Need For Speed Heat - General Discussion

[TJ13]

This will maybe a bit off-topic, but does anyone seen any info if the Deluxe Edition will be only in digital format or it will have a pshysical edition?

Many thanks in advance

As of right now I do see GameStop (Here in the US) having Deluxe version available and doesn't say "Digital Download" so I would assume yes there will be a physical edition.
But Amazon only has Standard edition.

 

[ImaRobot]

Subscription

You continue to pay for a game after you already payed for the initial cost of it? Weird, I don't seem to have to do that.

I mean no offense to anyone who choses to do so, but i will absolutely not pay monthly or whatever for a "game as a service" this is another thing that makes me think i am simply getting to old (in my way of thinking, no age limit on gaming) if it was the only game i played or close to it that would be one thing, but i like to play a hanful of different games depending on my feels of the day/moment. If i was paying regularly i would feel pressure to play, to make sure i get my money's worth you could say. It's hard enough to play multiple games these days simply because many of them require a serious amount of time or micro transactions to "keep up" or even participate fully in what they have to offer.

I dont know if it's because you're getting too old, but I think it's more so that you're simply not really understand what Games As a Service is. Games As a Service are not subscription services.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

 

[inCloud]

You continue to pay for a game after you already payed for the initial cost of it? Weird, I don't seem to have to do that.

There are subscription for all EA games, ea access or origin access. 15$ per month and you can play any game for no additional cost

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Showcase of all the clothing options available in NFS Heat. There are some real brands too (Adidas and Champion).

 

[ImaRobot]

There are subscription for all EA games, ea access or origin access. 15$ per month and you can play any game for no additional cost

Yup, not confused about that. Did you just mean that YOU are using that? Just seemed odd to reply with that, and only that, to someone who said they’re buying the game.

 

[strela]

There is an option to remove the roof from the Corvette. So all those others convertibles must be there because of licensing agreement and not just to boost the number of cars, I guess. Am I being too naive?

 

[ELmarcotuff]

Wellp, already pre ordered on the xbox

 

[Boxout]

Showcase of all the clothing options available in NFS Heat. There are some real brands too (Adidas and Champion).

I'm surprised they got Champion and Givenchy in this.
Wish they could get some hypebeast brands too like Bape, Supreme, Off white, FTP, Comme des Garçons...

 

[MIE1992]

I'm surprised they got Champion and Givenchy in this.
Wish they could get some hypebeast brands too like Bape, Supreme, Off white, FTP, Comme des Garçons...

I don't "get" hypebeast labels. I see them as nonverbal ways for people to say they have more money than sense. But much like an expensive sports car, I'll gladly use these things in a game where I'm not spending their real-world MSRP. Hypebeast labels otherwise seem like an emblem of how easily-manipulated people can be from marketing and advertising, like the bunch of smooth-brained cattle they are.

 

[Sage Ages]

I really hope the next game is something entirely new. I'm not a fan of all the baggage from 2015 and Payback.

 

[MIE1992]

I really hope the next game is something entirely new. I'm not a fan of all the baggage from 2015 and Payback.

I agree that '15 and Payback were rather tepid (I actually skipped them, myself) - but could you elaborate on your former statement? What would be considered "entirely new," in your view?

 

[Sage Ages]

I agree that '15 and Payback were rather tepid (I actually skipped them, myself) - but could you elaborate on your former statement? What would be considered "entirely new," in your view?

A ground-up rebuild. New assets, redesign of major game systems/mechanics, etc. Something that isn't just a reskin.

 

[strela]

A ground-up rebuild. New assets, redesign of major game systems/mechanics, etc. Something that isn't just a reskin.

What does that even mean? It's so random I bet even you don't know what you want. Beside every NFS game in the last decade or so was totally different from it's predecessor.
I think they need to build on they legacy and stick to the formula that made NFS great. Open world driving game with focus on car customisation and cop chases. And that is exactly what Heat is. If they only manage to improve on physics....

 

[T0MMY3688]

I think the only thing that really needs a ground up rebuild is the driving physics they have, the rest of the things are fine for most parts and Heat looks more like they finally got the idea on what most fans wanted for a NFS game. Is nice to see improvement in each iteration but I wonder will it be easier if they just start from scratch back in 2015 instead of keep on patching the brake to drift physic to be able to be more grippy now.

Sometimes I think Ghost should drop the "NFS" name, the franchise is old and it has changed focus too many times. Everyone wants something similar to what they like most at a specific period of the franchise.

 

[Sage Ages]

What does that even mean? It's so random I bet even you don't know what you want. Beside every NFS game in the last decade or so was totally different from it's predecessor.

