Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit speeds past the arcade-racing competition with its deeply connected Autolog system, breathtaking visuals, and the thrill that comes with driving exotic cars at 200 mph while chasing, or escaping, your fellow racers.

78%Game Brain Score

graphics, gameplay

story, stability

78% User Score Based on 5,996 reviews

Critic Score 89%Based on 8 reviews

Platforms

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About

In Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, players engage in high-speed police chases, either as racers evading the law or as cops trying to bust them. The game features a variety of cars, diverse landscapes, and both single-player and multiplayer modes. With an emphasis on competitive social interaction, players can compete with friends and climb online leaderboards.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 5,996 reviews

graphics566 positive mentions

story102 negative mentions

graphics
890 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
32%
4%
The graphics of "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" are widely praised for their impressive quality, especially considering the game was released in 2010. Many players note that the visuals have aged well, maintaining a level of detail and realism that still captivates audiences today, even on lower-end hardware. While some critiques mention that there are better graphical alternatives available now, the overall consensus is that the game's graphics remain a standout feature, enhancing the immersive racing experience.
- “The graphics of 'Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit' are one of its greatest highlights.”
- “The graphics quality and car design are impressive, providing a sense of speed and realism that enhances immersion.”
- “The graphics are breathtaking for a game this old.”
- “Bad graphics, bad sound, totally unrealistic, cars behave like toys, no car tuning, monotonous tracks and irritating AI... don't even think about playing this.”
- “Graphics are pretty damn mediocre by today's standards, also the action cam in the 'career' mode, that suddenly pauses the game to zoom in and slow down on any cop cars you come across is really annoying and I don't see any way to take it off, and it causes me to crash most of the time.”
- “The graphics are completely screwed and pixelated and the shadows basically fill the entire car which is great isn't it.”
gameplay
558 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
53%
11%
The gameplay of "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit" is characterized by its thrilling arcade racing mechanics, allowing players to take on the roles of both racers and cops, which adds depth and excitement to the experience. While many praise the tight controls, stunning graphics, and engaging multiplayer features, some criticize the repetitive nature of missions and the handling mechanics, which can feel unresponsive or frustrating at times. Overall, the game successfully blends high-speed racing with strategic elements, making it a standout title in the arcade racing genre despite some gameplay limitations.
- “The gameplay is thrilling and gripping, and as an arcade-style racer, finds a great balance between realism and fun.”
- “With stunning graphics, dynamic gameplay, and a robust multiplayer mode, 'Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit' delivers a thrilling racing experience that captivates both veterans and new players.”
- “The gameplay is so enjoyable; the cars are responsive, fun to drive, and drifting in this game feels amazing.”
- “The handling mechanics are awful.”
- “The cars handle like bricks, and in addition to that, there is the infamous mandatory 'brake to drift' mechanic.”
- “Worst game ever and the biggest problem with it is not only that I can't get my money back, but that the gameplay is terrible and hard.”
story
407 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
62%
25%
The game's story is largely absent, with players noting that it consists of a straightforward progression through cop and racer missions without any significant narrative or character development. While some appreciate the focus on gameplay over story, many find the lack of a compelling storyline disappointing, leading to a repetitive experience as missions often feel disconnected and monotonous. Overall, the game is characterized as a racing experience that prioritizes action and mechanics over storytelling, which may appeal to some but leaves others wanting more depth.
- “While the story may not be the game's strongest aspect, it serves its purpose by providing context to the races and challenges.”
- “You play as either a cop or a racer, with each campaign consisting of a series of missions that involve either chasing down or evading other drivers.”
- “The plot is pretty straightforward: either you are a cop or you are running from them - what is an excellent idea, all you have to focus is on playing the game.”
- “There is no story or unnecessary dialogues.”
- “There is no story here, just racing missions, that's all.”
- “The bounty progression system and story in general is very one-dimensional, which I think is the game's main flaw.”
music
376 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
51%
