Need for Speed Payback

Last updated
Need for Speed Payback
Need for Speed Payback standard edition cover art.jpg
Cover art featuring a Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V·Spec, BMW M5 and Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe 265 V8 escaping from the police.
Developer(s) Ghost Games [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Director(s) William Ho
Producer(s)
  • Jeremy Chubb
  • Patrick Honnoraty
  • Johan Peitz
  • John Wikberg
Designer(s) Riley Cooper
Programmer(s) Jonathan Janesjö
Artist(s) Abdul Khaliq
Writer(s)
  • Daniel Roy
  • Zack Betka
  • Ben Blumenthal
  • Mikael Hedberg
Composer(s) Joseph Trapanese
Series Need for Speed
Engine Frostbite 3
Platform(s) PlayStation 4
Windows
Xbox One
ReleaseNovember 10, 2017
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Need for Speed Payback is a 2017 racing video game developed by Ghost Games and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on November 10, 2017. [1] It is the twenty-third installment in the Need for Speed series. It received mixed reviews from critics. It was succeeded by Need for Speed Heat in 2019.

Contents

Gameplay

Need for Speed Payback is a racing game set in an open world environment of Fortune Valley; a fictional version of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is focused on "action driving" and has three playable characters (each with different sets of skills) working together to pull off action movie-like sequences. In contrast with the previous game, it also features a 24-hour day-night cycle. [2] Unlike the 2015 Need for Speed reboot, Payback includes an offline single-player mode. [3]

Payback features a total of 74 vehicles with downloadable contents. Toyota, Scion and Ferrari are not involved in the game due to licensing issues. However, the Subaru BRZ appears in the game. [4] Aston Martin, Audi, Buick, Jaguar, Koenigsegg, Land Rover, Mercury, Pagani, and Plymouth make their return after their absence from the 2015 installment, while Alfa Romeo, Infiniti, Mini and Pontiac were added via downloadable content.

Plot

Tyler "Ty" Morgan (Jack Derges), Sean "Mac" McAlister (David Ajala), Jessica "Jess" Miller (Jessica Madsen) and mechanic Ravindra "Rav" Chaudhry (Ramon Tikaram) are part of a crew in Silver Rock, Fortune Valley. Fixer Lina Navarro (Dominique Tipper) tasks them with stealing a precious Koenigsegg Regera belonging to Marcus "The Gambler" Weir. However, as Tyler arrives at the drop point, he finds Rav knocked out. Lina appears, revealing that she set up Tyler and his crew to take the fall for the stolen car and she drives away, leaving them at the mercy of the oncoming police force. Upon learning that Lina betrayed both of them, Weir initially considers leaving Tyler to be arrested, but instead protects Tyler, planning their revenge.

Six months later, working as a valet for Weir, Tyler spots Lina threatening Weir to hand over the casino to The House, a cartel who controls Fortune Valley's underworld. Frustrated at the lack of progress, he decides to take matters into his own hands. Contacting The House as a racer, he enters a race and wins it, despite Lina having rigged the race for profit. Weir proposes Tyler a way to take down The House and Lina along with it. Tyler is to enter and win "The Outlaw's Rush", a massive street racing event that has the nation's top racers participating, which The House plans to rig for their own ends. Following the destruction of his home caused by Lina for ignoring her order during the fixed race, Tyler reassembles his old crew and they successfully defeat all rivaling racing leagues and are thus allowed to enter "The Outlaw's Rush". Simultaneously, Jess infiltrates the House and learns of their plans to take over the entire city.

At "The Outlaw's Rush", Tyler manages to win both the street and the offroad event with the help of all the race crews they allied with during the game, and in the end, defeats Navarro herself. Thus, Navarro and "The Collector" are defeated and the House's hold over Silver Rock is broken.

In a post-credits scene, Mr. Kobashi, a customer whom Jess had driven, calls Weir and tells him his gamble worked, and that "The Collector" is finished. He welcomes Weir to Arkwright, the true power behind the House.

