Need For Speed (2015)

[DK]

As a counter-point: pretty much this same thing can be done in the Forza series as well (with exception to graphics on the glass of the car), but with a vastly more diverse car lineup and physics that don't so closely resemble what a dog tends to leave on the lawn. Horizon or Motorsport, really.

Admittedly, that's not an option for those on PS4: I can't think of a direct rival if you're looking for visual customization freedom. But on XB1, I can't think of many reasons someone would choose NFS. I suppose the handful of exclusive cars (Porsche and the RWB mods, Hoonicorn), slightly deeper customization, and...

Nope, that's it.

I suppose if it's super-cheap, and you're a photomode fan (and don't mind the always-night-and-raining atmosphere), it's worth picking up.

That was pretty much what made me pick the game up for another hour yesterday evening. I especially love the sort of "race-ready" aesthetic of the widebody kits and the variety offered in them for some cars, and I'd love to see FH3 & FM7 do more in that area. Hell, I even liked NFS: Shift a bit because of the ability to convert an ordinary road car into a proper GT/SuperGT-style racecar.

 

[CleanCut]

^^^ I understand that Forza Horizon 3 is more robust in the customization department than most racing games. Although I haven't played it, it is my understanding that NFS '15 is still superior. It just depends on what your preference/trade-offs are. Personally, the difference between decals on windows and different textures on vinyls are a BIG difference. But that's because I LOVE customization. Going back to my point that in order to truly appreciate the game enough to get past the flaws, that's pretty much how you have to feel about it.

 

[ImaRobot]

^^^ I understand that Forza Horizon 3 is more robust in the customization department than most racing games. Although I haven't played it, it is my understanding that NFS '15 is still superior. It just depends on what your preference/trade-offs are. Personally, the difference between decals on windows and different textures on vinyls are a BIG difference. But that's because I LOVE customization. Going back to my point that in order to truly appreciate the game enough to get past the flaws, that's pretty much how you have to feel about it.

Having played both, I can safely say that it is not superior, outside of little things like the small difference in the Livery editor. I'd be willing to bet that for everyone that likes NFS2015, they'd like Horizon that much more. NFS2015 has a much smaller list of cars to concentrate on, and it still has plenty of misses in between its list, where as Horizon has hundreds, but still has a fair amount of customization spread out. They could both be greatly improved upon in my opinion.

The major positives that I feel are better in NFS2015 is the material selection within the vinyl editor, being able to have multi-tiered rim painting, being able to change things like fenders/quarter panels and diffusors, and the fact that offset on all cars are adjustable. Everything else, Horizon does better in my opinion.

With Horizon branching into Widebody kits this iteration, there's hope that it'll be expanded upon in the future. If that happens, there is little that NFS will have to offer if it doesn't change its pace.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

That was pretty much what made me pick the game up for another hour yesterday evening. I especially love the sort of "race-ready" aesthetic of the widebody kits and the variety offered in them for some cars, and I'd love to see FH3 & FM7 do more in that area. Hell, I even liked NFS: Shift a bit because of the ability to convert an ordinary road car into a proper GT/SuperGT-style racecar.

Yeah, something like a modern interpretation of GT's Race Mods (like in Shift) would be fantastic, though the detail levels of games these days makes it harder to manage for a sizeable roster.

While not all of FH3's car roster offers as much customization as the Sciobaru triplets in NFS, I'm pretty sure there's about as many cars with widebody kits available as there are total cars in NFS. Then there's another 300 cars, and while not all of them subscribe to the Stancenation approach, they offer other mod styles (lower-spec bumpers, off-roading, rally, etc).

The big advantage NFS has is in separate body parts: FH3 tends to just be bumpers, wings, hoods, and the odd side skirts, but NFS has head- and tail-light mods as well.

There are some very specific things one would need to heavily prefer to justify buying NFS over FH3 (at least if they were both roughly similarly-priced). And it means suffering in a vast majority of the other aspects of the game. I get it—folks have their preferences—but for me, there are far more positives in one package than the other.

 

[Grandea GTR]

If you like designing your cars and putting stuff on your cars, NFS15.

If you like driving and racing and going fast, FM3.

That's how I mainly view it.

 

[CleanCut]

There are some very specific things one would need to heavily prefer to justify buying NFS over FH3 (at least if they were both roughly similarly-priced). And it means suffering in a vast majority of the other aspects of the game. I get it—folks have their preferences—but for me, there are far more positives in one package than the other.

