Need for Speed Rivals | Weapons, Gaming Mechanics and Unlockable Abilities | FTW September…
dmcdonagh
2013-09-13
It stinks of petrol. It's got well over 100,000 miles on the clock and we love it. Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries visit gamescom 2013 in Cologne to discuss the new features of Need for Speed Rivals with producer Leanne Loombe.
Players can choose the role of a racer or a cop, though the objective remains the same; collecting Speed Points. Racers can earn points to spend on upgrades and cars by taking risks and banking them before they are busted by the cops. Cops accumulate more Speed Points by busting racers and moving their vehicle through the ranks of Patrol, Enforcer and Undercover.
A whole range of pursuit technology is available, with equipment ranging from spike strips all the way to EMPs. These additions are intended to add to the chaotic and hectic experience of Need for Speed Rivals, allowing players the variety and choice to play the way they want.
Let's get down to the mechanics, we're playing Rivals as either a Racer or a Cop. How do those experiences differ?
So the whole game is about earning Speed Points, so as a Racer I need to earn as many Speed Points as possible and I have this risk reward system. So if I'm out in the world doing a race I'll earn some Speed Points. I then have to decide how long I want to stay out in the world before I get busted by a racer, because if I do get busted by a racer he'll then steal all of my Speed Points. If I bank my Speed Points, then their mine to keep and then I can go and buy cars or upgrades.
As a Cop, we're told there is a Patrol, Enforcer and Undercover Cop. Is Undercover a sort of bleed between Racer and Cop?
So as you progress, you'll start with Patrol version of that cop car, then you'll unlock Enforcer and then Undercover Cop. So it's just part of Cop progression as you go through and earn Speed Points and you bust more Racers.
We've got eleven unlockable abilities, we're talking EMP's, shockwaves and roadblocks. What else is on that list that we haven't seen yet?
So we've got Pursuit Take Back which is obviously a big thing, you had some of that in Hot Pursuit. Of course you've got spike strips, roadblocks, helicopters, Turbo Nitro and more other things for you to use as well.
A lot of people are very excited about Death Match, it feels like you've brought certain aspects of first person shooters to the racer genre. Is that something you thought about? Trying to bring that sort of first person shooter aspect to it?
I think it's more about making Need for Speed chaotic and it's all about play the way you want to play, so if you're in that world with three people it like yeah, I wanna fire a weapon, I wanna run away, I wanna be chased or I wanna do a race. It's just all about having that variety and that's really important.
