Franchise Focus - Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2)
We're back to racing, and we're on a new console generation. Welcome, everyone, to Need for Speed on the Playstation 2.
Now, we're jumping up a generation in consoles, so it's pretty expectant to say that everything about this game is an improvement from the earlier titles. However there was one thing about the game that sort of plateaued in my opinion, but we can get to that later. Let's dive into this one.
This game acts like a direct "sequel" (don't worry I'm using that term very loosely in this situation) to the first Hot Pursuit title. Your focus is not only on competing in and winning races, but also evading the force of police that will be present on the track with you.
The first and most noticeable improvement you'll notice immediately is the graphics. Everything is so much more smooth and clear. Any weather effects or visual differences look a lot more realistic then they did on the PS1. For instance, one of the tracks has a small group of firefighters putting out a little fire in the forest. As you approach this area you'll have your vision slightly invaded by not only smoke from the fire, but a soft mist from the spray of the hoses as well. It's these little unnecessary things that really show off how much more the games can do on the newer console.
Another really big change in the games is the new approach to tracks, and to me this is my favorite thing of all. Previously, tracks were just tracks in and of themselves. One single course, set in any number of different environments. In this game though, you get the environments themselves, with tons of roads winding and turning throughout. Your track can be any number of layouts within the environment. So you may see a lot of the same stuff, but you can see it from a different direction, or turn into it from closer or further away. This makes for a feeling of a near-infinite amount of tracks which is so great, it helps make the game feel a bit more open instead of stamping a limit on the number of tracks you'll encounter.
However, it's the car selection and the race modes that were a little disheartening. For the cars, it was more specifically the variety, or lack of it. With the new console generation, these games on the PS2 can hold a lot more info than they could on a PS1 disc, so you would expect lines and lines of cars waiting to be raced. Sadly, that's not the case. It felt more like they just pulled the old car list from Hot Pursuit or High Stakes and gave some models an alternate variation. They're still broken down into classes, and which race you're entering can determine which class of car you get to choose from.
Speaking of the race modes, these didn't change at all either. Which is equal parts upsetting and understandable. You can only do so many different types of races and, with the then current state of the Need for Speed franchise, they had reached that limit. Straight up lap races, knockout races, sprints, time trials...they're all back, and they're just as much fun as they were previously. And Hot Pursuit 2 does see a slight extension of gameplay with the return of Porsche Unleashed's "Factory Driver" mode, renamed to "Ultimate Racer". You're given a mission tree of 30 different racing challenges, divided up by tiers that you need to progress through. The deeper into the tiers you get, the more you'll get to drive the higher classed cars.
So for a console jump, this is all smooth and great sailing for the series. While it overall just feels like they brought the original Hot Pursuit, mixed in some enhancements and re-released it, it still brings a lot more with it too. You can still experience things from the police side as well, with more options for calling in backup to help you arrest the racers. Fun game and a great addition to the franchise.
Except it's also the last entry in the "traditional" Need for Speed games, because next up we're going Underground as the franchise takes more of a focus on tuner style cars rather than exotics.
Now, we're jumping up a generation in consoles, so it's pretty expectant to say that everything about this game is an improvement from the earlier titles. However there was one thing about the game that sort of plateaued in my opinion, but we can get to that later. Let's dive into this one.
This game acts like a direct "sequel" (don't worry I'm using that term very loosely in this situation) to the first Hot Pursuit title. Your focus is not only on competing in and winning races, but also evading the force of police that will be present on the track with you.
The first and most noticeable improvement you'll notice immediately is the graphics. Everything is so much more smooth and clear. Any weather effects or visual differences look a lot more realistic then they did on the PS1. For instance, one of the tracks has a small group of firefighters putting out a little fire in the forest. As you approach this area you'll have your vision slightly invaded by not only smoke from the fire, but a soft mist from the spray of the hoses as well. It's these little unnecessary things that really show off how much more the games can do on the newer console.
Another really big change in the games is the new approach to tracks, and to me this is my favorite thing of all. Previously, tracks were just tracks in and of themselves. One single course, set in any number of different environments. In this game though, you get the environments themselves, with tons of roads winding and turning throughout. Your track can be any number of layouts within the environment. So you may see a lot of the same stuff, but you can see it from a different direction, or turn into it from closer or further away. This makes for a feeling of a near-infinite amount of tracks which is so great, it helps make the game feel a bit more open instead of stamping a limit on the number of tracks you'll encounter.
Speaking of the race modes, these didn't change at all either. Which is equal parts upsetting and understandable. You can only do so many different types of races and, with the then current state of the Need for Speed franchise, they had reached that limit. Straight up lap races, knockout races, sprints, time trials...they're all back, and they're just as much fun as they were previously. And Hot Pursuit 2 does see a slight extension of gameplay with the return of Porsche Unleashed's "Factory Driver" mode, renamed to "Ultimate Racer". You're given a mission tree of 30 different racing challenges, divided up by tiers that you need to progress through. The deeper into the tiers you get, the more you'll get to drive the higher classed cars.
So for a console jump, this is all smooth and great sailing for the series. While it overall just feels like they brought the original Hot Pursuit, mixed in some enhancements and re-released it, it still brings a lot more with it too. You can still experience things from the police side as well, with more options for calling in backup to help you arrest the racers. Fun game and a great addition to the franchise.
Except it's also the last entry in the "traditional" Need for Speed games, because next up we're going Underground as the franchise takes more of a focus on tuner style cars rather than exotics.
Next Up :
