NFS Heat is some of the best that the modern (post-2010) NFS franchise has put out. Unfortunately, that bar is pretty low, putting this game in a very strange position.
On the one hand, many things in this game are underdeveloped. The story is very short, with less than 5 hours of content. While I do appreciate that it doesn't interfere with the main meat of this game, the racing, in its current state, I wonder if the game would have been better off without it. The player (who is never named or even directly addressed) works with Ana and the Rivera family to expose a plot of corrupt cops illegally impounding racer's cars to be sold outside the city. It feels like the first act of a much bigger story, and while I appreciate that the game doesn't engage in copaganda, it feels like we're just beginning to pop the lid on a much bigger story when this one wraps up. Still, this story is worlds above the stories of any other NFS game from the past decade. Im not upset that it's there, just that it could have been much better.
In terms of other gripes, the game is very grindy and repetitive. The main gameplay loop is to race during the day to get money, race at night to gain experience points to level up and unlock new vehicles and vehicle parts, bank those points, upgrade your car, and repeat. The heat system at night is neat, as you get more attention from the cops, your "heat" goes up, which functions exactly as it does in any other open-world game with cops, it's the same as stars in GTA. The cool thing is that your heat level acts as a multiplier for your experience points at the end of the night, so there's a cool dynamic at play. Do you push it by racing more and risking a huge level gain, or play it safe and end up grinding a lot more? Trying to escape from the cops at level 5 is made all the more thrilling because if you escape, you can bank up to 9 - 10 levels in one night. You're also incentivized to push it, as certain races with huge payouts are locked out by having to be at 3 or 5 heat. It works well, and you don't feel bad when getting busted most of the time because you chose to push it. However, cops at higher levels cheat and will spawn in new cops right in front of you, and you have to put almost a mile of distance between yourself and them if you want to escape at level 5 heat. I appreciate the challenge, and it is still possible, but it feels cheap to get busted by a cop that spawned in front of you. It's especially frustrating that the highest-end parts are locked behind level 5 heat races, which could've been avoided by giving you those parts for free and avoiding the steep cost, keeping the incentive to do those races, without feeling like you're forced to.
Palm city is a dead ringer for Miami, and for the most part, it works alright. It feels like it could have been much bigger, but even what's here is sparse. 80-90% of the map is boring generic countryside. No landmarks means that you'll end up being tied to the navigation system, and it's also just generally a slog to drive or race through. The city parts of Palm City are great, especially at night when they're drenched in neon lights and packed with traffic. During the day, there are so few cars that you'd think this city was in the process of being abandoned, it's nice to have to worry less about traffic, but it makes the city feel empty. Additionally, since the map isn't very large, you'll end up repeating races and having to grind a bit to unlock the next story segment or next car. Its serviceable overall, but it had a lot more potential. Drifting events are also pretty underwhelming, but they're almost entirely ignorable which is good.
On the other hand, NFS Heat is fun. The handling profile in this game feels great, and I love how much you can tune it to your preference. NFS is the only franchise that I feel has been able to truly capture making cars feel fast. The FOV feels just right, and the camera is incredibly dynamic; it lags behind you as you increase your speed and will overshoot on turns and drifts. This game is at its most fun when you're going over 200 MPH, bobbing and weaving through traffic, and trying to outrun the cops at level 5 heat. Unfortunately, this means you have to spend about 5-10 hours getting to the good part, which can be a pretty hard sell for most people (but not Persona 5 fans ;) ). The car selection is great, and the customization strikes the perfect balance of being both in-depth and still accessible to newbies. The cosmetic customization is especially great, letting you totally rice out your car or even download designs from other players. I also really enjoy the "activities:" little mini-events you can complete without interrupting moving from place to place. There are far too many collectibles though, EA's presence is impossible to ignore.
NFS Heat is a really fun game, bogged down by a few things that make it just hard enough to recommend that I think I wouldn't, unless you're already a fan of the franchise or arcade racers in general. Excited that we finally have a "good" game in this franchise after it seemed like EA was tripping over themselves worse than sonic team for 10 years. Disappointed that the bar for "good" for NFS is only 2.5 stars. Now to see what EA has done with Ghost games after creating one of the best entries in the past 10 years.
