When the idyllic forests and glittering coasts of Redview County are screaming by your window, there’s precious little time to appreciate online functionality like Alldrive. Which, in a way, suggests how well it’s been implemented in the blazing-fast Need for Speed Rivals.
From the newly minted Ghost Games in Gothenburg, Sweden, Rivals launches alongside PS4 on November 15th. It puts players firmly behind the wheel of either a cop or racer in a massive network of roads, laced through boiling desert and rainy hills. Rivals made an impressive appearance at the PS4 launch event here in New York City, with a live demonstration of the Alldrive multiplayer functionality, and even a few perilous night races using PS Vita Remote Play.
With DualShock 4 in hand, I dropped into Redview — which was heavily inspired by the California coast — where several players were already burning through the map. Ghost Games’ Founder Marcus Nilsson was at my side as a fellow cop. No pressure. Pulling up alongside his beautiful patrol car, he started a pursuit event. One touch of L1 and we were in the event together, chasing after a group of racers that tore over dirt roads and asphalt alike. Neither menus nor load times separated the free-roaming drive and the multiplayer event.
By default, Need for Speed Rivals will place you in the drivable world of Redview County along with your friends online. But you can change that to a public setting to mix things up, or take on the adrenaline-pumping challenges solo. And there’s always something to do in Rivals, given that Assignments (cops) and Speedlist items (racers) dot the right side of the screen. Completing these activities will earn you better cars and game-changing upgrades, and they keep you locked into the thrill of the chase.
Both cops and racers have access to special tech that enhances the tactical variety of every race. Cops, for example, can deploy electrical fields, or fire off debilitating shockwaves that punch cars right off the road. Meanwhile, racers break the limits and laws with turbo boosts and jammers.
With 100 miles of drivable road — not including the twisting shortcuts throughout — there’s much to see and more to do in Need for Speed Rivals. And the team at Ghost Games has targeted a consistent 30 frames per second, along with native 1080p, which makes Rivals look quite stunning — especially at such high speeds. Furthermore, you can bring Rivals onto PS Vita with Remote Play. It only took seconds for the Vita to take control of Rivals, and then all the sights and sounds of Redview popped on the portable’s screen with surprising fidelity.
Need for Speed Rivals launches alongside PS4 later this week on November 15th. Whether you’re a driver with a whole crew of racing buddies, or a lone wolf hungry for a challenge, Rivals wants to keep your car running and your knuckles white.
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