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'Need for Speed: The Run'

The Most Overlooked 'Need for Speed' Game

By Thomas FletcherPublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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The Box Art For The Game

Need for Speed: The Run was released in 2011. It was made by the developing company known as EA Black Box, who also helped make Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Need for Speed: Underground, Need for Speed: Underground 2, Need for Speed: Carbon, Need for Speed: ProStreet, and also a few other Need for Speed titles. EA Black Box has also had a hand in helping develop other games such as the Skate series, NHL games from 2000 to 2004, Nascar 2001, and The Sims 3. Need for Speed: The Run is the most overlooked game in the Need for Speed series because of how different it is to the rest of the series. A lot of Need for Speed fans hated the game at first because it wasn't like the ones that came before it, but it still managed to gain a fan base that loves the game. Need for Speed: The Run is a Fantastic game because of it being different, the narrative driven story, and the theme of the game.

Need for Speed: The Run's story opens up by introducing you to a guy taped to the steering wheel of a car while the car is being put into a crusher because the guy in the car has gotten into trouble with the Mob. The guy in the car is the character you play as throughout the game, you're given control of him and manage to escape from the vehicle and the crusher to be able to run to a car to try to make an escape from the Mob. After you finish the first mission you learn the protagonists named which is Jack Rourke, and you get introduced to another character known as Sam Harper. Sam Harper is an old friend of Jack's and together they enter an illegal street race called "The Run." The Run is an in game illegal street racing event across the United States from San Francisco to New York City. Jack has to finish first while avoiding the Mob and also the Police to win twenty-five million dollars while receiving ten percent of it. You begin by picking your starting car, and then racing with that car for awhile. Throughout the game you can stop at gas stations to be able to pick different cars that you either like better or are better for the track you are on or the tracks that are coming up. There is three different types of cars; Muscle, Sports, and Super. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, so you need to choose carefully based on the kind of road you are driving on. Throughout the game you have a few different rival races and when you beat those races, you unlock the rivals cars. The story is pretty short and can be beaten in around two hours depending on how well you drive through the tracks.

In Need for Speed: The Run, there is more to do than just the story. And one of these game modes is known as the Challenge Series. In this game mode you go through each set of tracks from the story and you do challenges on them. These challenges usually involve beating the clock or finishing first in a certain amount of time as the faster you complete it you get rewarded with a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum medal. There are five challenges for each set of challenge series playlists, which gives around a total of fifty to sixty challenges. Whenever you complete a playlist, if you get gold in all five challenges, you are able to unlock different cars to use. The challenge series is a very fun way to keep playing the game after you beat the story.

In Need for Speed: The Run there is also multiplayer. In multiplayer you join a lobby with up to seven other players and you race on the tracks with different cars and rewards for finishing in certain positions. The multiplayer has the players vote on the kind of playlists they want to play, these playlists include series of races from certain parts of the story and also decides what cars will be used to race on them. There is also a random playlist that gives you random tracks with a random selection of cars. After the players vote on the playlist, the wheel then spins and lands on some kind of reward. The rewards can be experience points, or cars or even stuff for your profile. As you level up throughout the game, you are able to unlock titles and banners to change on your profile. There are also challenge objectives in multiplayer for you to complete solo or with a crew, these challenges can be different based on the playlists you are playing in or even the car you are driving. The multiplayer servers are a bit laggy, but there is still a lot of fun to have in them, and you can still find people playing online even today. Any of the cars you unlock throughout the story, challenge series or while playing online, you are able to use in any of these modes.

One of the most underrated things about Need For Speed: The Run is the dynamic soundtrack they used throughout the game. The music changes based on the situation you are in. If you are in a normal race then the music is normal and at a normal tempo, but if you are being chased by the mob, or the police, or having a close finish, then the music raises to a high tempo and feels intense for these intense situations. The dynamic soundtrack adds a lot to this game, and really makes you, as the player, feel these different situations.

Need For Speed: The Run is the most overlooked game in the Need for Speed franchise. The story is a lot of fun, and takes around two hours to beat depending on how well you drive. The different areas and atmospheres are fantastic and it never feels like you are driving in the same area twice. The challenge series provides for a lot more content and even puts your skills to the test for something to do after you beat the story. The multiplayer also adds a lot to the game with how it is handled and the different kind of races on all the tracks you can have. All of these modes rewards you cars, or other things for your profile which you can use in any mode. The dynamic soundtrack adds so much to the atmosphere of the game, and really brings the game to life.

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About the Creator

Thomas Fletcher

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