Since the last few need for speeds weren't great, they went back to their roots and boy did they ever succeed.
Single Player:
You may be used to the traditional pasty looking impersonations of people and the up and down voice acting, but in hot pursuit there's really no need to worry about that, since its been taken out entirely. Then again, the point of a racing game is to race and have fun, no storyline is really needed. The nfs series is popular for that type of thing though, which kind of disappointed me. Anyways, this game has absolutley no storyline, your objective is to become the best racer in seacrest county, and the best cop. The game allows you to choose from a variety of events where you can either play as a racer or a cop. There are different modes for cops and racers, which allows the game not to get too repetitive and stay fun. The single player is fairly long, but its not like Forza where it takes hours beyond hours to complete, this is long enough to keep you interested right until the end. One thing that is disappointing is that there isn't really free roam. There technically is but its useless in this game as there is nothing to explore. To improve on the next game, there needs to be free roam.
Gameplay:
Racing in this game is straight out fun. Whether your a racer on the edge of your seat trying to avoid a cop smashing into you, or being a cop and just hitting everything in your sight, its just fun. This game incorporates a good amount of cars, but majority of the cars are insanely fast and are expensive exotic cars. This makes for a fast and fun racing experience. The more you play the game, the more you level up, and as you level up you unlock new cars, which keeps you addicted to the game. This game handles different from other racing games, its more arcade like then realistic, so it takes a while to get used to. Its fairly stiff and you need to have fast reactions, and you will often find yourself drifting around most turns. In addition the the fast pace racing, there is equipment that can be used when cops are chasing you, things such as spike strips, emp's, and turbo. Cops also have similar equipment. Of course if you don't like the different gadgets there are time trials, and simple races without equipment. One thing that people may not like is that there is not customization of cars or garage. Instead you choose from cars you have unlocked. This scared me too at first, but when you begin to play the game, you will realize this type of game doesn't need that, as it is more arcade like. Although it would be a nice improvement. The combination of fast racing, intense crashes, and edge of your seat fun, creates a highly addictive game.
Mulitplayer:
The multiplayer in this game is a lot of fun. There are only 3 modes, hot pursuit, interceptor (1 on 1), and race. Its sounds like that's not a lot, but these modes will keep you playing the game a lot longer. I found myself playing hot pursuit for 2 weeks without even touching the other modes yet because it was so addicting. Lobbies are great, there really is no lag, and the racing is intense. New to this years game is autolog. This allows you to post all of your times from singleplayer races up against your friends. When you beat your friends, you get more money, and when they beat you, you get an update to challenge them for the top position. Its a great addition that very innovative. There really isn't much to say about the multiplayer, its simply great, the racing is so much fun and its very intense online (and if you didn't notice, this game won a couple of best mulitplayer awards out of all games, yes ever call of duty). Another great thing about this game is that its gamer friendly. You don't have to play racing games to be able to have fun and compete in this, there's no tuning, just choose a car, and wreck until the finish.
Audio and Visuals:
The audio in this game is very good, cars sound great, and when you choose a car you get a nice little rev just to get a taste of what it sounds like. The visuals are fantastic. I really didn't expect them to be this good. Cars look great when you are racing them, and crashes look even better. The scenery is always changing, and their graphics are very well done also.
Lasting Value: This game has a long enough campaign to keep you interested, the multiplayer is highly addictive, and DLC has came out and there is more to come, including single player races and more cars.
This game is just great. Its tons of fun no matter how hardcore of a racer you are. Autolog allows you to have bragging rights with your friends, the single player is about as much fun as the online, and the gameplay and visuals are amazing. This is a great racing game that should be on your Christmas list.
Gameplay: 9.5
Audio: 8.5
Visuals: 9.0
Lasting Value: 9.0