Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Redefined Need For Speed 

One of my favorite NFS. No cringe af story, only racing and chasing on insane speed.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I've long been of the belief that the 2008-2012 period was the golden age of racing video games. NFS Hot Pursuit and The Run, Midnight Club Los Angeles, Forza Motorsport 4 and the first (and best IMO) Horizon, Burnout Paradise, TDU 2, and that's just off the top of my head.

Forgotten and underappreciated features: You can turn on and off the lights and the engine, even seperately 💛

To me this game feels like a love letter to racing and just cars in general. There is no pretense, no superficial story and no unnecessary gimmicks. It's a game that celebrates our love for cars and driving at fast speeds and you can feel it in every single detail: from the car descriptions to the smallest touches like the game playing the authentic sound of the car starting and revving it's engine when you select it in the menu. It's the only Need for Speed game I keep coming back to, simply to enjoy driving the cars and getting immersed in the feeling of speed.

Underrated feature of the game is that you could just drive around the whole map in free mode (you couldn't access races or cars from there but...) it was a nice option they still added

The sound of the turbo in this game is out of this world

I agree with pretty much everything you said in this video, I love the "less is more" style of this game and don't really care about customization either. The whole "cops and robbers" era of NFS from HP 2010 to Rivals was so much better than NFS today.

Playing the Remastered was such a good time even though I had already 100% before. The gameplay just kept me hooked

This game had one of the best online modes I can remember in a racing game. It was one of the few that actually pushed the slower cars in the hot pursuit mode as everyone could actually control those cars. Making it such a tight battle all the way to the finish and if you had a good team of cops and the runners it was always such a blast

This is hands down the best NFS game ever made and its my personal favorite Whenever I hear anyone say "NFS needs to go back to its roots".....I think of Hot Pursuit 2010

There is a way for both styles to coexist, If you remember back in the day Hot pursuit 2 for PS2 and Underground 1. Two different games that are completely the opposite from one another, and both are still fantastic to even 20 years later. I think if Criterion focuses on those two styles of gameplay, I think Need for Speed would be in a much better spot. We get a game that's like Hot Pursuit and in the next two years, we get an NFS that has customization.

as a fan of NFS Hot Pursuit 2 from 2002 which I still play occasionally, I appreciate the simplicity of the reimagination that is NFS Hot Pursuit from 2010. I don't want/need a story in a racing game which is why I really dislike modern NFS. I also think that dedicated tracks are much better and interesting than an open world. HP2 from 2002 had you driving through an active vulcano, shit like that was wild and it's insane that we never got anything like that again!

“I wish I was Catwomen right now *while watching a scene of Catwomen kissing Batman*” - Russell 2022

Still one of my all time favorite games. The music score was great too. I also loved having to think about when to use certain abilities and timing my spike strips. Also, trying to dodge a police roadblock at 200 mph and looking for the gap, made you really pay attention.

It just gave me the chills watching those exotic cars in those dreamy landscapes and listening to the iconic Romulus 3. Oh, sweet childhood. PS: Love how you played Graphiphoton right after, you really do live the classic NFS hype. Have you checked the amazing 2018 album by Rom di Prisco? It's just amazing how this guy is basically the sound of classic NFS... well, and maybe Saki Kaskas. R.I.P.

Early 2010's are the best years for automotive enfineering, cars were so raw back then. The car list in this game is Perfect

This game, the original 2010 ones, on PC, i spent countless of hours, playing, and boy i love it how Criterion made one of the finest NFS games ever made

What made this work, nay, continue to work even in the current day, is that perfect blend of intent, progression and visual storytelling. No other racing game for me personally has come close to matching it's amount of content with the brevity of its progression; the feeling of graduating up the food chain from luxury daily drivers to full blown, road devouring hypercars (an array that still feels timeless as opposed to dated, even in the modern climate of automotive engineering), from pea shooters to near lethal defensive technology, is just unopposed. The runs become more risky the faster you get, the stakes grow as your opponents start to match your output, and it's all done just so effortlessly. When I start a new game, I finish it, I just can't help it, even after the twelfth or thirteenth time. The way it's all staged is just fucking perfect.

