Developer: EA Black Box

Publisher: EA

Release Date: Nov. 18, 2008

Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Wii, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS, PC, Mobile, N-Gage, iPhone/iPod Touch

ESRB Rating: E10+

Official Web site

0:00 I've managed to somehow avoid playing the Need for Speed series for the past 26 years, but I have some friends who really got into it. I'm a fan of arcade racers, so I really don't know why I waited so long...

0:01 A short downloadable update precedes a disclaimer: "Pull these moves within the safety of your house ONLY." Um, I don't think Mom will let me take the car into the house...

0:02 "You're not good ... and you're not bad," says a ghostly message on the loading screen. What the hell? Then, a cut scene: "This place has changed. These guys and their cars. No regard for anyone. It's time to put a stop to what's going on around here." Generic thumping techno plays over a moving helicopter shot over the ocean. It's a police chopper with a coastal skyline coming into view behind the credits. The choppers join in a five-car police pursuit of a red car with "ND 4 SPD" on the license plate. Subtle! The camera pans behind the car and ... oh shit, I'm driving already? I was not ready for that!

0:03 As I travel down the near-deserted three-lane highway, my fines rack up -- $250 for speeding, $100 for a hit-and-run, etc. I get separate points for near-misses and property destruction. Reminds me a bit of Crazy Taxi, which is definitely a good thing.

0:05 I run headlong into the back of a slow-moving truck, allowing the police to bump me into the side barrier. "Busted!" Well, that was fast. The SWAT team jumps out the choppers and is on top of me in a second. "FAIL! Weave through traffic to avoid the cops. Plow through any roadblocks to send the cops flying." Good advice!

0:08 This time I make it through the traffic easily, busting through a three-car police barricade and sending an overhead bridge down as I do. Seems a bit over-the-top to me, but whatever...



0:09 "Palm Harbor Police Station, 5:46 p.m." An HD cut scene featuring real actors, not computer models. Whoa! "The FBI is stepping in," says a woman to what appears to be a local cop. "I'll be your point person." They argue a bit about jurisdiction and whether or not these street racing teams are really a threat, but the FBI lady is adamant. She's looking to bring down crime lords. "Your job is to drive. My job is to get you out. Nothing more. Nothing less." The fast-talking already has me kind of lost.

0:10 I'm behind the wheel of a depressingly dumpy-looking blue car, now. "Hit the streets. The more races you win, the better. And remember, don't play it safe. We want them to see you." OK, now that was much easier to understand. A quick tap of the d-pad gets me to the closest race. Let's do this!

0:12 A set of 10 or so cars lines up all orderly-like in two lanes on an off-ramp. Without so much as a word, they all peel out at once. I work my way up to first quite easily. Besides the racers, the streets seem oddly empty. I like the controls, though -- I constantly feel just on the edge of losing control, but never quite lose it. There's a nice GPS-style map in the corner to plan for the coming turns. Liking the lighting effects, too.

0:14 I finish in first place without breaking a sweat, 10 whole seconds ahead of my nearest competitor. "You Dominated!" by finishing five seconds under the "Domination" time. I got $2,000, 5,540 in "Wheelman Rep" and 540 "Zone Points" The game explains that these points go towards "an array of driver skills" that can improve my car, increase my earning potential, and get me discounts at shops and such. My brakes skill went up 1 percent. Huzzah!

0:16 So I can drive around the city like a doofus, or just tap the d-pad again to start another race. The choice seems simple to me ... let's race!

0:17 A large portion of this minute spent loading the next race. The loading has been pretty annoying so far, actually.

0:20 I get some power-slides going in this second race ... not ridiculous Ridge Racer power slides, but still pretty satisfying skids. Despite crashing headlong into a cement divider, I still manage an easy first-place finish. I wasn't fast enough to "Dominate," though. I'm getting a bit annoyed by these empty streets and overly slow opponents, I've got to say.

0:24 The third race is a whole lot like the first two, meaning it's empty and simple and generally dull. At least there were some nice striaghtaways so I could max out my speedometer ? giving a nice sense of speed with the buildings and road speeding by. Too bad the highway streets are so oddly empty in the middle of the day.

0:25 With one race feeling a lot like the other, I'm just going to cruise around town to see if there's anything more interesting going on.

0:27 The answer is, no, there is nothing more interesting going on. I make my own fun by running into as many cars as possible. Suddenly the police scanner crackles to life ... something about a gang fight breaking out at a Chinese restaurant. And here I was worried they'd care about my reckless driving. My mistake.

0:29 After cruising around for a while, I bring up my GPS map. It's ridiculously huge, spanning miles and miles of twisting Bay Area streets. Too bad there's nothing to do on it -- just a single race is currently available. Guess I've got to pay my dues before getting the interesting stuff, huh?

0:30 My car got pretty busted up cruising around, but now that I've started a new race, it's good as new. Very convenient, but it makes the whole thing seem a bit disconnected.

