The reboot of Need For Speed will be hitting the shelves on November 3 on several console digital stores, including PS4, Xbox One and PC but subscribers to EA Access on Xbox One can start downloading the game now.
Hardcore Gamer said that EA Access was initiated by EA Games as subscription-based service for Xbox One users that allows them to gain access to upcoming titles before they hit the stores. EA Access membership also provides subscribers with rewards and other incentives. EA Access costs $5 per month in the U.S., although players have the option to make yearly payments at a discount.
On Friday, EA Games offered members of EA Access free play time for Need For Speed for 10 hours and allowed gamers access to every game mode.
With only several hours before Need For Speed finally hit the stores, Arts Technica described the next iteration as an enjoyable video game with interesting surprises. Its verdict, "A great racing game for the younger or more casual gamer, and for fans of modded cars. Others should try it."
The web site posted good points for the next installment of Need For Speed. Amongst the good points of the next generation of the game include, "Engaging and enjoyable cut scenes that avoid being exploitative" and "Fun, arcade-style game play."
However, it listed some back aspects of the program such as: 1) Everything bogs down and churns far too often; 2) Changing your car setup can mean a long drive to the garage and back to your race; 3: No option to race during daylight?; and 4: No in-cockpit camera angle, for some reason.
And for the worst part, it said that in Need For Speed, "The painting tools can be a pain to use."
Arts Technica writes, "As you might expect of an open-world game in 2015, you'll encounter other human players as well as AI cars. You can form crews and race together, but there's also the option to play alone should you wish. This marks a departure from recent NFS games developed by Criterion, which heavily encouraged online multiplayer to make progress.
"You'll want to play NFS with a controller, and it's definitely much more on the arcade side of the spectrum than Forza Horizon 2, which is probably the most similar current racing game in terms of concept and game mechanics. In that way, NFS will appeal to a younger or more casual gamer-if keeping the throttle pinned to the firewall is your default racing mode, you will do much better in this game than one of Turn 10's offerings. We also noticed quite a lot of rubber-banding of the AI cars. If you're in a sprint race, you can build up a mighty lead, but expect it to evaporate away if you need to brake for a corner.
"Visually, NFS is rather attractive. In addition to taking place in a seemingly permanent night in Ventura Bay, it's also almost always raining. This gives NFS a rather film noir-ish tone (although the water simulation isn't anything like Project CARS or Forza Motorsport 6). There is also no in-car view, which is somewhat surprising given how highly we praised previous NFS games for how they look and feel from within cars' cockpits."
Need For Speed is developed by Ghost Games and is published by Electronic Arts. The game is available in Xbox One and PS4 platforms and will be available in PC in the spring of 2016. The game will be sold at $59.99 and will be available on Nov. 3.
