Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Overview

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a racing game that launched November 16, 2010. Criterion Games considers it a return to the series' roots. Criterion Games is responsible for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC versions while Exient Entertainment is responsible for the Wii version. The game was well-received both critically and commercially, selling more than 5 million units.

Gameplay

Cat-and-mouse gameplay

The game takes place in an open world environment that spans over 100 miles of high-speed road. What sets this game apart from recent Need For Speed games is the ability to play as a police officer as well as a street racer, with full career modes for both. The racer's career mode is all about driving really fast, racing and outrunning the cops, while the police officer's career mode is all about chasing down the racers and busting them. The career mode for both racers and cops consists entirely of events, with no plot or story.

Specifically, the police officer will have to ram or otherwise damage the racer's vehicle until its energy bar is depleted. The racer, on the other hand, will have to escape and avoid destruction. This mechanic is similar to that in the game's predecessors, such as Most Wanted or Carbon.

The game is set in the fictional location Seacrest County. Players are able to race in a wide array of settings, including desert, forest, seaside and mountainous regions, both on-road and off in the form of shortcuts.

Game Modes

While playing through the offline "Career" mode, players will unlock various events which each adhere to a specific set of rules depending on the mode.

Police Modes

• Hot Pursuit - The player must attempt to shutdown a race in progress by wrecking the racers or using weapons against them. The number of racers, the number of "busts" required, and the weapons available change from event to event.
• Interceptor - This is a 1v1 gametype in which the cop must bust the racer before he is able to escape. The opposing racer is not limited to a track and is able to take any road in sight and may also turn around when the player least expects it. The weapons available change from event to event.
• Rapid Response - Essentially a time trial in which the player can pick from any car unlocked in the available class in an attempt to finish within a certain time.
• Preview - Another time trial variant in which the player is given a specific car and must finish within a certain time.

Racer Modes

• Race - The player must beat opposing A.I. in a flat out race where any unlocked car within the given class can be chosen. No cops are present during these races and no weapons or abilities are present.
• Hot Pursuit - The player attempts to finish the race in first place as well as surviving cop pressure. Weapons are available and vary from event to event.
• Preview - Time trial variant in which the player is given a specific car and must finish within a certain time.
• Time trial - Any car can be used within the given class and the race must be finished within a certain time.
• Gauntlet - Another time trial variant, this time with police pressure and weapons available.
• Duel - Simply a 1v1 race to the finish.

Weapons / Abilities

Racers

The racers have different special abilities which they unlock as the race progresses, each mapped to a button on the d-pad. They include:

• Spike Strip - Disables the vehicle (as it spins and comes to a complete halt) for a short while. It will also do some damage to the vehicle.
• Jammer - Briefly disables the GPS of opponents, will jam the HUD of the chaser, and will also prevent the Cop from calling in any help (Spikes, Heli, Road Block, EMP). In addition, the Jammer stops EMP lock ons and disables deployed Spike Strips.
• Turbo - A more powerful nitrous boost. The entire screen of the racer will warp as the player activates this ability.
• EMP - Causes long range damage, as well as slightly slowing down the opponent and affecting handling.

Cops

The cop will also be able to use different special abilities to bust the racer, each mapped to a button on the d-pad. They include:

• Spike Strips - Disables the vehicle (as it spins and comes to a complete halt) for a short while. It will also do some damage to the vehicle.
• Helicopter - The chopper will track down racers and thus increase the radius of the search area. It will also be able to lay down spike strips as the ability is upgraded to a higher level.
• Road Blocks - Sets up police cars to block the road ahead. If the racer or cop hits the road block they will take damage, but there is also a small area which racers may escape.
• EMP - Causes long range damage, as well as slightly slowing down the opponent and affecting handling.

For both Racer and Cop, the abilities receive upgrades based on player progress. For example, the police chopper may not initially be able to lay down spike belts early in the game. As the player progresses, however, the chopper will be able to do such things. In addition, spike strips increase from 1 to 2 dropped at one time.

The majority of cars have police variants. Some cars are exclusive to racers, while some are exclusive to the police. It is also worth noting that police variants of cars available in the game are generally slightly faster than the normal ones. The handling of cars in game is also much more similar to that in the early Burnout series games.

Multiplayer Modes

• Race - 8-player races, no Cops.
• Hot Pursuit - 4 Racers vs 4 Cops.
• Interceptor - 1 Racer vs 1 Cop, free-roam.
• Most Wanted - Open world Cops vs Racers. The Cops must take down a specific racer, and the racers must protect them. (via Armed & Dangerous DLC)
• Arms Race - A race with weapons. (via Armed & Dangerous DLC)

The game uses bounty as a form of experience points and it is universal for both players playing as police officers and street racers. The match options will be rated according to difficulty and carry a corresponding bounty payoff.