Development

In January 2016, Ghost Games began development on the next Need for Speed game to be released in 2017. [5] Electronic Arts later confirmed in their January 2017 earnings call that the next game in the franchise was in development and set to be launched during EA's fiscal year 2018 (comprising from April 2017 to March 2018). [6]

Reception

Need for Speed Payback received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [8] [9] [7]

Luke Reilly of IGN praised Electronic Arts for repairing the problems of the game's predecessor, Need for Speed , but criticized its "scripted" story, lack of police chases during free roam, scripted police chases, loot box-like mechanisms during customization, poor car handling, unrealistic car damage and several other issues. [13] PC World criticized the game for being full of microtransactions, the severely limited customizability of cars, gameplay mechanics, a lack of cockpit view and several more issues, and compared it harshly to the Forza Horizon series. [15]

According to The NPD Group, Payback was the eighth best-selling title in the United States in November 2017. [16]

YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2017 Game Critics Awards Best Racing GameNominated [17]
Gamescom 2017Best Racing GameNominated [18]
2018National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers AwardsSong CollectionNominated [19]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work done by Lucid Games.

Related Research Articles

Need for Speed (NFS) is a racing game franchise published by Electronic Arts and currently developed by Criterion Games, the developers of Burnout. The series generally centers around illegal street racing and tasks players to complete various types of races while evading the local law enforcement in police pursuits. The series is one of EA's oldest franchises not published under their EA Sports brand. The series released its first title, The Need for Speed, in 1994. The most recent game, Need for Speed Unbound, was released on December 2, 2022. Additionally, a free-to-play mobile installment released in 2015, Need for Speed: No Limits, is actively developed by Firemonkeys Studios, the developers of Real Racing 3.

<i>The Matrix: Path of Neo</i> 2005 action-adventure video game

The Matrix: Path of Neo is a 2005 action-adventure video game developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Atari. The game was written and co-directed by the Wachowskis, who wrote and directed the first three The Matrix films and the 2003 video game Enter the Matrix, also developed by Shiny Entertainment. Players control the character Neo, participating in scenes from the films.

<i>Test Drive Unlimited</i> 2006 video game

Test Drive Unlimited is a 2006 racing video game developed by Eden Games and published by Atari for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Atari Melbourne House developed the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions. Being the eighteenth entry in the Test Drive series, Unlimited serves as a reboot of the franchise, discarding the continuity of the previous games. The game features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and the terrain is modeled after the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu that features over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of roads and highways.

<i>Cars</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Cars is a 2006 adventure racing game published by THQ. The game is based on the 2006 film of the same name. It was released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable in June 2006, with versions for the Xbox 360 and Wii released later that year. The Wii version includes functionality geared towards its Wii Remote controller and was a launch game for the system. Taking place after the events of the film, the game follows Lightning McQueen as he participates in the new racing season with his goal set on finally winning the Piston Cup. While doing so, he races and trains with the local community of Radiator Springs.

<i>Madden NFL 07</i> 2006 American football video game

Madden NFL 07 is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the first in the video game series to debut for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles as launch titles and the last Madden game to be released on the Game Boy Advance. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is on the cover.

<i>Stacked with Daniel Negreanu</i> 2006 video game

Stacked with Daniel Negreanu, known as simply Stacked, is a poker video game by American studio 5000 ft, released in 2006, featuring the titular professional championship player, Daniel Negreanu. Other pros also make an appearance, including Evelyn Ng, Juan Carlos Mortensen, and Erick Lindgren. The game's style of poker is Texas hold'em.

<i>Pool Paradise</i> 2004 video game

Pool Paradise is a 2004 pocket billiards video game, developed by Awesome Studios, and published by Ignition Entertainment, released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and GameCube. The game is the fourth game to be endorsed by professional snooker and pool player Jimmy White.

<i>World Series of Poker</i> (video game) 2005 video game

World Series of Poker is a video game based on the popular gambling tournament World Series of Poker. It is succeeded by World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions and World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets. It was released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, and Windows.

<i>NBA 07</i> 2006 basketball video game

NBA 07 is a basketball video game which was released on September 26, 2006. It was developed by San Diego Studio for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable versions and by A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games for the PlayStation 2 version. It is the second installment of the NBA series by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the first one for the PlayStation 3. It was one of three PlayStation 3 titles released at launch that supported the 1080p high definition video output. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers served as the cover athlete.

<i>Deal or No Deal</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Deal or No Deal is a video game based upon the television show of the same name. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii, iOS, and BlackBerry, and is available as a DVD TV game. There are two different versions available: a North American version and a United Kingdom version.

<i>Fire Pro Wrestling Returns</i> 2005 video game

Fire Pro Wrestling Returns, known in Japan as Fi-Pro Returns, is a professional wrestling video game that was released in 2005 in Japan, and was released on November 13, 2007, in North America and February 8, 2008, in Italy, Spain and Portugal. The game is part of the Fire Pro Wrestling series.

