplay, customization options, and satisfying vehicle handling, there are also negative aspects such as rubber-banding AI and a lack of variety in race types. The gameplay is described as competent and entertaining by Wccftech and Vandal, but critics like Push Square and The Escapist find it lacking and unengaging. The overall sentiment leans towards a slightly positive opinion, with the customization options and diverse event types being the standout features. However, the criticisms regarding AI and race variety cannot be ignored and may impact the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.

In analyzing the opinions of the critics regarding the Graphics and Visual Design of Need for Speed, it is evident that there is a mix of positive and negative feedback. The positive aspects highlighted by the critics include stunning visuals, beautiful environments, and detailed car models. Critics such as Vandal, Wccftech, Gameplanet, Impulsegamer, and God is a Geek all praised the game for its impressive visual design and gorgeous graphics. The Frostbite engine was also mentioned as being utilized effectively to create visually stunning environments. IGN Italia specifically commended the nighttime setting and the inclusion of real actors in cutscenes, adding to the game's realistic visuals. On the other hand, some critics expressed negative opinions about certain aspects of the Graphics and Visual Design. GRYOnline.pl mentioned that the highest settings had blurry and unclear visuals, while Digitally Downloaded criticized the limited and poor environment design in comparison to the stunning car models. Game Informer noted that Ventura Bay lacked visually interesting features like jumps and billboards, and Push Square mentioned that the open world was uninteresting and lacked memorable landmarks. Metro GameCentral highlighted the lack of a sense of speed in the game, which diminished the impact of the excellent and photorealistic graphics. Overall, the consensus among the critics is that Need for Speed has impressive graphics and visual design, with stunning environments and detailed car models. The game successfully captures the dark and gritty atmosphere, utilizing the Frostbite engine effectively. However, there are some shortcomings, such as blurry visuals at the highest settings, limited environment design, and a lack of interesting features in the open world. Despite these criticisms, the majority of the critics praised the game's visuals and considered them to be a strong point. The combination of digital animation and live-action cutscenes was also mentioned as a positive aspect.

The opinions of the critics regarding the sound design and music of Need for Speed are generally positive. Multiple critics, such as PC Gamer and Impulsegamer, praise the game for its realistic car and city sound effects, as well as its well-executed audio segment. The engine sounds are particularly well-realized, with IGN mentioning the respectable exhaust and gear sounds. The sound design is also described as excellent by Metro GameCentral and Game Revolution, with strong engine roars and screeching tires adding to the immersive experience. The soundtrack is another aspect that receives positive feedback, with The Escapist commending the great selection of electronic and rock music, and DJ Photek being mentioned as doing a fine job picking the songs. However, there are also some negative opinions regarding the music in Need for Speed. Destructoid states that the music is hit or miss, suggesting that it may not appeal to all players. Xbox Achievements also expresses a dislike for the soundtrack. Despite these negative opinions, it is worth noting that the engine noises are still enjoyed by the reviewer from Xbox Achievements, indicating that the sound design itself is well-received. Overall, the general consensus among the critics is that the sound design in Need for Speed is well-crafted and immersive. The realistic car and city sound effects, along with the strong engine roars and screeching tires, contribute to the overall positive experience. The contemporary soundtrack, praised by PC Gamer and The Escapist, adds to the urban atmosphere of the game. While there are some mixed opinions regarding the music, the overall sentiment leans towards the positive side. The sound design and music of Need for Speed are considered to be well-executed and enhance the gameplay experience.

The voice acting in Need for Speed has received mixed reviews from the critics. PC Gamer praises the live-action cutscenes and the good-looking actors portraying the characters. They also mention that the street racing lingo used by the actors is vaguely convincing. This positive feedback indicates that the voice acting successfully immerses players into the game's world. Additionally, NZGamer appreciates the use of real-life actors in cinematic cutscenes, which adds to the immersion of the game. These positive opinions highlight the effort put into the visual presentation of the voice acting. However, the majority of critics express negative opinions about the voice acting in Need for Speed. Wccftech criticizes the live-action cutscenes, describing the cast as cringe-worthy and the voice acting as fake and hollow. Critical Hit goes even further, stating that the voice acting is simply bad acting. Game Informer and Gameplanet both describe the live-action cutscenes as cringe-worthy and the dialogue as cheesy. These negative comments suggest that the voice acting fails to deliver convincing performances and may even detract from the overall experience of the game. Overall, the consensus among the critics is that the voice acting in Need for Speed is not up to par. IGN Italia mentions that the performances of the real actors in cutscenes are not particularly impressive. Impulsegamer acknowledges that the voice acting is clichéd and over the top, but somehow suits the game. Push Square describes the voice acting as atrocious but self-aware enough to work with the campy vibe of the game. These mixed opinions indicate that while the voice acting may not be of high quality, it still manages to align with the game's tone and style. However, the negative feedback from critics such as Wccftech, Critical Hit, and Gameplanet suggests that the voice acting falls short in terms of delivering convincing and engaging performances.