You are describing me. I love customization THAT much. Multi-colored rims, better decal options, more body kit options... those are more important to me than the handling physics. Yes, I realize I am in the minority. I think it helps that most of my dream cars are in NFS - so I don't have to worry so much about not having a nice "canvas" to work with.

If you like designing your cars and putting stuff on your cars, NFS15.

If you like driving and racing and going fast, FM3.

That's how I mainly view it.

Yup.

 

[FT-1]

I play NFS and Forza Horizon 3 and the latter title is unquestionably the better title, but there is no denying the former game has some redeeming features that Horizon lacks, especially if you are new to the game and working your way up Level 1. Visual customisation and performance upgrades feel more significant in Need For Speed and you form a greater bond with your car(s).

Career mode in NFS is centred more around building your vehicle rather than collecting hundreds of cars. In this sense, it is a very different single player experience to Forza Horizon 3 and can be enjoyable in the same measure for some people.

 

[ImaRobot]

The thing is though, the things that NFS does better are only marginally so. They are not massively better. With that also comes with the many, many shortcommings of the game as well. That's why Horizon outshines it in pretty much every regard.

With the vinyl editor in NFS you can chose different materials, where as you can't in Forza. However, the flexibility you get in Forza's is far more efficient in return. The ease of access to other peoples designs is also a big positive for Forza over NFS'.

Customization in NFS. Some cars got a ton, some cars where forgotten in the closet. Forza's is similar but with it having so much more vehicles, I feel they had a better balance in comparison to NFS. This is where NFS should have vastly outshined the competition. With a smaller car list they should have been able to save resources for so much more, and with how in-the-scene they are, you'd expect it to be. However, that is not the case. Generic over-fenders for classic cars would go a long way. Hell, I'd love to put them on most any vehicle to be honest, if I can lol(this goes for both games.)

Something akin to the autoskulpt feature in NFS would be a welcome return. It would be awesome for Fenders, as well as bumpers. However, the selections they had before where horrible, and it would need a reworking to align with much of the kits out today.

Career mode in NFS is centred more around building your vehicle rather than collecting hundreds of cars. In this sense, it is a very different single player experience to Forza Horizon 3 and can be enjoyable in the same measure for some people.

I would say that holds true for pretty much any car game with a campaign/single player. The only difference being is that almost all other games don't put such an odd restriction on the garage.

 

[FT-1]

I would say that holds true for pretty much any car game with a campaign/single player. The only difference being is that almost all other games don't put such an odd restriction on the garage.

That is true, but these days you don't have such a wide range of tuner-based street racing games like we did for the past couple of console generations. In the past there were titles like Juiced, Street Racing Syndicate, Midnight Club, Tokyo Xtreme Racer and more which had noteworthy followings but those franchises are either long gone or currently inactive on consoles. Now there is just Need For Speed and The Crew which follow similar progression styles.

With that said, I hope Ghost Games realised imposing such a limit was a mistake, especially after the single player story was complete. At minimum, players should be able to own one of each car.

 

[Silver Arrows]

As a counter-point: pretty much this same thing can be done in the Forza series as well (with exception to graphics on the glass of the car), but with a vastly more diverse car lineup and physics that don't so closely resemble what a dog tends to leave on the lawn. Horizon or Motorsport, really.

Admittedly, that's not an option for those on PS4: I can't think of a direct rival if you're looking for visual customization freedom. But on XB1, I can't think of many reasons someone would choose NFS. I suppose the handful of exclusive cars (Porsche and the RWB mods, Hoonicorn), slightly deeper customization, and...

Nope, that's it.

I suppose if it's super-cheap, and you're a photomode fan (and don't mind the always-night-and-raining atmosphere), it's worth picking up.

Bolded, but NFS 2015 doesn't even have that to call it's own, considering that Horizon 3 has some FD driver's personal drift car and an RWB Porsche, if the credits are to be believed and it's a free DLC down the pipe.

 

[ImaRobot]

That is true, but these days you don't have such a wide range of tuner-based street racing games like we did for the past couple of console generations. In the past there were titles like Juiced, Street Racing Syndicate, Midnight Club, Tokyo Xtreme Racer and more which had noteworthy followings but those franchises are either long gone or currently inactive on consoles. Now there is just Need For Speed and The Crew which follow similar progression styles.