0:31 Now this is more like it: a one-on-one race in an extremely crowded section of highway. I need to "lead by 1,000 foot to win." My best move: Taking out a taxi with a sideswipe and placing it right in the way of my opponent. My worst move ... rear-ending a car and getting passed. I finish in the lead at the end of the short time limit, but not nearly by 1,000 feet. Still, "You Win." Er, OK. I bet I can get that thousand-foot lead, though. Let's try that again.

0:32 I end up losing the rematch, but just barely. I blame the first-person view, which is much more exciting, but makes it much harder to tell when you're going to clip the edge of a nearby car. This is by far the most exciting race so far, though, so I'll try again.

0:34 I really focus on weaving through traffic cleanly this time, using the shoulder and grinding the cement barriers a bit when it's necessary to get through clumps of cars quickly. I'm ahead by 800 ft when I nick the corner of a bus and see my lead shrink to 400 ft, where it stays until the end of the time. Just one more try, I promise...

0:36 All right! I "Dominate" by getting my 1,000-foot lead in a mere 36 seconds. Kind of an anticlimactic ending, but I'll take it. "Wheelman Level Up!" Level 2 means a 5-percent transmission boost. Huzzah!

0:37 Cut scene time. We pan around the skyscrapers a bit, then cut to a scantily clad Asian woman talking amidst smoke. "Word is, there's a big race going down on the west side. Eyes will be watching you, so ... steal the show." Er, all right. Who are you again?

0:39 All right, another one-one-one race battle! This one's on the West I-20 against a guy named Richins in a black coupe. He's speedy, but I get by him with relative ease. I'm leading by 992 ft when time runs out. Yeargh! One more go...

0:41 I clip the corner of an Airstream trailer and everything goes all white and slow-mo. "TOTALED!" D'oh!

0:42 Grrr ... I'm ahead by 950-plus feet, doing perfect weaving through the traffic at 145 mph, when I cause a 10-car pileup by nicking a taxicab. My opponent catches up almost immediately and passes me with a slight bump from behind. Sigh.

0:44 Another anticlimactic finish ... this time I take the 1,000-foot lead much earlier than I expect to. I think my success has more to do with my opponent's bad driving than with my good driving, oddly.

0:45 Another look at the GPS map reveals a whole bunch of races this time. Also, one that's labeled as a "job." As I select it, the longish loading screen gives more ethereal text: "You're not good ... and you're not bad. You blend and you listen and you don't trust anyone. Once you're undercover, you're on your own." Well, thanks for that description ... of ... me.

0:46 "Make your mark and they will come looking for you," says the mysterious Asian woman from before. Cut to a girl handing me a piece of paper. At least I think that's me. I have a goatee and a fedora? Wha?

0:50 Apparently "taking on a job" means ... racing another race against really slow cars on near-empty streets. Makes me wonder why they even bother with a story if it's just going to be a bunch of overly similar races anyway. This race does have one neat section, where an elevated bit of road has me jumping through a chain link fence and into a ravine shortcut.

0:51 Finishing this race earns me a "Learner's Permit" Achievement for 5 points. So this was all preamble? Maybe the races will get tougher from here on out? I can dream...

0:52 Cut scene. "Not bad ... not bad at all, homeboy," says the guy in the fedora. Oh, I guess that wasn't me, but the race leader."Pick your wheels from one of these losers, ese." The Asian is whispering in my ear, telling me that Fedora-man is a criminal mastermind or something. Anyway, I can pick from a bunch of "Tier 4" cars, which all have lots of acceleration but low top speed. I go with the Lotus Elise because it has the best handling. Also it's green, and green is purty.

0:53 Ooh, goody, another one-on-one race nearby. More traffic weaving for me!

0:55 Well, that was a letdown ... the streets were pretty empty again. The goal this time was to stay ahead for an entire minute, a feat I accomplished in a minute and eight seconds. The difficulty has got to pick up here or I am going to walk.

0:56 I'm liking the new car, by the way. A bit more power means it's a bit harder to control, but also a bit speedier.

0:57 Finally, the "Street Parts Shop" opens up, providing me a place to spend my hard-earned money. I buy a few "quick upgrades" to my power and handling. I can spend my in-game money or real-world Microsoft points, which is kind of depressing. Are people really willing to pay real money to upgrade a fake car?

1:01 "Jackson & Veteran Circuit" is my final race of the hour. I have trouble taking the lead ... for the first 10 seconds. After that, it's incredibly easy maintaining my lead on the empty streets. I finish a ridiculous 26 seconds under the target "Domination" time, for goodness' sake!

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Maybe.


Why? It's technically competent, and there were a few exciting moments, but they were hidden amidst a lot of dull courses, brain-dead opponents and empty streets. The question is whether I'd be willing to put in enough time to get to the tougher/more rewarding parts that are probably coming later on. It's an open question.

This column is based on a retail copy of the game rented from GameFly.



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