Your point about the usage of cars brings up a good point about how they allow players now to use the same car through the entire game in the name of "freedom", yet that is far more limiting to people who only choose 1 car as well, because they never get the chance to try something new or better than the car they are already in. I miss the more focused and solid NFS games (hell just focused and solid games in general) that don't over engineer everything to the point that it is a slog to even play.

I really hope criterion can pull off the next nfs well. They have a lot of experience with racing games and made some incredibly fun ones

Need for speed high stakes will forever be my favorite need for speed. I did enjoy the underground series but I do much prefer the stage select NFS games. Unfortunately I have given up all hope for this series. I hope you are right though and criterion can bring the franchise back.

The fact you used some of the score for this video from NFS III Hot Pursuit hit my old ass in the feels.

They need to make a sequel to this game, with a detailed rear view mirror, cockpit view available, proper wheel support, accurate physics, and 4k hdr graphics with beautiful nature environments. This is what I wanted the first PS5 NFS to be. Instead we got NFS Unbound. Its like someone at EA who is in charge of NFS doesnt want to make the game in the style of hot pursuit. Maybe they thought Unbound would sell more ?

8:11 well that aged like milk

nicely done review! it was one of the best game from my childhood along with burnout paradise. i kinda wish it had more hot pursuit events tho also the modding community for this game needs more love

My favourite need for speed. Nice to see someone that agrees. Such a simple formula. And the gameplay is genuinely fun. I'm also not really a fan of customisation. NFS fans today obsess over customisation simply because the gameplay these days is so shallow. They just don't admit it. And Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is a game that can actually live on for years. All they need to do is keep adding more cars and race events. No need for any cutscenes or dialogue. Just cars and race events. It's the perfect formula. And creating a map like Hot Pursuit's one has endless possibilities. Because it's not based on a single real life location.

100% agree. I remember wondering if they’d be able to catch what made Need for Speed fun again back in 2010 and was pleasantly surprised. The online multiplayer was so much fun.

One thing that could break the curse of using one car for every single event in the game is maybe seperating the cars into different catagories or tiers. Events at the beginning of the campaign can allow you use JDMs and other forms of tuner cars, and events toward the end can allow you to use super and hyper cars.

Hot Pursuit 2010 is undoubtly my favourite NFS game! I did get the Limited Edition of the original for PC back in the day, then I got the Remastered version solely for the DLCs the PC version never got.

Ngl I was looking fwd to a Most Wanted 2012 10th anniversary remaster like w/Burnout Paradise and NFSHP ‘10 but that’s not happening. I would also love to see a mix of both Ghost style customization and Criterion style gameplay w/amazingly detailed cosmetic damage.

That NFS II SE soundtrack. So many memories, bro. Thank you for these sick reviews.

You mentioned the huge list of cars that we might just never drive completely and just keep our favourites, which I completely agree, I think that in some games there may be some other cars I'd like to have added into these kind of games, but when the list is limited and the game encourages you to use all of the cars, it's 1000 times better as the experience is more fulfilling, I really like this game and I do agree with most of your opinions, but I think we can also look back to NFS Underground 1 and 2 which also were built from customization (not the best aged, but it was) and they were really successful, I believe that as long as Criterion makes the next NFS focused on the correct aspects to make their game fun, such as gameplay and customization and a good car list, it will do a fine job to be enjoyable.

Great Video and better OST selection ❤️

Only 8 min 😭 good stuff tho bro. You gotta do more nfs retrospective essays

I love that lack of cohesion in need for speed games. That's what makes them unique. Hope we see new car cultures in future NFS games

I also didn't really mind that this game had no customization when I first got it back in 2010. Then again, I grew up playing Test Drive Unlimited which had no customization and all you could do is change the color of your car.

Car customisation has become a very vital part of the franchise from the Underground era and onwards. But the way I see it with Hot Pursuit 2010 and Most Wanted 2012, it's almost like a throwback/homage to the days when there was no car customisation in NFS. You just drive the car and admire it for what it was when it rolled off the assembly line.

I never had the chance to play this when it came out... only recently me and my wife both got remaster copies on our PS4's and played so much online together and its an absolutely astonishing blast!

I just recently find and watch your fh1 review, bc i playing it now for the first time on xbox360 (even though i saw plenty of time story of the game), and now this. I`m really like those both games, i think they are a one of the greatest (or even mb the greatest) racing games from start of 2010s era. And nfshp2010 was my first newest pc game when i got a pc, and i still love it! Overall very well done review!

