Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered Review

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010) was one of the last great entries in EA’s main racing series. The franchise has seen a dramatic fall from grace in recent years. In fact, most serious racers have moved on entirely to other games, leaving Need for Speed behind. Having tried many different approaches to get back to the good old days, it’s now time for a remaster. It’s almost as if the company has given up trying to make a new release that works.

However, fans can be thankful that the publisher has at least chosen a decent enough title to remaster. After all, Hot Pursuit had some nice ideas when it launched 10 years ago. The real question, though, is whether these hold up more than a decade later.

Story

Unlike many other of EA’s Need for Speed games, Hot Pursuit doesn’t have a proper story. Rather than include a narrative, the game simply has a career mode where players can choose between two sides. It’s possible to play as a police officer or a racer, with the missions changing according to the role. When taking control of the racer, the goal is simply to finish as quickly as possible. But as a police officer, the aim is to take out all the illegal racers.

That’s about as far as the plot goes, with the action revolving around completing the missions. There are no cutscenes or dialogue to provide any context. However, the lack of story is not a great concern. While it might put some players off who like plot to accompany the action, the gameplay is enough on its own. Hot Pursuit just does not need a full narrative.