A Need for Speed game that is more frustrating than fun. Handling is my biggest gripe with Hot Pursuit Remastered. Cars feel heavy and control like rocks. This comes off even more annoying considering it can be easy to crash into oncoming traffic. Cop time trials (referred to as Rapid Response) really don't work well with the under-steer handling physics. Hitting walls penalizes your time and adds 2-3 seconds, making earning a gold merit very challenging.

Gameplay is fine. Two parts exist. Cop Career and a Racer Career. The cop side has you participate in time trials and events centered around busting racers, while the Racer side has its own set of events like time trials and races (most of which throw cops at you mid-race and turn into a race-getaway pursuit to the finish). Winning events rewards bounty points, with more events and cars being unlocked at higher bounty point levels. Car customization is as basic as changing a car color and selecting from a few preset vinyls and wraps. A free roam mode also exists.

The Burnout comparisons are definitely true and present, seeing that this game was developed by Burnout team Criterion. Takedowns are a key gameplay aspect, working the same was as Burnout even down to the takedown camera that shows after one is successful. Essentially, this game can even be described as Burnout with cops, free roam and very heavy driving physics.

Another issue I have (which I am not sure is a Remastered issue, if it was present in the original, or because I was playing on the Switch version) is that after unpausing the game, the action resumes like normal, but there is a 2-3 second delay before control input registers again. This, of course, has caused me to crash into walls, traffic and lose speed in pursuits.

I can see why a lot of people like Hot Pursuit because it is a well made game. However, the handling and physics weren't enjoyable enough to draw me in.