Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a 2010 racing video game developed by British games developer
Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sixteenth Need for
Speed title and was released in November 2010, with digital download versions
released within December 2010.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit players will experience the thrill of the chase
and the rush of the escape as they play through full careers as both a cop
and a racer – solo or connected. The blistering speeds, brutal busts and
heart-stopping getaways are all connected via Need for Speed Autolog. This
network not only connects friends for epic head-to head pursuits and races,
but also enables players to compare performances and stats, thereby setting the
stage for the ultimate in friendly competition.
Hot Pursuit's game play is set in the fictional Seacrest County, in which
players can compete in several types of races. Players can also compete online,
which includes additional game modes such as Hot Pursuit, Interceptor and
Race. The game features a new social interaction system called "Autolog",
which is a network that connects friends for head-to-head races and compares
player stats for competition. The game also features paid downloadable
content in the form of new cars, new race and pursuit events, and new
trophies/achievements.
Hot Pursuit goes back to the Need for Speed series' roots and takes on the
gameplay style of earlier "Hot Pursuit" titles in the Need for Speed
franchise with exotic cars and high-speed police chases. Hot Pursuit lets
players be either a cop or a racer and features a full career mode for both
roles. The relationship between the cops and racers is described as "a
dog chasing down a rabbit"; the police being more powerful while the
racers are faster. Each side has several power-ups including calling for
roadblocks and radar jamming. All vehicles in Hot Pursuit are licensed
real-world cars and SUVs. Most vehicles are available in both racer and police
variants, but a few are exclusive to each side. Also exclusively featured in
Hot Pursuit is the Porsche 918 Spyder.
Hot Pursuit was well received by critics at E3 2010 and was most notably
awarded with "Best Racing Game" from the 2010 Game Critics Awards as
well as several other media outlets. It won several Best Racing Game awards,
including Best Driving Game at Spike’s 2010 Video Game Awards. The game also
won a BAFTA Award for its Autolog multiplayer component. Critics praised the
game’s graphics, visuals, crashes, sound and soundtrack, excellent
presentation, dramatic races, high-speed chases as well as the new Autolog
feature and that it brought the series back to its roots.
