Need for Speed has been a series that has had a bit of an identity crisis in the past decade. From attempting to be more of a simulation with Shift to being a fully story-focused game with The Run, it’s gone through many reincarnations. The most recent stab at the series was 2015’s Need for Speed, which was a FMV-filled arcade racer in a world where it was seemingly always night time. While I dug the kitschy live-action video, the game definitely had its fair share of issues and a lot of fans were left underwhelmed.
The good news is that developer Ghost Games, which has handled the series since 2013’s Need for Speed Rivals, has definitely learned from their past games. Their latest title, Need for Speed Payback, takes a bunch of good ideas from throughout the series’ entire history, and manages to put them together into one cohesive package. Players will recognize the intense cop chases from Hot Pursuit, the captivating open world from Criterion’s Most Wanted, the car customization of Underground, and the signature arcade racing that has largely defined the series despite a few pitstops at a more serious racer. There’s one other key part of Payback that helps bring all of these elements together: story. The racing game has a light, yet very interesting, story that revolves around a group of three street racers and generally likable minor criminals. They wind up getting screwed over in the game’s opening moments (which you ...