10%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the vibrant and energizing soundtrack that enhances the racing experience, while others criticize it as repetitive or lacking in quality. Many users express nostalgia for older Need for Speed titles, feeling that the current soundtrack does not match the excitement of previous games. Overall, while some enjoy the music as a fitting backdrop to high-speed action, others find it underwhelming and prefer to play their own playlists instead.
- “The soundtrack for 'Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit' is vibrant and energizing, with a selection of music that perfectly complements the game's high-speed action.”
- “With its dynamic gameplay, stunning graphics, and an energizing soundtrack, the game offers a high-quality racing and chasing experience.”
- “There is nothing more satisfying than driving a fast car and listening to great music!”
- “However, the music is very poor; the catch-up logic during race mode is absurdly unfair for the AI.”
- “The music in this game is so bad I can't recommend it.”
- “The soundtrack is appalling beyond words.”
optimization
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
26%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting smooth performance and good frame rates on modern hardware, while others report significant stuttering and lag issues, particularly on lower-end systems. Many users highlight the lack of customization options and poor multi-core CPU support as contributing factors to the performance problems. Overall, while some players find the game runs well, others experience frustrating optimization issues that detract from the gameplay experience.
- “It's well optimized.”
- “The game appears well optimized and I can easily get 60 fps at all times at 1080p.”
- “My hat goes off to Criterion who seem to manage good performance without the need for 10 times the spec of the console version; I imagine good coding is the name of the game here.”
- “The performance is lousy despite exceeding the minimum requirements (this game is 8 years old after all), so I guess it's just very poorly optimized for newer machines, at least for mine.”
- “Other than that, the game runs very poorly in both low and high graphic settings, with common heavy frame drops and stuttering. It shouldn't be the case for an 8-year-old game played on any recent half-decent gaming PC.”
- “This version is so horrendously optimized that I can't even play it.”
stability
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
73%
The stability of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users reporting frequent crashes, bugs, and glitches across various platforms. While some players noted that it runs well on modern hardware and older systems, many experienced significant issues, particularly with online features and controls. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess," detracting from an otherwise enjoyable experience.
- “It even runs great on most office computers.”
- “The Need for Speed series are brilliant games and this one runs great on nearly anything made in the last ten years.”
- “It runs great on modern hardware and looks amazingly good for an old game.”
- “Awful controls, buggy interface, can't remove keybindings, crashes for no reason.”
- “This game is riddled with glitches and freezing.”
- “This horrible console port features non-stop unskippable cutscenes, buggy console menu controls, and non-existent physics.”
replayability
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
58%
9%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its competitive features like Autolog and varied single-player campaigns that encourage repeated play, while others criticize the lack of content and repetitive nature of races once the main objectives are completed. Overall, it offers decent replay value for those who enjoy racing mechanics and competition, but many feel it lacks depth and long-term engagement.
- “Autolog tracks and compares your racing achievements with friends, creating a sense of competition and encouraging replayability.”
- “This is a great game with a lot of replay value due to being able to be a regular car driver and cop.”
- “Very fun and varied single player campaign with loads of replayability.”
- “Also, it has no replay value.”
- “There's very little replay value once you complete both careers and unlock everything there is to unlock.”
- “No replay value and it's just the same repetitive race over and over and over like 50 times for each side which I was a cop mostly because of the damn AI.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as a major draw, with players finding the absurdity of the AI, particularly the cops, to be both entertaining and laughable. Many reviews note that the game's physics and handling contribute to its comedic value, making for funny moments during gameplay, especially when played with friends. Overall, while some aspects of the game may be frustrating, the humor remains a consistent and enjoyable element for players.
- “But if racers are bad, cops are hilariously bad.”
- “To use spikes, they will rubberband in front of you, even when you're going extremely fast, which is very funny because half the time the extreme speed causes them to rubberband right into a wall, traffic, or even their own spike strips.”
- “This game is so hilarious and fun, even though it's dated.”
grinding