"need for speed has never had a sim racing physics setup" *cries in Porsche Unleashed*

I agree with you. Along with Porsche Unleashed this game is my favorite in the series. It’s just plain fun.

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit was an alright game. It was the harbinger of what would be to come with the next couple of NFS titles but I still enjoyed it. I can only hope that with Criterion back in the scene of NFS that we don’t get another MW 2012 or Rivals.

HP and Rivals had my favorite gameplay style. I really wish they would’ve made those two a part of a sub series. Criterion’s takedowns are amazing. The cops vs racers aspect with the vehicle weapons, speeding through long roads, surprisingly made the vehicle count, lack of customization and story, very forgiving. 👍🏼👍🏼🔥🔥

This is the definition of need for speed. Well said! This game is simple and beautiful.

The biggest thing for sure is the car list- EVERY car is worthwhile and interesting. No throw-a-ways. And, I would rather have route-based racing then open world.

The last great NFS game. But I disagree about customization. NFS doesnt have to be only Hot pursuit or Underground 2. In fact Im not sure why they dont just pull a Forza and split development of both styles. You want your segment canyon runners? You got whats coming this year. You want your ricerboy open world? Wait til next year.

that opening music tho *epic guitar solo* so much powerful energy its amazing

I second every single point of this video. The game's level design, gameplay modes, car list, driving physics, music, everything just blends together into a perfect mix. It's just :chef's kiss: tier game to me.

bought the game on steam cuz of this vid. never really gave it a shot as a kid but despite it not being burnout this feels like a criterion passion project. the extra showcase videos were a neat touch too

2 of my favourite games are hot pursuit 2010 and rivals. Racing on the Seacrest County map with a really fast car or trying to catch the racers as a cop is trully a unique experience especially with pursuit tech.

I was looking for a game that I could play on my laptop while traveling and this video sold me. I used to play this back on Xbox 360 and forgot how fun it was. Sure, the car list is outdated and I miss my favorite modern cars (like some McLarens and Ferraris T_T) but it's just one of those games that give me the fix I need just by how much fun it is. Thanks for the video.

I am coming to this series late, focused mainly on gran turismo & f1 games, I found the level of customisation eye opening compared with gt sport, I enjoy the features making cool liveries as it does tie in with real world car culture, but I understand it might not be enough to please everyone. Gatekeeping of cars does have utility in keeping you coming back as you feel as sence of progress, but as you say you tend to not try out some of the cars due to credit systems in game. Good review bro.

When I heard Need for Speed, I think of Hot Pursuit 2. I think of driving a purple Lamborghini Diablo through a maple leaf covered twisty back road during autumn

I kinda think there’s a story,if you read the discription of the race,usually gives some insight on your current state

This was a really well made video man. I totally agree, NFS HP was great, I loved the effect that would happen after taking out a cop or opponent. +1 like and sub :)

Hey! Loved the video! Also I wanted to mention that I don't think the lack of an upgrade system is a good thing.

The sound of this game is amazing as well. From the beach to the snowy mountains between day and night the sound is different. This game is the meaning of Need For Speed. I wished for a NFS The Run and Hot Pursuit put it together in 2023 but that didn’t happen 😞

1:38 admittedly that level of variety is something I'm struggling with right now. because there's a balance between "being able to get the game done" and "cookie cutter blocks that all look the same".

The game i grew up with as a kid was Hot Pursuit 2 on the PS2, and it, alongside this one, perfectly captures what in my opinion, Need for Speed should be all about; a bunch of sport/super/exotic cars, not tuned up everyday hatchbacks, racing on some of the most beautiful places you can think of, no upgrades, no tuning, just skill and as you put it, good old-fashioned but of dumb fun

