Need for Speed: Heat hit early access on November 5th for subscribers of Origin Access and EA Access. But today, the most recent entry in the series is finally available on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC for everyone to enjoy. For £59.99, you can get the Standard Edition on the Xbox Store or the Deluxe Edition for £69.99. The latter will net you additional bonuses, like exclusive cars, outfits and various boosters to help you out, whilst Access owners will see 10% discounts put in place, and those who prefer to grab the Deluxe content at a later date will be able to do so for £9.99.
Ever since the franchise was entrusted with the Swedish studio Ghost Games, Need for Speed has consistently failed to impress. Games like Need for Speed (the reboot) and Payback seldom come up when discussing the best in the series.
Prior entries focused on presentation and storytelling, often leaving what really matters – racing – in the backend. Heat commemorates the 25th anniversary after the series launched on the 3DO with The Need for Speed back in 1994. And given the eye-catching setting of Heat, the developer is definitely trying to bring something fresh to the table.
Need for Speed: Heat takes place in the fictional Palm City – aka Vice City – (aka Miami) and boasts an appropriately flashy colour palette. Racing and escaping the law during the night, you’ll notice a lot of bright blues, greens and pinks. It also features an impressive list of 127 cars, including Japanese street racing darlings like Mitsubishi and Nissan.
NFS: Heat boasts a list of high-end manufacturers – you know, those that none of us can afford – like McLaren, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini and Pagani. And finally, it marks the return of Ferrari after skipping Payback due to licensing issues. All of these gorgeous cars stand out even further thanks to the robust visual customization system.
With such an amazing urban setting and array of cars, Need for Speed: Heat could very well redeem past missteps. And to find out whether or not it ultimately holds up to the hype, stay tuned for our imminent review here on TheXboxHub.
Just remember, NFS Heat is available right now. I said, RIGHT NOW. Cue trailer…