the need for speed (nfs) series has been racing on virtual streets and across gaming systems since the first title was released in 1994. the series grew in popularity because the high-speed action featured cars from across the globe. and in a pre-google world, it was another place—aside from magazines (like car and driver) and movies—where childhood dreams of those cars could turn into teenage obsessions.
need for speed heat, released last week, is the 24th title in the series. it's set on the miami-influenced streets of palm city. you can race legally or illegally. it's up to you to decide where you'll compete, but the story quickly pushes you closer to be the next florida man to drive a ferrari at top speed into the ocean.
in palm city, johnny law doesn't play by the rules. the police are overly vigilant with their passion to shut down street racing. during cutscenes, they'll intimidate and snub probable cause in favor of towing modified cars without investigation. the streets here are unlike most large cities in the united states. no pedestrians are in the crosswalks, and there is never any traffic congestion. it's an automotive paradise. drive between gas pumps at a gas station to repair your car or launch it over a yard of shipping containers; the level of recklessness goes as far as you can fling it.
cars as old as a 1955 chevrolet bel air and as wild as the ferrari fxx-k evo are available to customize. oem and aftermarket parts companies teamed up to give nfs heat custom bumpers, hoods, fenders, and more for each ride. the good stuff, like specialized parts or decals are unlocked by completing challenges within certain areas of the city. purchase drift-oriented parts if you want to focus on smoky sideways action, off-road tires and suspension to get muddy, or put track pads on and buy an engine swap to dominate high-speed races. as in other games, players can share designs and apply what others created on their own cars.
we played on medium difficulty, which kept us from winning every race right out of the gate. it was notably challenging. for the first few races, we raced super dirty, pushing rivals in honda civics into light posts to get ahead in our borrowed 1988 bmw m3 starter car. every car has a performance rating, and although it's possible to win in a car with a lower-than-suggested rating, you'll need to take shortcuts or drive as dirty as we did to do it.
the traditional main menu is replaced by your garage, or safe house. from safe houses, you can quickly customize your car's appearance and performance upgrades to prepare for two types of racing. daytime racing is where you'll earn money to buy more car parts or purchase cars from the dealership. there are still cop cars on the streets during the day, but they're less interested in you—until you drive into them. they don't like that. the sanctioned day races spread across palm city. circuit races require multiple laps, while sprint races are about getting to one destination faster than anyone else. drift events, speed cameras, and jump challenges will keep you putting the miles on.
nighttime is when the stakes get high. this is where reputation is gained and players can level-up to unlock more cars at the dealership and new events on the map to compete in. at night, the police drive like they're the ones with suspended licenses. at one point in the game we had been boxed in by three chevrolet corvettes with red and blue lights. they bashed into our m3 to try and bust us. if you're caught, the police arrest you, and you lose all your progress as well as a good chunk of the earnings from the daytime races. it took us a while, but later we found that by driving cars into rivers or the ocean, if close enough, the overzealous police would just follow us into the water, but only our car would reset back on the streets. clutch.
if you find a pink flamingo, drive over it. busting pink flamingo yard ornaments will yield cash rewards and unlock special parts. nfs heat does a wonderful job of keeping you in the action; there are few obstacles that can't be destroyed by simply driving through them. we drove our widebody bmw m3 through numerous stone walls, telephone poles, plastic barriers, and fences during our time with the game. although you can't drive through the wall of a house, the small stuff that usually brings your car to an abrupt halt just busts apart to let you keep driving.
need for speed heat exists for the sake of all racing games out there, new and old. it's here to make sure everyone is still having fun. unlike the more serious simulator titles, it doesn't ask you to spend big money on a steering wheel and pedals to play from the comforts of a living room. there's no hour-long warm-up required, and the cars don't sound like digital vacuum cleaners either. when you add a supercharger to the engine of a car, the engine produces that beautiful belt whine, just like it should. when you remove a turbo or two, you can hear that and certainly feel the power difference.
we suggest playing need for speed heat online in multiplayer mode, as the city comes to life when other real people are adventuring in it. you'll encounter random car shows and intense multicar police chases through backyards and alleyways. need for speed heat keeps it real by not pretending it's like any of the other racing titles.