After last year's installment, I was cautiously optimistic about what the developers would bring to the table in "Need for Speed: The Run". And they didn't disappoint. Instead of the usual street racing formula with car selection, garages, tuning, and parking-lot hangouts under streetlamps, we were thrown into a full-blown auto adventure - a road movie turned road game - from the West Coast to the East Coast of the U. S. Nearly 5,000 kilometers with no sleep, no rest, and most importantly - no brakes. It felt like something genuinely fresh for the series and played out with real energy.
The gameplay is structured around segmented tracks - each with a goal, a stretch of road, and a challenge: overtake your rivals and don't wreck your car. Occasionally, the game throws in surprises - missions where you're outrunning an avalanche, crashing through obstacles, dodging helicopters, and more over-the-top Hollywood action. Your heart skips a beat as your fingers slam the gas trigger.
The graphics? Simply gorgeous. The cars gleam like they're fresh from the showroom, reflections shimmer on their bodies, and each stretch of road feels like a mini-journey. You get city streets glowing with lights, deserts, winding mountain passes, snowstorms - the immersion is real, like in a high-end action movie. Even if you're not a racing fan, it's a visual treat.
There's also a storyline, complete with cutscenes and a few twists. But the whole thing wraps up as quickly as a good movie. And that's where I have a bone to pick with the developers - you created a coast-to-coast track, so why not spice it up with more side activities along the way? Something to make the journey more engaging, and stretch out the playtime. As it stands, you race from coast to coast... and that's it. Thanks, it was fun. But it left me wanting more. Sure, there are cinematic sequences and some interaction outside the car with different characters, and that adds some flavor - but it still felt a bit thin.
That said, I look back on "The Run" with real fondness. It was an unusual move for the series - and frankly, a successful one. Short, yes, but exciting - like a great vacation where you road-tripped across half the country, hit a ton of crazy moments, and walked away wanting more. Next time (spoiler: there wasn't a next time), I'd hope for a richer journey with surprises behind every bend.
All in all, the game's great - but it ran out of gas too soon.
8 out of 10.