On the one hand, many things in this game are underdeveloped. The story is very short, with less than 5 hours of content. While I do appreciate that it doesn't interfere with the main meat of this game, the racing, in its current state, I wonder if the game would have been better off without it. The player (who is never named or even directly addressed) works with Ana and the Rivera family to expose a plot of corrupt cops illegally impounding racer's cars to be sold outside the city. It feels like the first act of a much bigger story, and while I appreciate that the game doesn't engage in copaganda, it feels like we're just beginning to pop the lid on a much bigger story when this one wraps up. Still, this story is worlds above the stories of any other NFS game from the past decade. Im not upset that it's there, just that it could have been much better.
In terms of other gripes, the game is very grindy and repetitive. The main gameplay loop is to race during the day to get money, race at night to gain experience points to level up and unlock new vehicles and vehicle parts, bank those points, upgrade your car, and repeat. The heat system at night is neat, as you get more attention from the cops, your "heat" goes up, which functions exactly as it does in any other open-world game with cops, it's the same as stars in GTA. The cool thing is that your heat level acts as a multiplier for your experience points at the end of the night, so there's a cool dynamic at play. Do you push it by racing more and risking a huge level gain, or play it safe and end up grinding a lot more? Trying to escape from the cops at level 5 is made all the more thrilling because if you escape, you can bank up to 9 - 10 levels in one night. You're also incentivized to push it, as certain races with huge payouts are locked out by having to be at 3 or 5 heat. It works well, and you don't feel bad when getting busted most of the time because you chose to push it. However, cops at higher levels cheat and will spawn in new cops right in front of you, and you have to put almost a mile of distance between yourself and them if you want to escape at level 5 heat. I appreciate the challenge, and it is still possible, but it feels cheap to get busted by a cop that spawned in front of you. It's especially frustrating that the highest-end parts are locked behind level 5 heat races, which could've been avoided by giving you those parts for free and avoiding the steep cost, keeping the incentive to do those races, without feeling like you're forced to.
Palm city is a dead ringer for Miami, and for the most part, it works alright. It feels like it could have been much bigger, but even what's here is sparse. 80-90% of the map is boring generic countryside. No landmarks means that you'll end up being tied to the navigation system, and it's also just generally a slog to drive or race through. The city parts of Palm City are great, especially at night when they're drenched in neon lights and packed with traffic. During the day, there are so few cars that you'd think this city was in the process of being abandoned, it's nice to have to worry less about traffic, but it makes the city feel empty. Additionally, since the map isn't very large, you'll end up repeating races and having to grind a bit to unlock the next story segment or next car. Its serviceable overall, but it had a lot more potential. Drifting events are also pretty underwhelming, but they're almost entirely ignorable which is good.
On the other hand, NFS Heat is fun. The handling profile in this game feels great, and I love how much you can tune it to your preference. NFS is the only franchise that I feel has been able to truly capture making cars feel fast. The FOV feels just right, and the camera is incredibly dynamic; it lags behind you as you increase your speed and will overshoot on turns and drifts. This game is at its most fun when you're going over 200 MPH, bobbing and weaving through traffic, and trying to outrun the cops at level 5 heat. Unfortunately, this means you have to spend about 5-10 hours getting to the good part, which can be a pretty hard sell for most people (but not Persona 5 fans ;) ). The car selection is great, and the customization strikes the perfect balance of being both in-depth and still accessible to newbies. The cosmetic customization is especially great, letting you totally rice out your car or even download designs from other players. I also really enjoy the "activities:" little mini-events you can complete without interrupting moving from place to place. There are far too many collectibles though, EA's presence is impossible to ignore.
NFS Heat is a really fun game, bogged down by a few things that make it just hard enough to recommend that I think I wouldn't, unless you're already a fan of the franchise or arcade racers in general. Excited that we finally have a "good" game in this franchise after it seemed like EA was tripping over themselves worse than sonic team for 10 years. Disappointed that the bar for "good" for NFS is only 2.5 stars. Now to see what EA has done with Ghost games after creating one of the best entries in the past 10 years.