The Thrill Of The Police Chase Returns In Need for Speed Payback

Need for Speed Payback – Cops Trailer

For a long time the police pursuits have been a much-loved part of the Need for Speed series of games and a big reason for this was because of the challenge they posed to the player. Unfortunately over its history, a number of the games seemed to forget this, even to the point of not having any at all, whereas in others they felt more like scenery than an actual obstacle you had to deal with.

If we ignore the classic 90s-era games there was one of this century that did them really well and that was the original Most Wanted. These officers were hell-bent on taking you down, and as you avoided their traps – pissing them off more and more – they increased in wanting to get a hard take down upon you. This usually came about by way of a lunatic in a heavy SUV called the ‘Rhino’, which would speed towards you head-on, looking to damage and stall you long enough in order for an arrest to be made.

With Need for Speed Payback, the cops are back to their good (bad?) old ways. That will annoy some but honestly, running away easily is no fun, and if you’re honest with yourself, you will admit that it’s the thrill of the chase that really makes these games. (or maybe you’re just all about that customisation)

The action-packed trailer starts in reverse, well the BMW M5 is in reverse, then it jumps to 90 seconds earlier to show the end of a street race that has just taken place. With the tire smoke just having cleared after a nicely executed handbrake over the finish line, a swarm of police cruisers race towards our protagonist and a couple of his tricked-out opponents, while a British voice ever so eloquently squawks, “Crap! Cops!”.

Now the chase is on and within the cops’ arsenal are road blocks, spike strips, gentle(!) sideswipes, EMPs, and last but not least, the Rhino – this inducing fear into street racers monster has been working out, as it is now beefed up in size, resembling something more of a SWAT truck than the heavy SUV from before. If this thing connects with something, it is going to leave a mark!

A posting on the official Need for Speed blog reveals some more information about the tactics they will employ and shares more information about the hero car of the new BMW M5 seen toying with the cops through some exquisite driving.

Need for Speed Payback – Fairhaven Police Department

• Crown Victoria – The standard and most commonly seen cop car across Fortune Valley. Can execute a variety of different manoeuvres and will likely be the first on the scene of any pursuit.
• Dodge Charger SRT8 – Similar to the Crown Victoria but has a higher top speed and has much more muscle, proving it to be a worthy adversary.
• Corvette GS – The fastest cop car currently residing in Fortune Valley and provides the police department with something that can keep up with the most powerful of super cars.
• Rhino – What the Rhino lacks in speed it makes up for in brute strength and there’s nothing quite as frightening as an approaching Rhino, lining up a shunt. The weight that it carries will also make it considerably tougher to get away from during a pinned-in situation, making the Rhino a massive threat all round.
• Helicopter – The eye in the sky provides an extra level of drama in the highest intensity cop chases.

This change of vehicle type does raise one obvious question: how in the hell is it going to keep up with the vehicles in the game without looking stupid? From what is said above about it, chances are it's going to be a real menace from the front, rather than a worry from behind.