My NeedFor Speed Journey
**Jerry‘s Personal Views and Opinions (Compiled from Conversation)** --- ### My NFS Journey I started playing *Need for Speed* when I was 5 years old. My first games were *Need for Speed II SE*, *Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit*, and *Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed*. I have played almost every mainline *NFS* from *NFS II* up to *Need for Speed Unbound* (2022). **The Golden Era**: *Need for Speed: Underground* (2003), *Underground 2* (2004), *Most Wanted* (2005), *Carbon* (2006), *ProStreet* (2007), and *Undercover* (2008). - *Most Wanted* (2005) is a masterpiece; I have completed it countless times. It had perfect launch, speedtrap events, lap knockout, and drift races. - *Carbon* (2006) had two distinct drift styles: track drift (auto‑countersteer) and canyon drift (manual countersteer). **Shift era**: *Shift* (2009) and *Shift 2 Unleashed* (2011) were realistic, sim‑oriented, with great manual‑countersteer drifting. **Hot Pursuit (2010)**: I played it as a crack in 2010, then bought a genuine CD‑key in 2013 on Paipai. It is the pinnacle of “handcrafted tracks” – every course is manually designed, police chases have scripted setups. It also has a free‑roam open world. - *Hot Pursuit* (2010) is “Criterion’s version of *NFS III*, *IV*, and *Hot Pursuit 2*”. **Most Wanted (2012)**: The pinnacle of arcade handling. It combined the agility of *Undercover*, the weight of *The Run*, and realistic physics/drift judgment – a “controllable out‑of‑control” feel. It had instant one‑click tuning and quick car swap (features later abandoned). Also had a neutral gear animation (driver’s hand on the shifter). Police were fragile. **Rivals (2013)**: Handling combined *Hot Pursuit* (2010) and *Most Wanted* (2012), leaning toward *Hot Pursuit*. Quick response in low‑speed S‑turns. From *Rivals* onward, neutral gear simulation was removed – this made reversing and accelerating much faster, but lost the mechanical realism. - *Rivals* (2013) is “Ghost Games’ version of *NFS III*, *IV*, and *Hot Pursuit 2*”. It has the richest weapon system in the series. **Need for Speed (2015)**: A refined version of *Rivals*, with an incredibly deep tuning menu (tire pressure, steering angle, handbrake strength, etc.). This tuning system was later used in *NFS Online* (China). - The game had a standard edition cover with a Porsche 911, but the **deluxe edition cover featured the M3 GTR** – pure nostalgia baiting. **Payback (2017)**: Handling felt like “*Most Wanted* (2012)’s feeling + *The Run* (2011)’s weight”. The map was the largest in the series but empty. Introduced a speed‑card system (performance parts obtained through loot boxes) – copied from the mobile game *Need for Speed: No Limits*. - Story was a generic revenge plot similar to *The Crew 1*. The main character’s name (Tyler Morgan) mirrors *The Crew 1*’s Alex Taylor. **Heat (2019)**: The turning point – EA gave up on it after the Denuvo crack (half a month after release). No more updates. - The city lacks life. My uncle said it looked like “the end of the world.” Weather system is broken: you have to go back to the garage to “refresh” the weather. Sunny days have puddles that never dry; rainy days last forever. - Drift physics are scripted and auto‑steering, especially bad for RWD cars. The economy is broken: race payouts are low, cars and parts are expensive. - Police are extremely tough; player’s health is low. During night, you can only repair your car three times – a pure frustration mechanic. - It is Ghost Games’ last work, and Matt Webster was brought in as a temporary fix. **Unbound (2022)**: Essentially a reskin of *Heat* (2019) with slightly improved handling. It had a performance rating system (B, A, A+, S, S+), but the economy is terrible: entry fees for races, losing means losing the fee, and only 2 retries on the hardest difficulty. It feels like gambling – you end up poorer the more you play. - Gas stations have cooldowns, preventing repeated repairs. Police are as fragile as in *Most Wanted* (2012) (F‑150s explode at 200 km/h). - Pedestrians are finally present – but they’re 2D sprites (paper‑thin). *Midnight Club: Los Angeles* (2008) had 3D pedestrians. **M3 GTR Nostalgia Exploitation**: From *The Run* (2011) to *Unbound* (2022), EA kept selling the M3 GTR – first as a livery, then as DLC, then deluxe edition cover, then a weekly wrecked car, then a boss’s car, then a side‑mission reward. Over a decade, they milked it while gameplay stagnated. **My Ideal NFS**: The next game must return to *Hot Pursuit* (2010)’s linear track design. Handcrafted tracks with scripted police chases, not an empty open world. > “The core of a racing game is tracks you want to run over and over, not a city you look at once.” --- ### On EA’s Mismanagement - **Development teams**: EA Canada (first generation), Black Box (*NFS* 2002–2011), Criterion (*Hot Pursuit* 2010, *Most Wanted* 2012, *Unbound* 2022), Ghost Games (*Rivals* 2013–*Heat* 2019). - **Black Box** was forced into a “death march” – one game per year. They succeeded with *Most Wanted* (2005), but *Undercover* (2008) failure got them shut down. - **Ghost Games** stabilized the series with *Rivals* (2013), *Need for Speed* (2015), and *Payback* (2017), but EA dissolved them after *Heat* (2019). - **Criterion** was gutted – its founders left to form Three Fields Entertainment (makers of *Wreckreation*). The old Criterion is gone. **Convenience features**: *Most Wanted* (2012) had one‑click tuning and fast car swap – never seen again. Quick return to hideout existed in *Underground 2* (2004), *Need for Speed* (2015), and *Heat* (2019), but disappeared in *Payback* (2017) and *Unbound* (2022). Fast‑travel