ON INDEFINITE HIATUS

Please disregard all the information below, as Hot Pursuit Race Night: The Big Showdown is currently on an indefinite hiatus. The information is being retained for historical purposes, in the event Hot Pursuit Race Night starts back up in the future.

WHEN

Every Sunday Night, 9:00 PM ET (6:00 PM PT) on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network

until we get tired

WHAT WE DO

• Do you like playing Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit?
• Would you like to play it online against other crazy Giant Bomb users?

If so, Yo. You should join us.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit's a lot of fun in multiplayer. Think of it as a mix between the good parts of the original Hot Pursuit, Burnout, and Blur. It's a good thing, trust me.

Anyways, Pax, Magicallystoopid, and I are veterans of Giant Bomb Forza Race Night, and we'd like find some Giant Bomb duders to run Hot Pursuit and street races against one another in a weekly get-together. It's a good way to level up and have fun while chatting amongst like-minded folks. We have some other crazy race ideas in mind, but we need to experiment with what the multiplayer does and doesn't allow beforehand.

HOW TO JOIN

1. First, make sure you can join us at the slated time.Here's a good conversion for the various time zones. If you can't join us, you might be better off jumping into this thread instead. Same deal if you own the PC version of Hot Pursuit, since right now we're rolling on the Xbox 360 and PS3 only.
2. If you can join us, send PAX MORTE and/or Laz PsEG friend requests on Xbox LIVE, or haikufrenzy on PSN. It wouldn't hurt to send a message or post in this thread so that we know you're looking to play NFS, but we should be able to discern who's who based on what games you're playing. If you become a regular and start showing up for a couple of weeks, we suggest you befriend every other regular who attends. It makes for a better Autolog experience, and if we get more than eight people, you can start a second private lobby to grab anyone else who's left out.
3. This is important, especially if you have an Xbox 360! There is an update you need to manually download for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Sometimes the game will alert you, but more often than not you'll just have to go into the Games Marketplace, and find it under Add-ons (it'll be called Game Update v1.2 or something similar). Download it. You'll need this update to play with us; otherwise, when trying to join our game, it will tell you you have a different version. If you played Burnout Paradise back in the day, a lot of this might sound familiar.
4. This step's optional, but I'd suggest you go to your Autolog on the NFS website and update your picture to something more interesting or fitting, be it a real pic of you or your avatar. Those generic template images the game uses look ugly.
5. This step's also optional, and geared towards PS3 users. If you have a PS3, you should set up a Bluetooth headset so you can chat with other racers. It makes the festivities a little more fun, I think, so long as everyone's being cool/humorous and not a jackass. Within the spoiler tag is a step-by-step list conveniently put together by Magicallystoopid on how to get your headset working on a PS3:
   
   SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

   Step 1: Find out the process for setting up your Bluetooth headset to sync with a device. Generally, this involves holding the call button on it, but check your headset’s instructions just to make sure.

   Step 2: Go to the Settings section of your PlayStation 3’s menu. From there, select Accessory Settings, and then Manage Bluetooth Devices (which should be about five spaces down).

   Step 3: From here, go to Register New Device. It will prompt you to turn on your Bluetooth device to transmit for syncing. Do so, then select Start Scanning. If everything works correctly, the PlayStation should pick up your Bluetooth device and have it on the previous screen listed.

   Step 4: Finally, go down about two spaces from the Bluetooth devices option on the accessory settings menu to Audio Device Settings. Here, press X, and select what the volume of your voice’s output from the device will be, followed with what will be the input and output devices. Generally, this should be the same Bluetooth headset. You can also test it out here to get a feel for how good the headset works both in your voice quality and the sound quality when you speak. (PsEG's note: I would test your headset if I were you, as it helps to know if you're getting a good volume with the placement of the headset. Nobody wants to be the dude that's too quiet or coming through distorted!)

6. Finally, show up sometime around 9:00 PM ET, and either join in our lobby or wait for us to fire an invite your way. Then we'll race or battle on the roads of Seacrest. It may be bloody, but we're out to have fun in the end, right?

FINAL THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Skill level doesn't matter.

