
Sometimes, speed alone isn't enough to outdistance the competition. It's an interesting game of chicken that challenges you to push further for more points without making a critical mistake and losing it all. Police lose Speedpoints if their vehicle is destroyed in the chase. The higher a racer's Heat level, the bigger the rewards for busting him. The same principle goes for the police, except they obviously can't bust themselves.

The risk? Totaling your car or getting busted by police means losing all those hard-earned points. The latter is obviously the safe way to go the former offers high risk for a higher reward. When the cops are on your tail, you have two options: Try evade them (and rack up more Speedpoints), or bank your stash in a hideout. Crazy driving earns you points, but it also raises your Heat level, which attracts police. There are ample opportunities to gain Speedpoints, but, for racers at least, they come with a price. Even if you're a racer, you'll find that the customization isn't terribly deep, so you're likely to spend most of your points on Pursuit Tech. If you're a cop, you can only buy Pursuit Tech-there's no pimping out your squad car. If you're a racer, Speedpoints work as a currency you can use to customize your car or purchase the new Pursuit Tech feature (more on that in a bit). The Need for Speedpoints Racers and cops must best challenges such as finishing first place in a race or busting a certain number of racers to advance through the game, and each successful event, pursuit, or drift generates Speedpoints. And it's fun! Check out the Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport games for more-realistic racing simulations. Drifting a corner at 200 miles per hour or pulling a 180-degree turn in a heartbeat is unrealistic, but it reflects Need for Speed's arcade-game nature. Pushing them to the limits of possibility and beyond is what makes this game so much fun.

Staples such as Ford, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all make appearances, but it's high-end performance vehicles from Bugatti, Ferrari, McLaren, and Pagani that are the true gems. There are many cars that you can blaze down Redview County's roads. Likewise, small towns and construction sites add a tasty flavor to the county's far reaches.

This racers' heaven has drift-friendly winding roads and straight passages you can use to push your car to its limit. The Wild, Wild Redview County Redview County is the Need for Speed: Rivals battleground. I reviewed the Xbox One ($200.00 at eBay) version, but Need for Speed: Rivals is also available for PlayStation 4 ($499.00 at Amazon), Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Even with a few rough spots, Need for Speed: Rivals unleashes your inner racer (or cop) and provides an exhilarating ride from start to finish. The developers went all out for this edition, creating an expansive environment filled with dream cars and single- and multi-player challenges. But don't mistake this game for a simple rehash: Tweaks to the formula make Rivals the most impressive Need for Speed installment to date. The eternal conflict between racers and cops drives Need for Speed: Rivals ($59.99), the latest entry in a long-running series.
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