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'Need for Speed: Payback' to add online free roaming mode
EA and Ghost Games know Need for Speed: Payback got a rather cold reception on launch, and they're continuing to rehabilitate its image -- in this case, by bringing back a feature from the previous game. The creators have revealed that they're adding an online free roaming mode to the game sometime in 2018, echoing a feature from the 2015 Need for Speed release. You can technically roam around now while waiting for a lobby to fill up, but this should let you drive to your heart's content.
The best gifts for a console gamer
Don't worry, we're not out to start a console war in our comments: If you're in the market for a new games system, the Xbox One S, PlayStation VR, Nintendo Switch and 2DS XL all made it into our holiday gift guide, for different reasons. Once you figure out which platform is best for your intended, we have a wide assortment of games and accessories, from a 400GB microSDXC card to a custom Xbox controller to the PlayStation Gold wireless headset, among other things. Find all that and more in our gift guide at the link below.
'Need for Speed: Payback' and the business of car crashes
Need for Speed and Burnout are completely different franchises. Both are arcade racers, sure, but the former kind of starts and stops with outrunning the cops in Lamborghinis and other supercars at extremely high speeds. The latter used unlicensed knock-offs for its races because its main dynamic was portraying car accidents with near-pornographic detail. Something you just can't do when a game developer is essentially "borrowing" cars from their real-world owners. Enter the just-debuted Need for Speed: Payback which blurs the lines between the two divergent franchises in its depiction of vehicular mayhem, pushing the boundaries of how much carnage is possible with a real-world car.
‘Need for Speed Payback’ adds higher stakes and familiar ideas
On paper, Need for Speed Payback sounds a lot like Grand Theft Auto V crossed with a modern Fast and the Furious movie. Tale of revenge? Check. Three distinct protagonists with differing skillsets? Check. Heist missions? You see where we're going with this. There aren't a ton of other details to go on, but Electronic Arts says that the arcade racer will once again be open world and will feature "jaw-dropping set pieces." Like a submarine surfacing in an ice floe?
'Need for Speed' becomes a little more social next week
Need for Speed's next Living Game update, dubbed "Showcase," arrives next week, and with it comes a handful of improvements both paint-level and a bit deeper. Taking screenshots has always been pretty easy in the game (click the right stick), but developer Ghost Games is going one step further and adding something that should've been in the game at the outset: A real photo mode with focus, depth of field and other effects that've become all the rage since Infamous: Second Son busted the feature wide open in 2014.
'Need for Speed' balances opponents and adds neon later this month
Need for Speed is one of this fall's best games (it really does deserve your attention) and it's about to receive some changes. First up are tweaks to the game's computer-controlled opponents. Developer Ghost Games says it's working to make the rubberband AI, what keeps the other racers close by you regardless of how much of a lead you've built, "more balanced." If you're a fan of the current system, hopefully this new addition will be an option rather than a requirement. The game's visual customizations are getting some newfound love as well: a look at neon lighting kits, functional mirrors, more pre-made vinyl sets (additional features for that, too) and a better color picking system. Ghost is increasing the level cap and adding a smattering of new achievements, too.
Playdate: We've got the 'Need for Speed' on PlayStation 4
It's time to kick some tires and light some fires, folks. The new Need for Speed, out this week, is awesome. More importantly, it shows exactly what can happen when a video game publisher (Electronic Arts, in this case) says that a developer can take a year off to work on a game rather than churn out sub-par sequels on an annual basis. Usually when the word "cinematic" is thrown around to describe a game, that means big explosions and scripted events -- not usually the visual style. The team at Ghost Games doesn't subscribe to that theory and rather than focusing on "water-cooler moments" that only happen once, it instead made Need for Speed look as much like a movie shot on film as possible. Need proof? At 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific Sean and myself are broadcasting two hours of the game on Twitch.
The new 'Need for Speed' looks like a movie shot on film
The new, simply titled Need for Speed (out this week on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) is as close as you're going to get to an art-house, video game version of The Fast and the Furious. The series has had players recreating cop chases from movies since 1998's Hot Pursuit, but this is the first time the game actually feels filmic. It isn't going to stand toe-to-toe with Microsoft's Forza series or Sony's ill-fated, but gorgeous Driveclub because it doesn't have to -- visually, they aren't even competing against each other. NfS doesn't run at 60FPS like Forza Motorsport; it doesn't feature those meticulously detailed cockpits either. What's more, car models aren't nearly as detailed as Driveclub's. But whatever NfS lacks in "perfection," it makes up for with killer arcade-like handling and a visual style guided by a clear aesthetic: Make a racing game that looks like a movie shot on film.
'Need for Speed' PC release delayed to spring 2016
Need for Speed is racing to consoles on November 3rd in North America, but it's hit a bump on the way to your desktop: The PC version is now scheduled to launch in spring 2016. Developer Ghost Games says the delay will give the team time to implement an unlocked framerate and improved graphics on PC. Once it launches, the PC version will come with all of the content released on consoles until that point.
