software.wikisort.org - Video_game

Need for Speed Rivals is a 2013 racing video game developed in a collaboration between Ghost Games and Criterion Games, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the twentieth installment in the Need for Speed series and the debut title for Ghost Games, who would be established as the primary developer of the series for all subsequent non-mobile installments up until 2020.

Need for Speed Rivals
Cover art featuring a Ferrari F12 being chased by a Koenigsegg Agera police car
Developer(s)	Ghost Games[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Director(s)	Craig Sullivan
Producer(s)	Jamie Keen Leanne Loombe Mat Thomas
Designer(s)	James Mouat
Programmer(s)	Christian Holmqvist
Artist(s)	Christopher Kristiansson
Writer(s)	Will Staples
Composer(s)	Vanesa Lorena Tate[1]
Series	Need for Speed
Engine	Frostbite 3
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4 Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Xbox One
Release	November 15, 2013 PlayStation 4 NA: November 15, 2013 EU: November 29, 2013 Windows, PS3, Xbox 360 NA: November 19, 2013 AU: November 21, 2013 EU: November 22, 2013 Xbox One WW: November 22, 2013
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player multiplayer

Feature

Need for Speed Rivals is a racing game and features gameplay similar to earlier Need for Speed titles, such as Criterion's Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.[2] Rivals uses the Frostbite 3 engine.[3] The development team opted to target 30 FPS across all platforms instead of 60 FPS, because of the AllDrive feature.

AllDrive is the system used to seamlessly matchmake players within the same open world. Another reason was due to the number of players able to be in the same world at the same time.[4]

Rivals is the first cross-platform next-gen games to achieve a native 1080p across both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.[5] Talk of resolutions and frame rates became a major point of contention between Sony and Microsoft's new consoles after it emerged that both Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4 run at a higher resolution on Sony's PS4 console as compared to Microsoft's Xbox One.[6]

Gameplay

Roles and progression

After completing the prologue (tutorial), players choose a faction—Cop or Racer—to start their own tasks. Players can switch between factions at a hideout (Racer) or a command post (Cop). Cops can choose different mission routes for patrolling, undercover, and law enforcement.[7]

Most of the story takes place through cutscenes, with the chosen character voicing their opinions of current events in the game. Story progression is made through completing speedlists as a racer, or assignments as a cop.

Missions

Rivals features a career progression system for both Cop and Racer.[8] Progression is made by means of Speedlists for Racer and Assignments for Cop, which are sets of objectives which involve dangerous driving, maneuvers, and race standings. Upon completion of each set of objectives, the player levels up and unlocks new content, and is presented with another set of objectives to choose from.[9]

Weapon system

Similar to the 2010 Hot Pursuit, players can use weapons to attack other people or defend, whether they are Racers or Cops. Players can equip from two of each side's six weapons and the weapons can be upgraded, although upgrades are limited based on the level of the car being used. Cops can choose from ESF (electrostatic field), EMP (electromagnetic pulse), shock waves, roadblocks, request helicopter support, or spike strips and the weapons can be enhanced. Racers can choose ESF, EMP, shock wave, jammers, stun mines, and turbo.[2]

Online system

The Autolog system, a competition-between-friends system developed by Criterion for Hot Pursuit, records the player's completion time for each event, Speedlist or Assignment. These times are posted to Speed Walls for local and global leaderboards to be compared to other players' times.[9]

Rivals features a new social system called the AllDrive, which allows players to transition from playing alone to playing with others, described as "destroying the line between single player and multiplayer". This allows players to engage in both cooperative and competitive gameplay.[7] The game also features a dynamic weather system, which makes "the world feel alive in a much bigger sense than any other Need for Speed game".[2]

Vehicle modification

Rivals also takes on some gameplay features of earlier Underground titles in the franchise with cues on aesthetic vehicle personalization, such as paint jobs, decals, rims and license plates and liveries can be modified, as well as vehicle performance, and various 'Pursuit Tech' gadgets.[10][11] With the exception for the Aston Martin Vanquish (and most DLC cars), all cars in the game are only available in either the racer or police variant.[12]

Map and background

Need for Speed Rivals takes place in the fictional Redview County.[13] The open world environment features a similar set-up to Most Wanted, with several jumps, speed traps, and unlockable cars, as well as shortcuts that are not shown on the map.[10][14]

The map's design took heavy inspiration from multiple aspects of the American landscape, with the setting's open world map consisting of over 100 miles (160 km) of road. The north side of the map takes inspiration from Californian coastline towns like Santa Monica, the east side a northern California redwood forest and snowy mountainside based on the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, the south is a rocky desert based on the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and the west and central parts of the map based on contemporary rural America.

Plot

The player can either choose to play as a racer or a cop. If they choose to play as a racer, they start as a street racer who goes under the nickname of Zephyr. If they choose to play as a cop, they start as a newly initiated police officer.

