Need for Speed The Run

Need for Speed: The Run is a racing video game, the 18th title in the long-running Need for Speed franchise, and developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in North America on November 15, 2011 and November 18, 2011 in Europe.
The game is described as an "illicit, high-stakes race across the country. The only way to get your life back is to be the first from San Francisco to New York. No speed limits. No rules. No allies. All you have are your driving skills and sheer determination".
According to EA Black Box producers Jason DeLong and Steve Anthony, Need for Speed The Run was developed to obtain critical acclaim after their last installment, Need for Speed Undercover, was slammed by most game critics. Need for Speed The Run had been in production for three years despite earlier Need for Speed titles, which have had notably shorter development periods.
The Run uses the Frostbite 2 game engine developed by DICE to create unparalleled visual quality, animation and physics.
==Gameplay==
An XP system is utilized in The Run in a similar manner as seen in Shift 2: Unleashed and Hot Pursuit. XP points can be obtained by performing car stunts, overtaking racers and instances of dangerous driving. These points are required to raise the player's driver level and unlock new game content.
The Career Mode of the game is divided into ten stages. Each stage of the Career Mode includes a series of racing events. The first stage of The Run starts in San Franciso on the West Coast with the last one taking place in New York.
The handling of the game is said to be a mixture of Hot Pursuit and Shift. It is designed to be accessible for beginners yet retain to be challenging for advanced players. Nitrous is available in any event of the game and will automatically recharge itself after usage.
Cars handle fictitiously similar to their real life examples although with an arcade overlay and will greatly differ from each other depending on the type of vehicle that they are. The Run uses a handling rating for each car stating between a rating from Easy to Expert.
The damage system is similar to that seen in Hot Pursuit although a race will immediately end if the player wrecks their vehicle without any checkpoint resets. A Rewind option allows the player to restart an event from their last checkpoint if they wreck their vehicle by a collision or by driving off the race course.
Rewinds are only available in limited quantities as their amount is dependent on the difficulity level that the player has selected; Easy has 10 Rewinds, Normal has 5 Rewinds, Hard has 3 Rewinds and Extreme has 1 Rewind as well as the most difficult AI opponents.
===Quick-Time Events===
The Run allows players to control their character during special on foot sequences. This gameplay element is in the form of quick time events meaning players will have to tap buttons on a controller when prompted although these events only make up a very small amount of the total game.
===Race Types===
Similar to Hot Pursuit, most events seen in the Run are sprint races. There are also Checkpoint Race Events. The game also features Battle Races, which are technically alike to Sprints, as well as Rival Races, which involves in the player competing with particular racers of The Run. In some events of the game, gas stations can be found, where the player can swap and visually modify their vehicle.
===Multiplayer===
Up to 16 players can participate in a single online match. A multiplayer trailer released on November 2nd, 2011 showcased a series of multiplayer matches. The multiplayer matches are split into differing game type playlists.
The player can select an event and vote towards the race course that the multiplayer game will be taking place on. Players will also take part in a reward system known as "The Bonus Wheel" which randomly selects a reward and required goal criteria for it.
The Run features various vehicle restricted race modes such as Exotic Sprint, Mixed Competition, Muscle Car Battles, NFS Edition Racing, The Underground and Supercar Challenge.
===Pursuits===
Pursuits can occur during certain Stages of The Run with each occurrence bringing a more powerful form of law enforcement.
The police in the game utilize roadblocks and occassionally perform ramming tactics. Police cars have a health bar displayed above their vehicles.
===Challenge Series===
The player can unlock a category of events within the Challenge Series by completing a Stages within the Career Mode.
Each category in the Challenge Series contains a series of events that are based off courses, events, circumstances and obstacles witnessed with the Career Mode. The player is also awarded medals based on their performance within each event.
===Vehicles and Customization===
Vehicles in The Run are divided into performance tiers and fitted with visual modifications. These pre-tuned vehicles are branded as special edition vehicles, namely Signature Edition and NFS Edition vehicles. Compared to their stock counterparts, they are performance tuned and often ranked in higher tiers.
