Over the past 30 years, the Want for Pace franchise has reinvented itself with a variety of titles, mixing new genres, gameplay, and visuals to maintain the sequence feeling contemporary.
However rewind to 1994, and the primary Want for Pace was a reasonably typical point-to-point arcade racer. You had some actual licensed automobiles – together with the Lamborghini Diablo and Honda NSX – a choice of routes and the choice to race with (or with out) opponents.
By the point Underground was launched in 2003, the racing setting adopted an ‘open world’ theme with the addition of a correct profession mode and built-in storyline. The extra you honed your expertise and progressed, the extra automobiles and elements you’d unlock. All whereas searching for out racers and challenges whereas driving round Olympic Metropolis.
What about Shift and ProStreet? Typically overshadowed in Want for Pace’s historical past, each titles adopted a extra sim-racing strategy to their gameplay, with the profession mode very a lot staying on the ‘proper’ aspect of the regulation moderately than any unlawful racing.
Was it proper for the sequence? On the time, most likely so, and in hindsight, these titles nonetheless arise as being sensible enjoyable with out taking themselves too critically. Don’t neglect the world has modified immensely within the final three a long time, so it’s solely pure the gaming world do the identical.
However there’s one explicit theme which has recurred extra in Want for Pace historical past than some other. A theme which has really been current since day one and nonetheless stays lively within the very newest. We’re speaking about Scorching Pursuit – a sequence which is now answerable for no fewer than 4 standalone video games, in addition to showing in a number of others, together with the newest quantity replace for Unbound nicknamed Cops vs. Racers.
So, what’s it about this explicit format which we simply can’t get sufficient of? And why is it nonetheless such a prolific addition, even in trendy Want for Pace titles?
It’s straightforward to neglect that cops have featured in NFS ever because the first sport again in 1994. Granted, they’d pop up randomly and solely briefly try to hinder you (versus being caught or arrested), however when your sport’s premise revolves round quick automobiles driving quick on the highway, it’s solely pure to have some sort of police presence…
But it surely wouldn’t be till the third instalment of Want for Pace launched in 1998 that the very first Scorching Pursuit format was born.
Genesis – Want for Pace: III Scorching Pursuit
Want for Pace wasn’t the primary racing sport to include police – you may hint that again to the likes of Street Rash and Turbo Outrun from the late Nineteen Eighties and early ’90s. However what Scorching Pursuit did was spin this format on its head and switch the police component into its very personal gameplay mode moderately than a characteristic throughout the ‘customary’ racing.
Inside Want for Pace III: Scorching Pursuit lurked two sport modes – the primary a typical, head-to-head utilising circuits and routes with a match operate. The second? A brand new ‘Scorching Pursuit’ operate the place devoted police pursuits then grew to become the primary think about every race. Not solely are you battling one other racer, however the setting turns into a pitfall suffering from cops attempting to cease you in any respect prices.
Issue within the potential to ‘function reverse’, and immediately the speed-hunted turns into the speed-hunter… get it? Horrible puns apart, the flexibility to hitch the darkish aspect was a novel characteristic carried out by Scorching Pursuit and the primary of its type to take action. Not solely might you assume the function of the police, however you additionally had some correctly particular automobiles at your disposal – together with the Chevrolet Corvette – to assist apprehend and arrest the opposite racers.
On a separate word, Scorching Pursuit additionally launched the Want for Pace world to in-game automobile tuning, one thing which is now a given in nearly each racing sport no matter style. Granted, tuning in Scorching Pursuit was a tad primary with the likes of brake stability, gear ratios and different mechanical components, however this nonetheless paved the best way for tuning to look in all NFS video games from that second onwards.
New Platforms, Similar Format – Want for Pace: Scorching Pursuit II
4 years later would see the second instalment drop, handily referred to as Want for Pace: Scorching Pursuit II. But it surely wasn’t the subsequent NFS sport to be launched after the unique – throughout these 4 years, each Excessive Stakes and Porsche Unleashed had subsequently been launched.