After the racer/cop completes their first sets of speedlists/assignments, the Redview County News Network publishes a report how the Racers have become more public in their criminal acts, and have become more dangerous, committing more acts of damage of property as they were destroying the street. The RCPD responds by increasing their punitive measures and attempting to bust Racers for justice, resulting in public backlash. Later on, an officer named John McManis is injured as a result of attempting to keep up with the Racers. Public outcry swings back in support of McManis and the RCPD, and the officer swears revenge on racers. However, further increase in police intimidation and accusations of 'excessive force' results in the officer being placed under probationary suspension, with the FBI Vehicle Response Team being brought in as replacements. Zephyr continues to evade legal sanction and keeps racing despite the new tougher law enforcement. Angered by the lack of action against Zephyr's crimes, the police officer decides to go rogue as a vigilante under the name F-8, or F8 (Fate), commandeering an impounded Ferrari Enzo and taking racers down under the disguise of a fellow racer. Zephyr sees who F8 really is and retaliates, stealing a Koenigsegg Agera police car and respraying it in his style, before disturbing the streets of Redview. As a result of Zephyr's actions with the Agera, the mayor of Redview County puts all police units back on active duty, keeping the VRT. F8 gives up his vigilante persona, receiving an invitation to join the VRT instead of returning to regular duty. The increase in police activity and discontent over the violent arrests of racing drivers leads Zephyr to publicly challenge F8 and other members of the RCPD, claiming that they had caused the damage and demanding that they not prevent racing drivers from racing. Zephyr openly issues a challenge to both the racers and the cops, a race around the Redview County, so that the two sides could resolve their differences once and for all.

Endings

There are two endings, based on whether the player chose to play as a racer or a cop.

If the player chose to play as a racer, it is shown that after Zephyr completes the decisive race, he accidentally collides with a police blockade and is believed to be dead. However, he is revealed to have barely survived. He starts up his damaged car, drives away, and escapes Redview County.

If the player chose to play as a cop, it is shown that F8, now a top officer in the VRT, is given the assignment of finding and arresting Zephyr. He eventually intercepts radio communications and tracks Zephyr down before busting him. However, even though Zephyr had been caught, F8 is discharged from the VRT for his dangerous and reckless driving. He decides to officially quit being a cop, and instead returns to his Enzo, finally becoming a racer for real. With Zephyr gone, F8 becomes the top racer in Redview County.

History

After the commercial and critical success of 2010's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit,[15] Criterion Games executives stated that they wanted to draw from the series' roots and re-introduce old Need for Speed ideals.

However, in 2011, EA Black Box released Need for Speed: The Run, which received mixed reviews.[16][17][18]^{[improper synthesis?]}

In 2012, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said that although he was proud of the Black Box-developed installment, "he didn't want a 60, I want an 80+".[19] On the subject of EA Black Box, Gibeau said the publisher would not be changing its alternating studio strategy.[19]

At Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012, Criterion vice president Alex Ward announced that the days of random developers churning out yearly Need for Speed installments were over. Ward would not confirm that all Need for Speed titles for the future would be developed wholly by Criterion, but did say that the studio would have "strong involvement" in them.[20][21]

With EA Canada and Black Box restructured and refocused towards online and free-to-play games in February 2012,[22] EA had already formed a new studio in 2011, EA Gothenburg. Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, it was reported that the studio would focus on development games using the Frostbite game engine.[23][24][25] Also reported was that the studio was developing a game "in the Need For Speed franchise".[26]

According to the CVs of employees, much of the studio's staff had worked previously on major racing titles, including Forza Horizon, Need for Speed: The Run, Project Gotham Racing and Race Pro.[26]

On October 22, 2012, the series main developer Criterion Games confirmed that EA Gothenburg was working on a title in the Need for Speed franchise, but did not reveal the level of involvement or when the title would be released.[27]

On November 15, 2012, EA Gothenburg was rebranded as Ghost Games. Ghost's website went live around the same time and called for potential staff to apply for a range of open positions.[28][29]

On May 23, 2013, EA confirmed their next Need for Speed game, Rivals, with a teaser trailer,[7] following marketing material tease days before.[30][31] It was also confirmed that Rivals was in the works at EA's Swedish games developer Ghost Games in partnership with Criterion Games.[32][33] Ghost is headed up by former DICE executive producer Marcus Nilsson, who previously led development on games including Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, Battlefield 2142 and Shift 2: Unleashed.[34]

The team asserted that while Rivals will be released on both current and next-gen systems, the versions would "ultimately be the same", aside from the graphics would look different, and next-gen would provide for more dynamic weather and gameplay.[35]

On August 30, 2013, Ghost Games head Marcus Nilsson stated that the studio had been given complete charge of the Need for Speed franchise and that the franchise being bounced between multiple EA studios was not "consistent" with different game types.[36][37]

On September 16, 2013, Criterion Games had its staff numbers reduced to 17 people total, as the majority of the studio moved over to Ghost Games UK to work with Need for Speed games.[38][39] Due to this, what remained of Criterion Games began work on a project of their own.[40]

Because of the low sales of Most Wanted on the Wii U and PlayStation Vita, Rivals was not developed for those platforms.[41]

Marketing and release

Rivals was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 19, 2013 in North America,[42] November 21 in Australia, and November 22 in Europe.[42] The PlayStation 4 version was released in North America a few days earlier, on November 15, 2013, as a launch title for the system, and on November 29 in Europe.[42] The Xbox One version was released worldwide on 22 November 2013.[42][43]