With that said, I hope Ghost Games realised imposing such a limit was a mistake, especially after the single player story was complete. At minimum, players should be able to own one of each car.

Ah, I had every one of those games. That was a different era though, F&F was on the rise and very popular back then. The whole tuner phase is a dying one.

 

[FT-1]

Ah, I had every one of those games. That was a different era though, F&F was on the rise and very popular back then. The whole tuner phase is a dying one.

I have to disagree there. Yes, the underglow neon kits, hydraulics and scissor door mods are so last decade but the car modding culture is still very much a thing. Need For Speed highlighted the shift in tuner tastes with the ability to stance your cars, install wide bodykits with exposed rivets and apply wraps with multiple textures - That is what's trendy in the tuner scene right now.

 

[CleanCut]

I have to disagree there. Yes, the underglow neon kits, hydraulics and scissor door mods are so last decade but the car modding culture is still very much a thing. Need For Speed highlighted the shift in tuner tastes with the ability to stance your cars, install wide bodykits with exposed rivets and apply wraps with multiple textures - That is what's trendy in the tuner scene right now.

Yes, I hope they continue further down this path. This is their bread-and-butter and what separates them from the competition. They don't need to get bogged down in trying to make the greatest, most accessible car-game of all time (e.g. what FH3 seemed to aim for), but rather, concentrate on standing apart by giving us a more personalized experience. Give us the chance to trick out our favorite cars in exactly the way we would dream about in real life. Yes, racing is fun and it is also very important, but the customization/ nightime / outlaw/ tuning culture is what will keep NFS alive.

I realize many people on this forum are clamoring for the NFS franchise to return to its roots - pre Underground era, but that could quite literally be the worst thing they could do right now. They need to differentiate themselves from the competition. We don't need another Forza/Project Cars/Test Drive clone. The need to fix the glaring issues in NFS '15 and ramp up the good points to the next level.

 

[ImaRobot]

I have to disagree there. Yes, the underglow neon kits, hydraulics and scissor door mods are so last decade but the car modding culture is still very much a thing. Need For Speed highlighted the shift in tuner tastes with the ability to stance your cars, install wide bodykits with exposed rivets and apply wraps with multiple textures - That is what's trendy in the tuner scene right now.

I should rephrase what I meant when I said tuner. Everyone one of those games where based around the same scene that Fast and Furious was based around, underground illegal racing mostly consisting of Euro and JDM Vehicles, with some American cars thrown in for good measure. Gaudy bodykits, overthetop aesthetics, those are long gone(more so, evolved actually). There was an abundance of those type of games in that era because of how popular Fast and Furious made it, and with how different things are today, that is why I say its a dying phase.

I did not mean that the tuning scene is dead, just that those types of games aren't likely to make a big comback like there was back in the day.

As for them standing out, they aren't really doing anything that makes them stand out from the competition, that's the thing. The stance route is the only thing that is slightly different that the competition doesn't seem adamant on taking part in, so that's where they need to shine. With that though, they would definitely need to up the customization aspect of the game much, much more than what it is right now.

Off the top of my head, the only thing that is unique to NFS right now is the police.

 

[JakeMR2]

Fast and Furious made it

Not to get a bit off topic here, but ever since that era Genki cancel their project for some reason. Tuning and driving your car is the best thing ever, no feeling in the world beats that. I remember in the PS2 era you had Tokyo Xtreme Racer, NFS, The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, Initial D (Only in Japan), Wangan Midnight, and plenty of low budget racing games along with it. Now, as I see it I barely see the odd racing game of the sort, it's pretty sad that a game like a cheap person made for $10.00 to sell Unity assets on the PSN.

I just wish more lower-budget games came out for the years to come, not just higher-budget games that may or may not offer satisfaction to the consumer. I wish games did not have a ending to the fun, like. You can race the Twenty Masters and never really see no end to the game. Which, was probably something NFS '15 was lackluster. If the hype is big then EA will just profit off of it pretty good.

 

[DK]

I play NFS and Forza Horizon 3 and the latter title is unquestionably the better title, but there is no denying the former game has some redeeming features that Horizon lacks, especially if you are new to the game and working your way up Level 1. Visual customisation and performance upgrades feel more significant in Need For Speed and you form a greater bond with your car(s).