Autolog

The game's multi-player mode is brought together by Autolog. Autolog lets you keep track of your friend's times by pushing your friend's times, telling you on which track he did the time and how much you must do to beat it. Once you've beaten it, your time will be pushed back to your friend's console who'll be able to directly try to beat your new time. It also allows you to challenge them to pursuits, where one person plays as the cop while the other plays as the fugitive who's on the run. Autolog recommends ways to play the game depending on what the player's friends have been doing, and keeps track of your progress as you win bounty to unlock new cars.

iPhone App

On December 15, 2010, EA released a free iPhone Autolog app. The name of the app is "Need for Speed Autolog." As of November 8, 2011 the app has 15 ratings for an average score of 3/5 stars. Features of the app include:

• View Wall posts
• Reply to Wall posts
• You can see Dreamshots taken by friends, even save them to your device
• Change your profile photo
• See all Autolog recommendations waiting for you in the game.

Android App

A playable mobile version of the game. Features of the app include:

• Achievements

Requires Android OS 2.0 or later.

Limited Edition

On August 17, 2010, it was announced that a Limited Edition of Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit would be released on all platforms (PS3, 360, PC) and will be the same price as the regular edition. It would include exclusive access to the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and the Ford Shelby GT500. It would also include early access to the Audi TT RS Coupe, the Chevrolet Camaro SS, Porsche Cayman S, and the Dodge Challenger SRT. Non-Limited Edition purchasers will have to earn those cars normally or buy from the NFS Store (built-in Marketplace).

Loyalty Rewards

Unlock an extra 500 Racer bounty and 500 Cop bounty if you meet the requirements of playing prior EA racing games:

• Burnout Paradise (360 | PS3 | PC)
• Need For Speed SHIFT (360 | PS3 | PC)
• Need For Speed World (PC)

To redeem your rewards, you must login to the same account that both the prior racing game and Hot Pursuit share. Then from Settings > Loyalty Rewards and they will unlock for you.

Base Cars

A total number of 66 cars appear in the game. The following list states all cars featured in the retail edition of Hot Pursuit:

1. Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione

2. Alfa Romeo 8C Spyder

3. Aston Martin DBS

4. Aston Martin DBS Volante

5. Aston Martin One-77

6. Aston Martin V12 Vantage

7. Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro

8. Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro

9. Audi TT RS Coupé

10. Bentley Continental Supersports

11. BMW M3 E92

12. BMW M6 Convertible

13. BMW Z4 sDrive35is

14. Bugatti Veyron 16.4

15. Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

16. Carbon Motors E7

17. Chevrolet Camaro SS

18. Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

19. Chevrolet Corvette Z06

20. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

21. Dodge Challenger SRT8

22. Dodge Charger SRT8

23. Dodge Viper SRT10

24. Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

25. Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

26. Ford GT

27. Ford Police Interceptor Concept

28. Ford Shelby GT500

29. Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake

30. Jaguar XKR

31. Koenigsegg Agera

32. Koenigsegg CCX

33. Koenigsegg CCXR Edition

34. Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni

35. Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

36. Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder

37. Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera

38. Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640-4

39. Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SV

40. Lamborghini Reventón

41. Lamborghini Reventón Roadster

42. Maserati GranCabrio

43. Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic

44. Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

45. Mazda RX-8

46. McLaren F1

47. McLaren MP4-12C

48. Mercedes-Benz SL65 Black Series

49. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition

50. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss

51. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

52. Mitsubishi Lancer EVOLUTION X

53. Nissan 370Z Coupe

54. Nissan 370Z Roadster

55. Nissan GT-R SpecV (R35)

56. Pagani Zonda Cinque

57. Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster

58. Porsche 911 GT3 RS

59. Porsche 911 Targa 4S

60. Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

61. Porsche 918 Spyder (Concept Study)

62. Porsche Boxster Spyder

63. Porsche Carrera GT

64. Porsche Cayman S

65. Porsche Panamera Turbo

66. Subaru Impreza WRX STI

Downloadable Content Packs

SCPD Rebel Pack

With this pack, the following Cop cars are made available to the Racers.

• Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S
• Aston Martin DBS
• Audio R8 5.2 FSI quattro
• Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition
• Lamborghini Reventon
• Bugatti Veyron 16.4
• Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Version 1.1 / One Million Views YouTube Challenge

• Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible
• Lamborghini Murciélago LP 650-4 Roadster
• Dodge Viper SRT10 Convertible Final Edition

Super Sports

Adds 13 new Race and Pursuit events, as well as new achievements.