Personally, I'm pretty crappy at Hot Pursuit, especially as a racer. We're just looking for people who can have fun and aren't complete assholes. You're not one of those complete assholes, are you? Of course you're not.

It's OK to be late to The Big Showdown.

We start at 9:00 PM ET, but we'll probably run an hour or two each Sunday, so if you arrive a little late, unless the lobby's full, we'll try to get you in ASAP.

Don't worry if you can only stick around for a race or two.

We'd love to have you join us regardless. It's about getting Giant Bomb together to do fun stuff together, yeah? I'm going to drive that point home until you get it.

Vroom! Vroom! VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- 
 
I'm definitely in for the first one! Hopefully life won't drag me away like it eventually did for Forza Race Nights, but Sunday isn't in the heart of the work week so I should be alright. 
 
Thanks for putting this together, I'm excited about smashing some dudes!

Ill join you guys 

just made my NFS profile picture Razor Callahan. i am READY.

Can Seagal catch the Stig? 
 
 
 
 
No. MUAHAHAHA!

I'm down to get fast and/or furious with some GBers in Hot Pursuit. Friend requests sent. I'll see you guys on Sunday.

Just picked it up, I'll be in for this.

Love to join, but can't, due to it being at 3AM where I live. I am interested in some autolog friends though, as currently none of my friends are playing the game. my XBL gamertag is Roelie

All right, gents, it's under two hours until we get rolling for the very first time. 9:00 PM EST is the time, and both Pax and I should be around to gather up some people for Hot Pursuit action. While I doubt it'll be an issue, we'll figure out a way to split up the lobbies should more than eight people show up.
 
Oh, and for picture purposes, remember that clicking down the right analog stick will take a picture at almost any time. It's not very high quality, but it might work for capturing moments of awesome. We'll see!
 
Other than that, I've nothing to say. Hopefully we'll see a few of you tonight for cop-on-crook action!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I think I might bail at 10 though. I kinda really want to watch Top Gear live, at least for it's first ep. I'll come back if you guys are still playing to let you know how it is.

That's 2 AM in the morning where I live. 
 
Yep.

Ass crackers...the party was full when i tried to get in. That's what i get for bein 15 min late. 
i'll check again later to see if PsEG and PAX split into two parties.

I was hoping someone would make a hot pursuit night,  I wasn't very active in the forza one, but hot pursuit is much more my style, so i will definitely be there when i get the game

Hey... hey..................... hey. 
 
Fuck this game.

Well, that was a pretty rad night! Only Falcon/ShaggyChu could describe it as "bitterly disappointing," since I think the rest of us had a lot of fun! (I think he secretly had a lot of fun, too.)
 
I feel like making a few notes!

• When racing without cops at night, it's a must to turn off your headlights by pressing B. It makes the races so much better.
• Heck, even when running as a cop, I'd prefer to turn off the lightbar by pressing Y. Why show off to those meddling street racers?

  

• Falcon Brake is a perfectly acceptable name for braking stylishly to avoid an EMP.
• Using a Bentley to annihilate the last two cops as the final racer has never felt so good. It's like the success I've never experienced in Car!Soccer during Forza Race Night.
• Keval and I had the slowest cop-racer duels. While this wasn't exactly good in helping me to win a race, it did wonders at keeping him away from the faster guys if he managed to finish me off.
• We confirmed that you can totally unlock the APC and Kitchen Sink with enough weapon use and leveling. I also unlocked a Gran Turismo 5 and beat people about the head and neck with it.
• A Dodge Charger in oncoming traffic is a frightening drive. I don't even know how I managed to win that race.

  

• When drifting, try not to hit traffic. Just ask me!

Actually, that Falcon Brake was me parking in front of a Racer to shut them down. I don't remember who though. Totally going to use that to dodge EMPs now, hehe.

Got there 5 minutes late, party was full! I'll have to make my own fun, sounds like it was a good time.

Great Racing!!!!!

I'm in!

All right, gentlemen. In just under two hours, The Big Showdown begins anew. Cops. Racers. Split personalities. We'll see it all at 9:00 PM EST. I hope you're ready.
 
