To be fair, there's probably only so much that can be done in an open world racing title and developer Ghost should be given some credit for listening to the fans and critics of the previous title. There is a lot of content in the game, irrespective of the lack of originality.
It's certainly believable enough to enjoy driving around and exploring the sandbox world Fortune City does a very good impression of Las Vegas with its hotels and casinos.Īlongside the story, there is also free roam in which there are numerous mini-games that can be used to earn REP, and campaign missions can be replayed to grind more credits. It may not quite reach the levels of the Forza Horizon series, but other than initial texture pops, there's not too much to complain about. It all looks very good and glossy and the graphical presentation, on the whole, is pretty solid. During the campaign, the player does the legwork in the form of races and events, only to have the game take over to play the most spectacular stunts in the form of a cutscene. It is also self-serving in keeping the most intense moments for itself. Ultimately, the story just provides the game with a vehicle to introduce you to the mini-games and progression in the title. Somewhere it's been done before, a theme that unfortunately reoccurs throughout the course of the game. Comparisons to The Fast and the Furious are inevitable, and with the eight films in that series, the 22 titles in the NFS franchise and games like The Crew, it's easy to understand why the story struggles with originality. Unfortunately, the whole storyline feels contrived and derivative, a pastiche of just about every other Hollywood tale of underworld revenge albeit with an automotive theme. Drifting, street racing, drag racing and evasion missions all feature in the campaign and total just under 60 missions.
Swapping between the three lead characters in the story, the player takes on a series of questlines in which various driving skills of the different characters are used to win over the local street racing gangs and bring down the car crime syndicate known simply as 'The House'. This singular action drops the player into a heap of trouble and serves to introduce the main characters of the story. The story proves that there is no honour among thieves after all, with one member of a car-jacking crew deciding to double-cross their team in an effort to promote their own criminal career. Growing up in Harlem, we always dreamed of driving fast rare race cars.”Īdditionally, the selection includes a few UK Grime contributions from the likes of Kano, Stormzy, Wiley, Giggs, and Skepta.Ĭheck out the Spotify playlist for Need For Speed: Payback below.From the title alone, it's clear from the outset that this is a tale of revenge and the titular Payback. In a statement released in support of the game’s soundtrack, ASAP Ferg said, “I grew up on Need for Speed and it’s an honor to now have my music be a part of it. Other rap stars getting in on the high-octane, adrenaline-fueled action include Vince Staples alongside the Gorillaz with “Ascension” from Humanz, ASAP Ferg and Meek Mill with “Trap And A Dream” from the former’s Still Striving, Jaden Smith with “Watch Me,” and Action Bronson with “The Choreographer” from Blue Chips 7000. “ Perplexing Pegasus,” “ Panther Like A Panther,” and “Systematic,” Nas’ collaboration with DJ Shadow from the latter’s The Mountain Has Fallen EP from earlier this year, all appear on the compilation, which was made available as a playlist on Spotify today. Rae Sremmurd, Run The Jewels, and Nas are among the hip-hop megastars who make appearances on the soundtrack of Need For Speed: Payback, the latest edition of Electronic Arts’ popular racing series dropping on November 10.