Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010 video game)
Encyclopedia
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a BAFTA Award–winning 2010
racing
video game in the Need for Speed
series developed by British games developer Criterion Games
and published by Electronic Arts
for iOS, Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
, Wii
and Xbox 360
. The Wii
version was developed by Exient Entertainment
. Hot Pursuit is the 16th title in the franchise and was released in November 2010. Digital download was available starting on 15 December 2010.
Hot Pursuits gameplay is set in the fictional Seacrest County, in which players can compete in several types of races. Players can also compete online (except in the Wii version), 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 was well received by critics at E3 2010 and was most notably awarded with Best Racing Game from Game Critics Awards
as well as several other media outlets. Upon its release, Hot Pursuit was met with high critical acclaim averaging 90% on both review aggregate websites Metacritic
and GameRankings, making it the highest rated game in the Need for Speed series history and one of the generation's highest rated racing games. It won several Best Racing Game awards, including Best Driving Game at Spike’s 2010 Video Game Awards. Reviewers 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 the roots. As of May 2011, the game has sold through approximately 8.5 million units.
with exotic cars and high-speed police chases. It is primarily inspired by the original Need for Speed on 3DO
. 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", with the cops being more powerful compared to the racers. Each side has several power-ups including calling for roadblock
s and radar jamming. According to Criterion the single-player section is somewhere between 12–15 hours long, but with lots of replay value.
The game takes place in a fictional location known as Seacrest County. It's an open world
and features over 100 miles (160.9 km) of open road, four times larger than that of Burnout Paradise
, Criterion's previous title.
Hot Pursuit features a new social interaction system called "Autolog" described as "Facebook for the game". The game features both single-player and multiplayer game modes with up to eight players; as an option to live multiplayer racing, players can post records and achievements on the Autolog feed for friends to see, which they then can try to beat. Autolog also contains an experience
system called "Bounty".
The driving model of the game is described as "fun and accessible", not as arcade-styled as Burnout Paradise
, but far from a simulator. All vehicles in Hot Pursuit are licensed real-world cars and SUVs, described as "all the cars you dreamed of driving, in the way you dreamed of driving them". Most vehicles are available in both racer and police variants, but a few are exclusive to each side. Also exclusively featured in the Hot Pursuit is the Porsche 918 Spyder
. Ferrari
however, last seen in a Shift
DLC
-pack but notably absent from all other Need for Speed games since Hot Pursuit 2
, is also absent from Hot Pursuit. There is no car customization and tuning, "just because the game really focuses on the Hot Pursuit element."
version of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is significantly different from other versions in that it takes place in four different cities across the world, instead of just taking place in a single fictional county. This makes the game very similar to Nitro
. The game features five different gameplay modes, such as Hot Pursuit, Eliminator, Rush Hour, Interceptor and Time Trial. Also, different powerups are used. The four cities, each set in a different time of day — Chongqing
, China
, set in the morning, Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
, set in the afternoon, Rio de Janiero, Brazil
, set in the early evening, and Las Vegas, Nevada
, USA, which is set in the late evening. The few reviews hint at only a very small significance of this version of the game.
by EA’s CEO, John Riccitiello
. Riccitiello stated that Criterion Games
, developers of EA's own Burnout series
, was working on a "revolutionary" addition to the Need for Speed franchise, stating "We don't have a plan right now for a separate major launch on Burnout, because the team doing it is working on a revolutionary take on Need for Speed." The game was confirmed to be in development by EA's chief operating officer, John Pleasants, at a Stock meeting in June, 2009. "We've taken the Burnout team and combined it with our Need for Speed franchise. So we now have that in our favor because that Burnout team is probably one of the more online-centric and notably high-quality game developers that we have out at Criterion." Shift producer, Jesse Abney, told that he thought Criterion would be a "great team to work with on that stuff," referencing the development of Need for Speed. It was also reported that the game was scheduled for release in Q4 2010. EA's COO, John Schappert, said that the Q4 NFS title was, "a new action based Need for Speed from our Criterion Studio," in a post-financial report conference call. It was officially revealed as Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit at EA's Media Briefing during E3 2010
. with a trailer which showed a high-speed police chase involving three different racers. The trailer was followed by a live demo of the game on stage between creative director Craig Sullivan as a cop and producer Matt Webster as a racer. According to Riccitiello, the game was in development for two years.
In August, before Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was set to take center stage at EA's press conference during Gamescom
, it was announced by Art Director Henry LaBounta that Criterion collaborated with DICE in building the massive open world of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Early in November, Patrick Söderlund, Senior Vice President of EA Games Europe, said this of the collaboration: "I think the most important thing, when you have two high-quality developers working together, for it to work, they need to have mutual respect. They need to have that respect, to say ‘Ok, we trust you to do this.’ This was a case where that was so obvious, where the Criterion team had a full trust in the DICE team to do what they were doing, and vice versa."
Recent games in the Need for Speed franchise included a story, but Matt Webster, producer of Hot Pursuit said "We didn’t really think it was necessary to include a story. If you’re a cop, the aim is to go up the ranks, while a racer’s aim is to get to the highest rank they can." UK product manager for Need for Speed Kevin Flynn said that "Shift
was a great game but different and a bit serious, while Hot Pursuit is more fun and accessible." In October, the trophy list for the PlayStation 3 and soundtrack for Hot Pursuit were leaked onto the internet. Early in November, analyst Mike Hickey said he believed EA's Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit could sell 4.2 million copies during the 2010 Christmas
period.
The game’s creative director, Craig Sullivan, has said why they didn’t named the game something totally different, "To be honest when we started out making the game we didn’t know it was going to be called Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, we just didn’t. We got to the game before we got to the name. We realized we were making something that had a lot of cops in it and was really interesting to us, so we thought what can we call this? Eventually we thought this actually fits quite well with Hot Pursuit and went with it."
and DTS are also available). The soundtrack of Hot Pursuit features a general track list as is seen in EA Black Box Need for Speed games such as Most Wanted
, Carbon
and Undercover
rather than a scored soundtrack as seen in ProStreet
and Shift
. Players can also add custom soundtracks to the game, so that any music stored on the player’s hard drive can be selected during gameplay, as long as they are added to a playlist via the console's system menu. As well as optionally using songs from the player's hard drive, several categories of license
d music are available for the game's racing, menu
screens, and the photo mode.
by 12 December 2010, a free downloadable content
(DLC) pack would be released with three new cars. Although the trailer fell short of the million views, EA still awarded the three cars for free. EA stated the cars will be added to the game through a future title update on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360; PC were told that EA will share more news when it becomes available. On 14 December 2010 the first update was released which added the three cars to the player's garage. Xbox 360 players experienced problems with the update. Criterion released another Xbox 360 title update the following day, however, some users reported that the new update had caused their career saves and racing stats to be reset. On 17 December 2010 a third title update was released which repaired these issues. Criterion released the official second update for the consoles on 15 February 2011, addressing some minor issues and glitches.