• Porsche 911 GT2 RS
• GUMPERT Apollo S
• Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport

Armed & Dangerous

Adds two new games modes and achievements

Most Wanted - Open world Cops vs Racers. The Cops must take down a specific racer, and the racers must protect them.

Arms Race - A race with weapons.

Lamborghini Untamed

10 new events, and 4 achievements/trophies

• Diablo SV
• Countach LP5000 QV
• Sesto Elemento

Porsche Unleashed

10 new events, and 4 achievements/trophies

• Porsche 911 Turbo 1982 Edition
• Porsche 959
• 911 Speedster

Soundtrack

• 30 Seconds to Mars - "Edge of the Earth" (featured in the Demo)
• Bad Religion - "The Resist Stance"
• Benny Benassi feat. Garry Go - "Cinema"
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Conscience Killer"
• Chiddy Bang - "Opposites of Adults"
• Deadmau5 feat. Sofi - "Sofi Needs A Ladder"
• Does It Offend You, Yeah? - "Being Bad Feels Really Good" (Titled "All the Same" to avoid offensive material)
• Funeral Party - "Giant Song"
• Greenspeaker - "Live like You Wanna Live"
• Hadouken! - "Bombshock"
• Killa Kela - "Get A Rise"
• Klaxons - "Echoes"
• Klaxons - "Twin Flames"
• Lazee feat. Dead by April - "Stronger"
• Lemonade - "Big Weekend"
• Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos - "Shining Down"
• Maximum Balloon feat. Theophilus London - "Groove Me"
• M.I.A. - "Born Free"
• New Politics - "Yeah Yeah Yeah"
• Pendulum - "Watercolour"
• Pint Shot Riot - "Nothing from You (Redenka Remix)"
• Plan B - "Stay Too Long (Pendulum Remix)"
• Teddybears - "Devil's Music"
• Travie McCoy - "Superbad (11:34)"
• We Have Band - "Divisive (Tom Starr Remix)"
• White Lies - "Bigger Than Us"
• Weezer - "Ruling Me"

Demo

The Demo was released on October 26th, 2010, and will be available for download until November 9th, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. It consists of 2 events. The first accessible event is a Hot Pursuit event called Dark Horse, where Players play as a cop. They must attempt to stop 4 other A.I. racers before they reach their destination. To help with this, the player has 2 weapons at his disposal. The first is a Spike Strip that drops directly behind the player's car. The second is a road block that is setup in front of the player. The more racers taken out before the end of the race the more bounty players receive. Bounty is a form of XP that is used to level up either the cop or the racer. Players can choose between the Nissan 370Z and the Ford Crown Victoria.

The second event is only accessible if the player has someone on their friends list that has also played the demo. It is a race event called Roadsters Reborn. It's a simple point to point race with 5 other A.I. racers and no cops. The player is rewarded more bounty the better they finish. The cars to choose from are the Nissan 370Z Roadster, BMW Z4 sDrive35is and Porsche Boxster Spyder.

The Demo features only two songs: Pint Shot Riot's "Nothing from You (Redenka Remix)", and 30 Seconds to Mars' "Edge of the Earth" (which is also featured at the title screen). Both the 360 and the PS3 play game soundtrack in the Race Event only, there is no music in the Hot Pursuit event. Custom soundtracks on the PS3 and 360 are limited to saved playlists only. On the PS3, this effectively limits the player to locally-stored music, while the XBOX 360 allows for playlists saved on a media server.

E3 2010

The game was first shown during E3 2010. It was revealed during the EA press conference which opened with the game's reveal trailer. The game was then demoed on stage (where the people demoing the game had a slight technical problem with a loading screen) where the developers revealed the game's chase mechanics and explained Auto-Log.

PC Requirements

Minimum Specs

• OS: Windows® XP SP 3 (32-64 bits) / Windows Vista® (32-64 bits) / Windows 7® (32-64 bits)
• CPU: Intel Core® 2 Duo 1.8 GHZ or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHZ
• RAM: 1.5 GB Windows® XP / 2 GB Windows Vista® – Windows 7®
• DISC DRIVE: DVD-ROM, 8 speed
• HARD DRIVE: 6.5 GB
• VIDEO CARD: 256 MB DirectX® 9.0 compliant card with Shader Model 3.0 or higher
• SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0 –compliant sound card
• COMPATIBLE VIDEO CARD CHIP SETS: ATI® RADEON® X1950, HD 2000/3000/4000/5000 series NVIDIA GeForce® 7/8/9/100/200 series
• ONLINE: 2 – 8 players, 512 Kbps or faster