Which side of EA's "Need For Speed" franchise are you on?

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1st-February-2017, 23:38
openroadracer

Which side of EA's "Need For Speed" franchise are you on?

Oh joy, here we go: A debate on which era of the Need For Speed franchise is the best... Let's just get this done.

I'm going to come right out and state that I don't believe that NFS has truly been NFS since 2002. That's the year Hot Pursuit 2 came out, and I believe it's genuinely the best in the franchise. The whole era leading up to it is everything NFS should always strive to be: car rosters dominated by European exotic supercars, locales set as far away from the city streets as possible, hard rock music to drive to. It's pretty much perfect.

Then 2003 came, and brought Underground with it. Ugh, this is when the series went into its first Dark Age. Why are they bothering with this story nonsense, why do I have to start off in a crappy little Honda, and why am I racing city streets? This whole era, that lasted until 2009, is pure garbage to me.

Then Criterion took control of the series starting in 2010, with their Hot Pursuit game. Unfortunately, these ultimately felt like "Burnout with NFS branding" instead of true NFS. At least the rosters were chock full of exotic Euros again.

Now Ghost Games has the franchise, and they've driven it straight into a new Dark Age. Back to the import tuner rice buckets, back to the city streets. No thanks, I'll just play DriveClub instead. Damn, that honestly feels more NFS to me than games actually released under the NFS label for something like fifteen years(well, twelve at the time it came out; I didn't get into it until very recently).

So what about the rest of you? Do you agree that NFS is best when it's about racing exotic supercars on scenic open roads? Or are you the type that would rather deck your car out in tacky vinyls and race it downtown?
2nd-February-2017, 00:08
Ktiger41

Forget eras. You only need to play 2 games. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 and Underground 2.
2nd-February-2017, 00:10
openroadracer

NOPE, I want to be as far away from the downtown urban streets as possible. Sorry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ktiger41

Forget eras. You only need to play 2 games. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 and Underground 2.

The former, I've played.

The latter, I'm never touching. Not even with a mile-long pole.
2nd-February-2017, 01:43
Cookie Monster

Quote:

Originally Posted by openroadracer

So what about the rest of you? Do you agree that NFS is best when it's about racing exotic supercars on scenic open roads? Or are you the type that would rather deck your car out in tacky vinyls and race it downtown?

Neither one, nor the other. Both.

Most Wanted had both, open areas and a nice city to drive on and it was really good.
2nd-February-2017, 01:49
openroadracer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookie Monster

Neither one, nor the other. Both.

Most Wanted had both, open areas and a nice city to drive on and it was really good.

Yeah, it still bogs itself down with all that story garbage though.

Why can't I just drive, without having all this pointless drama around it? Why can't I just enjoy the drive itself for the sake of driving? Forget the characters; just give me some nice European exotic cars to drive, and send me to the most scenic remote locales you can get me to. That's all I want.

And if anyone brings up anything about customizing my car... All I need is a manufacturer approved list of paint colors. No, seriously. It's all I want to have to bother with.
2nd-February-2017, 02:04
Cookie Monster

Quote:

Originally Posted by openroadracer

Yeah, it still bogs itself down with all that story garbage though.

Why can't I just drive, without having all this pointless drama around it? Why can't I just enjoy the drive itself for the sake of driving? Forget the characters; just give me some nice European exotic cars to drive, and send me to the most scenic remote locales you can get me to. That's all I want.

And if anyone brings up anything about customizing my car... All I need is a manufacturer approved list of paint colors. No, seriously. It's all I want to have to bother with.

Story in Criterion's Most Wanted is pretty much non existent... perhaps we haven't played the same game.
The game focuses in driving in a nice variety of backgrounds and there's no cosmetic customization.
2nd-February-2017, 02:55
openroadracer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookie Monster

Story in Criterion's Most Wanted is pretty much non existent... perhaps we haven't played the same game.
The game focuses in driving in a nice variety of backgrounds and there's no cosmetic customization.

Oh, I thought you were talking about '05's Most Wanted, a game that I'm never going anywhere near.