Criterion also promised updates to add new features in addition to bug fixes for the PC version. The first update for the PC was released on 26 November 2010 which addressed crashes, issues with aspect ratios, and missing effects. D-Box motion chair support was also added. The second update for the PC was released on 19 January 2011, which fixed issues with flickering graphics, controller configurations, steering response, player car engine audio volume, CPU performance and rare crash issue when entering the Career map screen. The three free cars from the One Million Challenge was also added. The third update for the PC was released on 17 March 2011, which fixed several issues players were having relating to game crashes and bugs. The fourth update for PC was released on 4 April 2011, which stamped out another 30 percent of the game's known bugs, with a total of 77 percent of the issues fixed. The fifth update for PC was released on 14 April 2011, as with the most recent patch this new update is mainly to deal with various game crash issues which players have encountered while playing the game. One game crash in particular, which occurred on some systems when players were prompted to "Press Any Key", has been fixed in this patch. EA announced that PC version of the game would not receive downloadable content. Criterion confirmed this on their official message boards; "We have a limited amount of resources that makes it so that we are unable to deliver new content to all platforms, however we do have more updates and content on the way for PC players."
EA announced the first official DLC for Hot Pursuit on 6 December 2010. The Super Sports Pack adds three new cars; the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, GUMPERT Apollo S, and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport in variants for both sides of the law. There are also 13 new race and pursuit events, and new trophies/achievements to earn. It was released on December 21 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America and on December 22 on PlayStation Network in Europe. Although this is the first official DLC, extra additional content can also be purchased via online storefronts.
Criterion’s announced three new DLC packs for Hot Pursuit on 17 February 2011. Armed and Dangerous brings two new online game modes. ‘Most Wanted’ has the cops in pursuit of a single racer in an open world, with the other racers fighting to protect him. ‘Arms Race’ is free-for-all racing that sees weapons enabled. In addition, this pack also contains three new trophies/achievements. It was available from 22 February on the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
The second and third packs, Lamborghini Untamed and Porsche Unleashed, adds the Lamborghini Diablo SV, Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV and Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, with the Porsche pack adds the Porsche 911 Turbo (1982 Edition), Porsche 959 and 911 Speedster as both cops and racers. Both packs bring 10 new events and four new trophies/achievements. The Lamborghini Untamed pack was available from 1 March and Porsche Unleashed pack from 8 March on the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Marketplace. In addition the Three for All Bundle was released on 22 March only on the PlayStation Store, which is just a big bundle that consist of the Porsche Unleashed, Lamborghini Untamed, and the Armed and Dangerous packs.
. It then continued to Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin and Miami, ending with the Hot Pursuit launch party in Los Angeles. EA received a helping hand from UK vehicle
wrapping company Totally Dynamic for the UK launch event, held at Totally Dynamic’s South London centre. In addition to the standard edition, a Limited Edition of the game has been released, which was originally only available through pre-order at the same price as the regular game. However, it is still available beside the regular game, but in limited quantities. The Limited Edition features numerous bonuses over the Standard edition, including exclusive packaging, two exclusive racers and four unlocked cars.
The Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit demo was available for download on 26 October on Xbox Live Marketplace
worldwide and the PlayStation Network in North America and on 27 October 2010 on the PlayStation Network in Europe. The demo was a limited time demo and closed on 9 November 2010. Criterion Games stated that "Unlike Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, PC demos require comparatively more resources in order to ensure that they run smoothly across a wide variety of systems," for not getting the chance to release a demo for the PC. The demo was a hit, the demo was download more than 2 million times, making the demo for Hot Pursuit the "most popular demo in Need for Speed history".
EA announced on 15 November 2010 the first two Games with Developer, both on the first weekend after the game launched. The event allowed the players to test their newly developed skills against those who had a hand in creating the game. EA announced on 26 November 2010 an Autolog Recommends Contest. It was a two-week long competition. If the fans beat any of NFSDrew’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Autolog recommended times on Xbox or PS3, had one of them the chance to win a custom (NTSC) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit PlayStation 3, which is an extremely rare Collector's Edition. EA has also announced two Autolog Photo Contest, the first ended 26 November 2010 and the second 6 January 2011. The players had to take creative photos, then EA with the community announced the best and creative photo, which win a custom Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit PlayStation 3 Limited Collector's Edition. EA announced the Friday Gaming Sessions, which started 17 January 2011 and will be on every Friday from 3pm to 5pm PST. EA announced the Need for Speed Autolog iPhone app in late November 2010. The app features the Wall, Dreamshots, Autolog Recommendations, SpeedWall and a Play Later button. The app was released on iTunes on 13 December 2010.
and Jerry Ferrara
, who have gained a love for fast, exotic cars, by playing Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Several trailers were released in November. A trailer was released for indicate Seacrest County, the game’s primary locale. A trailer was released for hint that the demo was a success. Two live action trailers was also released to showcase the relationship between the cops and racers. A launch trailer was also released on 16 November 2010. A new video clip was released 15 December 2010, which featured the two foolish valet parkers Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara again. Most of the trailers are now available for free download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network.
Four developer diaries were released to promote the game. The first was released on 14 October 2010 which features the game’s Producer detailing the Autolog feature. On 28 October 2010 the second developer diary was released that features the game's Creative Director explaining the contents of the recently released demo. The third developer diary, released on 6 November 2010, details the specifics Seacrest County's terrain and climate, as well as explaining day and night cycles. It was also released two video early in November that featured the game’s Designer, he gave some tips on how to succeed in the Dark Horse and Roadsters Reborn events in the demo. If some of the fans beat his record on the Roadsters Reborn event, they had a chance to win some NFSHP prizes. The fourth diary, released 26 November 2010, explains why and how the game's cars were chosen.
and was most notably awarded with "Best Racing Game" from Game Critics Awards
as well as several other media outlets. Other games in the category included Forza 4, Gran Turismo 5
, Test Drive Unlimited 2
and MotorStorm: Apocalypse
. IGN
said it had "An inspired level of connectivity", and 1UP.com
stated "the other racing games at E3 never had a chance". This is the first game in the Need for Speed series since the original Hot Pursuit
to win an E3 award. It was also nominated for "Best Xbox 360" and "Best PS3" game by IGN, and "Best Graphics" by Gaming Excellence.
holds the average review for the PlayStation 3 version at 90%, the Xbox 360 version at 88%, and the PC version at 87%. This makes Hot Pursuit the highest rated game in the Need for Speed series history. Reviewers praised its superior racing, intense police chases and addictive social competition. In the 8 November 2010 edition of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, the first review score was given as 10/10. The reviewer said "It's consistently challenging without feeling difficult. It's immensely rewarding without ever being taxing."