The handling of each car is also given either an Easy, Normal, Challenging or Expert difficulty rating.Some vehicles are restricted to The Run mode. In this mode and during a race event, players can also swap their vehicle in gas stations, which are placed in certain locations.
A Team Need for Speed BMW Z4 GT3 can be unlocked in the game so long as the player has played Shift 2 Unleashed, Hot Pursuit, World or Undercover.
====Visual Customization====
In Need for Speed: The Run players can equip body kits on to their vehicles and also paint the vehicles. There are cosmetic body kits known as Style Pack kits and Aero Pack kits which affect aerodynamics as well as performance. Visual customization can be performed in gas stations and in the View Cars Mode.
===Autolog===
EA announced that the social network Autolog will be more enhanced than seen in previous games.The split timer of the Stage leader has now been updated second-by-second which indicates how close the player is to beating their time.
Players are rewarded additional XP and new vehicles for beating times as wll Autolog Recommendations. Players are also able to check the career progress of their friends.
The Run is able to integrate and communicate through Facebook.
==Plot==
Need for Speed: The Run features a linear story mode, which places the player in the shoes of Jackson "Jack" Rourke. After an incident leaves him in bad standing with a mysterious crime organization, Jack becomes a marked man and must flee for his survival. The consequence of his situation leaves him owing large sums of money, which he cannot pay on his own. He is directed to a massive illegal street racing event called "The Run" by an associate, Sam Harper. The Run is a 3000 mile (4828 km) journey across the continental USA, starting in San Francisco and ending in New York City. She informs him the prize money, $25,000,000, is enough to secure his freedom from the organization, but he has to beat over 200 other drivers to the finish line to win. To complicate things, he is in debt to both the police and the criminal organization, and both want to make sure that he never finishes the race.
==Development==
Since the release of Undercover, Black Box has been working on another entry to the franchise, presumably continuing the action focused street-racing gameplay of Black Box's previous titles. This game has an extended development window to give the developers a chance to create a game that "could really blow the doors off the category".It was confirmed that the game will feature a fictional storyline and characters.The game was first hinted early in November 2010 by Senior Vice President of EA Games Europe, Patrick Söderlund in a interview with Eurogamer, before the release of Hot Pursuit. Söderlund stated he want to alternate developers to give them time to make a good game. Eurogamer’s Robert Purchese asked, "You say there will be an arcade NFS game every year in November, but next year's game won't be developed by Criterion. Is it Black Box?" Söderlund stated "You can assume that, yes. Yes. I would say so, yes."
The game was originally set to be revealed at E3 2011, however, on April 28, 2011, a listing for Need for Speed: The Run appeared on UK retailer site ShopTo. Later, EA released the teaser trailer for all to see. On April 29, the firm confirmed the game's details."This is the year that Need for Speed goes to the next level," said Jason DeLong, executive producer at EA. "We think that Need for Speed: The Run is going to surprise people with its intense, thrilling story and big action feel. But the game would be nothing without hot cars and crazy-fast chases. So that is what we're delivering — explosive racing that will have players flirting with disaster at 200-miles an hour."EA Games Label president, Frank Gibeau stated that Need for Speed: The Run will offer "an edgier experience" than previous entries in the racing series.
The Run's lead development platform is the PlayStation 3.At E3 2011, it was announced that the PlayStation 3 version of the game includes seven exclusive cars, including the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, Hennessey Venom GT, Gumpert Apollo Sports, Lamborghini Countach 5000QV, Koenigsegg Agera R and Porsche Carrera GT.
EA Black Box said that the Frostbite 2 engine allows The Run to look stunning, stating that Frostbite 2 is not only the best engine it has used in a game to date, but "the most versatile" too.According to designer Alex Grimbley, it apparently took a year to re-purpose the tech for driving rather than shooting.The EA Black Box team, especially the artists, coders and designers, for the first time, worked collaboratively in small groups on The Run.Executive producer Jason DeLong stated that the Frostbite engine provides a more detailed cinematic environment and experience to the game.