Let me just say that i watched many of your reviews, and I agree with most of what you are saying, but let me give you a different perspective with one aspect of this game. I started playing NFS games since Hot Pursuit 2, also gone back to try Porsche Unleashed and High Stakes. And almost all of the games were through and through arcade racers, up to Hot Pursuit 2010 it has been established within those arcade physics that the fastest way to take corners is to grip through the corners and cut the apex, or wall grind where possible. And I remember playing Hot Pursuit back on release, there was a time trial with McLaren F1 if I recall correctly, early-ish in the campaign. I was killing the race, nailing every corner, not hitting any traffic, only to get bronze. I got confused and went to RU-vid to see how did somebody get gold medal. Then I saw a guy drifting at 300km/h through a tight corner. I never knew before that drifting was a thing. In previous games (Yes I know that Nitro exists), if you were power sliding through a corner, it meant that you were doing it non-optimally. I stopped playing HP2010 after that race and never wished to play it again. And yes, I think that it's an extremely good and fun arcade racing game, but for me looking at it now, it is a Burnout game as much or even more than it is a NFS game. Keep up the good work.

Oh so this is Moses new name..good to know was looking for man's channel

“I really hope we don’t get a retooled Need for Speed Heat and another cheesy, edgy, wannabe story.” -Moses B. back in Aug 2022

The thing with the customization point, it's just the modern way in games to replace any expectation for good gameplay, since the modern gamer just wants to "express themselves", whatever that means, wasting time creating characters and vehicles that don't impact the gameplay in any meaningful way, and with that gameplay takes a backseat.... actually it's not even let in the car, it's stuck in the boot. So yeah, HP 2010 should get praise for it's incredibly focused game design.

True words. I still have the game on my pc after completion. The roads, time and weather mechanics, different locations, scenery, different races and pursuits all combined together to form this masterpiece. The only downgrade to this game is a lack of manual gear shift option. One of the greatest NFS game other than the Most wanted 2005.

I need more people to talk about this ONE specific need for speed.

Been playing since MW in 2005, had the UGs and HP2 at the same time, this game is honestly in my top 3 NFS

I remembered when playing this game and go all out on the highway when Pendulum - Watercolour kicks in.

also judging by the leaks i fear that we are getting more of heat. just with a "criterion" frankenstein crew

Hot Pursuit Remastered was my gateway into NFS, and it’s definitely some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a racing game.

This is the first need for speed I played One of the ONLY mobile games that I can remember playing when I had an Ipad back then as a kid I got the PC version 10 years after that, and damn I was hooked, I considered it to be the best Need for Speed game out there I see it as the most balanced nfs out there, no story, but it makes up for having the best action and car list in my opinion, that Blessed Zonda never showed up again in other titles I really too think this is the definition of Need for Speed, straight up action with supercars, no need for a story, just a showdown between Cops and Racers

"NFS The Run coming next" LETSGOOOOOOO I played a little bit of it when I was younger and I fell in love, the objective to drive to the other side of the country with +250 opponents was amazing, and the car sounds with the nitrous... were intense

Moss refuses to take Ls with his reviews

is the music from Ace Combat? 2:00 gives me hard Ace Combat X vibes

I fucking love this game. I'm pretty bad at it whenever I jump online but I'll replay the career every year or two. Its a blast. I just wish the remaster added some sort of custom race setup. Having to run the preset career races is so annoying. Its my only problem with the game but its such a bizarre thing to leave out.

imo the first good nfs game after the 2005 most wanted, back to the basics no bs just fun I don't have the remastered version, I don't feel like buying the same game twice

NFS Hot Pursuit 2010 was great "reinterpretation" of older NFS games - open world with great landscapes and roads (holy shit, I spend so much time drifting through highway entries as a kid), great exagerated feel of speed, focus on high end sports cars and supercars and ability to play as a cop. It was awesome, especially landing "EMP shot" or escaping with "Turbo" abilities. And even tho I hate tap "button" to drift mechanic in racing games, Criterion is one of the very few studios that made it enjoyable. And as much as I share with you "love" for HP 2010, I disagree with many points made in the video: 1) "realistic physics" - there is big spectrum between arcade and simulation and more simcade'y NFS games like Porsche 2000 and Shift2 were great at selling you "believable", yet unrealistic and "dramatised" physics. I'd love NFS to come back to this idea some day, allowing player to experience pumped up track racing experience with focus on cars that are "big" in IRL amateur racing scene. 2) Customisation - this is a hard part to decide for me, as I love both pretuned/stock cars selection (as long as they are ballanced) and ability to customize my car (as long as it fits style of the game and does not limit my car choices). 3) Car list - I hate modern supercars and I'd gladly trade any hyper/supercar for hot hatches and budget coupes. I'd love to see stuff like shitboxes and Kei cars featured in NFS game BUT it would have to be "in harmony" with the rest of the game 4) Map - I think that the perfect NFS map would be NFS2010 style map that would use additional power of current gen platforms to expand it with decent sized city and Carbon style technical canyon section. I'd love to see events hosted on separate racetracks that you'd be able to enter/teleport to from specific points on the map. The parts of the map used for events would change with your progression (tight city tracks would put focus on agility of early shitboxes while highways would highlight insane speeds of late game supercars) while events at closed circuits and canyons could be used to break up the usual rythm at any moment in the game with stuff like ballanced close racing on racetracks or overdramatized duels in canyons.

