When I was younger, I didn’t care much for coffee or tomatoes, but I absolutely loved racing games. I think my love began with Crash Team Racing, a fantastic kart racer due a remake. My brother and I particularly bonded through racing. We played so much Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 on our PS2 we burnt sections of the UI into the display of our TV.
But gaming preferences come and go. I’ve developed a taste for coffee and tomatoes, but nowadays I find myself more tempted to play an action-adventure than a racing game. I can’t really explain why that is – the quality of racing games have arguably improved a great deal – but for whatever reason, they’re just not on my radar.
That was until I played Need for Speed: Payback, the third in the franchise developed by Ghost Games and the second since a series reboot in 2015. I got the opportunity to play the first couple of hours at a recent press event and rediscovered my love for illicit street racing.
But moreso, I began vibing with Payback because of the elements it adapts from narrative-driven, action-adventure games, the type I find myself gravitating towards these days. I queried the decision to include a story within Payback at a time when there seems to be a pushback against more singleplayer-focussed gameplay. According to Jeremy it’s what Need for Speed fans wanted.
Of course, it’s not the first in the franchise to incorporate a story; they help to guide the player and introduce gameplay elements. But Payback’s borrows from story-oriented games moreso than before. There seems to be reason to care about the characters, as well as the cars. I became invested in Payback’s world far more than I have been before. Winning each race was another step towards another high-octane set piece progressing the story.
Finding each piece is a puzzle in itself. You’re only given a clue to its general location, and when you find it, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to reach it easily. It might require a precise jump or some careful navigation of the terrain. It’s a neat gameplay beat familiar to open-world RPG players, but less so racers.
The game’s not without its faults – which we’ll save to discuss in the review – but it made me really enjoy being behind the wheel again. It’s been too long. Playing Payback transported me back to the days my brother and I would pass the controller back and forth trying to run the perfect race and beat the boss.
It was sort of a nostalgia trip I guess, facilitated by a game that seemingly accumulates all the best things about Need for Speed into one neat package. I’m looking forward to more.
Press Start travelled to London as a guest of EA for the Need For Speed: Payback Producer Tour. Need For Speed: Payback releases on PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 10th.