Except they're not. Underneath the surface, Payback is effectively a very modified version of 2015. Same assets, same crappy garage system, same crappy menus, same crappy physics, etc. A few things from 2015 are broken or removed, and the amount of major changes can be counted on one hand.

Heat is looking to be very much of the same. The garage is very similar (only five cars shown at a time), the clunky menus are still there, the wrap editor still sucks, the "all-new handling model" is just a tweaked version of the one that we've been using since 2015, pursuits are still largely based off 2015/PB's system, the graphics are barely any different from 2015/Payback (although the art direction is definitely helping to make this game look unique), etc. These are all areas that I think need to be either be improved upon or redesigned completely, but won't because it's easy to just reuse stuff from the last couple games.

Yes, I'm aware that reusing assets is a normal phenomenon and that building a game from scratch is a very heavy undertaking, but 2015 isn't exactly the greatest base for them to be building off of.

 

[strela]

Except they're not. Underneath the surface, Payback is effectively a very modified version of 2015. Same assets, same crappy garage system, same crappy menus, same crappy physics, etc. A few things from 2015 are broken or removed, and the amount of major changes can be counted on one hand.

Heat is looking to be very much of the same. The garage is very similar (only five cars shown at a time), the clunky menus are still there, the wrap editor still sucks, the "all-new handling model" is just a tweaked version of the one that we've been using since 2015, pursuits are still largely based off 2015/PB's system, the graphics are barely any different from 2015/Payback (although the art direction is definitely helping to make this game look unique), etc. These are all areas that I think need to be either be improved upon or redesigned completely, but won't because it's easy to just reuse stuff from the last couple games.

Yes, I'm aware that reusing assets is a normal phenomenon and that building a game from scratch is a very heavy undertaking, but 2015 isn't exactly the greatest base for them to be building off of.

Now I understand better. And I agree with you, but I'm also aware that at the end of the day it's just a driving game. You will end up with the same concept anyway.

 

[Ak1504]

If anyone knows NFS games in and out then MW 2005 World Record holder Kuru:

 

[JR98]

Except they're not. Underneath the surface, Payback is effectively a very modified version of 2015. Same assets, same crappy garage system, same crappy menus, same crappy physics, etc. A few things from 2015 are broken or removed, and the amount of major changes can be counted on one hand.

Heat is looking to be very much of the same. The garage is very similar (only five cars shown at a time), the clunky menus are still there, the wrap editor still sucks, the "all-new handling model" is just a tweaked version of the one that we've been using since 2015, pursuits are still largely based off 2015/PB's system, the graphics are barely any different from 2015/Payback (although the art direction is definitely helping to make this game look unique), etc. These are all areas that I think need to be either be improved upon or redesigned completely, but won't because it's easy to just reuse stuff from the last couple games.

Yes, I'm aware that reusing assets is a normal phenomenon and that building a game from scratch is a very heavy undertaking, but 2015 isn't exactly the greatest base for them to be building off of.

Same thing could be said about most of the black box games. Personally I’m going to reserve my judgement until I actually play it, from what I’ve seen and read I think it’ll be good.

 

[FT-1]

Same thing could be said about most of the black box games. Personally I’m going to reserve my judgement until I actually play it, from what I’ve seen and read I think it’ll be good.

This often goes unsaid, but it is so true. At least with Ghost, you can see they are making improvements with every new release they bring out.

On the other hand, Black Box was in a cursed position by the time they released Most Wanted 2005. After such a successful title, they released 3 more titles featuring a lot of assets from MW which were not as well received at launch, ending with the disaster that was Undercover.

 

[Boxout]

A lot of new info in here.

 

[GTFan24]

Oh my goodness

 

[ELmarcotuff]

Oh my goodness

The cop probably made a bet.

 

[Sage Ages]

Now I understand better. And I agree with you, but I'm also aware that at the end of the day it's just a driving game. You will end up with the same concept anyway.

Never asked for a new concept. Just a new build; a chance to start fresh again.

Same thing could be said about most of the black box games. Personally I’m going to reserve my judgement until I actually play it, from what I’ve seen and read I think it’ll be good.

Yes and no. They did do this during the Blackbox era but they usually made major changes/upgrades to the game engine more frequently. Roughly ever two years.

There is probably more in common with 2015 and Heat then there is with say, Most Wanted and Undercover.

