Need for Speed Heat Review: Gameplay Videos, Career-Mode Impressions and More

Need for Speed Heat arrives at a precarious time for the storied series.  

It has been a long time since the EA-backed racer recaptured the glory days of its neon-light underground racing triumphs. The presence of police and streamlined progression systems haven't been mainstays of the series for a long time, and the last entry in the series, Need for Speed Payback, averaged out at a 61 on Metacritic. 

Developer Ghost Games aims to change the trajectory of the series with Heat, which hits a Miami-styled locale full blast while diving back into the underground racing culture alongside a sprinkling of engaging police presence. 

And it works. Heat is a blast thanks to an innovative day-night mechanic, unexpectedly good story and fun racing.

Gameplay

Heat isn't going to drive sim enthusiasts wild—and it doesn't pretend to even strive for such a goal. 

The racing in Heat manages to straddle the line between arcade and sim better than most racers. Letting the attention drift while at the wheel could have disastrous results, especially with the police sticking their noses in on an event. But largely, ripping off big drifts and jockeying for position with the A.I. feels intuitive. 

Given the smooth controls and a small necessary adjustment period just to get a feel for the game, Heat offers plenty of pick-up-and-play material. The racing, drifting or otherwise, feels plenty heavy but forgiving enough. 

While there is a challenge, much of the difficulty ends up stemming from things out of a player's control. Evading the police never feels that difficult until Heat levels (more on that in a bit) really get to sweltering levels. 

Likewise, there aren't big consequences for ramming into whatever is in a vehicle's path. It looks great to see mailboxes and street posts go flying, but it doesn't feel like there is much at stake besides a small miles-per-hour dip. Vehicles do have health meters to monitor, but the visuals on it aren't overly groundbreaking.

One area that might require a longer-than-expected adaptation period is the camera. It is a little strange there isn't a way to pan the camera around the entire car, but at the same time, it is thrilling when pulling off a big drift and the camera zooms in closer to the back corner of the car to enhance the moment. 

Where the gameplay loop really shines is the day-night cycle. During the day, Heat feels like a traditional game with a variety of events and a big map to explore. At night, the police presence expands and is more likely to take issue with a player's activities. Losing progress earned in a single night-time playing session by getting taken out by the police is one of the game's thrilling asks of the player—how long can a player swing breaking the law at night for greater gain? 

That the greater gameplay loop manages to make this feel like two different games at times is an admirable feat. That it rests atop some sound, fun racing makes the package all the sweeter. 

Graphics and Presentation

Heat has a lot going for it, but nothing sticks out more prominently than the production values. 

Palm City, a fictional take on Miami with a dash of a few other locales, is stunning. The setting itself doesn't take over the game in a commanding sense—vehicles still matter—but it is breathtaking to cruise past the ocean while a flock of seagulls rip through the air overhead. And the wow factor of racing through tight city turns underneath the skyscrapers and seeing palm trees go flying in the carnage never loses its luster. 

Neon lights bathe the entire experience, particularly at night. During the day, the warm, sunny hues give off a beach vibe and one can almost catch a hint of the salt in the air thanks to the immersive nature of it all. 

And day or night, the terrain feels varied enough, from gritty city blocks to sparse vistas off in the background. Draw distances are splendid. Ditto for weather effects, especially when the rain starts coming down in slanting sheets, only furthering the already-impressive sense of speed established. 

Of the major complaints, of which there are few, the city tends to feel sparsely populated. There aren't that many vehicles out at any one time. One could argue it would make things too complicated on the player, but it doesn't hold weight. 

Character models are a pleasant surprise. The in-game character interaction looks good, with plenty of emotion on display via eyebrow movement or otherwise. Immense attention of detail carries over to the map itself, where different close looks inside buildings provide alternative interiors. 

By now, sound design has largely gone unmentioned for positive reasons. The rides sound good. Creating some carnage by slamming into objects sounds vicious. The soundtrack expertly matches the setting. 

Career and More

Heat doesn't blink with its dedication to the underground tuner culture. There are guys in Hawaiian shirts, women in Hawaiian sweats and all sorts of goofy outfits that make it reasonable to expect one of the characters to bust out the word "rad." 

