This is a repost of my Steam review for this game with slight edits to match this website's formatting. You can read the original review here:
https://steamcommunity.com/id/huuishuu/recommended/1222680/
Need for Speed: Heat is a game I was skeptical of. For an entire decade leading up to this game's release, the Need for Speed series has been on a slippery slope of multiple identity crises, pandering to nostalgia and delivering subpar game, year on year.
2015 marked a turning point for Need for Speed with Ghost Games releasing their soft reboot of the series. 2015 was not very highly reviewed but it laid the foundations for a greater game, which I think culminated in Need for Speed: Heat.
However, my excitement for the game was admittedly muted when in 2019, I was looking at more and more reveals of this game. There was one thing that dampened my excitement for Heat when it was announced. But we'll get into that. You're here to see if I recommend Need for Speed: Heat, after all, so let's get on with the review.
Story:
Shockingly, I actually really enjoyed Heat's story. It's a huge step up compared to the previous installment with likeable, memorable characters and memorable events in the story. Several of which are still part of NFS meme culture even now, which is not something I can say for Rivals, 2015 or Payback.
Heat's story is very short and it doesn't take long to get to the point. And while I really like that, I do have some sour points with it. For example, I think certain characters are incredibly under-utilized and end up feeling like they make a big splash at the start of the story and then, after one particular event, they seem to disappear completely and is never brought up again. The game does this with several characters and it's honestly a shame.
I also don't particularly like the self-insert "Player" character, but the way the self-insert handled here is inoffensive at best, and a complete cringelord at worst.
But as a whole - despite being underdeveloped in a few aspects, Heat's story is admittedly enjoyable, albeit short.
Gameplay:
2015's handling & physics were received very poorly. Payback improved on them but left a lot to be desired with the off-road model. What about Heat? Heat's driving model is good. Properly good. For most of the game, I finally felt as though I was in total control of the car. Whatever mistakes happened were the result of me making genuine mistakes, and not because the game said so. There were a few instances where I had a physics oopsie, such as my jump being interrupted or my car bouncing off of nothing, so the car did have a tendency of feeling like it was made of Portal 2's bounce gel, but as a whole - a very good improvement on the driving & handling. Dare I say this is the best driving model from the entire decade of Need for Speed that we've had?
The gameplay does have one major Achilles' heel though - the damage system. This is the system that actually ended up with me not wanting to touch the game for a while and put it down after about 4-5 hours of playing initially. The damage system in this game is the worst aspect of it because it disincentivizes you from taking any risk during the night. Now, against traffic and most other general world structures - it's totally fine. You won't take damage by, say, hitting a traffic car at low speed, or by taking a jump and hitting a billboard, etc., however if you get rammed - you take damage. If you hit a wall - you take damage. And your health drains insanely quickly.
The damage system is what breaks the fun in any cop chases for me as well. Heat is the first Ghost entry since Rivals to finally have more aggressive cops in the game, however because of the damage system - their implementation here leaves a lot to be desired. The cops do a lot of damage, which at higher heat levels makes you feel like a glass cannon.
What made the pursuits in games like Most Wanted (2005) and Carbon so exciting is the fact that you are essentially a tank that can go through practically anything yet you weren't unstoppable - one wrong move and you're done. In Heat, they wanted to replicate this, as the police will be insanely aggressive towards you and do bring back tactics like roadblocks, spike strips, helicopters, etc., however their quantities are reduced. The most intense the chases here get would be comparable to, say, Heat Level 3 in Most Wanted '05.
The best way to play Heat, at least for me, was to install an Infinite Health mod. With that installed, Night Time racing became a whole lot more fun because I was no longer afraid of being a paperweight against the cops. And, dare I say, I actually had fun doing police pursuits. So much fun that, by the endgame I was actively seeking them out. With the mod installed, the game genuinely came alive and became a ton of fun for me.
Side note: If you're gonna use it, just remember to disable it for the final mission otherwise it's impossible to complete.