IGN
gave the game 9.0 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice Award, praising the game's "pure over-the-top driving entertainment. The cars and environments are gorgeous, the crashes are spectacular, and the new Autolog feature breathes new life into the time-honored tradition of video game competition among friends." Eurogamer
gave the game 9 out of 10. Reviewer Tom Bramwell said "It's stuffed with content but rarely for the sake of it, and knowing Criterion it will be handsomely supported for months to come, even though it's already the best pure arcade racing game since Burnout Paradise." GameTrailers
also scored the game 9 out of 10. The reviewer stated Hot Pursuit was "excellently crafted, letting you take the world's fastest cars across miles of stunning landscapes. Chases are exhilarating from either perspective, and the autolog feature completely changes how you compete with friends, keeping you hooked until you've wrecked all of their scores." Destructoid gave the game 9.5 out of 10. Reviewer Nick Chester noted that "it delivers a near-perfect competitive experience, in a way that few games - racing or otherwise - can. Hot Pursuit is not only a defining moment for the series, but for arcade-style racing, period." Reviewer Randy Nelson of Joystiq
was the second reviewer to give the game a perfect score of 10/10. Reviewer Chris Antista of GamesRadar
also gave the game 10 out of 10. Chris stated that "with so many modes and diverse rewards to uncover in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, it almost feels like 2.5 games in one package." Electronic Gaming Monthly
reviewer Brett Bates gave the game 9.0 out of 10, which felt much the same as GamesRadar's Chris Antista, stating "In effect, you're getting two games in one: What you do as a racer has no bearing on what you do as a cop."
Reviewer Tom Orry of VideoGamer gave the game 8 out of 10, and stated "the core driving is never anything but exhilarating, visually it's almost flawless and the Autolog features are genre leading. There's still something missing, though - a reason to explore the open world." Gamespot
awarded the game 8.5 out of ten and said "This fast-paced racer keeps you glued to the TV and on the edge of your seat regardless of which side of the law you're playing on." Official Xbox Magazine
gave the Xbox 360 version 7 out of 10, and said "Hot Pursuit feels a little too safe for its subject matter, limited by pedestrian road design that doesn't express all the playfulness that we'd expect in car combat." However, the UK edition of the magazine gave the game a 9 out of 10, and said "It pays respect to the classic NFS games, borrows the best bits from Burnout and is a technical masterpiece. The chase to reclaim NFSs once legendary chart topping form is well and truly on."
PlayStation Lifestyle reviewer Thomas Williams gave the game 9 out of 10, and stated "What Criterion Games has done with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is develop the best entry in the series in the last 5 years of release. Once you start playing this game, there is no way you can play just one race." PlayStation Lifestyle writer Mike Hartnett declared Hot Pursuit better than Gran Turismo 5
, and concluded with "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is just downright more fun than anything rolling out of Polyphony Digital’s garage. There is certainly no shortage of epic moments in this game. Whether your tearing through single-player mode to rank-up as a cop or a racer, throwing down spike strips to take out your friends online, or just relieving a bit of stress by driving around in free-ride mode."
and Ubisoft’s Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
. The second week was it dropped down to number six. However, the fourth week, Hot Pursuit sales jumped 48 percent, which boosted the game from seventh to third. The sixth week, Hot Pursuit sales were down 67 percent, which slipped down one place to number fourth. The seventh week, Hot Pursuit was placed number ten, but the next week it jumped up to number seven.
In the US, Hot Pursuit was ranked number seven on NPD
's sales charts for November 2010, outselling Sony's racing juggernaut Gran Turismo 5
, which launched about a week later. On December 10, 2010 GamesIndustry reported that Hot Pursuit managed to sell 417,000 units in the US in just two weeks. Cowan and Company reported that despite the positive sales figures were not enough to pick up EA's year on year sales figures. The analytical firm stated that the year on year sales figures for November were still down 25 percent for EA. Gamertell stated that "Hot Pursuits success is a big boost for a genre that has taken some hits in 2010, as well as a franchise that has been searching for its identity. After several 'reinventions', EA turned to Criterion Games, the studio famous for the Burnout series, to right this racer. Criterion took the series back to the high-octane formula of cops chasing racers. Unlike actual illegal street racers, Hot Pursuit fans seem happy to see the police." Hot Pursuit was placed number ten on NPD's sales charts for December 2010 with sales of 906,000 units for the month.
On February 1 2011, on EA's financial result report of Q3 2010 was it mentioned that the game has sold more than 5 million units. "It's on a sharp uptick the last couple of years as we've driven high-quality titles ever higher in the charts, particularly in Europe but also in North America," John Riccitiello, EA CEO, said during the publisher's overnight Q3 earnings call. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter commented on the figures, saying that they were slightly over his expectation of 4.5 million units at this point. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit surprised him, then, but not as much as Medal of Honor did. Early in November, analyst Mike Hickey also said he believed EA's Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit could sell 4.2 million copies during the 2010 Christmas
period. EA’s marketing director Dan Holman told MCV, "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was an immensely successful game. Games in any genre need to offer great gameplay and above all, constantly innovate. By taking those ingredients our racing games have a bright future." On May 5 2011, on EA's financial result report of Q4 2010 was it mentioned that Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has sold through approximately 8.5 million units.
The following are some of the game's awards (all of which are 2010 awards):
The following are some of the game's awards (all of which are 2011 awards):
2010 in video gaming
The year 2010 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games, including several new titles.-Events:-Game releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2010 in North America....
racing
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
video game in the Need for Speed
Need for Speed
Need for Speed is a series of racing video games published by Electronic Arts and developed by several studios including Canadian-based company EA Black Box and British-based Criterion Games...
series developed by British games developer Criterion Games
Criterion Games
Criterion Games is a Guildford, England based British video game developer. It is best known for its work on the award-winning, multi-platform Burnout series, the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox first-person shooter Black.Criterion Software Ltd was created in 1993 to commercialise 3D...
and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for iOS, Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. The Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
version was developed by Exient Entertainment
Exient Entertainment
Exient Entertainment is an independent video game developer based in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is known for its ports of various games on the Madden NFL, FIFA, Need for Speed, The Sims and Tiger Woods PGA Tour series for Electronic Arts and the DJ Hero series for Activision...
. Hot Pursuit is the 16th title in the franchise and was released in November 2010. Digital download was available starting on 15 December 2010.
Hot Pursuits gameplay is set in the fictional Seacrest County, in which players can compete in several types of races. Players can also compete online (except in the Wii version), 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
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
in the form of new cars, new race and pursuit events, and new trophies/achievements.
Hot Pursuit was well received by critics at E3 2010 and was most notably awarded with Best Racing Game from Game Critics Awards
Game Critics Awards
The Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 35 major North...
as well as several other media outlets. Upon its release, Hot Pursuit was met with high critical acclaim averaging 90% on both review aggregate websites Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings, making it the highest rated game in the Need for Speed series history and one of the generation's highest rated racing games. It won several Best Racing Game awards, including Best Driving Game at Spike’s 2010 Video Game Awards. Reviewers 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 the roots. As of May 2011, the game has sold through approximately 8.5 million units.
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
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 franchiseMedia franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
with exotic cars and high-speed police chases. It is primarily inspired by the original Need for Speed on 3DO
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
. 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", with the cops being more powerful compared to the racers. Each side has several power-ups including calling for roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
s and radar jamming. According to Criterion the single-player section is somewhere between 12–15 hours long, but with lots of replay value.
The game takes place in a fictional location known as Seacrest County. It's an open world
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
and features over 100 miles (160.9 km) of open road, four times larger than that of Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise is the seventh game in the Burnout racing video game series. It was developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in January 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and on February 5, 2009 for Microsoft Windows...
, Criterion's previous title.
Hot Pursuit features a new social interaction system called "Autolog" described as "Facebook for the game". The game features both single-player and multiplayer game modes with up to eight players; as an option to live multiplayer racing, players can post records and achievements on the Autolog feed for friends to see, which they then can try to beat. Autolog also contains an experience
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
system called "Bounty".
The driving model of the game is described as "fun and accessible", not as arcade-styled as Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise is the seventh game in the Burnout racing video game series. It was developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in January 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and on February 5, 2009 for Microsoft Windows...
, but far from a simulator. All vehicles in Hot Pursuit are licensed real-world cars and SUVs, described as "all the cars you dreamed of driving, in the way you dreamed of driving them". Most vehicles are available in both racer and police variants, but a few are exclusive to each side. Also exclusively featured in the Hot Pursuit is the Porsche 918 Spyder
Porsche 918 Spyder
The Porsche 918 Spyder is a mid-engined sports car designed by Porsche and first shown as a concept at the 80th edition of the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010. The Spyder is powered by a 3.4 litre V8 engine, developing , with three electric motors delivering an additional . It is the first plug-in...
. Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
however, last seen in a Shift
Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Shift is the 13th installment of the long-running racing video game franchise Need for Speed; published by Electronic Arts. It was announced in December 2008 as part of a three-game announcement that includes Need for Speed: Nitro and Need for Speed: World...
DLC
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
-pack but notably absent from all other Need for Speed games since Hot Pursuit 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
-Development:Different versions of the game were produced for each game platform; the Xbox, GameCube and PC versions were developed in EA Seattle, a subsidiary of EA Canada, while the PS2 version was developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Also, it did not feature a career mode...
, is also absent from Hot Pursuit. There is no car customization and tuning, "just because the game really focuses on the Hot Pursuit element."
Wii
The WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
version of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is significantly different from other versions in that it takes place in four different cities across the world, instead of just taking place in a single fictional county. This makes the game very similar to Nitro
Need for Speed: Nitro
Need for Speed: Nitro is a 14th installment in the long-running racing video game franchise Need for Speed. It was published by Electronic Arts for the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms, It is also the only game to date in the franchise to not be made for PC. It was announced in January as part of a...
. The game features five different gameplay modes, such as Hot Pursuit, Eliminator, Rush Hour, Interceptor and Time Trial. Also, different powerups are used. The four cities, each set in a different time of day — Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, set in the morning, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, set in the afternoon, Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, set in the early evening, and Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, USA, which is set in the late evening. The few reviews hint at only a very small significance of this version of the game.
Development
The game was first hinted at during E3 2009Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
by EA’s CEO, John Riccitiello
John Riccitiello
John Riccitiello is the CEO of Electronic Arts .He received his Bachelors of Science degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley....
. Riccitiello stated that Criterion Games
Criterion Games
Criterion Games is a Guildford, England based British video game developer. It is best known for its work on the award-winning, multi-platform Burnout series, the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox first-person shooter Black.Criterion Software Ltd was created in 1993 to commercialise 3D...
, developers of EA's own Burnout series
Burnout (series)
Burnout is a series of high-speed racing games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo GameCube game consoles. Also, for the very first time, a PC version of the latest installment in the series, Burnout Paradise, has been released...
, was working on a "revolutionary" addition to the Need for Speed franchise, stating "We don't have a plan right now for a separate major launch on Burnout, because the team doing it is working on a revolutionary take on Need for Speed." The game was confirmed to be in development by EA's chief operating officer, John Pleasants, at a Stock meeting in June, 2009. "We've taken the Burnout team and combined it with our Need for Speed franchise. So we now have that in our favor because that Burnout team is probably one of the more online-centric and notably high-quality game developers that we have out at Criterion." Shift producer, Jesse Abney, told that he thought Criterion would be a "great team to work with on that stuff," referencing the development of Need for Speed. It was also reported that the game was scheduled for release in Q4 2010. EA's COO, John Schappert, said that the Q4 NFS title was, "a new action based Need for Speed from our Criterion Studio," in a post-financial report conference call. It was officially revealed as Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit at EA's Media Briefing during E3 2010
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
. with a trailer which showed a high-speed police chase involving three different racers. The trailer was followed by a live demo of the game on stage between creative director Craig Sullivan as a cop and producer Matt Webster as a racer. According to Riccitiello, the game was in development for two years.
In August, before Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was set to take center stage at EA's press conference during Gamescom
Gamescom
gamescom is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is organised by the Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware...
, it was announced by Art Director Henry LaBounta that Criterion collaborated with DICE in building the massive open world of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Early in November, Patrick Söderlund, Senior Vice President of EA Games Europe, said this of the collaboration: "I think the most important thing, when you have two high-quality developers working together, for it to work, they need to have mutual respect. They need to have that respect, to say ‘Ok, we trust you to do this.’ This was a case where that was so obvious, where the Criterion team had a full trust in the DICE team to do what they were doing, and vice versa."
Recent games in the Need for Speed franchise included a story, but Matt Webster, producer of Hot Pursuit said "We didn’t really think it was necessary to include a story. If you’re a cop, the aim is to go up the ranks, while a racer’s aim is to get to the highest rank they can." UK product manager for Need for Speed Kevin Flynn said that "Shift
Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Shift is the 13th installment of the long-running racing video game franchise Need for Speed; published by Electronic Arts. It was announced in December 2008 as part of a three-game announcement that includes Need for Speed: Nitro and Need for Speed: World...
was a great game but different and a bit serious, while Hot Pursuit is more fun and accessible." In October, the trophy list for the PlayStation 3 and soundtrack for Hot Pursuit were leaked onto the internet. Early in November, analyst Mike Hickey said he believed EA's Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit could sell 4.2 million copies during the 2010 Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
period.
The game’s creative director, Craig Sullivan, has said why they didn’t named the game something totally different, "To be honest when we started out making the game we didn’t know it was going to be called Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, we just didn’t. We got to the game before we got to the name. We realized we were making something that had a lot of cops in it and was really interesting to us, so we thought what can we call this? Eventually we thought this actually fits quite well with Hot Pursuit and went with it."
Soundtrack
The game features 7.1 channel surround sound in PCM (Dolby DigitalDolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
and DTS are also available). The soundtrack of Hot Pursuit features a general track list as is seen in EA Black Box Need for Speed games such as Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a racing video game developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It is the tenth installment in the Need for Speed series. The game features street racing-oriented game play, with certain customization options from the Need for Speed: Underground series...
, Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon, also known as NFS Carbon or NFSC, is an Electronic Arts video game belonging to the Need for Speed series. Released in 2006, it is the tenth installment, preceded by Need for Speed: Most Wanted, succeeded by Need for Speed: ProStreet in release order and succeeded by Need...
and Undercover
Need for Speed: Undercover
Need for Speed: Undercover is the 12th installment of the popular racing video game series Need for Speed, developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts . It was released on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, and mobile...
rather than a scored soundtrack as seen in ProStreet
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Need for Speed: ProStreet is the 11th installment of Electronic Arts' popular racing game series Need for Speed. On May 21, 2007, Electronic Arts published a teaser trailer of ProStreet, and officially announced it ten days later. It was released worldwide in November 2007. Its action footage was...
and Shift
Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Shift is the 13th installment of the long-running racing video game franchise Need for Speed; published by Electronic Arts. It was announced in December 2008 as part of a three-game announcement that includes Need for Speed: Nitro and Need for Speed: World...
. Players can also add custom soundtracks to the game, so that any music stored on the player’s hard drive can be selected during gameplay, as long as they are added to a playlist via the console's system menu. As well as optionally using songs from the player's hard drive, several categories of license
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
d music are available for the game's racing, menu
Menu (computing)
In computing and telecommunications, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer or communications system. A menu is used in contrast to a command-line interface, where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands .Choices given from a menu may be selected...
screens, and the photo mode.
- AlternativeAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
/PunkPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
(including bands such as 30 Seconds to Mars30 Seconds to Mars30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, Bad ReligionBad ReligionBad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
, Black Rebel Motorcycle ClubBlack Rebel Motorcycle ClubBlack Rebel Motorcycle Club is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, now based in Los Angeles. BRMC is known for their garage rock, blues, folk revival, neo-psychedelia sound. They are influenced by bands such as: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Verve, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, T...
and WeezerWeezerWeezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
) - DanceElectronic dance musicElectronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
/Electro House (including Benny BenassiBenny BenassiMarco Benassi , better known as Benny Benassi, is a Grammy Award winning Italian disc jockey and record producer of electro house music. He is best known for his 2002 summer club hit "Satisfaction"...
, Deadmau5Deadmau5Joel Thomas Zimmerman , better known by his stage name deadmau5 , is a Canadian progressive, electro, and house producer based in Toronto...
, Hadouken!Hadouken!Hadouken! are an English grime, electronica, dance band who formed in Leeds in October 2006 by singer, writer and producer James Smith, alongside his girlfriend, synth player Alice Spooner, guitarist Daniel "Pilau" Rice, and drummer Nick Rice. The band name is taken from the name of a special...
, M.I.A.M.I.A. (artist)Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
and PendulumPendulum (band)Pendulum is an Australian drum and bass and electronic rock band founded in 2002 in Perth by Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen, and Paul Harding.Swire and McGrillen were members of the rock band known as Xygen. After hearing Konflict's "Messiah" at a club, they were inspired to enter into the drum and...
) - Hip-Hop (including Chiddy BangChiddy BangChiddy Bang is an American alternative hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group consists of Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin. The duo was introduced through former band member Zachary Sewall in late 2008 during their freshman year at Drexel University, in...
, LazeeLazeeMawuli Kulego is a Swedish rapper from Malmö, Sweden.-Biography:LAZEE was born in Malmö, Sweden, to parents of Ghanaian origin. His passion for music grew from a young age and he was heavily influenced by the musical tastes of his father who was a DJ. He introduced young Lazee to soul, R&B and...
, Lupe FiascoLupe FiascoWasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
, Plan B and Travie McCoyTravie McCoyTravie Lazarus McCoy is an American singer and rapper. He is the lead vocalist of the alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes. He released his debut solo album Lazarus on June 8, 2010....
)
Updates and expansions
EA announced the One Million Challenge on 25 November 2010. If the Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit launch trailer received one million views on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
by 12 December 2010, a free downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
(DLC) pack would be released with three new cars. Although the trailer fell short of the million views, EA still awarded the three cars for free. EA stated the cars will be added to the game through a future title update on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360; PC were told that EA will share more news when it becomes available. On 14 December 2010 the first update was released which added the three cars to the player's garage. Xbox 360 players experienced problems with the update. Criterion released another Xbox 360 title update the following day, however, some users reported that the new update had caused their career saves and racing stats to be reset. On 17 December 2010 a third title update was released which repaired these issues. Criterion released the official second update for the consoles on 15 February 2011, addressing some minor issues and glitches.
Criterion also promised updates to add new features in addition to bug fixes for the PC version. The first update for the PC was released on 26 November 2010 which addressed crashes, issues with aspect ratios, and missing effects. D-Box motion chair support was also added. The second update for the PC was released on 19 January 2011, which fixed issues with flickering graphics, controller configurations, steering response, player car engine audio volume, CPU performance and rare crash issue when entering the Career map screen. The three free cars from the One Million Challenge was also added. The third update for the PC was released on 17 March 2011, which fixed several issues players were having relating to game crashes and bugs. The fourth update for PC was released on 4 April 2011, which stamped out another 30 percent of the game's known bugs, with a total of 77 percent of the issues fixed. The fifth update for PC was released on 14 April 2011, as with the most recent patch this new update is mainly to deal with various game crash issues which players have encountered while playing the game. One game crash in particular, which occurred on some systems when players were prompted to "Press Any Key", has been fixed in this patch. EA announced that PC version of the game would not receive downloadable content. Criterion confirmed this on their official message boards; "We have a limited amount of resources that makes it so that we are unable to deliver new content to all platforms, however we do have more updates and content on the way for PC players."
Paid content
In addition to the free update, Criterion has released several optional, premium packs that add content like new cars and events. The first two DLC packs for Hot Pursuit were released one week after the game's launch. Dubbed Racer Timesaver Pack and SCPD Timesaver Pack, either pack grants the player immediate access to every car in the game on the relevant side of the law. Buying the Racer Timesaver Pack, for example, gives the player access to all the Racer cars, and vice-versa for the SCPD. The third pack for Hot Pursuit was released one week after the first two one. The SCPD Rebels Pack, adds seven new cars previously available only in police variants to the Racer line-up, including the Audi R8 5.2 FSI and Aston Martin DBS.EA announced the first official DLC for Hot Pursuit on 6 December 2010. The Super Sports Pack adds three new cars; the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, GUMPERT Apollo S, and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport in variants for both sides of the law. There are also 13 new race and pursuit events, and new trophies/achievements to earn. It was released on December 21 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America and on December 22 on PlayStation Network in Europe. Although this is the first official DLC, extra additional content can also be purchased via online storefronts.
Criterion’s announced three new DLC packs for Hot Pursuit on 17 February 2011. Armed and Dangerous brings two new online game modes. ‘Most Wanted’ has the cops in pursuit of a single racer in an open world, with the other racers fighting to protect him. ‘Arms Race’ is free-for-all racing that sees weapons enabled. In addition, this pack also contains three new trophies/achievements. It was available from 22 February on the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
The second and third packs, Lamborghini Untamed and Porsche Unleashed, adds the Lamborghini Diablo SV, Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV and Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, with the Porsche pack adds the Porsche 911 Turbo (1982 Edition), Porsche 959 and 911 Speedster as both cops and racers. Both packs bring 10 new events and four new trophies/achievements. The Lamborghini Untamed pack was available from 1 March and Porsche Unleashed pack from 8 March on the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Marketplace. In addition the Three for All Bundle was released on 22 March only on the PlayStation Store, which is just a big bundle that consist of the Porsche Unleashed, Lamborghini Untamed, and the Armed and Dangerous packs.
EA Crew edition
A limited edition of the PC game was released to EA employees during December 2010. The EA Crew Edition includes seven bonus racer cars; Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition, Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Lamborghini Reventon, Bugatti Veyron 16.4, Aston Martin DBS, and Audi R8 5.2 FSI (these cars can now be purchased as racers via the SCPD Rebels Pack. The box is not labeled for retail sale and the disc is marked as 'not for resale'.Marketing and release
In early July 2010 EA announced Need for Speed Hot Pursuit on Tour, a seven-city event that took the game around the United States prior to the game's release. Each stop featured recording artists and showcased an assortment of exotic cars. The tour began on 14 July 2010 at the Manhattan Classic Car Club in New York City, headlined by DJ Z-TripDJ Z-Trip
Zach Sciacca, better known as Z-Trip, is an American DJ and producer. He is best known as a pioneer of the mashup movement.A Phoenix, Arizona native, who now resides in Los Angeles, California, he was known early in his career for performing with the Bombshelter DJs . He became widely known when...
. It then continued to Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin and Miami, ending with the Hot Pursuit launch party in Los Angeles. EA received a helping hand from UK vehicle
Wrap advertising
Wrap advertising is the marketing practice of completely or partially covering a vehicle in an advertisement or livery, thus turning it into a mobile billboard. This can be achieved by simply painting the vehicle surface, but it is becoming more common today to use large vinyl sheets as decals...
wrapping company Totally Dynamic for the UK launch event, held at Totally Dynamic’s South London centre. In addition to the standard edition, a Limited Edition of the game has been released, which was originally only available through pre-order at the same price as the regular game. However, it is still available beside the regular game, but in limited quantities. The Limited Edition features numerous bonuses over the Standard edition, including exclusive packaging, two exclusive racers and four unlocked cars.
The Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit demo was available for download on 26 October on Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
worldwide and the PlayStation Network in North America and on 27 October 2010 on the PlayStation Network in Europe. The demo was a limited time demo and closed on 9 November 2010. Criterion Games stated that "Unlike Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, PC demos require comparatively more resources in order to ensure that they run smoothly across a wide variety of systems," for not getting the chance to release a demo for the PC. The demo was a hit, the demo was download more than 2 million times, making the demo for Hot Pursuit the "most popular demo in Need for Speed history".
EA announced on 15 November 2010 the first two Games with Developer, both on the first weekend after the game launched. The event allowed the players to test their newly developed skills against those who had a hand in creating the game. EA announced on 26 November 2010 an Autolog Recommends Contest. It was a two-week long competition. If the fans beat any of NFSDrew’s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Autolog recommended times on Xbox or PS3, had one of them the chance to win a custom (NTSC) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit PlayStation 3, which is an extremely rare Collector's Edition. EA has also announced two Autolog Photo Contest, the first ended 26 November 2010 and the second 6 January 2011. The players had to take creative photos, then EA with the community announced the best and creative photo, which win a custom Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit PlayStation 3 Limited Collector's Edition. EA announced the Friday Gaming Sessions, which started 17 January 2011 and will be on every Friday from 3pm to 5pm PST. EA announced the Need for Speed Autolog iPhone app in late November 2010. The app features the Wall, Dreamshots, Autolog Recommendations, SpeedWall and a Play Later button. The app was released on iTunes on 13 December 2010.
Trailers
In addition to the trailer shown at the official reveal during E3 2010, several other game trailers have been released, each revealing new aspects of the game. One trailer promoted the Limited Edition of the game, which features additional cars. Some trailers explained the game's new Autolog feature. Two trailers released in September 2010 showcased the different aspects of cops vs racer gameplay. A trailer released on 25 September 2010 promoted the limited-time demo. Three video clips were released on 29 October 2010. Entitled "Fast Needs no Friends", these videos depict two foolish valet parkers, Kevin DillonKevin Dillon
Kevin Dillon is an American actor.Kevin Dillon is also the name of:*Kevin Dillon , character from Rodman Philbrick's young adult novel Freak the Mighty and the film based on it, The Mighty...
and Jerry Ferrara
Jerry Ferrara
Jerry Ferrara is an American actor best known for his work as "Turtle" aka Sal on the HBO comedy series Entourage.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ferrara attended New Utrecht High School. Ferrara is of Italian descent....
, who have gained a love for fast, exotic cars, by playing Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Several trailers were released in November. A trailer was released for indicate Seacrest County, the game’s primary locale. A trailer was released for hint that the demo was a success. Two live action trailers was also released to showcase the relationship between the cops and racers. A launch trailer was also released on 16 November 2010. A new video clip was released 15 December 2010, which featured the two foolish valet parkers Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara again. Most of the trailers are now available for free download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network.
Four developer diaries were released to promote the game. The first was released on 14 October 2010 which features the game’s Producer detailing the Autolog feature. On 28 October 2010 the second developer diary was released that features the game's Creative Director explaining the contents of the recently released demo. The third developer diary, released on 6 November 2010, details the specifics Seacrest County's terrain and climate, as well as explaining day and night cycles. It was also released two video early in November that featured the game’s Designer, he gave some tips on how to succeed in the Dark Horse and Roadsters Reborn events in the demo. If some of the fans beat his record on the Roadsters Reborn event, they had a chance to win some NFSHP prizes. The fourth diary, released 26 November 2010, explains why and how the game's cars were chosen.
Reception
Pre-release
Hot Pursuit was well received by critics at E3 2010Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
and was most notably awarded with "Best Racing Game" from Game Critics Awards
Game Critics Awards
The Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 35 major North...
as well as several other media outlets. Other games in the category included Forza 4, Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo 5
is the fifth edition of the Gran Turismo racing video game series. Developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, it was released for PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010...
, Test Drive Unlimited 2
Test Drive Unlimited 2
Test Drive Unlimited 2 is a racing video game developed by Eden Games and published by Atari. It is the sequel to Test Drive Unlimited and the tenth game in the series. The game was released on 8 February 2011 in North America and on 11 February in Europe.The game suffered from many bugs during...
and MotorStorm: Apocalypse
MotorStorm: Apocalypse
MotorStorm: Apocalypse is a 2011 racing 3D video game by Evolution Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the fourth game in the series and the third for the PlayStation 3...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said it had "An inspired level of connectivity", and 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
stated "the other racing games at E3 never had a chance". This is the first game in the Need for Speed series since the original Hot Pursuit
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, released in Japan as Over Drivin' III: Hot Pursuit, is a 1998 racing video game, developed by Electronic Arts Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third major title in the Need for Speed series, significantly incorporating police pursuits as a major...
to win an E3 award. It was also nominated for "Best Xbox 360" and "Best PS3" game by IGN, and "Best Graphics" by Gaming Excellence.
Post-release
Hot Pursuit received outstanding critical acclaim worldwide from professional reviewers. Aggregate website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
holds the average review for the PlayStation 3 version at 90%, the Xbox 360 version at 88%, and the PC version at 87%. This makes Hot Pursuit the highest rated game in the Need for Speed series history. Reviewers praised its superior racing, intense police chases and addictive social competition. In the 8 November 2010 edition of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, the first review score was given as 10/10. The reviewer said "It's consistently challenging without feeling difficult. It's immensely rewarding without ever being taxing."
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game 9.0 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice Award, praising the game's "pure over-the-top driving entertainment. The cars and environments are gorgeous, the crashes are spectacular, and the new Autolog feature breathes new life into the time-honored tradition of video game competition among friends." Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
gave the game 9 out of 10. Reviewer Tom Bramwell said "It's stuffed with content but rarely for the sake of it, and knowing Criterion it will be handsomely supported for months to come, even though it's already the best pure arcade racing game since Burnout Paradise." GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
also scored the game 9 out of 10. The reviewer stated Hot Pursuit was "excellently crafted, letting you take the world's fastest cars across miles of stunning landscapes. Chases are exhilarating from either perspective, and the autolog feature completely changes how you compete with friends, keeping you hooked until you've wrecked all of their scores." Destructoid gave the game 9.5 out of 10. Reviewer Nick Chester noted that "it delivers a near-perfect competitive experience, in a way that few games - racing or otherwise - can. Hot Pursuit is not only a defining moment for the series, but for arcade-style racing, period." Reviewer Randy Nelson of Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
was the second reviewer to give the game a perfect score of 10/10. Reviewer Chris Antista of GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
also gave the game 10 out of 10. Chris stated that "with so many modes and diverse rewards to uncover in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, it almost feels like 2.5 games in one package." Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
reviewer Brett Bates gave the game 9.0 out of 10, which felt much the same as GamesRadar's Chris Antista, stating "In effect, you're getting two games in one: What you do as a racer has no bearing on what you do as a cop."
Reviewer Tom Orry of VideoGamer gave the game 8 out of 10, and stated "the core driving is never anything but exhilarating, visually it's almost flawless and the Autolog features are genre leading. There's still something missing, though - a reason to explore the open world." Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
awarded the game 8.5 out of ten and said "This fast-paced racer keeps you glued to the TV and on the edge of your seat regardless of which side of the law you're playing on." Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
gave the Xbox 360 version 7 out of 10, and said "Hot Pursuit feels a little too safe for its subject matter, limited by pedestrian road design that doesn't express all the playfulness that we'd expect in car combat." However, the UK edition of the magazine gave the game a 9 out of 10, and said "It pays respect to the classic NFS games, borrows the best bits from Burnout and is a technical masterpiece. The chase to reclaim NFSs once legendary chart topping form is well and truly on."
PlayStation Lifestyle reviewer Thomas Williams gave the game 9 out of 10, and stated "What Criterion Games has done with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is develop the best entry in the series in the last 5 years of release. Once you start playing this game, there is no way you can play just one race." PlayStation Lifestyle writer Mike Hartnett declared Hot Pursuit better than Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo 5
is the fifth edition of the Gran Turismo racing video game series. Developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, it was released for PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010...
, and concluded with "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is just downright more fun than anything rolling out of Polyphony Digital’s garage. There is certainly no shortage of epic moments in this game. Whether your tearing through single-player mode to rank-up as a cop or a racer, throwing down spike strips to take out your friends online, or just relieving a bit of stress by driving around in free-ride mode."
Sales
In the UK, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit debuted at number three on the UK All Format Gaming Chart on its first week of release, beaten by Activision’s Call of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch, published by Activision and released worldwide on November 9, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii consoles, with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. Announced on April 30, 2010,...
and Ubisoft’s Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a historical third person, stealth action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2010, Microsoft Windows in March 2011 and Mac OS X in May 2011...
. The second week was it dropped down to number six. However, the fourth week, Hot Pursuit sales jumped 48 percent, which boosted the game from seventh to third. The sixth week, Hot Pursuit sales were down 67 percent, which slipped down one place to number fourth. The seventh week, Hot Pursuit was placed number ten, but the next week it jumped up to number seven.
In the US, Hot Pursuit was ranked number seven on NPD
NPD Group
The NPD Group, Inc. is a leading North American market research company. The NPD Group consistently ranks among the top 25 market research companies in the independent Honomichl Top 50 report, which the media and the research industry acknowledge as a credible source of information on the market...
's sales charts for November 2010, outselling Sony's racing juggernaut Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo 5
is the fifth edition of the Gran Turismo racing video game series. Developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, it was released for PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010...
, which launched about a week later. On December 10, 2010 GamesIndustry reported that Hot Pursuit managed to sell 417,000 units in the US in just two weeks. Cowan and Company reported that despite the positive sales figures were not enough to pick up EA's year on year sales figures. The analytical firm stated that the year on year sales figures for November were still down 25 percent for EA. Gamertell stated that "Hot Pursuits success is a big boost for a genre that has taken some hits in 2010, as well as a franchise that has been searching for its identity. After several 'reinventions', EA turned to Criterion Games, the studio famous for the Burnout series, to right this racer. Criterion took the series back to the high-octane formula of cops chasing racers. Unlike actual illegal street racers, Hot Pursuit fans seem happy to see the police." Hot Pursuit was placed number ten on NPD's sales charts for December 2010 with sales of 906,000 units for the month.
On February 1 2011, on EA's financial result report of Q3 2010 was it mentioned that the game has sold more than 5 million units. "It's on a sharp uptick the last couple of years as we've driven high-quality titles ever higher in the charts, particularly in Europe but also in North America," John Riccitiello, EA CEO, said during the publisher's overnight Q3 earnings call. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter commented on the figures, saying that they were slightly over his expectation of 4.5 million units at this point. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit surprised him, then, but not as much as Medal of Honor did. Early in November, analyst Mike Hickey also said he believed EA's Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit could sell 4.2 million copies during the 2010 Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
period. EA’s marketing director Dan Holman told MCV, "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was an immensely successful game. Games in any genre need to offer great gameplay and above all, constantly innovate. By taking those ingredients our racing games have a bright future." On May 5 2011, on EA's financial result report of Q4 2010 was it mentioned that Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has sold through approximately 8.5 million units.
Awards
Following the high praise it received at its release, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit has received numerous awards from various magazines, trade shows and gaming websites. The game has won over 30 differentially awards, including Racing Game of the Year from major publications, more than any other racing game that year.The following are some of the game's awards (all of which are 2010 awards):
- At the E3 2010, Game Critics AwardsGame Critics AwardsThe Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 35 major North...
gave Hot Pursuit the Best Racing Game award. - At the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards, Hot Pursuit was named the Best Driving Game.
- Hot Pursuit was awarded Best Competitive Multiplayer on Xbox 360 by IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
. It was also nominated for Most Addictive Game on Xbox 360. - Hot Pursuit was nominated for Multiplayer That Broke The Mold by GamesRadarGamesRadarGamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
. - Hot Pursuit was nominated for Best Racing Game by GameTrailersGameTrailersGameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
. - Hot Pursuit was given GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
’s Best Driving Game award for 2010. - Hot Pursuit was awarded Best Racing Game by 1UP1UP.com1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
. - Hot Pursuit was awarded Best Racing Game on Xbox 360 by VGChartz.
- Hot Pursuit was nominated for Best Racing Game by Game RevolutionGame RevolutionGame Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
. - Hot Pursuit was awarded Racing Game of the Year by GameSpyGameSpyGameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
. - Hot Pursuit won the Most Improved Franchise award by Giant BombGiant BombGiant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...
. - Hot Pursuit won the Racing Game of the Year award by ShacknewsShacknewsShacknews, commonly referred to as "The Shack", is a website offering news, features, editorial content, and forums relating to computer games and console games. Shacknews and its sister site, FileShack, are currently owned by GameFly...
. - Hot Pursuit was awarded the Year's Fastest by GamereactorGamereactorGamereactor is one of Northern Europe's biggest game magazine and Gaming sites that covers video- and computer games as well as mobile phone-games and indie-titles. It started in Denmark in 1998 by Morten Reichel and Claus Reichel - first years under the name Gamez.dk. The Magazine and Online...
.
The following are some of the game's awards (all of which are 2011 awards):
- At the 2011 Academy of Interactive Arts & SciencesAcademy of Interactive Arts & SciencesThe Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
, Hot Pursuit was named Racing Game of the Year. - At the 2011 BAFTA Video Games Awards7th British Academy Video Games AwardsThe 7th British Academy Video Game Awards awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, was an award ceremony held on 16 March 2011 in the London Hilton Hotel. The ceremony honoured achievement in video gaming in 2010 and was hosted by Dara Ó Briain...
, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit won the Multiplayer award. - At the 2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards2011 Kids' Choice AwardsNickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards were held on April 2, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles's University Park neighborhood due to renovations disallowing use of traditional venue Pauley Pavilion until at least 2013. Jack Black...
, Hot Pursuit was nominated for Favorite Videogame. - At the 2011 Golden Joystick Award, Hot Pursuit was a runner up for Racing Game of the Year.
- At the 2011 BAFTA Kid's Vote Award, Hot Pursuit is for nomintaed for Best Games.