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
7%
90%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive due to the necessity of completing similar races and missions multiple times to unlock new cars and upgrades. While some appreciate the variety in vehicles and equipment that provide motivation to progress, others are frustrated by unskippable cutscenes and the overall lack of engaging goals, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, the grinding experience can feel excessive, particularly for those playing offline, making it a significant point of contention among players.
- “There is no grinding required, just sit back, enjoy the ride and earn bounties to unlock beautiful prestigious cars.”
- “The game is very grindy where you need to complete very similar races and missions on the same roads over and over again to proceed, only to do it over again with a slightly faster car.”
- “The real turnoff is the fact you will not unlock the best cars or power-ups in the game without excessive grinding or playing online, which the game seems to put a big focus on.”
- “The driving only missions where you have to do nothing but drive your car to the finish are way too long and tedious, and you will probably spend most of your time doing these, as they take 4-5 minutes, and you have to do them anyway to unlock more missions.”
monetization
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
12%
76%
The monetization aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, primarily due to the presence of unskippable advertisements and cutscenes that detract from the gameplay experience. While there are no microtransactions or in-game purchases, players feel that the game functions more as a vehicle for advertising than as a standalone title, leading to frustration with the excessive promotional content and convoluted menus. Overall, the game is criticized for prioritizing corporate advertising over player enjoyment.
- “First, there are no microtransactions.”
- “No in-game purchases!”
- “A good NFS series with no in-game purchases.”
- “The game should be called NFS: advertisements and too many unskippable videos.”
- “Unskippable ads, unskippable tutorial, unskippable intro videos - 15 minutes and that's before you even get to the menu.”
- “Somewhere under this mess of forced account creation and logins, unskippable videos, advertisements and shoddily shoehorned-in pseudo social networking nonsense, there is a great arcade racing game.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
25%
Players express a lack of emotional investment in the game, citing repetitive gameplay and frustrating mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While the game offers enjoyable arcade racing moments, issues like clunky controls, unskippable cutscenes, and a boring storyline lead to feelings of frustration and disappointment. The inability to customize cars further diminishes the emotional connection players might have with their vehicles, making the experience feel less personal and engaging.
- “The problem with this game is the lack of emotional investment or attachment from the player.”
- “So if that makes you feel down, get this game and you will surely get a wholesome taste of what was, what could be, and what should be.”
- “I have over 700 miles in the Bugatti Veyron right now. Also, you can't customize your car, which to me was kind of heartbreaking.”
- “The emotional depth of the story felt lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I found the emotional moments to be forced and unconvincing, which detracted from the overall experience.”
- “Despite the game's attempts at emotional storytelling, it ultimately fell flat and left me feeling indifferent.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its crisp sound effects, stunning landscapes, and a perfect blend of speed and handling reminiscent of classic Need for Speed titles. Players appreciate the intense ambiance during chases, enhanced by appropriate cut scenes, while some note that certain elements can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game successfully captures a thrilling and immersive atmosphere that resonates with fans of the franchise.
- “The map is so stunning with amazing roads and atmosphere.”
- “Pure adrenaline within great atmospheric landscapes.”
- “It's killing the atmosphere outright.”
- “However, it still preserves the feel of speed, handling, and atmosphere of the original.”
- “Sound effects, such as the roar of engines and the sound of police sirens, are crisp and add to the intense atmosphere of the chases.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development in the game is criticized for being shallow and aimed at a younger demographic, with reviewers noting a lack of depth and meaningful storytelling, likening it to the superficial elements of the Fast & Furious franchise.
- “The game feels like it's aimed at a demographic of 14-year-old boys who think the Fast & Furious franchise is more than a melodramatic cringe fest, lacking any real plotline or character development.”
- “Character development is almost non-existent, making it hard to connect with any of the characters or care about their journeys.”
- “The characters are one-dimensional and forgettable, which detracts from the overall experience and makes it difficult to invest in the story.”