points were plentiful in *Payback* (2017), almost none in *Unbound* (2022). **The Shift legacy**: Slightly Mad Studios made *Shift* (2009), *Shift 2 Unleashed* (2011), then *Project CARS* (2015) and *Project CARS 2* (2017) (the latter a peak simulator). *Project CARS 3* (2020) failed, the studio was closed. The spiritual successor *Project Motor Racing* (2025) was a disaster. **EA’s fate**: In 2025, EA was acquired by a Saudi consortium. *NFS* is now dormant – Criterion was renamed “Criterion Games – A Battlefield Studio.” No new *NFS* in sight. --- ### My Relationship with Other Games **Grand Theft Auto**: I started with *Vice City* in 2011 (a cracked version with no sound). I got into *San Andreas* in 2012 and have completed it over a dozen times. I own it on Steam, Xbox remaster, PS5 remaster, iOS, and Android. - *GTA IV*: I bought the Taiwanese version (4 discs) on Paipai in 2013. Inserting the first disc repeatedly wore it out. In 2015 I bought the US version. - *GTA V*: Completed on PS3 in 2014, pre‑ordered on Steam in 2015, got banned in 2016, then re‑bought in 2017. - My favorite Rockstar game is *Midnight Club: Los Angeles* – the pinnacle of open‑world racing. Its Los Angeles felt alive (2008). - I criticize GTA V’s heists: “choice still needs improvement.” **Assassin’s Creed**: I have finished *Unity*, *Syndicate*, *Origins*, and *Odyssey* (Atlantis DLC unfinished). I think *Origins* has a better story; *Odyssey* is gameplay‑driven with too much “RPG checklist” repetition. **Other racing games**: - *Driver: San Francisco* – unique car‑jumping mechanic, great San Francisco recreation. - *The Crew 1* – the “complete version” of *Need for Speed: The Run* (2011). Realistic art style, huge US map, deep grinding system. But the server shut down in 2024. - *The Crew 2* – pure arcade, but oversaturated visuals hurt my eyes. - *Forza Horizon* – I started with *Forza Horizon 3* in 2018, later bought 1 and 2, and pre‑ordered 4, 5, 6. Nothing to criticize – they’re masterpieces. - *Ridge Racer* – a sadly dormant series. I bought the digital version of *Ridge Racer 6* on Xbox and *Ridge Racer* on Steam via Hong Kong region (120 HKD). The last proper entry was in 2012. **On mobile games**: 2012 was the last year of quality premium mobile games. Since 2013, F2P gacha games took over. I despise this trend. *Genshin Impact* is not a “3A game” – it’s a gacha simulation. --- ### My Identity as a Player I am **not** a blind fanboy. I remember what *Need for Speed* used to be, so I cannot accept what it has become. I know every detail: - *Most Wanted* (2012) had a neutral gear animation (driver touching the shifter). - *Heat* (2019) had a broken weather system. - *Unbound* (2022) had 2D sprite pedestrians. - The M3 GTR was exploited across a decade. - Black Box studied Frostbite for *The Run* (2011) and achieved unlimited frame rates without speed‑up, while *Rivals* (2013) had game‑speed tied to frame rate. I buy games I love, even after playing cracked versions: *Hot Pursuit* (2010) CD‑key, *San Andreas* on five platforms, *GTA IV* twice, *The Crew 1* disc, *Ridge Racer* from Hong Kong store. I even kept the battery from my broken 2014 PS Vita and put it into a newer Hong Kong model – it is about preserving what matters. I block trolls. I do not need anyone to teach me about *Need for Speed*. **Conclusion**: I am not a “filial son” of any series. I am a **guardian of memories** – I remember the best of them, and I criticize because I want them to be great again. EA revoked my license to run NEED FOR SPEED THE RUN ,I can't open THE RUN right now
New game please!!
Not really got anything to do with the app but I don’t know where else to write this feedback/recommendation. but I was wondering if you could make another NFS game exactly like Rivals but with the new car customisation in the newer games like payback and unbound. Would love to be chased by cops whenever they see me just for being a racer but with a better vehicle customisation page. Also rivals servers has stopped which is pretty sad. ~ Dec
Error Code: 80060000 trouble connecting/item system synchronization fail
For the past 2 days I have not been able to play online on NFS Heat. I have PS plus and I play on PS4; until now I have never experienced any issue like this or any issues at all with my console or this game. Can you help or anyone?
major set back from nfs heat
the only thing they improved was car selection amout of decals everything else was pretty much worse than heat heat was incomplete but they took 10 steps back with unbound there were cool things but it was a major setback give me a storyline like most wanted, match the car selection amount of forza, heat/ unbound online, make it rated m so i can put whatever i want on my car its suppossed to be based around street racing and illegal activities well in the real world street racing it is vulgar get it together nfs3 devices on one ip(NFS Heat)
Me and my roommates are trying to each play NFS Heat on one ip address, we can get into a party fine but whenever we try and start a game one of us ends up getting disconnected no matter what. Two of us can play no problem. Has anyone else ever ran into this problem. The Ai support is useless and no getting to a real person
NFS the Run won't launch with a "couldn't read license" error
I have played Need for Speed the Run several years again, and when I tried to play the Run on my laptop (HP Omen with Windows 11 25H2, Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, 16G RAM and Geforce RTX 5060), an error poped up with EC:204 code. I googled this code and reinstalled the game and EA app several times, now the EC:204 code is gone, and the "Game license is invalid" shows up.