This series can’t seem to catch a break
On the one hand, I’m glad EA and Ghost Games waited to open up aboutNeed for Speed Heat. I like to think that we don’t need a year-long marketing rollout for a game like this. We’re 20+ installments into the series; a few months is plenty. But on the other hand, gosh, it sure is easy to forget how close it is.
Here’s a slightly premature launch trailer to remind us thatNeed for Speed Heathits PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 8–and an extra reminder from me that, for what it’s worth,there aren’t loot boxesthis time andyou can play the game offline. Surely it’ll be a step up fromPayback. Surely.
This one is leaning into a night-and-day duality. At night, you’ll try to earn cred in illegal street races and dodge the cops until you reach a safe house. During the day, you’ll try to be an upstanding citizen.
For a lot of players, it’s going to come down to the map. Is it fun to hunt for collectibles? Does the world lend itself to high-speed pursuits? Can you see where you’re going? That’ll be the difference-maker.
Leaving the desert behind,Heatis set in a Miami-inspired area called Palm City. “We wanted a big city location that could deliver dense urban action and open-world cop chases while capturing the feel of fan favoritesNeed for Speed: Most Wanted ’05andUnderground,” according to Ghost Games.
I can see people using EA Access to get their fill (or waiting for some holiday discounts to kick in). If you’re thinking of going that route, note that theNFS HeatPlay First Trial starts on November 5.