<i>Soldier of Fortune: Payback</i> 2007 video game

Soldier of Fortune: Payback is a first-person shooter video game and the third installment of the Soldier of Fortune franchise, following Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. It is the first game of the series released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game was released on November 13, 2007. The game involves a revenge plot against a worldwide terrorist organization.

<i>NFL Blitz Pro</i> 2003 video game

NFL Blitz Pro is a video game developed by Midway Games for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2003.

<i>Need for Speed: Shift</i> 2009 racing video game

Need for Speed: Shift is a 2009 racing video game developed by Slightly Mad Studios in conjunction with EA Bright Light and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows Mobile, MeeGo and J2ME. It is the thirteenth installment in the Need for Speed franchise.

<i>Red Dead</i> Video game series

Red Dead is a series of Western-themed action-adventure games published by Rockstar Games. The first entry in the series, Red Dead Revolver, was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in May 2004. Originally developed by Capcom, Red Dead Revolver borrowed elements from their 1985 arcade title Gun.Smoke, to which it was intended to be a spiritual successor, but the game was cancelled in 2002. Subsequently, after acquiring the rights, Rockstar purchased Red Dead Revolver and expanded on it.

<i>Game of Thrones</i> (2014 video game) 2014 video game by Telltale

Game of Thrones, also known as Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series, is an episodic graphic adventure game developed and published by Telltale Games for Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It is based on the television series of the same name.

<i>Need for Speed</i> (2015 video game) 2015 racing video game

Need for Speed is a 2015 online racing video game developed by Ghost Games and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2015, while a Windows version released in March 2016. It is the twenty-second installment in the Need for Speed series, and is a reboot of the franchise.

<i>Project CARS 3</i> 2020 racing video game

Project CARS 3 is a racing video game developed by Codemasters subsidiary Slightly Mad Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was first released on 28 August 2020 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game was poorly received by the public, being criticized for a departure from its features compared to its predecessors. It is the last mainline instalment in the Project CARS series as the development for the fourth installment was cancelled by Slightly Mad's owner, Electronic Arts in November 2022.

<i>Need for Speed Heat</i> 2019 racing video game developed by Ghost Games

Need for Speed Heat is a 2019 racing video game developed by Ghost Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It is the twenty-fourth installment in the Need for Speed series and commemorates the series' 25th anniversary. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who mostly found the game to be an improvement over the 2015 Need for Speed reboot and Payback but not enough to be a full return to form for the franchise.

References

  1. ↑ McCormick, Rich (2017-06-02). "EA's new Need for Speed: Payback looks very fast and fairly furious". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  2. ↑ Reilly, Luke (June 2, 2017). "Need For Speed Payback Looks Faster, More Furious". IGN . Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (May 10, 2017). "The New Need for Speed Lets You Play Single-Player Offline". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Toyota's absence from the game was confirmed on Reddit". Archived from the original on 2018-04-22. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  5. ↑ "New Need For Speed Officially Announced With First Trailer And Screens". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  6. ↑ EA Confirms New Need for Speed Will Be Out in Next Fiscal Year - IGN, February 2017, archived from the original on 2021-02-14, retrieved 2021-02-10
  7. 1 2 "Need for Speed Payback for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Need for Speed Payback for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Need for Speed Payback for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  10. ↑ Carsillo, Ray (November 7, 2017). "Need for Speed Payback review". Electronic Gaming Monthly . EGM Media, LLC. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  11. ↑ Wakeling, Richard (November 6, 2017). "Need for Speed Payback Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  12. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (November 7, 2017). "Need for Speed Payback review: "Silly, over the top and a little bit self-indulgent, but in a fantastic action movie way."". GamesRadar . Future plc. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  13. 1 2 Reilly, Luke (November 6, 2017). "Need for Speed Payback Review". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  14. ↑ Good, Owen S. (November 11, 2017). "Need for Speed Payback review". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  15. ↑ Dingman, Hayden (November 10, 2017). "Need for Speed: Payback review: Pouring loot boxes on a tire fire". PC World . International Data Group. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  16. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (December 14, 2017). "Top 20 Best-Selling Games In The US For November 2017". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2017 (2017 Nominees)". Game Critics Awards . Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  18. ↑ Khan, Zubi (August 21, 2017). "Gamescom 2017 Award Nominees". CGM. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Nominee List for 2017". Archived from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.