The Run's producer Alex Grimbley confirmed that The Run would not feature any form of vehicle customization. "We decided against customization because that is not what The Run is about. It is an understandable stance given that is a whole new direction for the franchise. We want to focus on the story and the race itself." However, this statement was retracted after some trailers and screenshots of the game featured visually modified vehicles. A GameSpot trailer released on November 2, 2011 officially confirmation that body kits and selectable body paints can be placed on vehicles.
==Limited Edition==
The Limited Edition of The Run features three exclusive vehicles - the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S (991).
Players can also unlock access to five additional Challenge Series events that have been designed for the exclusive three Limited Edition vehicles.
==Challenge Series Bonus==
Pre-orders for Need for Speed: The Run come with special bonuses although these differ by retailer and edition ordered. The Pre-order bonuses are only available for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Need for Speed: The Run.
The Underground and Most Wanted Challenge Series' can be obtained through pre-order at different participating retailers. The Carbon Challenge Series can only be obtained through pre-ordering the title on EA's Origin Store.
Each Exclusive Challenge Series also include three new race events.
===Underground===
The "Underground Challenge Series" includes the Nissan 370Z and Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 as well as three exclusive Underground themed events in the Challenges Series.
The Nissan 370Z has a livery similar to Rachel's Nissan 350Z featured on Need for Speed: Underground 2's box art whilst the Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 has livery similar to that of Eddie's Skyline from Need for Speed: Underground.
===Most Wanted===
The "Most Wanted Challenge Series" includes the BMW E92 M3 GTS and Ford Mustang Boss 302 as well as three exclusive Most Wanted themed events in the Challenges Series.
The BMW E92 M3 GTS has a livery similar to the BMW M3 GTR first seen in Need for Speed: Most Wanted whilst the Ford Mustang Boss 302 has livery similar to that of Razor's Mustang from Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
===Carbon===
The "Carbon Challenge Series" includes the Corvette Z06 and Audi R8 as well as three exclusive Carbon themed events in the Challenges Series.
The Corvette Z06 has a livery similar to the Corvette Z06 driven by Cross in Need for Speed: Carbon whilst the Audi R8 has livery similar to that of Darius' Audi Quattro Le Mans from Need for Speed: Carbon.
==Marketing and Release==
Prior to its release, Need for Speed: The Run was marketed and promoted heavily through the use of numerous Internet and TV trailers. Famed Hollywood action director Michael Bay has directed a TV advertisement for the game. Talking about his venture of directing a trailer for a game, Michael Bay stated, "What I try to do with my trailers is to get your heart racing to the end of it." The advertisement features explosions, car crashes, supercars and police vehicle.
Buying the game through Origin comes with two special offers. These who pre-ordered the game received a PC Digital download for one of five past Need for Speed titles. Not only could the player get The Run, but also choose between Hot Pursuit, Shift 2: Unleashed, Shift, Undercover and Prostreet. The Need for Speed The Run Carbon Challenge Series was also included as a pre-order bonus. This offer was only available until November 14, 2011. These who buys the game after November 14 through Origin receives seven EA racing titles for only $79.99 ($159.99 value) that’s 50% off the Need for Speed Collection, which included The Run, Shift 2: Unleashed, Shift, Hot Pursuit, Undercover, Prostreet and Burnout Paradise. This offer was only available until December 31.
A demo of the game was released on Xbox Live first on October 18 (expired on November 1) and PlayStation Network on October 19 (also expired on November 1), a month ahead of the game's launch. The demo featured two levels: Desert Hills, California and Independence Pass, Colorado in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni, and supported a "refer a friend to download the demo" feature giving players access to a 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S. Autolog also implemented in the demo, allowing the player to compare best times with friends across the two tracks.
Need for Speed teamed up with HP and Vagrant Records to let fans decide which of the favorite bands they would like to see in The Run. The fans got a choice to vote for their favorite song and artist, which includes the song "Mama Taught Me Better" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Solar" by MonstrO and "Tropical Depression" by The Night Marchers, on The Run's official website.