However, 2012's MW doesn't really get a pass either. At least Paradise City had the Silver Lake and White Mountain "districts", which were a bit more rural. There's nothing like them in Fairhaven.
2nd-February-2017, 05:41
Slacker Magician

I'd agree on HP2 being the best game in the NFS franchise. I play with the music off because the song from Vapor Trails is the only one I like. I didn't mind the story mode in The Run though, it was simple and it worked well enough to move the game along.
2nd-February-2017, 12:58
Cookie Monster

Quote:

Originally Posted by openroadracer

Oh, I thought you were talking about '05's Most Wanted, a game that I'm never going anywhere near.

However, 2012's MW doesn't really get a pass either. At least Paradise City had the Silver Lake and White Mountain "districts", which were a bit more rural. There's nothing like them in Fairhaven.

"doesn't really get a pass" :lol

Most Wanted has a bunch of rural areas and that's exactly why I went with it. Just like Burnout Paradise, which I love, MW found a perfect equilibrium between open areas (mountain roads, highways, abandoned airports, beach, muddy and industrial areas...) and a big, fun and varied city (from downtown, to alleys and parks..) to drive on. MW and Burnout Paradise couldn't have been more similar even if they tried...
Which makes me wonder, have you really played MW or are you arguing for the sake of it? :rolleyes:

HP2 was a superb game but it's only fair to admit Criterion did a great job with MW as well.
2nd-February-2017, 14:37
openroadracer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eldred

I'd agree on HP2 being the best game in the NFS franchise. I play with the music off because the song from Vapor Trails is the only one I like. I didn't mind the story mode in The Run though, it was simple and it worked well enough to move the game along.

Yeah, The Run's story really took a back seat to the gameplay. You can say the same about Hot Pursuit 2010 as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookie Monster

"doesn't really get a pass" :lol

Most Wanted has a bunch of rural areas and that's exactly why I went with it. Just like Burnout Paradise, which I love, MW found a perfect equilibrium between open areas (mountain roads, highways, abandoned airports, beach, muddy and industrial areas...) and a big, fun and varied city (from downtown, to alleys and parks..) to drive on. MW and Burnout Paradise couldn't have been more similar even if they tried...
Which makes me wonder, have you really played MW or are you arguing for the sake of it? :rolleyes:

HP2 was a superb game but it's only fair to admit Criterion did a great job with MW as well.

Fairhaven's "rural" areas were really just access routes to get to the Interstate loop that ran outside the city, and the abandoned airport was directly on said Interstate loop. Contrast that with Paradise City's White Mountain and Silver Lake districts: fully fleshed out zones set well beyond the Interstate loop. Areas that were clearly as far detached from the rest of Paradise City as they could be.

Hell, Paradise City just feels like a much larger place than Fairhaven. At least to me.
2nd-February-2017, 16:01
Crash-Headroom

I'd say first and second era.. First because its pure racing aspect was great (and one of the things that got me into racing was need for speed hot pursuit), second era for its O.T.T. customisation XD No other game before or since underground 1 and 2 has let me do my car up to a point i can say "I ADORE THIS!"
2nd-February-2017, 17:05
Cookie Monster

Quote:

Originally Posted by openroadracer

Hell, Paradise City just feels like a much larger place than Fairhaven. At least to me.

I've played both to death and I can't say which one is larger. They are pretty much the same size.
2nd-February-2017, 17:43
Zaladane

2nd era. Loved playing Underground 2 on the Cube with my buddies and MW and Carbon on pc and ps2.

Also Gran Turismo ftw :fdance:
3rd-February-2017, 22:50
Ktiger41

Quote:

Originally Posted by openroadracer

Why can't I just drive, without having all this pointless drama around it? Why can't I just enjoy the drive itself for the sake of driving? Forget the characters; just give me some nice European exotic cars to drive, and send me to the most scenic remote locales you can get me to. That's all I want.

Have you played test drive unlimited 2?
3rd-February-2017, 23:17
openroadracer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ktiger41

Have you played test drive unlimited 2?

Actually, I've played BOTH TDU games. Preferred the first, if I'm honest.