Need for Speed: The Run Review

Many people would say that Need for Speed is the Call of Duty of the Racing genre, to which I would fully agree. I mean, there’s multiple sub-series of the game (Most Wanted, Shift, Hot Pursuit, Underground, etc.), there’s a new one at least once a year, and for the most part the games are mediocre at best. And while I will say The Run isn’t that great of a game, it’s still something that may be worth checking out.

The game has you play as a guy by the name of Jack. Before the events in The Run, he got himself into some trouble with a gang. You start off barely conscious with your hands taped to the steering wheel of a car, and you’re about to be made into a cube of metal and blood via a crusher. In typical movie-game fashion, you are supposed to press buttons that come up on screen to continue through the cut-scene (which for me was a pain in the ass because I got this game for my xbox, with which I had very little experience with which buttons were where). You are then running for your life to find a conveniently placed vehicle that you can start and then drive off in, with them chasing you, guns blazing (at this point you are actually driving, finally). Once you finally escape, you meet up with this one chick who you were friends with, who sets you up to compete in a large-scale illegal street-race from San Francisco to New York, called “The Run”. Thus begins the game.

I’ll start off with what I don’t like about this as a game. For one, this is the most linear I have ever seen any racing game be. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible for a game to be any more linear than this. You see, with most racing games you have a money system with which you can buy, sell, and upgrade your cars. This is nonexistent in The Run. Because of the lack of money, you are required to win every race you get to (in most games coming in second would still net you some money, which in theory allows you to upgrade your car and eventually win), and you are given a set of cars that you are allowed to use, which have about the same overall performance. This makes the majority of the cars available in the game useless inside the main story (however they are still available for the challenge series and online).

But I want to drive my Golf across the country...

There is also a lack of the personal customization that Need for Speed is known for, which admittedly is both a blessing and a curse. They were nice enough to allow you a choice in colors and a few body kits, as well as providing some special edition cars that were pre-tuned and customized. For the most part these cars look decently tasteful; while you are stuck with very little customization, at least you don’t have to see the abominations created by 12 year olds with terrible taste if/when you race online.

I don't think even the most tasteful designer could create a decent car in this game...

What I do like about the gameplay is that, like all of the other Need for Speed games, the physics are casual without being fully disconnected from reality. My only real gripe related to that is the hyperbolic rubber band effect on the opponents, bad guys from the mafia, and the police. For those unfamiliar with the term, rubber band effect describes a process where the NPC goes faster/slower depending on how close/far you are. In games like Need for Speed it is nice to have (it adds some excitement to the game because you aren’t just driving a time trial once you pass all of the cars), but when it is too strong some of the immersion is lost and it becomes frustrating (especially when you are passed by a cop that you spun out just a few seconds ago).

As much of a simulation nut as I am, I also like the rewind feature in a game such as this one. In games like Forza I am fully opposed to the idea because the goal of such games is to be as real as possible, but in Need for Speed, where you have many more things out there to destroy you (like Optimus Prime hurtling down the highway in the oncoming lane), it’s nice to be set back in time a bit rather than completely restarting. So kudos for that.

Move b*tch, get out the way.

However it’s obvious that this game isn’t really about the gameplay. I would look at it as a very involved street racing movie. It does have the extremely cliché plot that all of these movies have, and the quality isn’t terribly amazing (it doesn’t suck either though), but it is a story you can follow. What I like most about this aspect of the game is it puts you through some interesting (but not necessarily beautiful or well-done) landscapes and scenarios, and since it is combined with both theatrical music and rock/pop music, in some ways it does feel a lot like a real movie. Sort of.

I haven’t quite completed the game, but I will say right off the bat that it has very little, if any, replay value. They do have something called autolog, which compares your stage times with friends and tries to get you to do better than them, but generally it is a very synthetic method that wouldn’t work even if I did have friends that played. The game also includes a challenge series, which is a fun little mode where you race through old stages within different areas of the game that you have completed in an attempt to unlock more cars that you may or may not be able to use in the career mode.

So I guess the question is, do I like Need for Speed: The Run? In a way, yes. If you want a casual theatrical racing experience, then it’s probably worth the bargain bin price or renting (if you’re old school), though I do feel sorry for the poor suckers who paid full price when it first came out. It’s definitely not worth anything over about $30. If you love Need for Speed, then you’ll probably like it. Otherwise, it’s most likely not worth your time.