Need for Speed: Payback addictively combines elements from a wide variety of classic arcade racers with the freedom of open-world exploration. The game does an excellent job of catering to all sorts of smaller niches in the larger world of car culture. Whether you prefer track-ready racers, stanced tuners, janky drift rockets, off-road warriors, or even the most exquisite of hypercars, Payback has something to pique your automotive interest.
The car-to-car driving physics in this game are challenging, but fun and rewarding at the same time. This isn’t in the neighborhood of a true-to-life wheel-only simulators, since even turning on sequential shifting seems a bit pointless, but it at least does a good job at translating the nuances of different cars’ handling through the controller. A few cars I drove early on in the game demonstrated the differences perfectly. The Speedhunters BMW M5 I drove felt determined, the bring-a-trailer Datsun 370 required actual effort to defeat a first-gen Miata, and the Koenigsegg Regera was just stupidly fast.
The game has five distinct car classes in Race, Off-Road, Drift, Drag, and Runner, with each class having various racing series you gradually unlock. This is where you take on speciality crews who have cars that are highly modified for that classification, defeating everything in sight until you have a chance at that crew’s boss. Although the large amount of races in a series do present an ever-escalating challenge, it can get a bit boring having to compete against the same enemies for the first few real hours of the post-intro game.
Customization is at the heart of NFS: Payback.
While the part of the game I played contained mainly Race-class events and story missions, I did get a chance to also compete in an off-road series with one of my starter cars, a Subaru WRX hatchback. Although the races are still fun, driving a car on dirt in this game is like driving on asphalt with slightly less acceleration and more controller rumble, only made unique via the inclusion of large jumps and the improved likelihood of needing a car wash afterwards.
As for drag, runner, and drift modes, I did get a small taste. The stanced-out BRZ one of the main characters hops into towards the beginning was a lot of fun to get sideways once I got a hang of the game’s simple, yet rewarding drifting system. I didn’t have the opportunity to purchase a runner or a drag car to partake in any events, but I did get to try the BMW M5 on multiple occasions, which can be used in either class. Needless to say, at 600hp from the factory, it will most likely be sufficient in both disciplines.
Car customization is at the heart of NFS: Payback. The performance modifications are simple enough for the general audience, while still remaining interesting to a more experienced racer. The game really encourages you to spend your in-game currency too. I found myself losing races on many occasions and having to bitterly accept the fact that I needed to spend cash on a new transmission instead of getting an Aventador as my 3rd ride.
When it come to aesthetic customization, the game has thousands upon thousands of options for all of your individual cars, which will enable players to make truly unique vehicles. The developers clearly know tuning culture well, with all sorts of real-world tuning brands contributing parts and decals to the game. I had to contain my joy when I got to slap a “DRIFTWORKS”, “HELLAFLUSH”, and “illest” sticker on the back of my dangerously over-cambered WRX with a stance millimeters away from bottoming-out over a Poptart. Need For Speed’s in-game camera system is near-seamlessly integrated too, and will let you take cool pictures of your ride at the push of a button all over the game world.
My overall experience with NFS: Payback was a positive one. This game is a highly-polished arcade racer with single-player RPG elements that excites you in the way an over-the-top action movie car chase does. Sometimes you want to forget about automotive realities and just watch gorgeous cars do impossible things. Even approaching the game from my hardcore sim racing background, I enjoy the idea of sitting on my couch with a controller, stepping away from the racing wheel, and spending hours progressing through this huge open-world while turning my street racer fantasies of yesteryear into a digital reality.
Cisco Zarandin-Araneta is a Social Media Producer, and spends his weekends hot lapping Laguna Seca, virtually. You can find him on Twitter.”
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