To promote the game in Europe, EA and Need for Speed is conducting the 2011 Need for Speed European Spokesmodel Search. This continent wide search is set to discover two women with boundless energy, an outgoing personality and an edgy style fused with a passion for cars and gaming. The winners act as Need for Speed ambassadors at events throughout 2012, including representing Need for Speed products at high profile gaming events across Europe and the Team Need for Speed racing team in the prestigious FIA GT3 European Championship and Euro Drift program. Models searches are being conducted in five territories: France, Germany, Norway, Russia and the United Kingdom. Finalists was selected from each territory with the final two winners being announced in November in conjunction with the release of Need for Speed: The Run. To promote the game in US, Canada and UK, EA announced a competition, giving away one 2012 Porsche Carrera S. All the competitions had to do is enter by logging in with the EA account, or register for free.
Electronic Arts and Sports Illustrated have announced a marketing partnership for the Need for Speed franchise, "bringing together the worlds of fashion, video games, cars and beauty in a first-of-its-kind partnership." EA announced that the likenesses of 2011 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model Irina Shayk and model Chrissy Teigen appears in the game as part of a promotional deal struck between the game publisher and popular sports magazine. The cross promotion isn’t limited to the models appearance in the game. Sports Illustrated is a featured advertiser on billboards that appear in the gamescape. S.I. offers a bundle that see buyers receive a six-month "All Access" subscription to Sports Illustrated, a copy of Need for Speed: The Run for PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, and a Making of Need for Speed: The Run documentary DVD starring the two swimsuit models for $50.
Electronic Arts and Adidas collaborated to produce 100 pair of shoes tied into Need for Speed: The Run. "Our goal with Need for Speed is to be more than just a video game franchise, as we view ourselves as a leader in youth and automotive culture as well," said Kevin Maher, senior director of marketing at EA. The first 50 pair of shoes was available at the Adidas Originals Chicago store on October 10, with another 50 available at the San Francisco store on October 22. The first to purchase the shoes was invited to "exclusive kick-off" events at the stores a few days later.
==Downloadable Content==
===Timer Savers Pack===
The "Time Savers Pack" was released alongside the launch of the title. The pack allows players of The Run can to instantly unlocks all vehicles in the game as well as profile icons, backgrounds and badges.
It costs 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360 or $9.99 on the PlayStation 3.
===Dr.Pepper Prizes===
Dr Pepper released a series of downloadable "Dr Pepper Prizes" for Need for Speed: The Run such as Autolog profile icons and a 1000 XP bonus. The prizes also include three exclusive Dr Pepper edition and performance modified vehicle variations;
*Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Limited Edition
*Ford GT
*Porsche 911 GT2
Players have to get a code from a Dr Pepper cap and redeem it in the homepage of Dr Pepper in order to obtain the prizes.
===Old Spice "Smell Faster" Pack===
The "Old Spice 'Smell Faster' Pack" was made available for free download for American and Canadian players of The Run on December 8, 2011. Players have to sign into OldSpice.EA.com to choose their favourite Old Spice scent and the platform that they're playing on.
This will unlock three performance tuned and Old Spice edition vehicle variations;
*Ford Mustang Boss 302 (1969)
*Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
*Nissan 200SX (S14)
It will also unlock the Old Spice Challenge Series.
===Signature Edition Booster Pack===
On December 14, 2011 Need For Speed's YouTube channel released a trailer announcing the release of the Signature Edition Booster Pack for December 20th, 2011 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. No PC release was announced.
The booster pack includes 9 Signature Edition vehicles variations;
*Nissan "Mega" GT-R SpecV
*Porsche "Falken" 911 GT3 RS 4.0
*Subaru "Scoundrel" Impreza WRX STi
*Chevrolet "Puppet" El Camino SS
*Ford "Conroy" GT
*Nissan "Fatlace" Skyline 2000 GT-R
*Mazda "Nicolas" RX-7 RZ
*BMW "Victory" M3 E30 Sport Evolution
*Nissan "Venom" 370Z.
