To uptake the crown held by Need by Speed 3: Hot Pursuit in 1998, and 2002’s Hot Pursuit 2, the 2010 reiteration Hot Pursuit had big shoes to fill. It was the first Need for Speed game made by Burnout developers Criterion. And did they ever deliver on the promise. The 2020 remaster redresses the game with enhancements for next-gen.
At first, I think a lot of players get thrown by this game because the handbrake is only used for emergency situations. All slowing for turns and drift initiation should be done with the normal brake and pumping the gas. Once you get used to this, the gameplay is highly addictive. High speeds feel fast, chases feel thrilling and wins are satisfying.
The lack of tuning also may turn some players off, the cars are as they come, but I found this refreshing. It was fun to feel more like I was unleashing these monsters of machines upon the fictional Seacrest County, not some Frankenstein souped-up version of them.
Seacrest County features woods, desert, snow-capped mountains and everything in between. There are plenty of roadside sights like mountains, vegetation and observatories, for example.
Which brings me to my next, and very important point. The 2020 Remastered version of this game is gorgeous. There is a built-in photo mode, and as foolish as it is to take your hands off the wheel, I often couldn’t resist popping out for a breathtaking photo. The cars look fantastic, as do the roads and much of the environment. Especially at high speeds.
I never got a chance to play this game in 2010, so after my Need for Speed Heat review, I had an insatiable itch for games of the type. So, I picked up Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered shortly after Christmas with an Xbox gift card I got from my brother. Thanks, bro!
I am about thirty hours deep into the game. There is no story. You play two campaign trajectories: Cop and Racer. They do not affect one another. Level up by getting medals in events to unlock cars, better pursuit equipment and events. There are several types of events, including time trials to standard races to the dreaded “Gauntlet,” where you survive a barrage of cops to reach a destination in one piece, to “Hot Pursuits,” both as Cop and Racer, in which you either race while outrunning cops who come equipped with pursuit equipment and so do you, or the opposite where you are the cop in the same scenario.
This game has a well-executed difficulty curve. I am about level 12 out of 20, and while I have unlocked many of the events, there are still those I have yet to receive a gold medal, and other content to unlock as well. Recently, a car decal wrap editor was added. This is very exciting, as we can now deck out our rides with custom looks we can take racing online, but not trading them online. There is even a built-in system for reporting offensive decals.
Hot Pursuit does the “arcade” racing genre proud. I can almost feel myself joyfully putting fresh quarters in my Xbox as I start the same Hot Pursuit over for the fifth time. At times this can be rage-inducing, but generally it is a good time. Especially if you can accept not always finishing first, you’ll rank up faster and unlock better cars and pursuit tech if you can accept a few silver or bronze medals and just take the experience points you get for placing on the podium and for skills you performed during the race.
The simplistic control scheme makes the game accessible and levels the playing field. There is an advantage to knowing the game, however. You can master the delicacies of driving and drifting, and also learn the shortcuts, alternate routes and which is which. If I played this in an actual arcade, you can bet I would be spending a lot of time and quarters there.
The soundtrack is as good today as it must have been in the day. Lupe Fiasco proves his timelessness as a rapper, MIA’s “Born Free” is featured and there are various other genres as well including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Weezer and Bad Religion. (Last one is a personal favorite.) There is also an original score for some events.
Wins are extremely satisfying in this game. For me, they almost always came certainly with a fist pump and a “Let’s go!” Whether it is your first or seventh attempt at an event, pulling it off can be truly epic feats. In a Hot Pursuit, you had to dodge/connect with every tool imaginable while also competing with the traffic, road conditions and other racers. Sometimes I have crossed the finish line as a racer with a sliver of a life bar so small it was invisible. But a medal is a medal, so again, if you fought for it, take it!
Another reason wins can be epic is the AI is very tight. Rubber-banding seems generally fair. I did a race which lasted over nine minutes, and fought between second and sixth place the whole marathon distance. Until the very end, when I fought in the last mile for first and won by two car lengths. The second longest race in the game, which truly had my heart pumping throughout as I dodged crashes that would’ve spoiled my attempt and force more restarts. I only regret not taking my pulse throughout this race.
The chases in this game are second to none. Cop or racer, they give you upgradeable pursuit equipment to even the odds and get you to your objective. As you race on tracks, once you reach the end of the track as a racer or a cop, the event is over. Everybody just goes home once the finish line is crossed in Seacrest County, I guess. No wonder their street racing scene is out of control!
After playing Heat, this is a very different experience. To be clear, the lovable, joyously addicting arcade approach to racing games is persistent, but the execution is different. It also is a sign of evolution in the series. The open world style of Heat is adored by many Need for Speed die hard fans, while the limited courses of Hot Pursuit hearken back to an even older generation. Instead of driving from event to event, you simply take one on from the menu. So yes, the remaster feels a little dated. But, it is still so fun and the fresh coat of paint looks so good on it I would say it is definitely worth picking up if you’re an arcade racing game fan.
Screen credits: Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered. Captures by me.
HereticDerek 