Need for Speed Rivals

Need for Speed Rivals is a racing video game set in an open world environment. Developed by Swedish and British developers Ghost Games and Ghost Games UK and developer Criterion Games, this is the twentieth installment in the long-running Need for Speed series. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 19 November 2013. It has also been released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as launch titles in the same month

Gameplay

Rivals features gameplay somewhat similar to the earlier Hot Pursuit, with exotic cars and high-speed police chases. Players take on the role of a Racer or a Cop, with each side of the law offering its own set of challenges, risks and rewards.Rivals features eleven upgradeable gadgets such as EMPs, shockwaves and the ability to call in roadblocks. The game takes place in a fictional location known as Redview County. It's an open world and features over 100 miles (160 km) of open road, larger than that of 2012's Need for Speed: Most Wanted, but on the same size as Criterion's Hot Pursuit.The open world features a similar set-up to Most Wanted, with several jumps, speed traps and unlockable cars, as well as shortcuts that are not shown on the map.

Rivals features a full career progression for both Cop and Racer. When playing as a Cop, there are three types of career that can be followed - patrol, enforcer, and undercover.Progression is by means of Speedlists for Racer and Assignments for Cop, which are sets of objectives which involve dangerous driving, maneuvers, and race standings. When the player completes a set of objectives, the player levels up and unlocks items, and is presented with another set of objectives to choose from. The Autolog system, a competition-between-friends system developed by Criterion for Hot Pursuit and since used in other titles in the Need for Speed series, factors into the progression system, comparing how quickly the player complete an Assignment or Speedlist to other players' times and posts them to a Speed Wall for local and global leaderboards.

Rivals features a new social system called the AllDrive, which allow players to seamlessly transition from playing alone, to playing with friends, described as "destroying the line between single player and multiplayer". This allows players to in engage co-op gameplay as well as play against each other.The game also features a dynamic weather system, which makes "the world feel alive in a much bigger sense than any other Need for Speed game."

Rivals also takes on some gameplay styles of earlier Underground titles in the franchise with cues on aesthetic vehicle personalization, as paint jobs, decals, rims and license plates and liveries can be modified, as well as vehicle performance, and various Pursuit Tech gadgets. With the exception of the Aston Martin Vanquish, other vehicles are only available in either racer or police variant. Ferrari officially return to the franchise in full form for the first time in eleven years since Hot Pursuit 2 in 2002 (although they have appeared in 2009's Shift as Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable content) with the F12berlinetta, 458 Spider, 458 Italia, FF, Enzo, and 599 GTO being the Ferrari vehicles featured.

Development

Origins

In 2010, Criterion Games revived the series with the release of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, a remake of Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit; it won several awards, became the highest rated game in the history of the series, and sold more than 8.5 million copies.Criterion Games executives stated that they wanted to draw from the series' roots and re-introduce old Need for Speed ideals (exotic cars, beautiful scenery, police pursuits, etc.). However, in 2011, EA Black Box released Need for Speed: The Run, which got mixed reviews. In 2012, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said although he was proud of the Black Box-developed installment, but clarified that "I don't want a 60, I want an 80+". On the subject of EA Black Box, Gibeau said the publisher would not be changing its alternating studio strategy.At Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012, Criterion vice president Alex Ward announced that the days of random developers churning out yearly Need for Speed instalment were over. Ward would not confirm that all Need for Speed titles for the future would developed wholly by Criterion, but did say that the studio would have "strong involvement" in them.

source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_Speed_Rivals