Heat surprisingly hits some dark undertones of the culture and interaction with police very early in its story mode. Without spoiling story beats so players can experience for themselves, it's encouraging that this isn't some cheeky The Fast and the Furious video game adaptation. There are elements of it here and there, but that's it. 

Players get to choose from one of 12 customizable characters, which is a welcome shift. The player character isn't a silent protagonist and walks a nice balance—the character has some brief things to say which helps move things along, but largely players are able to envision themselves in the lead role. 

The story initially serves as a nice intro to the game mechanics, but before long it widely centers around the interesting day-night cycle. 

The way it pulls from other games in the industry and weaves it into a racer is briliant. During the day, police presence is relaxed, with its tolerance for player shenanigans loose. It's also a safe time to explore the world. 

At night is where Heat really comes alive, though. If a player chooses night time upon exiting a garage, the notoriety system takes a prominent position. The more events a player completes in a single night, the more respect is awarded. But as the Heat multiplier builds, so does police interest in shutting things down, and they increase their efforts before long, sending out helicopters among other things. 

Ducking and dodging the police and continuing to gamble a night's earnings by remaining out longer is both brilliant and thrilling. It's fun in an offline lobby and arguably even better in an online lobby, where a player could be minding their own business before another player's police chase interferes. 

So why play at all during the day? Dollar bills, ya'll. Bank is built in daylight hours, which is a critical component of succeeding at night while ducking the 5-0. 

Day and night play serves a purpose and permits characters to choose how they play, when and why. For the players who want to chill, take in the scenery and kick it with a fun soundtrack, day time is the way to go. Those who want to grind out the story as fast as possible with some high-stakes gameplay, it's time to jump into the night sessions. 

Progression has been one of the big negative talking points surrounding Need for Speed Payback. It's clear those in charge listened and adapted, as this boils down to as basic as it gets (which is a good thing). Earn money, buy the upgrades. 

Along these same lines, collecting items from yet another open world doesn't feel too daunting. 

It's all about player agency in customization. Not only are player characters riddled with customization options, the vehicles feel more so than most racing offerings on the market. Spoilers, skirts, brake calipers and even the option to go with different rims of front and back wheels make it an intimate experience. 

In another interesting strive for innovation, Ghost Games has managed to weave in an app that largely permits the same customization options for those players who might be away from the game but get the itch to tinker. 

Creative director Riley Cooper told B/R: 

"The franchise has also evolved with games as a whole and this year we offered the first Need for Speed companion app, NFS Heat Studio for iOS and Android. Players have been able to customize cars in the app that can then be used in-game. Since launching the app players have gone in and spent an average of 24 minutes in-app to create the wildest, most expressive designs imaginable, resulting in over 2 million customs created so far that will all hit the streets of Palm City when the game launches on November 8."

Heat isn't going to shock those who want an multiplayer experience with the ability to see other players in the open world and on the map. Hosting an event and having it back-fill with A.I. is an expected endeavor. Perhaps most interesting in multiplayer, besides the chaos of races and police, is the concept of a crew. Ganging up with a bunch of players under the same umbrella means contributing to a greater goal. As the crew levels up, percentage-based bonuses apply to every member, such as additional money made in events. 

Overall, Heat might seem a little lacking on features. But the interwoven nature of singleplayer and multiplayer, as well as the variety of gameplay within creates a fun loop players are bound to keep coming back to over time.

Conclusion

There's only so much room for another open-world racer with a city controlled by various racing gangs with collectibles strewn about for good measure. But with Heat, the locale is so pleasant, the production is so aesthetically pleasing and the gameplay is strong enough to permit it some serious wiggle room. 

With Heat, there's a lot of respecting the player going on at launch. The open world isn't overwhelming, it's charming. Playing solo instead of online is welcomed with open arms. Player feedback on various levels—progression, tone, levels of customization, maybe more—was clearly a big emphasis for this entry in a long-running series. 

Going back to its roots was perhaps the biggest batch of player feedback emphasis with Heat. While Heat doesn't fully capture the magic of the most memorable entries in the series, it is a fun ride worth experiencing, especially if the series keeps building from this foundation.