There was one sour spot for me aside from the damage model, that being the racing itself. All 3 Ghost era Need for Speed games share the same issue that doesn't seem like it was ever addressed - difficulty. Need for Speed: Heat, much like its predecessors, is way too easy. Even with the difficulty set to Hard, this game was an absolute joke in terms of racing. I don't even think I was playing particularly well either, this game's racing actively bored me and only served as a medium for me to either earn more money to buy upgrades/cars or earn more REP so I can actually continue the story. Seriously, the AI in this game is an absolute joke and the challenge they pose is trivial at best.
Graphics, Sound & Optimization
Need for Speed: Heat is neither a step up nor a step down from the previous entry. In fact, I think that 2015 during its night time looked way, way better than Heat does during its night time. The graphics are fine, passable even, however there's one unmistakable thing that Heat has that the previous three Ghost entries didn't - style. Heat is the first game in a long, long time that, to me, feels like it has its own identity, its own unique style and presentation, which makes the game stand out and pop. It's what lead the game to retain its popularity since 2019 and despite the release of Unbound. And for that - I cannot knock Heat. The game has a vibe to go for and it achieves it splendidly.
The soundtrack sucks. By the halfway point, I turned the OST off and just started listening to my own playlists on YouTube & Spotify, the soundtrack is legitimately horrendous, at times unlistenable garbage. But the sound design everywhere else? Top notch. Cop chatter has personality - the cops are corrupt, snarky and always eager to get you. The car engines sound amazing as well as accurate, and the sirens blaring through the night hunting you down make their presence known. It's great.
Optimization-wise, this game is a lot more stable than Payback was on my system. Runs a great deal better too. While I did encounter the occasional pop-in texture and such, there was absolutely nothing game-breaking happening like there was for Payback. The game kept a solid 60+ FPS throughout the entire playthrough, didn't crash even a single time and controller support was bang-on. Heat is pretty well optimized.
Oh and yes, this still requires Origin, much like every other Need for Speed game that's up for sale. Take that as you may.
Conclusion:
Do I recommend NFS Heat? Despite my qualms with the damage system and the pathetic AI, I will have to say yes. Need for Speed: Heat finally feels like a true return-to-form. While the story is nothing fantastic, the game shines in style, personality and great gameplay.
With memorable characters & moments, a great driving model and overall polish all around - I think you'll enjoy NFS Heat. Even with the points I mentioned regarding the damage model.
This game is definitely worth getting.
https://steamcommunity.com/id/huuishuu/recommended/1222680/
Need for Speed: Heat is a game I was skeptical of. For an entire decade leading up to this game's release, the Need for Speed series has been on a slippery slope of multiple identity crises, pandering to nostalgia and delivering subpar game, year on year.
2015 marked a turning point for Need for Speed with Ghost Games releasing their soft reboot of the series. 2015 was not very highly reviewed but it laid the foundations for a greater game, which I think culminated in Need for Speed: Heat.
However, my excitement for the game was admittedly muted when in 2019, I was looking at more and more reveals of this game. There was one thing that dampened my excitement for Heat when it was announced. But we'll get into that. You're here to see if I recommend Need for Speed: Heat, after all, so let's get on with the review.
Story:
Shockingly, I actually really enjoyed Heat's story. It's a huge step up compared to the previous installment with likeable, memorable characters and memorable events in the story. Several of which are still part of NFS meme culture even now, which is not something I can say for Rivals, 2015 or Payback.
Heat's story is very short and it doesn't take long to get to the point. And while I really like that, I do have some sour points with it. For example, I think certain characters are incredibly under-utilized and end up feeling like they make a big splash at the start of the story and then, after one particular event, they seem to disappear completely and is never brought up again. The game does this with several characters and it's honestly a shame.
I also don't particularly like the self-insert "Player" character, but the way the self-insert handled here is inoffensive at best, and a complete cringelord at worst.
But as a whole - despite being underdeveloped in a few aspects, Heat's story is admittedly enjoyable, albeit short.
Gameplay:
2015's handling & physics were received very poorly. Payback improved on them but left a lot to be desired with the off-road model. What about Heat? Heat's driving model is good. Properly good. For most of the game, I finally felt as though I was in total control of the car. Whatever mistakes happened were the result of me making genuine mistakes, and not because the game said so. There were a few instances where I had a physics oopsie, such as my jump being interrupted or my car bouncing off of nothing, so the car did have a tendency of feeling like it was made of Portal 2's bounce gel, but as a whole - a very good improvement on the driving & handling. Dare I say this is the best driving model from the entire decade of Need for Speed that we've had?