===The Italian Pack===
EA Russia released a trailer for the Italian Pack on January 25th, 2012 although it was soon removed. The trailer slated the packs release date as January 31st 2012 as well as 2 Challenge Series categories consisting of 5 events for the cars within the pack.
The Italian Pack includes 7 vehicles;
*Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione
*Lamborghini Diablo SV
*Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera
*Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione
*Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale
*Maserati MC12
*Pagani Zonda R
===Heroes and Villains Pack===
The Heroes and Villains Pack is a re-release of the previously pre-order only Underground, Most Wanted & Carbon Challenge Series events as well as the Limited Edition Challenge Series including the Limited Edition cars.
The pack was made available released on the PlayStation Network Store and Xbox LIVE Marketplace on February 28th, 2012.
==Soundtrack==
This is the soundtrack of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC version of Need for Speed: The Run. The Wii and 3DS version of the game use a different soundtrack, composed of remixed Need for Speed II, Hot Pursuit (1998), High Stakes songs and other.
Artist 	Title 	Length
Black Keys 	Lonely Boy 	03:16
Black Lips 	The Lie 	03:14
Black Pistol Fire 	Trigger on my Fire 	03:54
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club	Beat the Devil’s Tattoo 	03:35
Brian Jonestown Massacre 	The Way It Was 	02:40
Canned Heat 	On The Road Again 	04:47
Dan Auerbach 	Heartbroken, In Disrepair	03:22
Dead Weather 	Treat Me Like Your Mother	03:57
Donovan 	Riki Tiki Tavi 	02:46
Endless Boogie 	Empty Eye 	09:07
Gary Clark Jr. 	Don’t Owe You A Thang 	03:23
Girls Against Boys 	Bulletproof Cupid 	04:52
Handsome Furs 	Damage 	03:19
Lykke Li 	Get Some 	03:13
London Souls 	The Sound 	04:54
Mastodon 	Curl Of The Burl 	03:31
Middle Class Rut 	Alive or Dead 	04:33
Ministry 	NWO 	05:12
MonstrO 	Solar 	02:48
Red Fang 	Prehistoric Dog 	04:29
Reverend horton Heat 	Big Red Rocket of Love 	02:55
Ritmo Machine 	La Calle 	02:46
Rival Sons 	Save Me 	02:33
Uncle feat. Nick Cave 	Take the Money and Run 	05:18
==Critical Reception==
===Reception===
Overall, the game has largely received mixed reviews but also gained critical acclaim.
IGN reviewer Jack DeVries already had finished the Xbox 360 version of The Run on November 11, 2011. He rated it as a fairly good game with mixed results. A full review was be published on November 14.In the full review, the game received a rating of 6.5, as the storyline was described as "unnecessary and frustating", and the game for lacking options and being short.
Eurogamer gave the game a rating of 5 out of 10. The reviewer, Tom Bramwell, described the Run as a "fractured, painful slog, with its short, sharp races doing little justice to the concept".Joystiq gave The Run three out of five stars. The game was said to be not being the worst Need for Speed, but rather being not able to meet critical acclaim seen by other racing games from 2010.
Gametrailers however rated the The Run with 8.4, praising the environment and soundtrack.Dave Gamble from Gaming Nexus rated the game with A-, also praising the setting of The Run. Gamesradar scored 8 out of 10. The driving model was described as being "satisfying" and the race events being "balanced and well-paced".
===Sales===
Worldwide over 220,000 copies of Need for Speed: The Run for the PlayStation 3 were sold during the first week after its official release.In the UK Top 40, The Run is ranked at position 11.
===Pre-Release & Post Release Awards===
The pre-release of Need for Speed: The Run has been nominated as one of the best E3 racing games by many websites such as IGN, Machinma and Game Critics Award. The Run was also declared to be the winner of Best Racing Game of E3 by Hardgame2.com, Game Chronicles and Gaming Excellence.The post-release was nominated by Spike TV VGA as Best Driving Game.
==Links==
*http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/121/1212405p1.html
*Official website
Category:2011 video games
Category:Need for Speed Games
Category:Pc Games
Category:Most Wanted Games