A Peek at Need for Speed: The Run
Electronic Arts releases the latest chapter in the prolific Need for Speed racing game series in a couple of weeks, Need for Speed: The Run.
Unlike its rivals, the well-established Gran Turismo 5 and the upstart yet anticipated Forza Motorsport 4, the NFS series represents the more scenario-driven, cinematic, arcade-like driving game in contrast to the more realistic, simulation-oriented thrust of the other two games. It’s a niche worth occupying; after a while, Forza 4 and particularly GT5 can feel very stale in their commitment to realism. A little bending of the laws of physics every now and then, especially coupled with an engaging storyline, can be a welcome thing in a racing game.
Of course, if the quality of the car rendering suffers, for car buffs, it can be a distraction, as we become unduly focused on inaccuracies of the cars’ shapes. Fortunately, if the NFS:TR trailer shown after the jump below is any indication, it seems the developers have that aspect of the game pretty well buttoned-down.
In a clip sure to ignite heated arguments between BMW and Audi partisans, it features the protagonist driving a BMW E92 M3 GTS versus an Audi R8 V10 in a snowy setting. Armchair racers will no doubt weigh the merits of the M3 GTS’s more race-ready chassis against the R8 V10’s power and AWD advantages, among other things… But it’s all a moot point, really, since there are obviously “arcade-like” levels of grip exhibited by both cars, and, well, remember all that stuff I mentioned about bending the laws of physics? Yep: