While the cop campaign is mostly problem free, racers’ patience will be tried with some supremely frustrating design choices. AllDrive is the real deal, and it makes for some pretty lively gameplay.Īs great as the open world and its always-online connectivity are, there are a few speed bumps in Rivals‘ game balance. For the most part, it gets rid of its predecessors’ scripted races and messy multiplayer, giving you action that feels more real. As nicely done as Rivals‘ open world is, it wouldn’t be nearly as exciting without real racers zipping around you as you try to run from the cops. You can keep your head down and keep to yourself if you’d like, but I found that openly engaging other racers makes for a much better time. While taking down racers with sirens screaming is always fun, some of the challenges, like the “go-fast-but-don’t-mess-up” Rapid Response mission are somewhat boring in comparison.īetween the story progression, the speed lists, and AllDrive, you’re never at a loss for what to do next. It works the same way on the cop side, giving the choice to patrol or enforce with challenge types that are more in line with what a cop with a super-fast sports car might do to uphold traffic laws. For the most part, the constantly evolving stream of challenges keeps things fresh, though I found that after I had tried most of the challenge types, it started to feel more like a grind.

There are points where the progression forces one objective on all of the paths, though these cases are rare.

For the most part, by picking carefully, I found that I could avoid the challenges I didn’t care for - like the interceptor cop chases - sticking to the fun ones that had me jumping off ramps for distance, or bashing other cars off the road. Completing items from these Speed Lists will earn you Speed Points, which can be used to buy and upgrade your cars, while completing the Speed Lists themselves will unlock more cars.įor the racer side of the game, the Speed Lists focus on either racing, driving, or messing with the cops. Along the way you’re free to take on any of the branches, called Speed Lists, picking the objectives you’d prefer to tackle, or the ones that suit your racing style best. Since Rivals lets you play as either a cop or a racer, there are branching paths to follow to work your way up through the progression. While that might not sound exciting, it works pretty well as a way to keep players engaged.

When you boil this game’s structure down, it’s a series of checklists to complete. It’s all about going fast and doing what you want as either a racer or a cop, speeding around in a big, crazy racing world. Sure, there’s a single-player progression and a light story to follow, but that stuff really doesn’t matter in the long run. Need for Speed: Rivals is an open-world racing sandbox that you’re free to do whatever you’d like in.

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