There was quite a decent response this week. Lots of you left comments, and there was plenty of variety in your opinions, which should make for some good reading for those of you who still haven’t got the game!
As I mentioned last week, this is the only real next generation racing option for those of you with a PS4, so if you’re feeling the need for speed then this is really your only option, but it’s well worth considering all these opinions first.
It all started with leeroye who enjoyed the cop career, but couldn’t find the same excitement when playing as a racer, and then got a bit bored.
A lot of people compared the game to Hot Pursuit, with Jimster71 saying that it felt like a “worse version” and one that ended up being quite unbalanced. TSBonyman hasn’t bought the game, but he also thought it looked too much like Hot Pursuit, and isn’t a fan of the Autolog system. Meanwhile Severn2j said that “it plays like a ‘not-as-good’ Hot Pursuit, It’s hard to put my finger on exactly why, but it didn’t gel with me and I gave up after about level 7 in racer mode (level 4 cop mode).”
“I can’t really put my finger on what it is” that’s wrong with the game, said arrybags. Quite a strange response, but it definitely makes sense in this circumstance. “It’s not a bad game… just not interesting.” was the verdict from Kennykazey.
Ouninpohja isn’t really enjoying it either, and feels as though too much time is spent getting rammed by fellow police cars, while bigchrissyc soon got bored with the game.
“Playing as a cop is brilliant and points do not matter so much as the cars are free. So you can spend time crashing and generally messing up other cars and racers.” said djdustb, who praised the game for what it is despite not being able to pause. It was mrfodder who agreed here, saying that the racer career was enjoyable but the police mode was “even more fun”.
The online mode didn’t work quite as intended either, with marvzilla pointing out: “The joy of online in most wanted and hot pursuit was always from getting a group of players into an event. In rivals you’re lucky if you get one other player into an event and the other folk just get in the way.”
It was Tomhlord who left some positivity:
Beautiful visuals are a plus, the main joy comes from the cars handling. Easy enough to have a quick first play, but enough depth is there for you to refine your skills and driving ability along the way. It is very satisfying to nail a perfect drift whilst also fending off several cop cars. This balance of accessibility, challenge and reward are what make any video game a good video game.
But that didn’t stop it from being buggy, with Tuffcub and shields_t pointing out the mass number of bugs to be found throughout.
So, where does that leave us? It’s not that great for Rivals in the end, as it only achieved three Buy It ratings, five Bargain Bin It, seven for Rent It and one Avoid It.
A new week, and a new poll. We’ve added Vita favourite Tearaway to the list, and removed Killzone: Shadow Fall as that’s coming up in tomorrow’s edition of WeView – it’s the first new generation exclusive we’ve featured, which is quite exciting.
lambchop
It was good but I soon forgot about it too. I think I just prefer racing on proper course that just stage racing.
Amphlett
I’ll wait for this to be put on to the Instant Games Collection as part of PS+’s attempt to pull away from the dross indie games they’re pumping out lately.
ron_mcphatty
Lots of good info in this WeView. On balance I still think I want this when I eventually get a PS4 but I’ll be waiting for it to drop in price, even though I love the recent NFS games the comments have convinced me that it’s not worth £40. Good work TSA!
freezebug2
Although it’s the only next gen racer I’d fully recommend taking advantage of the bargain basement last gen version, I doubt the graphic prowess of Playstation 4 could justify the big price hike.
Nice enough game…60/60 career here, but it doesn’t strike me as having a nostalgic future.
coruscant
I enjoyed Most Wanted much more than Hot Pursuit but I even lost interest in that quite quickly. I think it’s because it was a bit like a mashup between Burnout Paradise and Hot Pursuit.
Bambo_19
Been trying to pick it up for a while since i wanted a racer on my ps4 but it just did not seem worth more than £20 to me. Now I will most probably just wait for drive club.
bravotangosix
Does the T500rs work with this on the PS4? Would be the only reason I would even consider it.
psychobudgie
Which FIFA 14 does the poll refer to? The PS3 and PS4 versions are totally different due to the engine.
Forrest_01
Shame I missed this weview, as I could have added a more positive slant towards the verdict – I played it on PS3 (being as I don’t have a PS4!) & found it to be a great game. I didn’t encounter any bugs whatsoever (at least not that I recall) & can’t say that I found it anywhere near as much of a grind as others seem to have. I don’t recall repeating much stuff to level up at all.
Overall, the comments about Hot Pursuit/Burnout/Most Wanted (a little bit) are warranted, but I don’t feel it was a bad thing that it aped these games at all. In fact, it was one of the things that drew me to it.
As for the frustrations of being a racer getting busted & losing all your points, yes its annoying, but no less annoying than losing a life in another game & having to return to a previous checkpoint. You just have to play smart & know when to cash in. Or gamble & go big & accept the consequences if things go horribly wrong.
What I would agree with is the comments about the pause option, as it did feel a bit unnecessary for things just to tick away in the background – I get that it was created with the vision of it being a mainly online world, but if you switch it so that it is single player (which is an option), it should really pause the AI so that you can at least go for a wee.
Overall, I loved my time with the game (the platinum didn’t feel like a chore at all) & wouldn’t hesitate to pick up a sequel should one be released.