We've all been waiting years for a good racing game where we could play the cops as well as the racers. Now it seems we might have the perfect mix, with Criterion Games, makers of the excellent Burnout series creating the hottest new Need for Speed game, Hot Pursuit.
After seeing tons of screenshots and videos, I'm drooling and waiting to get my hands on the games, though my wife put a stop to game purchases until after Christmas. So you know what I've got on my list!
BomaJoe and Dragonflye already got their hands on it... Ender has ordered it, other Team FNGers are contemplating... so I'm hoping come Christmas day we can fill a 10-player game and have a blast. (Unfortunately all of Team FNG will be way ahead of me on it since they'll all have played it early. hehe!) No worries, I relish the challenge.
This Need for Speed provides both racers and cops with weapons to enhance the pursuits, including EMP shockwaves and the ability for the cops to call in helicopters.
There is the new Autolog feature that allows us to compete with each others' records and what not, like TrackMania offers.
Be warned though. Their licensing touts 5 activations, like unto Split/Second. The difference is... the key has to be tied to an EA account and only one activation can be logged in online at a time... meaning you can't get all 5 activations in an online game together.
Dragonflye informed me there is no LAN play, so you're pretty much one license per person that wants to play online. The 5 activations WILL allow all 5 to be playing offline at the same time.
That said, it still looks to be a killer game, and I'm really looking forward to getting to play it. BomaJoe says it drives like Burnout, but in the Need for Speed atmosphere. Sounds like a winning combination to me.
So for now, go get your copy or add it to your Christmas list... I'm hoping we can all get online Christmas night and play some Hot Pursuit!
Hopefully it will find itself ranked up there with FNGers along side the Motocross Madness series and TrackMania series; and find us playing it for a long time to come.