 

[MIE1992]

I do wonder what would truly be lost if they started a title's development by choosing UE4 or whatever. I think it's neat of them to try re-using cars from prior games, but at the same time, I feel that more would be gained than lost by switching to a new engine. Of course, we need to consider what potential conditions there may be with the NFS' current use of Frostbite. My guess is that since DICE (who makes Frostbite) is owned by EA, that it could be cheaper to use that engine.

But then again, there are some other IPs have moved from in-house engines to UE4, such as Ace Combat and Kingdom Hearts, so how expensive could UE4 be? And do we even know if the shortcomings of 2015/PB were largely because of the engine, or could it be more of an "operator error" at Ghost/EA? (I'm thinking it's mostly the game design itself, especially for those two titles. Like the upgrade system in PB, or the UI in 2015.)

Maybe, if it's assumed that all engines cost more-or-less the same to license, then the cost is more or less negated when Ghost uses Frostbite, because the development usually has other expenses, perhaps such as the licensing of music or cars. (Note that of those other two IPs, they both mostly have original music, and I don't know if licensing fighter jets is exactly comparable in price to licensing high-end sports cars. I'd bet the car licenses are more expensive...)

I think NFS is a lot like Final Fantasy, in that both IPs need a solid look at their most popular elements throughout the IP (e.g. minigames, game mechanics, progression systems, etc.) and stop worrying too much about trying to re-invent the wheel. There are just some things where if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but there's also some things that may've not been the best but could be refined, and evolved. I'd honestly love to see an evolution of Carbon's gang territory mechanics as an online world, for example, as it'd allow for some potentially great emergent gameplay. Who needs FOMO or MTX-guided grinding when you'd be more interested in the very act of competition?

Honestly, I had a list of elements from the NFS series where I'd love to see them return - if only to the drawing board - so that they can evolve, especially if they had potential but didn't work the first time around. (Maybe I'll ask TFE if they'd wanna compete with NFS someday...)

 

[Skygrasper550]

"No lootboxes"

Yeah right. With EA being EA, that "time-saving mechanic" will come in the form of boosters. F2P mechanics being shoved in full-priced games is an affront, and there's no other way of looking at it.

 

[BlazeTheCat05]

Still very much looking forward to this. I personally feel like Ghost are going the opposite direction of Black Box.

Black Box reused a lot of facilities and assets from MW2005 all the way to Undercover, to the point of Tri-City Bay having portions of the map that look eerily similar to Rockport. Not to mention the ever so declining ratings between Most Wanted and Undercover ( no I don't count ProStreet because that game was just underrated and a totally different, and sort-of-unique-for-the-time, genre).

Ghost released the Need for Speed reboot in 2015, and I personally feel like it was one of the worst racing games I've ever played (and I've played Score International Baja 1000). The physics were so bad that I nearly threw my controller. I got about 45% through the game before I gave up and returned my physical copy.

I ended up buying Payback a few months after it released, and found the physics to be much better. The biggest problem that I had with 2015 was that the world was not built around the brake-to-drift physics. However, the open and twisty roads in Payback much better suited the physics, and I ended up beating the game within two weeks.

I'm reserving judgment for Heat until I actually play it, but I feel like Ghost is going in the right direction. Yes the brake-to-drift physics are still there, but they look to be even less intrusive than what they were in 2015 and Payback.

Personally I'm getting rather tired of seeing people blindly bashing Ghost. The days of the older Need For Speeds are gone, and I honestly feel like some folks are having a hard time accepting that reality.

And honestly what is the big deal about microtransactions if they aren't required to progress through the game? I managed to nearly 100% Payback without buying a single loot pack. Is it because we don't feel like working for our performance upgrades?

 

[JR98]

Yes and no. They did do this during the Blackbox era but they usually made major changes/upgrades to the game engine more frequently. Roughly ever two years.

I may be wrong in this but wasn’t it basically the same engine from UG1-Pro Street (or Carbon at the very least), that was 4 years at least running on the same engine with no major changes. I play all the Blackbox games from UG2-PS on PC quite regularly and I don’t really think they’re all that different aside from story, setting and car variety

 

[inCloud]

I may be wrong in this but wasn’t it basically the same engine from UG1-Pro Street

UG1-Carbon. ProStreet and UC were based on new tech.

 

[FT-1]

UG1-Carbon. ProStreet and UC were based on new tech.

ProStreet I can understand (which I also must point out was massively underrated, but I suppose the move to legal racing caught everyone off-guard at the time), but if Undercover was based on new tech, BlackBox did such a poor job of making it distinctive from earlier games. The main problem UC had was reusing too many assets; car models, autosculpt and even some areas of the map were far too familiar to the likes of MW and Carbon.