Jan 4, 2011

Need for Speed:Hot Pursuit 2010 (Part 2)


In a  previous post, I had just started playing Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2010 Limited Edition (NFSHPLE).  Since that post, I have completed most of the racer events and all of the trooper ones.  Allow me to qualify that statement by letting you know here and now that I have *completed* them.  I have not received gold medals in all of them, however.  In fact, in most of them, I had to play through several times (and in a couple cases about a DOZEN times) before even getting passing marks.  Some of the races are tough!  I especially have a problem with the ones where I have to get the car to a certain point without wrecking the thing.  Yeah, I'm not that good a driver...

The scenery and effects still blow me away. Gorgeous views and I love the weather effects!  Let me say that some cars do a better job on wet roads than others, and having a lead foot does not bode well in many cases, regardless of the conditions.  I also made extensive use of Nitro as an aid for escaping sharp turns.  I will say that when done effectively, it is a sight to behold.  When done badly, it'll make you want to grab your head in shock and Uuuggghhh...

I did manage to hit a bug in the game during one race.  I was trying to cut over into the oncoming traffic lane (you get a nitro boost for driving against the flow of traffic), and I pulled one of those weird Pinto-esque moments: I hit the divider, a fellow racer and two "Sunday drivers" at the same as hitting my Nitro button.  I did an amazing crash, but when the car reset itself on the track, it actually reset UNDER the track!  I could see everything above me (cars, scenery, boundaries, etc).  I couldn't move, of course, and after a moment or two of hanging there, my car did a free fall into the nothingness that is outside of the game's normal design.  Everything went a weird smoky white, and a fter a moment or two with the nose of my car pointed downward like a plane about to crash, the game corrected itself again, and I was suddenly racing down the road again.  It was more than a bit surreal.

By far and away, my favorite way to play so far is in Hot Pursuit mode.  I make a much better cop busting bad guys than I do as a bad guy trying to escape (or win a race while outrunning cops at the same time).  I have not ventured online yet, which I plan to do this weekend.  there are several "open world" modes that you can play where you join other racers and/or cops and freely drive around looking for trouble.

My guess is that the game is much cheaper now that Christmas is over.  So, if you didn't get a copy for the holiday, I say you grab one and strap in!

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