The gameplay does have one major Achilles' heel though - the damage system. This is the system that actually ended up with me not wanting to touch the game for a while and put it down after about 4-5 hours of playing initially. The damage system in this game is the worst aspect of it because it disincentivizes you from taking any risk during the night. Now, against traffic and most other general world structures - it's totally fine. You won't take damage by, say, hitting a traffic car at low speed, or by taking a jump and hitting a billboard, etc., however if you get rammed - you take damage. If you hit a wall - you take damage. And your health drains insanely quickly.
The damage system is what breaks the fun in any cop chases for me as well. Heat is the first Ghost entry since Rivals to finally have more aggressive cops in the game, however because of the damage system - their implementation here leaves a lot to be desired. The cops do a lot of damage, which at higher heat levels makes you feel like a glass cannon.
What made the pursuits in games like Most Wanted (2005) and Carbon so exciting is the fact that you are essentially a tank that can go through practically anything yet you weren't unstoppable - one wrong move and you're done. In Heat, they wanted to replicate this, as the police will be insanely aggressive towards you and do bring back tactics like roadblocks, spike strips, helicopters, etc., however their quantities are reduced. The most intense the chases here get would be comparable to, say, Heat Level 3 in Most Wanted '05.
The best way to play Heat, at least for me, was to install an Infinite Health mod. With that installed, Night Time racing became a whole lot more fun because I was no longer afraid of being a paperweight against the cops. And, dare I say, I actually had fun doing police pursuits. So much fun that, by the endgame I was actively seeking them out. With the mod installed, the game genuinely came alive and became a ton of fun for me.
Side note: If you're gonna use it, just remember to disable it for the final mission otherwise it's impossible to complete.
There was one sour spot for me aside from the damage model, that being the racing itself. All 3 Ghost era Need for Speed games share the same issue that doesn't seem like it was ever addressed - difficulty. Need for Speed: Heat, much like its predecessors, is way too easy. Even with the difficulty set to Hard, this game was an absolute joke in terms of racing. I don't even think I was playing particularly well either, this game's racing actively bored me and only served as a medium for me to either earn more money to buy upgrades/cars or earn more REP so I can actually continue the story. Seriously, the AI in this game is an absolute joke and the challenge they pose is trivial at best.
Graphics, Sound & Optimization
Need for Speed: Heat is neither a step up nor a step down from the previous entry. In fact, I think that 2015 during its night time looked way, way better than Heat does during its night time. The graphics are fine, passable even, however there's one unmistakable thing that Heat has that the previous three Ghost entries didn't - style. Heat is the first game in a long, long time that, to me, feels like it has its own identity, its own unique style and presentation, which makes the game stand out and pop. It's what lead the game to retain its popularity since 2019 and despite the release of Unbound. And for that - I cannot knock Heat. The game has a vibe to go for and it achieves it splendidly.
The soundtrack sucks. By the halfway point, I turned the OST off and just started listening to my own playlists on YouTube & Spotify, the soundtrack is legitimately horrendous, at times unlistenable garbage. But the sound design everywhere else? Top notch. Cop chatter has personality - the cops are corrupt, snarky and always eager to get you. The car engines sound amazing as well as accurate, and the sirens blaring through the night hunting you down make their presence known. It's great.
Optimization-wise, this game is a lot more stable than Payback was on my system. Runs a great deal better too. While I did encounter the occasional pop-in texture and such, there was absolutely nothing game-breaking happening like there was for Payback. The game kept a solid 60+ FPS throughout the entire playthrough, didn't crash even a single time and controller support was bang-on. Heat is pretty well optimized.
Oh and yes, this still requires Origin, much like every other Need for Speed game that's up for sale. Take that as you may.
Conclusion:
Do I recommend NFS Heat? Despite my qualms with the damage system and the pathetic AI, I will have to say yes. Need for Speed: Heat finally feels like a true return-to-form. While the story is nothing fantastic, the game shines in style, personality and great gameplay.
With memorable characters & moments, a great driving model and overall polish all around - I think you'll enjoy NFS Heat. Even with the points I mentioned regarding the damage model.
This game is definitely worth getting.