If we get an overflow again this week, I might branch out and start a second lobby this week. Barring that, if you try to join and we're full, it wouldn't hurt to try and organize a second lobby with other people who missed the first flight out, even if it's only one other person. There's achievements for playing one-on-one interceptor matches, after all, and bounty is bounty. Anyways, feel free to use this thread if you miss the first lobby and need to gather some people for a second.
 
Finally, a reminder to those who might only read this post: B will turn off your headlights, and Y will turn off your lightbar if you're a cop. You have to say you're a cop if you are one, you know. Also, clicking that right analog stick takes pictures, and makes you a very fancy lad indeed. You should press it every time you see something awesome, then go to Autolog on the Internet, grab those pics, and toss them in here. You will be heralded as an amazing warrior of photography, which is a high honor indeed.
 
Under two hours, more NFS: Hot Pursuit. I'll see you then!

Sorry I couldn't make it in tonight guys, had some friends over and we were playing other stuff.

Getting this game tomorrow, looking forward to this sunday :)

I'm in, will get friend invite set up later tonight~

I wonder if the servers will be unbroken by the time we play.

All right, gentlemen. This is your two hour warning! At 9 PM EST, we face off, cops vs. non-cops. Hopefully.
 
In the event the EA servers are still borked, I'll figure out an alternative for a few of us to participate in or something. I dunno. Forza 3? PGR4? Burnout Paradise? UNO? I'll mull it over, and we'll have a discussion on Xbox LIVE if matters are still fucked.
 
Until then, here's a few images I neglected to post in the thread last week due to image posting issues. I hope to see too many of you tonight in two hours!

UGH. I won't get to play this game for another TWO WEEKS.  
 
I hope this is a tradition still going strong by then. I want to crash you motherfuckers. 

I'll be on in a few minutes. See you guys shortly.

All I have to say is clean diesel is where its at!  Fun night everyone. 

I'll have to remember to try and take some pics next time. 
I had one good user of the Turbo and I would have loved to save that moment.

Well, this was a great night of racing, I'd say, and there are already a bunch of great shots of the action here. Let's wrap it up some more!

• With five players, two cops and three racers seems to be the best spread. Worst case, the cops crash out and the racers fight for the win.
• We talked about numerous bad reasons to initiate these chases. "Sir, you dropped your wallet!" "Sir, you forgot to tip your waitress!"
• Crown Victorias en masse is a great chase scenario. 7-on-1 or 6-on-2 works out in an unbalanced but hilariously scary manner.
• My finest moment was barely surviving a head-on crash with a pedestrian, then as an EMP began to lock on me right before the finish, dropping level three spikes that wrecked both of the remaining cops. It totally wasn't what I expected, but I'll take that result any day.
• Lil Larry's probably feeling awful over dropping a twenty second lead to me, thanks to some meddling cops and unfortunate accidents. Sorry, Larry. :(
• I maintain that as a racer, if you're presented with a night scenario, you must pick a black car and turn your headlights off. Makes it a little tougher on the cops (and yourself, but who needs to see the road ahead, right?)!

Gallery

I swear it's seeing this that I'm truly P.O.ed about not having a 360 anymore or the money to get it and NFS.
 
Stupid world needing money to go round.

We're this weeks TNT people. Race Night! ASSEMBLLLLLLLLLLE!!!

That's right! It's chosen! It's us! We're Thursday! Go forth! I expect to see as many of you magnificent bastards there as can fit into GBTNT's Xbox 360 friends list. I mean, they probably won't have time for half of us, but you never know!
 
Go forth, and teach them the ways of clean diesel! Or a Crown Vic swarm, if it's that class. Or just bash/outrun whatever's necessary if they choose a faster class!

I am Mattjam3000 and I approve this message

So Race Night this week was awesome... :P 
 
Also, YOU CAN'T CATCH THE STIG!

We are monsters. In all fairness, though, they were just letting people fill the PS3 spots the same way, so maybe they were expecting people to just jump in.
 
Still feeling a bit of regret amidst the great fun I had, and to anyone that wanted to play but found us Race Night assholes hogging the limelight, you have my sincere apologies.
 
We'll have more of this action Sunday night, as always!

Pics from TNT/Race Night x2.