EA have handed the Need for Speed franchise’s reins back to Criterion Games, which most people are very optimistic about. Even though Ghost Games producer their best NFS yet last year with Need for Speed Heat, the series just isn’t at the level it once used to be, and the hope is that when Criterion’s next game rolls around, it will begin its journey to recovery. And before that happens, EA are going to give us the chance to re-experience what is probably Criterion’s best Need for Speed, and definitely one of the best games in the series to date. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is out soon, bringing with it the promise of classic high speed thrills, and in this feature, we’re going to talk about everything that you should know about it. Without further ado then, let’s get started.
DEVELOPER
EA generally haven’t been a company that invests in remasters too much (which is surprising), but this still isn’t their first remaster in the last couple of years. 2018 saw the launch of Burnout Paradise Remastered, and incidentally, Hot Pursuit Remastered shares some things with it. Not only were both original games developer by Criterion Games, of course, but the remasters for both are also developed by the same team- Stellar Entertainment. Let’s hope the combo works out the second time as well as it did the first.
ALL DLC INCLUDED
Back in 2010, Need for Sped: Hot Pursuit enjoyed solid post-launch support, with Criterion Games releasing several DLC packs for it that collectively brought new cars, Achievements, events, modes, and more. Unsurprisingly, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered, which is looking to be a definitive release of the game, is going to compile all of that DLC alongside the base game.
6 HOURS OF NEW CONTENT
On top of the DLC and the base game, there’s still going to be plenty else to enjoy in the upcoming remaster in the form of completely new content. EA have announced that Need for Sped: Hot Pursuit Remastered will also have an extra six hours of new gameplay content, which will also include over 30 new challenges. Of course, one has to wonder how well the new content’s quality will match up to the original game, but hey- it’s more content, so you’re not gonna find us complaining about it just yet.
MULTIPLAYER
The autolog was one of the original Hot Pursuit’s best features- especially in terms of how it integrated multiplayer into the experience with its asynchronous structure and the head-to-head competition that it faciliated. Autolog will, of course, be making a return in Hot Pursuit Remastered, but it will receive one crucial improvement- multiplayer in the remaster will now support cross-platform play, allowing PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch owners to all play with and against each other.
VISUAL ENHANCEMENTS
Of course, the first thing that you wonder about any remaster is just how it’ll be improving upon the visuals of whatever game it’s modernizing. Hot Pursuit was already an excellent looking game in 2010 (and still is), but Stellar Entertainment are still touching some things up. Expect higher res models, more objects and props, improved videos, longer draw distances, and higher res shadows on all platforms. On everything but the Switch, you can also expect unpressed UI assets, improved AA/SSAO, more particles, higher res reflections, and improved textures.
NEW ACHIEVEMENTS
Of course, there will be new Achievements and Trophies to hunt down as well. EA haven’t said exactly how many of these there will be, or if they’re going to replace older ones or just pile on top of them. The remaster does, however, come with 6 new hours of gameplay, as we’ve already mentioned, so it’s more than likely that that’s what the new Achievements will be based on.
PHOTO MODE AND COSMETICS
improvements are being made in other areas as well. For starters, EA have promised quality-of-life improvements, though details on those haven’t been forthcoming. New car colours and wraps have also been promised to add to the game’s range of cosmetic customizations, while EA also promises reduced hard stops. Meanwhile, the photo mode is also going to be updated (though once again, there have been no details on what these updates will be), and will come with a new gallery.
FRAME RATE AND RESOLUTION
And now we arrive at the question everyone invariably ends up asking about any new remaster before launch- how’re the numbers looking for its resolution and performance targets? PC players will essentially take it as far as their hardware can allow them to, but what about the consoles? On the PS4 and Xbox One both, NFS Hot Pursuit Remastered will run at 1080p and 30 frames per second.
PS4 PRO AND XBOX ONE X
On both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, the remaster will, to no one’s surprise, release with higher frame rate and resolution targets. On both enhanced consoles, you’ll be able to choose between modes that prioritize one over the other. One mode will allow you to run the game in 4K at 30 FPS, while the other will target a resolution of 1080p at 60 FPS. Higher frame rate is always desirable in a game such as this one (or any game, for that matter), but it’s great to have the 4K option as well.
NINTENDO SWITCH FRAME RATE AND RESOLUTION
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered is going to be available on the Nintendo Switch as well as EA tries to support the system better than it has done in the past. So what frame rates and resolutions is the game targeting on this weaker hardware? Well, there will be sacrifices, as you’d expect. In docked mode, the game will run at 1080p/30 FPS, while in undocked mode, it will run at 720p/30 FPS. If you want 60 FPS gameplay, don’t go with the Nintendo Switch (or the base PS4 and Xbox One).
NINTENDO SWITCH LAUNCH
Resolution and frame rate aren’t the only areas where Need for Sped: Hot Pursuit Remastered is making some sacrifices on the Switch. The game won’t be launching on Nintendo’s hybrid alongside the other versions either. Instead, the release will be delayed by a month- Hot Pursuit Remastered launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 6, and for Nintendo Switch on November 13.
PRICE
Remasters (or even remakes) don’t usually launch for full price (unless Nintendo is releasing them), and Hot Pursuit Remastered isn’t going to either. When the game releases this November, it will be available for a price of $40. Considering how good the game is, and the fact that it will even have additional new content in the remaster, that sounds like a good price for it.