EA is one of the largest game companies on this planet and that allows them to throw us a bone, in between all the yearly sports updates they shove down our holes. After giving us a free Battlefield iteration, it is now the turn for Need For Speed World (NFSW) to join the ranks of free major franchises.

NoobFeed - Need For Speed World Review 1
Need For Speed World

This game is all about the joys of racing and nothing else; neither story nor background needed. From the moment you picked your first vehicle you're dropped right into the action that is the impressive large city available. From there you can cruise around for races, or just pick them up from the map. But you can also change it up by hitting a cop car, resulting in thrilling police chases.

In these pursuits, the adrenaline drips from your screen as you take any route available to beat the fuzz at their own game. Whether you cleverly bypass roadblocks, use dirt roads or ram them to oblivion; all aspects are and remain fun from start to finish. But the best part about this is that you can hit certain parts of scenery to create a vast amount of destruction in your wake, effectively halting anything that was behind you. Time your scheme well and you'll have a crane full of construction pipes rolling over fed cars, as you smile in your rear view mirror.

NoobFeed - Need For Speed World Review 2
Need For Speed World - Casino's and fast cars.

The effect of grandeur can only be pulled off if all the visuals are up to par and NFSW delivers on that part. The city is not only vast, but also very varied and detailed. You can be ragging in the casino-filled city at one point to take an off-road through the countryside and end up at a huge industrial complex. But of course, there's also a lot of detail in and around your car. While you can customize how you look, the best effects are from lighting and wind details around your vehicle. If the sun is high, you'll get a glare in your screen and if you're speeding, the wind streams will surround your car. This heightens the excitement level and creates a sensible sensation of speed. And the best part is that all this eye candy is rather low maintenance, as even ancient pc's will be able to enjoy some level of beauty at even the lowest settings.

NoobFeed - Need For Speed World Review 3
Need For Speed World In-Game.

Racing and fudging with police alone is not enough though; to aid you, you will get access to powerups to heighten your performance. Unlike other racers where you need to pick them up scattered through the roadside, these powerups will simply become available as you race. The more races you do, the more powerups you get; it's just that easy. The multitude of aides you get can then be set in different powerup consoles that are set to one of four buttons on your controller (or keyboard). This makes using help both easy and fluent. There's a multitude of options available to you, such as a "Juggernaut" bull ram, inflatable tires, a shield, etc.; all of which are specifically designed for certain situations in the game.

In a nice twist towards other racers, NFSW goes MMO to implement a level system for your car, with multiple upgrades and other installations. Now, apart from the skill points you can spend every level, this doesn't set you too much apart from tuning possibilities in other games. Although upgrades are also level-based, so just having cash won't suffice to upgrade your vehicle to a juicy monster of speed. This leads us to NFSW's biggest problem: Levels.

Although having a shallow, yet original, RPG feel to your racer is a very nice thought, NFSW takes the MMO grinding aspect to heart and that does work against it in the end. As you repeat more and more races, the sensation of speed and adrenaline starts to flicker and races start to blur into routine. You get experience whether you do well or poorly, which only dulls down the experience as time progresses. Winning and competing is still fun, but the edge gets taken off considerably and it will be hard to keep racing continuously, as it all feels the same. It's a shame that they didn't keep the fast pace of the game tied to the level system, because this truly affects the longevity of the game's life. In all, only race-driven fans will keep up the chase as more casual players will only play until the thrill gets killed. It's a truly missed opportunity on a great concept.

Need For Speed World - SEPARATE VIDEO REVIEW

Still, Need For Speed World is a load of fun and jam-packed with excitement. While it lasts, you'll have trouble putting this speedy racer down. The sense of having 20 cops behind you as you shake them off and make your escape is so extremely fulfilling, you'll try again seconds after the last chase ended. And racing against opponents in multiplayer offers a considerably different experience every time, to keep you coming back for more also. Even with the grinding, this game has a thrilling experience to offer and there's no reason anyone shouldn't pick up on it; certainly because it's free!

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed.

Need for Speed World

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Need For Speed World