Need For Speed Heat Revisited
Why I returned to Palm City
I’m no stranger to the Need for Speed series. I’ve played through the majority of the titles on my PlayStation 4 and have been eagerly awaiting the next installment when EA decides to release it at some point in 2022.
I was lucky enough to win the PlayStation 5 lottery and was able to buy the latest generation console directly through Sony for retail price back in July, but the problem with owning the latest console is the lack of titles for the system early in its launch phase. I’ve been able to experience Fortnite and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in all of their 4K and 60 frames per second glory, but there’s a next-gen racing game void to be filled when it comes to the PS5.
Fortunately, the PS5 is compatible with most PS4 games and I was able to sync my old PS4 external hard drive to my PS5, allowing me to play the titles I had already downloaded to the PS4 instantly on my PS5. This time around, I wanted to experience some of the other cars I hadn’t raced with when I first played the game over a year ago.
Gameplay
For those who haven’t read my original Need for Speed Heat review, you start the game off with the option of choosing between three cars, a ’65 Ford Mustang, an ’88 BMW M3 Evolution II, and a ’96 Nissan 180SX Type X. In my last playthrough, I chose the Nissan, but because I wanted to drive cars I wouldn’t normally pick, I chose the BMW M3. Later on, I tried out an ’02 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R and had a lot of fun with it.
You race with your car in one of two types of races, Day and Night. Day races are organized, legal, and earn you cash or “Bank” which is used to buy new cars, parts, and accessories for your vehicles. Night races are impromptu and riskier, with you weaving in and out of nighttime traffic to earn “Rep.” The higher your reputation level, the more cars, and advanced car parts you unlock to be able to purchase with your earned “Bank.”
Story missions associated with specific characters and races are locked behind car level and Rep level requirements. While the difference in the difficulty of Day and Night races is refreshing, it manifests as an artificial game lengthener or AGL.
A simpler solution to this game mechanic (car pun intended) would be to bundle both Bank and Rep into Day and Night races to provide a greater sense of progression. However, if you’re playing for the first time, expect to grind night races to earn Rep to be able to continue the main story. In my first post on the game, I noted that it won’t matter if you have a quarter of a million dollars in your bank account to the in-game vendor; if you don’t have a high enough Rep level, you can’t buy the cars and parts you need.
Night races also come with the associated risk of being caught by the police. Being caught means the police take a large chunk of your Bank away and your “Heat” multiplier returns to 1x, meaning you earn a significantly smaller amount of Rep for completing night races. It’s almost as if the game punishes you for playing night races if you get caught, and that was the biggest complaint I had about NFS Heat during my second playthrough.
Final thoughts
Need For Speed Heat is a solid racing game with a massive amount of potential cars and upgrades to choose from. While some of the game mechanics can get annoying, there isn’t anything quite as satisfying as flying down roads at over 150 miles an hour in a dream car you love.
I found myself racing again with a C7 generation Corvette Grand Sport, pictured in the thumbnail because I immediately fell in love with it in my last playthrough. Modding that car to the max was just as rewarding as it was the first time; bringing the 0–60 miles per hour time down from 3.6 seconds to under 2.2 seconds is both fun and scary fast in practice at the same time.
If you’re looking for a respectable racing game or an extra stocking stuffer this holiday season, Need for Speed Heat is a great option. I bought the game originally on sale for $30, but at the time of writing this article, you can find a new copy for a little under $20 at GameStop, Best Buy, and Target.