On October 21, 2014, Need for Speed Rivals Complete Edition was released. It features all DLC packs (as well as all pre-order bonuses previously re-released in the "Fully Loaded Garage" DLC pack) along with the main game.[44]

Reception

Need for Speed Rivals was well received by critics at E3 2013 and was awarded with "Best Racing Game" from Game Critics Awards.[63] Previewers who had access to Rivals called the game a spiritual successor to 1999's Need for Speed: High Stakes, citing similar gameplay style.[64] Others called it an improved version of Criterion's Hot Pursuit, citing similar gameplay mechanics.[65]

Need for Speed Rivals received mostly positive reviews upon release. Aggregate review website Metacritic gave the PlayStation 4 version 80/100,[47] the Xbox One version 75/100,[49] the PlayStation 3 version 80/100,[46] the Windows version 76/100,[45] and the Xbox 360 version 76/100.[48]

Steve Hannley of Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4.5/5, saying "It’s raw, visceral, intense and boasts a ton of replay value thanks to over one hundred events and seamless online multiplayer."[66] Jeff Gerstmann from Giant Bomb gave the game a 3/5, praising the game's gameplay and soundtrack but criticized the lack of amount players allowed on the online multiplayer. Gerstmann also noted that the PC version was locked at 30 frames-per-second and stated that "is especially ridiculous", but still considered the PC version the best looking version.[59] GameZone's Mike Splechta gave the PS4 version an 8.5/10, stating "For a game that touts speed in its name, Need for Speed: Rivals delivers on every front. It's gorgeous, fast and definitely furious."[58] Daniel Krupa for IGN scored the game an 8.0 and stated: "Fast, furious, and fun. NFS: Rivals blends Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted to great effect."[60] Philip Kollar of Polygon gave the game an 8.5 out of 10, writing: "Need for Speed Rivals' technical shortcomings are frustrating primarily because almost everything else about the game is so well-designed and impressive. It builds on the series' legacy but also stretches into meaningful new directions. It may hit a few bumps, but if this is what Ghost Games can pull off in their first release and the first next-gen Need for Speed, the future is bright for this franchise."[62] Andrew Reiner of Game Informer gave high praise to the online multiplayer interactivity, stressing that the online features create an experience unlike any other. Reiner also called the game's visuals "drop dead gorgeous", and complimented the playability for making the game feel "silky smooth". Reiner gave the game a 9/10 and had minor criticisms.[54] Nick Pino from GamesRadar also praised the visuals and controls, calling them "absolutely gorgeous" and "slick" respectively. Pino was critical of the car customization and damage, but commended the game world for feeling alive.[56] Eurogamer's Martin Robinson gave the game a 9/10 and called it "fantastic". He spoke well of the overall action gameplay, the points system, the sound design of the cars, the visuals, and the world design. Robinson's main criticisms were concerning the "obnoxious" soundtrack, the inability to pause the game, the world size, and the vehicle takedown systems.[53]

Negative reception centered around the many bugs and glitches in the game, and frustrations around the game's lack of dedicated servers, triggering frequent host migration. There were also many clashing game features which caused frustrations for players, such as cops chasing players for no reason at all and the inability to pause the game at any time. Ghost Games also removed the ability to change from automatic to manual transmission.[67][68]

Rivals was well received by critics at E3 2013 and was awarded with "Best Racing Game" from Game Critics Awards. It also received mostly positive reviews upon release. It was followed in 2015 by Need for Speed: No Limits and the unsubtitled reboot of this franchise.

Notes

References

External links

• Official website
• Need for Speed Rivals at MobyGames

На других языках

---

[de] Need for Speed: Rivals

Need for Speed: Rivals (oftmals NfS: Rivals oder NfS: R abgekürzt) (engl. für „Bedürfnis nach Geschwindigkeit: Rivalen“) ist ein Rennspiel des US-amerikanischen Spielepublishers Electronic Arts. Es ist der 20. Teil der Need-for-Speed-Reihe und der erste Serienteil, der für PlayStation 4 und Xbox One veröffentlicht wurde. Daneben erschien das Spiel für die Vorgängerkonsolen Xbox 360 und PlayStation 3 sowie Windows. Im Spiel steht die Rivalität zwischen den Ordnungshütern (Polizei, später auch dem FBI) und den Streetracern im Vordergrund.

---

- [en] Need for Speed Rivals

---

[es] Need for Speed: Rivals

Need for Speed: Rivals es un videojuego de carreras-mundo abierto y el vigésimo juego de la serie Need for Speed. El juego está desarrollado por el estudio Ghost Games y distribuido por Electronic Arts para Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 y PlayStation 4.

---

[ru] Need for Speed Rivals

Need for Speed: Rivals (рус. Жажда скорости: Соперники) — компьютерная игра серии Need for Speed в жанре аркадных автогонок, разработанная студией Ghost Games и изданная компанией Electronic Arts для игровых приставок и персональных компьютеров в 2013 году.

---

---