Review: iPad's Need for Speed Hot Pursuit

For all the speed stars with a real need for speed, EA Games' Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is certainly your game.

---

I have previously played EA Games' Need for Speed Hot Pursuit on a laptop PC as well as desktop so the interest of trying it on an iPad was somehow diminished. However, after experiencing the fun on the Real Racing 2HDiPad game, I felt the urge to try out Hot Pursuit Need for Speed on the Apple device.

For all the speed stars with a real need for speed, this is certainly your game. This game comes in four stages and a player can only move on to play the next stage after completing the previous stage. To add on to the fun, each stage also comes with six levels which a racer has to complete.

The other interesting aspect is that in Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, one can play either as a member of the police, trying to stop the racing cars, or as a racer, avoiding being bust by the cops.

The graphics for the game, which give a real-life experience, are also excellent. However, using the iPad as the steering wheel can be a challenge considering the many functions that a gamer has to make use of. On the one hand, you are trying to have a clear view of road and, on the other, you are trying to figure out which functionality to click or swipe and all these are crammed on the seven-inch iPad screen.

Playing as a racer, a player has to first complete the Red Light Runner, followed by the Uber Mover then Escape Artist, Last Man Driving, Cop Outskiller and Finish Line Rider respectively. Same principle applies for one to proceed to the next stage - one simply has to win the previous level.

The Red Light Runner level is a speed trap event whereby there is a set of 10 speed traps spread across the track. All the gamer has to do is to pass all these checkpoints at a blazing speed in less than three minutes.

However, crossing the finishing line in less than three minutes does not guarantee victory. A racer will need a better speed score to be able to unlock the next level. So there is a need to make use of speed boosters like the Nitro function, which propels the car like a bullet. Nonetheless, there is a limited use of this functionality. To be successful, a racer has to activate Nitro when approaching the speed trap to gain a better speed score - the faster you pass a checkpoint, the better speed score you earn.

After clearing the Red Light Runner level, there are a total of three stars awarded based on the accumulated speed score. One star simply means you have achieved with no flying colours while three is the maximum one can get. The number of stars that you get will also determine the car that you can purchase in the next round. A single star earns the player $5 000, two stars $20 000 and three stars $30 000.

So the permutations are that you have to drive extremely well to get more cash for a better ride. I particularly fancied the high-speed cars like the Lamborghini Reventon which, nonetheless, comes at a cost.

The Uber Mover level is a road race in a mountainous region with stormy conditions. In this stage, there are a total of four sports cars with the player starting at position four. The player has to finish at least at number three if they are to unlock the next level. Finishing third earns the player a lone star as well as $5 000; finishing second, two stars as well as $10 000; while finishing first guarantees three stars and a cool $30 000.

During this level, the most important tip is to manoeuvre a 180-degree handbrake turn. This is done by swiping down on the screen and turn sharply. Also, the player needs to overtake rivals as quickly as possible for this in a one-lap race.

The Hot Pursuit aspect of this game is made manifest in the Escape Artist stage. The race is staged in desert conditions during day time. The objective here is to race to the finish line in a three minutes and 10 seconds while evading the cops.

By escaping the race before time runs out, the player earns one star and $5 000. However, if you go a little bit faster and escape with 45 seconds to spare, two stars are awarded together with $20 000. But going the extra mile and completing the race with one minute remaining is rewarded with three stars and a $30 000 bonus.

This is a one-lap race but one thing for sure is that the cops are really aggressive that it can be frustrating sometimes. All they care about is arresting the speed star by any means possible. It's not even uncommon that they can bust you with just a few metres left to the finishing line. Besides giving the player a good chase and trying to knock him off the road, they also make use of roadblocks and spikes. Fortunately, the game gives the player warnings just before these obstacles.

During this stage, using the Freeview functionality, a player can view their car in more detail. This is done by tapping the camera icon on the car screen, then pinch and drag to move the camera.

Last Man Driving is an elimination race also in desert conditions only that this time it will be dusk. There are a total of four competitors in this race of three laps and all the player needs to do is to avoid finishing last in any of the laps. Whoever finishes last will be automatically eliminated as soon as the car in front crosses the finishing line.

There is a handsome bounty to be won in Last Man Driving. If you lead for three laps, you get a massive $40 000 and a three-star trophy; leading for two laps gives the player $15 000; and two stars while leading for a single lap earns the player $10 000 and one star.

Here the game becomes more interesting for the player can deploy the Oil Slick functionality on the tarmac, making the road slippery for the opponents. As soon as one has an opponent on their tail, this is a perfect weapon. The other interesting aspect is that there are no cops to spoil the fun.

As the name suggests, Cop Outskiller is about beating the cops to the finish line. The racecourse is set in a mountainous region at night time which means visibility is a big challenge, not even mentioning the steep slopes that the player has to negotiate.

Besides the Nitro functionality mentioned earlier, the most important tips that will help the player escape include the Overdrive, which gives the player a speed boost and smashes roadblocks and other obstacles in the path. There is also the jammer, which comes in handy in disabling cops' power ups. The Oil Slick can also be vital in slowing down the police on your tail.

The maximum bounty that a player can earn in this stage is $40 000.

The last level in the first stage is the Finish Line Rider - a road race in a costal environment under dusk conditions. I would say this is the most difficult level in the stage because the cars are a little bit faster. Success is only guaranteed depending on the car that you would have purchased throughout the other levels. With ordinary cars like Mazdas, one can as well forget about winning anything here. Only top contenders like Mercs can deliver the goods.

The other difficulty is that there is no Overdrive in this level - all a player has to depend on is Oil Slick. Additionally, there is also lots of traffic on the course which is quite disturbing and frustrating at the same time.

The other stages in the game follow the same sequence as Stage One - they all come with six levels with almost the same conditions. The only difference is that it only gets tougher as the stages proceed. This is because the cars become faster while the cops become more brutal.