Need for Speed Heat continues to be a hot topic this week (pun intended). A new video from this year’s Gamescom shows off an all-new feature that’s sure to perk up one’s ears.
Courtesy of YouTube channel GameRiot, the video shows off exhaust sound tuning in the upcoming street racer. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you: for the first time in Need for Speed, players will be able to tune the exhaust note. The video showcases four vehicles: the Mercedes-AMG GT S Roadster, Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, and Nissan GT-R.
There are four options to tweak to one’s liking: tone, timbre, overrun, and resonance. While the effects may be difficult to discern on the AMG GT, it’s much clearer on the Carrera GTS. Tone, with ranges from simple to throaty, adjusts the exhaust note while idling. With the slider all the way to the right, you can hear a deeper idle hum for a split second.
Timbre ranges from smooth to aggressive, and adjusts the overall tone of the car. This quickly becomes apparent with the leftmost option muffling the characteristic flat-six tone of the Carrera. The next option, overrun adjusts the pops, crackles, and backfiring. Ranging from subtle to raw, we expect this to be an especially popular option when the game releases this November.
The flame-spitting Nissan GT-R is proof of that, but you may want to keep it away from any foliage.
Finally there’s resonance, with ranges from stock to metallic. It’s a little difficult to pick this one out of the bunch, especially as the sliders aren’t tested individually. Regardless, while the effects are subtle, this is an innovative feature, which is something hard to come by in the genre nowadays.
We can’t wait to see the feature in-action for ourselves. Need for Speed Heat releases on November 8 for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
See more articles on Gamescom 2019.