In terms of technical performance, the PC version of Need for Speed received mixed reviews from the critics. GRYOnline.pl praised the smooth and stable performance, along with the unlocked frame rate. However, they did mention issues with blurry visuals and the lack of mouse support. On the other hand, Wccftech had a positive experience with the PC version, stating that it had solid performance with all settings maxed out at 1080P and a stable 60FPS experience. Despite this, they did note that there were issues with recent Nvidia drivers. Vandal mentioned occasional drops in performance on PC, but still acknowledged that the game ran at 60 frames per second. Overall, the PC version seems to have a decent technical performance, with some minor issues. Moving on to the PlayStation 4 version, the critics had a mix of positive and negative opinions. Critical Hit had a positive experience, stating that they did not experience any performance drops during their 20 hours of play. GameCrate also mentioned that they did not encounter server lag or other online issues. However, Game Informer highlighted issues with progress not being saved and cutscenes being skipped, while Metro GameCentral criticized the always-online requirement as self-destructive and potentially disadvantageous if there are connection issues. IGN and Push Square both mentioned the constant internet connection requirement and the lack of a pause feature as negatives. Impulsegamer pointed out occasional frame rate issues on the PlayStation 4. Overall, the PlayStation 4 version seems to have a decent performance, but the always-online requirement and some technical issues are drawbacks. The Xbox One version of Need for Speed also received mixed reviews in terms of technical performance. Cheat Code Central praised the smooth frame rate, but mentioned the need for extra horsepower to maintain the visuals and frame rate. Destructoid had a positive experience with online play, stating that it was sound with only a few minor hiccups. However, Game Rant criticized the always-online multiplayer as half-baked and mentioned issues with daily challenges. Slant Magazine mentioned the always-online component making the game impossible to truly pause and bringing random players into the game's open world. Xbox Achievements highlighted issues with AI cars invading races and the need to restart races due to external factors. ZTGD mentioned issues with stuttering and AI problems affecting gameplay. Overall, the Xbox One version seems to have a decent technical performance, but the always-online requirement and some technical issues are drawbacks. In terms of the overall consensus of the critics for all gaming platforms, it is clear that the always-online requirement and technical issues were common concerns. The lack of a pause feature and the potential disadvantage of the always-online requirement were criticized by multiple critics, such as Game Informer, IGN, and Slant Magazine. However, there were also positive aspects mentioned, such as smooth frame rates and stable performance on both PC and PlayStation 4, as noted by GRYOnline.pl, Wccftech, and Critical Hit. It is worth mentioning that the PC version received more positive comments regarding technical performance compared to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions. Overall, while there were some technical issues and drawbacks, the game seems to have a decent technical performance across all platforms, with the PC version generally receiving more positive feedback in this aspect.

In analyzing the opinions of the critics regarding the replay value of Need for Speed, it is evident that there are both positive and negative aspects highlighted by the reviewers. Starting with the positives, several critics mention the presence of challenges, races, and online multiplayer as factors that contribute to the game's replayability. Critics such as Impulsegamer and Destructoid appreciate the abundance of content and the constant competition with friends through the Autolog feature. Vandal also notes that the game has received updates and additional content, making it more complete and enjoyable. These aspects provide players with a variety of activities to engage in and opportunities for replaying the game. On the other hand, the negative aspects mentioned by the critics revolve around repetitive tasks, limited customization options, and a lack of depth in certain game mechanics. Critics like GameCrate and Gameplanet express concerns about the game's progression track and collectibles, which may not hold interest beyond a few hours. IGN Italia also points out that while players can choose challenges and customize their cars, the limited customization options may limit long-term replayability. Slant Magazine mentions that scripted events start running out, leaving only random, useless collectibles. These criticisms suggest that the game may not offer enough variety or innovative features to keep players engaged in the long run. Overall, the consensus among the critics is mixed. While some critics, such as Destructoid and Xbox Achievements, appreciate the game's content and missions, others, like PC Gamer and Push Square, find the game lacking in terms of innovation and variety. The lack of robust multiplayer and interesting collectibles is also mentioned by IGN and IGN Italia. The limited customization options and repetitive tasks are additional concerns raised by GameCrate and Gameplanet. Despite the positive aspects mentioned by some critics, the overall sentiment leans towards a lower replay value due to the repetitive nature of the game and the lack of depth in certain aspects.