Need for Speed: The Run
Developer(s)	EA Black Box Firebrand Games (Wii/3DS)
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts Sega (Japan)
Composer(s)	Brian Tyler
Series	Need for Speed
Engine	Frostbite 2
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Nintendo 3DS PlayStation 3 Wii Xbox 360 Mobile
Release date(s)	NA November 15, 2011 AUS November 17, 201 EU November 18, 2011 JP December 8, 2011
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ACB: PG, G (Wii/3DS) ESRB: T, E10+ (Wii/3DS) PEGI: 16, 7 (Wii/3DS)
Media/distribution	Optical disc, download, memory card

Need for Speed: The Run is a racing video game, the 18th title in the Need for Speed franchise, and developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. The Wii and 3DS versions were developed by Firebrand Games, the team behind Undercover and Nitro (both DS versions). It was released in North America on November 15, 2011 and November 18, 2011 in Europe. The game is described as an “illicit, high-stakes race across the country. The only way to get your life back is to be the first from San Francisco to New York. No speed limits. No rules. No allies. All you have are your driving skills and sheer determination”. Producers Jason DeLong and Steve Anthony have stated during an interview that Black Box is aiming to obtain critical acclaim after their last game received universally poor ratings. The Run was in production for three years even though previous Black Box titles have had much shorter development periods.

Gameplay

In The Run, players are participating in an “underground world of illicit, high stakes racing,” in a race from San Francisco to New York, with stops through Las Vegas, Denver, Detroit, and many other locations, making it the first title in the series to use real locations. The cops aren’t the only ones after the player though, as the player “blows across borders, weaves through dense urban traffic, rockets down icy mountain passes and navigates narrow canyons at breakneck speeds.” There are over 300 km of track, three times more than Hot Pursuit, making it the biggest Need For Speed game. The Run is powered by DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine, making the game the first non-shooter and one of the first console titles to use the engine, which provides visuals and car physics that “hug the road even at top speeds all built around a gripping storyline.” Additionally, Need for Speed Autolog, the Need for Speed franchise’s social competition functionality, which was introduced in Hot Pursuit and was previously used in Shift 2: Unleashed, is also back as it
will continue to track career progression and compare game stats. The game features quick time events, with the player for the first time in Need for Speed history, exiting their car and traveling on foot. These events won’t always be about harsh success or failure states. In some sections there are branching outcomes, so if the player mangles a certain button press, they’ll get another chance to pull through. The driving model of the game is described as “sit somewhere between Shift and Hot Pursuit”, not as arcade-styled as Hot Pursuit, but neither as simulator-styled as Shift. The Run employs a large range of real-world vehicles, seemingly taking in the usual mix of muscle cars, street racers and refined exotics, described as “each car presents a different driving challenge for the player.” Exclusively digitized for the game is the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S and the Pagani Huayra. The damage system will be similar to that seen in Hot Pursuit.[13] The cars can be altered with performance upgrades and visual upgrades, such as paint colors and body kits. There will be cosmetic body kits known as Style Pack kits and Aero Pack kits, which will affect aerodynamics as well as performance. An XP (Experience points) system is used for unlocking cars and events. The game also feature a Rewind option to allows the player to restart an event to their last checkpoint if they wreck their vehicle or rewind their vehicle from a collision or missed opportunity. Rewinds will only be available in limited quantities as their amount will dependent on the difficulty level that the player has selected; Easy will have unlimited Rewinds, Normal will have five Rewinds, Hard will have fewer Rewinds and Impossible will have no Rewinds as well as the most difficult AIopponents.

Modes

A trailer was released on July 26, 2011 and entitled as “Run for the Hills”, which shows the player racing along a barren desert highway which followed a series of hills as well as containing a large jump. The player had the task of overtaking ten opponents before reaching the end of the course event. GameSpot released a gameplay video on November 2, 2011 that portrayed a race consisting of 14 checkpoints that the player has to drive through before their time runs out. Time was added for each checkpoint that the player drove through. Pursuits can also occur during races. The police in the game will utilize roadblocks and perform ramming tactics. Police cars will have a health bar displayed above their vehicles.

NFS The Run – Career Mode

NFS: Run – Story Mode

NFS The Run Challenge Mode

System requirements