Career mode in NFS is centred more around building your vehicle rather than collecting hundreds of cars. In this sense, it is a very different single player experience to Forza Horizon 3 and can be enjoyable in the same measure for some people.

This.

I don't feel very attached to the cars I've tuned in FH3 or FM6, but I feel much more attached to those I've tuned in NFS '15. I guess it stems back to GT4, where I'd challenge myself to buy and tune a car (from the Used Car Lots, because new cars would break the bank) for 30,000Cr or less that could take on that Japanese Sports Car challenge. In FH3/FM6 you could challenge yourself to stick to a budget but it just doesn't feel the same.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

I get you didn't like the game and you are trying your darnedest to keep me away from this so-called failure, but how do you know I won't like it? So what if the customization isn't Midnight Club level awesome? So what if the handling model favours drift (barely)? Despite your warnings, I still plan on getting this game.

EDIT: you know what, after seeing some reviews, I'm not so sure anymore. Thanks for (not quite yet) smashing my hopes for this game.

Well you're right, I don't know for sure if you will like it. I'm just telling you how the handling is as a matter of fact. If you still want to get it despite the warnings that's fine. Just wanted to save you a couple of bucks if I can

As someone have said the bad handling doesn't make this game unwinnable, but that's mostly because traffic is sparse and the AI is dumb. Fact is most of the races that I've lost has been due to the wall-magnet pulling my car into a highway divider, or falling off the map. Even Amy's notorious component race I won on my third try (first time lost due to wall magnet, second time because I'm a dummy and took a wrong turn on an off-ramp).

 

[helvetica bold]

Hey i just downloaded the PS4 4.5 OS beta. Theres a new feature called BOOST MODE for the PS4 Pro. It unlocks the extra GPU power for older PS4 titles without a Pro patch. Try it with NFS 2015. It seriously boost performance. Its almost runs the game in hyper mode. I might be crazy but i think it looks a little sharper if its possible. Just want to see what others think.

 

[RacingOtaku86]

I got it, and so far I'm enjoying it, gentlemen. Yeah. I am. Shocker.

 

[MeanElf]

Yep, got the game (plus NFS Rivals as a bundle) two days ago and have enjoyed getting back into a NFS game after so long. Really like the upgrade in graphics through the Frostbite engine too - I never really accepted that the game would look like the trailers: I'm glad to have been proven wrong.

 

[JoshB1984]

I bought it on XBone, and enjoy it somewhat. I have a cerebral palsy. The problem is that once you have a customized car it will be very difficult to do anything with it. This game has absolutely no controller customization whether in sensitivity or controller layout. 🤬

 

[iName]

This game could've easily been the best NFS game ever made. If only they had refined the driving characteristics....

You can't even downshift when holding the e-brake.

 

[Sage Ages]

There's a lot of games in the series as a whole that could've been great if they were more polished or had more development time.

 

[ImaRobot]

You'd think that extra year they got would have been enough. I wonder how much worse it would have been if they only had a year.

 

[Techy]

I recall the neon lights modifications were to be added later on in the game's life, but Ghost didn't because they just ended development.

 

[Stephan]

I wonder if it's possible to look into NFS2015's files to see if there is any cut content, etc.?

@JakeMR2 is it possible?

 

[JakeMR2]

@JakeMR2 is it possible?

I don't know, I don't have the game yet. But, in the private beta they took little stuff out that is not noticeable at all...

 

[Stephan]

I don't know, I don't have the game yet. But, in the private beta they took little stuff out that is not noticeable at all...

When you do, let's do some digging if we can find any hidden content. Who knows we might find any cut cars, parts, etc.

 

[CleanCut]

I recall the neon lights modifications were to be added later on in the game's life, but Ghost didn't because they just ended development.

I imagine the EA bean counters said "whoa whoa whoa.... you guys are giving away an awful lot of stuff for free... we're halting support and you need to save these extras for the sequel."

My guess is we will see neons and LEDs as a feature right from initial release.

 

[Mike458]

imagine the EA bean counters said "whoa whoa whoa.... you guys are giving away an awful lot of stuff for free... we're halting support and you need to save these extras for the sequel."

My guess is we will see neons and LEDs as a feature right from initial release.

Costing about $100 USD each? (real life money)