Why the Night Scene reigns supreme in Need For Speed Heat
"I'm just delaying the inevitable...", I think to myself as I take my Evo X starter car into a Heat 3 police chase, where the cops make it extremely evident you are wanted dead or alive. Sure enough, my health bar hits zero, I'm busted and return to the garage with an empty bank balance. What a frustrating experience.
But that's what made me crave playing Need For Speed Heat over and over; as you progress and earn better parts for your car, you get closer to escaping and securing the reputation you've earned over the course of the night. It's such a well thought out mechanic, and I'll get back to this subject later on.
However, this is only half the experience as building up your reputation only occurs during the night. Under daylight hours, you can accumulate cash to buy cars and parts. Like Forza does with its seasons, the overall vibe changes depending on what time of day you go for; while night time embraces an illicit street racing theme, daytime turns the city into a sanctioned motoring festival. The daytime also provides the player with opportunities to take part in off-road races and time trials.
While the added variety, upbeat atmosphere and monetary rewards make venturing out in the daytime a worthwhile experience in Heat, it can't compare to the "High Risk, High Reward" nature of the Night scene. As you progress through each Heat stage, the cops ramp up their intensity and you really need to be on your tiptoes to figure out how to evade them while keeping your vehicle in one piece. It encourages tactical thinking I have never used since the classic Need For Speed games with pursuit breakers. It is nostalgia done in the best way possible; old school gameplay with an innovative approach.
Although I would advise you to have a competitive vehicle otherwise you could very well end up with some broken controllers...
But that's what made me crave playing Need For Speed Heat over and over; as you progress and earn better parts for your car, you get closer to escaping and securing the reputation you've earned over the course of the night. It's such a well thought out mechanic, and I'll get back to this subject later on.
However, this is only half the experience as building up your reputation only occurs during the night. Under daylight hours, you can accumulate cash to buy cars and parts. Like Forza does with its seasons, the overall vibe changes depending on what time of day you go for; while night time embraces an illicit street racing theme, daytime turns the city into a sanctioned motoring festival. The daytime also provides the player with opportunities to take part in off-road races and time trials.
While the added variety, upbeat atmosphere and monetary rewards make venturing out in the daytime a worthwhile experience in Heat, it can't compare to the "High Risk, High Reward" nature of the Night scene. As you progress through each Heat stage, the cops ramp up their intensity and you really need to be on your tiptoes to figure out how to evade them while keeping your vehicle in one piece. It encourages tactical thinking I have never used since the classic Need For Speed games with pursuit breakers. It is nostalgia done in the best way possible; old school gameplay with an innovative approach.
Although I would advise you to have a competitive vehicle otherwise you could very well end up with some broken controllers...
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