GTP Video Game Cool Wall: Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2

[Cowboy]

Need For Speed : Hot Pursuit 2, nominated by @Robin

Release date - October 2, 2002
Platform(s) released on – PC, GameCube, Playstation 2, Xbox
Game developer – EA Black Box
Genre - Racing

Spoiler: General Information

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 is a 2002 racing video game, serving as the debut Need for Speed title from EA Black Box, and the first Need for Speed game for the sixth generation of consoles. It is the sixth installment in the Need for Speedseries and is the sequel to the 1998 racing game Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. It is also the last Need for Speedgame of the series' first era, as the following game would reboot the series to focus on the tuner culture. In 2002, the game was awarded "Console Racing Game of the Year" at the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 received mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 2 version 88.01% and 89/100, the Xbox version 80.04% and 75/100, the PC version 72.77% and 73/100 and the GameCube version 72.05% and 68/100.

Maxim gave the PS2 version a perfect ten and stated that it "not only gives you the keys to more than 20 exotic cars, it also gives you the unsurpassed joy of leaving traffic cops in the dust." Entertainment Weekly gave the game a B+ and stated, "Killer aerial shots, intense chases, and a rock-infused soundtrack make for a heart-pounding ride." BBC Sport gave the GameCube version a score of 80% and stated that "With plenty of racing challenges it should have a decent amount of longevity but their repetitive nature might grate for some." AllGamealso gave the PS2 version a score of four stars out of five and said that it "offers a[n] impressive amount of arcade-style fun bolstered by the number and variety of courses, challenging Hot Pursuit mode, and excellent lineup of vehicles."

 

[Silver Arrows]

Best NFS game by a country mile for me. Nothing in the series can reflect the white knuckle chases that were present in HP2 - and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that you have nowhere to run, confined to a track setting and not an open world. It's flight pretty much, no fight. And I love that.

Also probably one of the few instances where a console version (The PS2, of all versions!) is miles beyond the PC version in every conceivable way. Black Box sure did some wizardry to make this game different from the others, and most importantly, keep it running at a relatively solid framerate for 2002.

It says a lot that my copy is so beat up and played that 4/10 it will successfully work. And when it does, it still feels like a revelation. The game is still as fresh and exhilarating as it was in 2002.

 

[McLaren]

I used to play this game religiously and felt the one by Criterion was worthy successor. Wouldn't mind if one day, they tried to remake it. Otherwise, this is 1 of those games I would find a PS2 just to play it again as I still have my copy.

 

[Casey]

This game gave me so many good memories and is easily one my most favorite games I've played so it gets an A from me.

 

[yabiggoose]

PS2 physics, B.
Pc physics, F.

 

[Robin]

PS2 physics, B.
Pc physics, F.

I think the PC version wasn't just a port but a re-coding by another studio which is why it wasn't very good. It was built for consoles from the ground up.

 

[yabiggoose]

The pc version was utter poo.

 

[Mike458]

Assuming we're talking about the PS2 version, why wouldn't it be anything other than an A?

 

[SPhilli911]

Cool. It's the last good NFS (or at least the last NFS before they diverted way off course into "street racing") and a game I played for many hours. I had the Gamecube version, where at the time there weren't many (or any?) good racing games on the console.

 

[Wolfe]

B for the PS2 version, D for the other versions.

The PS2 version aged unusually well for a 15-year-old racing game; it's still enjoyable to play with better handling than every one of the NFS titles since. The car list is reasonably diverse, including the rare Carrera GT, and the locations are memorable and pretty well-laid-out for the police chase action. It was also great for split screen with a friend.

 

[Spitfiredwod]

At least when it comes to the PS2 version, a solid B from me.

I made some good memories as a little kid thundering around in the Viper, Diablo, and eventually after some work, the McLaren F1LM. I also really liked the soundtrack. When I got my first MP3 Player maybe 11-12 years ago, I had a lot of the songs from this game's soundtrack on it. I really oughta get this again, I need to give it another playthrough, its been far too long.

 

[Stephan]

Oh yes Hot Pursuit 2. Easily one of my favorite NFS titles next to Porsche Unleashed.

It introduced to me one of my favorite cars the Mclaren F1 LM and it was a dream to drive especially the NFS Edition. The cops were perfect plus you even have a police helicopter throwing explosive barrels and that can cause you the race. I should also give credit for them adding cockpit view for the Ferraris in the last race of both Ultimate Racer and Championship series. It's fitting since Ferrari didn't come back full time until Rivals.

Also how can I forget this awesome intro shot from the game's intro?

Easily an A for me. No.3 best NFS for me.

 

[VXR]

Best NFS in my opinion, closely followed by the 2010 version and Road Challenge in number 3.

The driving was arcade perfection, the car list was essential, but the soundtrack was the cherry on top.

Pulse Ultra and the Buzzhorn managed one album each before disbanding and they're two of my favourites from my late teens. It also introduced me to Bush and Rush respectively.

One of the coolest games period.

(Well, on PS2 anyway. I was mightily confused by how different the Xbox version was)

 

[ThrasherDBS]

The last game of my favorite era of Need For Speed games, and a direct sequel to my favorite Need For Speed title. Hard hitting music, really awesome locales in diverse settings that went into each other, the ability to actually be the cop, the awesome intro that I would replay over and over. This was one of my favorite games to play on the PS2 when I wasn't playing GT3.

I heard Rush a lot before because my parents would typically play the classic rock stations whenever we went anywhere, but this game is where I found out exactly "who" Rush was. Vapor Trails wound up being the second Rush album I've gotten, and I wound up finding Superkala by Course of Nature at a thrift shop of all places (really good album, that one). It was also pretty funny to find out long after the fact that the actual songs "Fever for the Flava" and "Going Down On It" by Hot Action Cop, were most definitely not about cars.

This one scores an A.

 

[Obelisk]

This was my childhood. A.