Think back. Can you remember a year when there wasn't a Need for Speed game? The long-running racing series has punched in at least once every twelve months. It's a bit of a surprise, then, that calendar year 2014 will come and go without a Need for Speed entry.
Y'know, the collective chatter amongst Kotaku writers has unofficially dubbed Need for Speed Rivals as the best next-gen game so far. Several among us have raved about the way it draws you in and entices you to keep playing. But, man, the lines coming out of the characters' mouths in this racing game are terrible.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--eHNZLX-_--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/196gj3qp62gjcpng.png, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ZPWNeEpw--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/196gj3qp62gjcpng.png, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--C1qT3O-9--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/196gj3qp62gjcpng.png, (large)])
Everyone in this year's Need For Speed—racers and cops both—is an asshole. Neither side is likable. Thank God. It's incredibly freeing to be a total, speed-obsessed jerk, especially when it's accompanied by amazing visuals and intense velocity. Way to welcome us to next-gen, Need For Speed Rivals.
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--yhaY9-8e--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_358,q_80,w_636/18okgznxh5vwkjpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--686qzr1e--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_180,q_80,w_320/18okgznxh5vwkjpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Jj_M7S_j--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_north,h_77,q_80,w_137/18okgznxh5vwkjpg.jpg, (large)])
New video game hardware is coming down the pike and those machines are going to need showpieces, games that show off why the PS4 and Xbox One are a significant step ahead of their predecessors. The guys making Need For Speed Rivals—the next installment of the long-running racing series–believe that they’re making one…
], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--griWvqfm--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_358,q_80,w_636/193lox1jd6gt8jpg.jpg, (small)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--rxtuWfkn--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_180,q_80,w_320/193lox1jd6gt8jpg.jpg, (medium)], [http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--H56fFJc---/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_77,q_80,w_137/193lox1jd6gt8jpg.jpg, (large)])