I can say HP10 is my most a very Perfect Love Letter to Original Trilogy or Tertalogy of the first NFS Release

Hot pursuit on the gamecub was my first ever nfs :D But it didn't look like in the video, maybe it was hot pursuit 2

8:11 that aged like milk...

8:11 Sorry to tell you this, but your prediction was 100% true.

Hot pursuit 2010 is a classic nfs with modern coat on, they had car showcases, stage select and actual videos of some of the cars just like in NFS 2, 3 and High Stakes Heard the rumor that Criterion is searching programmers for the next NFS game in 2024. Just to get in mind that the franchise turns 30 next year, so I hope that they will make a nfs game like Hot pursuit was or even a remaster of High Stakes, it's kinda possible cuz Criterion made the Hot pursuit reboot

I loved this game back when it was originally released, although playing through the remaster, I don't think it's aged that well. The map while pretty to look at isn't that detailed and left me quite bored about halfway through. Still a good game, but it was great in 2010.

The only Need for Speed game i love, and will remain very dear to me always, ❤️

What a year 2010 was, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit and Call of Duty Black Ops

Desire for velocity Cold chase

Sad to see that one RU-vidr who actually appreciates this game is so underrated right now. I wish you’d cover the multiplayer component of this game, especially in the remaster because it’s head and shoulders above any other nfs released on PS4

I remember playing this game to completion back in the PS3 and never noticing that it had a free roam option lol

Personally, what I would REALLY like to see would be a remaster of Hot Pursuit 3 and/or Road Challenge(AKA High Stakes). IMO that's when NFS was at its best.

Freakin badass game. In the top3 nfs of all time imo. Along with Most Wanted 05 and Carbon

@Ultraviolet You change the original thumbnail. Why?

Back from school and stay playin offline untill the night because i couldn't understand English at all bacl then which is in 2013 . 11 years ago . times times

Criterion used to make great racing games. Though I like NFS:HP, I was a bigger fan of the Burnout games mostly because of the takedown and crash events. Simple adrenaline-pumping, arcade action

I’ve just learned that there is a church of Gumpert Apollo. Please sign me up.

TBH I hopped off before Hot Pursuit with Most Wanted being my last NFS. I think I wanna see more of what I missed out on. I am definitely a tinkerer, I want to make 2000s tuner abominations and I want to fiddle with everything on my car but not having car classes or track types or events that force you to change cars is silly AF. Driving different cars is awesome. Sometimes silly events where you drive rustbuckets is like, what you want. I don't know if Hot Pursuit is for me, when it and Burnout Paradise came to Switch, I went for Burnout. However... Maybe I'll swing back.

HP2, i want to play it again, all these arcade games with there power sliding.

It may be an unpopular opinion, but with the exception of the story I really quite enjoyed NFS Heat. The open world was pretty good and the physics had a good balance between arcade racing and realism. NFS Hot Pursuit isn't bad, but sometimes it feels too unrealistic. Like how you can take almost any corner at full speed without slowing down by doing a drift. The rubber banding can also be a bit too obvious and annoying at times, especially for the cops.

I wish EA kept criterion to develop future nfs instead of ghost.

The only NFS game where I've free-roamed the most.

Have you played through Burnout Paradise? Feel like it encompasses a lot of the aspects about this game that you liked.

I think this one is more balanced than NFS Rivals but Rivals got it's cut of cake, like more brutal police vs racer fight but still, HP screen is clearer and it feels smoother overall, maybe because of 60fps vs 30 in Rivals. Cheers!