I have maintained the belief that storytelling needs to exist together with racing gameplay because multiple Need for Speed games demonstrate different ways to solve this problem. The Run developed into its current form as a racing game which now exists as an entirely different experience from traditional racing games.

🧠So it's no surprise that the word "disappointed" was a very positive description of my feelings about what EA had done with the game this time. Before even playing i was very opposed to the idea of forcing a storyline again, knowing that a good racing game doesn't need one at all, and planning what and when to happen during races is generally a very poor idea.

The launch of Payback brought unexpected events which I experienced after its release. The story content showed weakness yet it failed to harm the game which had undergone major changes from its last version although some changes made the game worse. Payback features three main characters who operate as a single team throughout the game. The three team members each possess their own driving skills and expertise. Tyler represents traditional racing expertise while Mac demonstrates mastery in off-road driving and drifting techniques and Jess specializes in police pursuit evasion.

We barely know their prior history, but at the very beginning, we see them, with a little outside help, attempting to steal a Koenigsegg Reger lent to them by a wealthy friend. The plan goes completely wrong because the car ends up with people who should not have it and the owner of the stolen vehicle decides to support us instead of sending us to prison. The situation requires us to become his servant because we must remain hidden until the time comes to achieve our revenge.

The plot is not the most clever, even by the series' standards. Even though we've parted ways with the guys from the previous installment, not much has really changed. We're still dealing with highly exaggerated characters delivering dry or embarrassing lines. The whole thing was supposed to be modeled after the Fast and Furious films, but believe me, the script and acting are unfortunately in two different leagues. The new NfS feels like it's aimed at middle schoolers, so if you're older than "teenagers," you'll probably be disappointed with this element of the experience. Fortunately, it's just an excuse to race and push the action forward.

Ghost Games provides a substantial virtual environment which they created to resemble Los Angeles. The game features a vast virtual city together with desert regions which players can explore without restrictions. The developers created multiple exploration methods to investigate their world although these methods follow common patterns. We will discover hidden tokens together with billboards that we need to destroy, speed cameras, speed tests and wrecks which we have to locate and build from parts scattered throughout the world.
Furthermore, with a revised progression system based on a Power Index, and the awarding of points for all actions taken during gameplay, the whole thing has begun to bear a dangerous resemblance to Forza Horizon. All of this means that the new NfS features a mix of different series, from Burnout, through TDU, the aforementioned Forza, and even The Crew. Unfortunately, NfS is the least of all.

The control model has been slightly modified from the previous installment, making it even more accessible and easier to master than before. The cars now feature a unique skid which we can easily control, thus enabling us to experience satisfying drifting. The devs maintained steering customization options for us to adjust their settings, although I believe these options do not match the level of customization found in 2015's NfS.

Unfortunately Ghost Games made the decision to stop using regular mechanical tuning methods because they wanted to develop a new system that would use random upgrade cards which we can obtain through race victories or purchase from garages at high costs. Two major tragedies occurred simultaneously. First, we were denied the ability to independently decide on purchasing and installing individual car components. The situation is unfortunate because NfS(2015) provided multiple customization options which we could use to modify various parts.

This, however, would probably be manageable; after all, it's an arcade game. The problem is that upgrade cards are only obtained after winning a race, and their price at the garage is high. At the same time, the "power" requirements for our car increase rapidly from race to race, draining our virtual wallet to the bone.This makes it harder to acquire new cars in the game, and it's definitely more economical to upgrade existing ones, unless we're willing to undergo tedious grinds or replay races we've already played.
The game includes microtransactions as its second available solution. The game operates as a single-player experience which implements free-to-play game elements that forces us to spend money for the progress unless we complete the same missions multiple times.

There are situations in the game where we're racing against the same opponents as 30 seconds ago, but suddenly their cars are much faster, and there's virtually nothing we can do about it until we upgrade our car.

The good news is that the Devs have dropped the requirement for a constant internet connection in this, so we can still play even if we don't have internet access. The game engine achieves high levels of visual performance through its many beautiful landscapes which show the complete transition from day to night together with the game designer's exceptional city designs with atmospheric desert and canyon locations, that often made me stop driving and grab my virtual camera to take screenshots.
The previous installment was already visually impressive and Payback delivers the same level of visual quality. It pays for this with occasional animation drops, but technically, there's nothing else to complain about.
Regarding the audio, it's worth noting that the music isn't up to par with previous years, and the soundtrack is a hodgepodge of tracks that don't quite fit the game's atmosphere.

✅The Good.
- Visuals
- Open world with cool locations
- Plenty of stuff to do in free-roam
- It has a pretty easy learning/getting-used-to curve
- Quite like the fun factor that Payback brings back, the handling of the cars is pretty fine.

❌The Bad.
- Microtransactions
- Grinding
- Occasional animation drops
- Dubbing
- Script

🧾In Conclusion.
Payback brought unexpected results to me because I dedicated my time to the game. My initial expectation was that the game would fail because it lacked proper storytelling, but the actual results proved me wrong.
The gameplay model used in the game consists of elements from multiple arcade games which together create an open-world experience that enables players to track their progress through a car power index system.
While it lacks the atmosphere or spirit of Need for Speed, the overall experience is surprisingly good, with the final effect being marred mainly by a forced microtransaction system, tedious grinding, and a childish script.
Payback uses a proven formula for an arcade racing game, but unlike a few constituents, they contribute to the feature set.
7.5/10🔚

𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 — ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ "𝟕/𝟏𝟎"
𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 — ★★★★★★★★☆☆ "𝟖/𝟏𝟎"
𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 — ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ "𝟕/𝟏𝟎"
𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 — ★★★★★★★★☆☆ "𝟖/𝟏𝟎"

𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 — ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ "𝟕/𝟏𝟎" ✅

My first new-gen NFS game after playing MW and Underground 2 years ago. gotta say my expectations were low but holy its so bad.
Another franchise that turned into garbage while trying to appeal to "casual players" Game tries to hold your hand in every situation possible, you bumped the car at a tree for 0.5 seconds? resetting the car!
you dont even need to race, AI is so bad that if given the time they just start crashing into everything!!
AND cars dont even feel fast, i'd go with 300 and car would feel like it is 100 at most