Nevertheless, what made Scorching Pursuit II totally different was the very fact it’d be the primary Want for Pace title to launch on the next-gen gaming consoles of the early 2000s, together with the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube… do not forget that?
Given the brand new capabilities of those next-gen consoles, it made excellent sense to rekindle an outdated title like Scorching Pursuit to permit considerably of a direct comparability between the 2 – particularly as the unique had been obtained so positively. However Scorching Pursuit II could be far more than a jazzed-up model of the unique…
As soon as once more, Scorching Pursuit was cut up into two modes – ‘World Racing’ for extra conventional head-to-head races, and ‘Scorching Pursuit,’ which now options a number of totally different modes, together with the ‘Final Racer’ which then provides police into races who don’t simply try to gradual you down, however actively seize you too.
Except for the improved graphics and gameplay, the most effective new components for Scorching Pursuit II was the assorted toys added whereas enjoying because the police. Usually, you’d must ram rushing automobiles a number of instances to disable them. However Scorching Pursuit II now introduces spike strips, barricades and even helicopter help.
Then there’s the automobile choice. Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Jaguar, McLaren, Porsche and lots of others. Positive, there have been video games on the market boasting extra fashions, however Scorching Pursuit II options these ‘halo’ supercars of the time – lots of which had solely simply been launched whereas introducing Want for Pace Version fashions that got here absolutely upgraded in comparison with the inventory automobiles. One thing that’s nonetheless carried out in Want for Pace video games right this moment.
However with Underground and Most Wanted simply across the nook – two titles which would really outline the Want for Pace model and its give attention to automobile tuning and customisation, it wouldn’t be till 2010 that the Scorching Pursuit title would make one other look.
Retro Revival – Want for Pace: Scorching Pursuit (2010) & Scorching Pursuit Remastered
When the official sport trailer (launched again in 2010) encompasses a police Bugatti Veyron chasing down a Koenigsegg CCX, you already know from the get-go that Scorching Pursuit (2010) could be taking that preliminary idea from 1998 and dialling it as much as 11.
Its format as soon as once more harked again to the unique Scorching Pursuit, with players in a position to play both because the cops or racers, however in contrast to earlier variations, the 2010 version launched a complete profession mode for either side of the regulation.
Now, you’d assume with playable automobiles just like the Koenigsegg CCX, Pagani Zonda and McLaren MP4-12C that evading police could be fairly easy. However Scorching Pursuit (2010) went to city on the police AI and technique. Not solely have been pursuit automobiles equally as quick however the instruments at their disposal have been beefed as much as embody radar jammers, EMPs and even the flexibility to name for a helicopter to drop spike strips forward of racers.
Nearly all of the automobiles featured in Scorching Pursuit (2010) may very well be utilized by both aspect, too. Customized soundtracks have been added to accompany the badass in-game monitor listing (which included artists like M.I.A, Deadmau5 and Pendulum) whereas key components just like the open-world format – as soon as once more set in Seacrest County – have been retained to present players the choice to freely drive round in search of challenges at their very own tempo earlier than embarking on head-to-head carnage.
Contemplate Scorching Pursuit (2010) as a totally refined model of the unique idea. Sure, the graphics appear otherworldly in comparison with the unique, and the general tempo of racing feels massively quicker and extra intense, however the idea remained the identical.
Hunt or be hunted. And with so many racing video games centered on the hunt for perfecting your driving expertise to an virtually sim stage, the Scorching Pursuit idea stays a breath of contemporary air for these wanting quick, arcade enjoyable with out the frustration of lacking your apex.
In case you’re a daily to Speedhunters or the Want for Pace sequence, you’ll know the Scorching Pursuit mode is again as an internet addition for Unbound: Quantity 8, which continues to indicate simply how adaptable this format has been some 26 years since its authentic launch.
Whether or not you’re an grownup who remembers these first few titles and loves the nostalgia, or a youthful gamer having fun with the fast-paced motion from the extra scientific sim racing, Scorching Pursuit nonetheless feels as entertaining now because it did all of these years in the past.
The true query is, given the selection to play just one variant for the remainder of time, which sport are you firing up? Tell us within the feedback beneath.
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