The eternal conflict between racers and cops drives Need for Speed: Rivals ($59.99), the latest entry in a long-running series. But don't mistake this game for a simple rehash: Tweaks to the formula make Rivals the most impressive Need for Speed installment to date. The developers went all out for this edition, creating an expansive environment filled with dream cars and single- and multi-player challenges. Even with a few rough spots, Need for Speed: Rivals unleashes your inner racer (or cop) and provides an exhilarating ride from start to finish. I reviewed the Xbox One version, but Need for Speed: Rivals is also available for PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

The Wild, Wild Redview County
Redview County is the Need for Speed: Rivals battleground. This racers' heaven has drift-friendly winding roads and straight passages you can use to push your car to its limit. Likewise, small towns and construction sites add a tasty flavor to the county's far reaches.

There are many cars that you can blaze down Redview County's roads. Staples such as Ford, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all make appearances, but it's high-end performance vehicles from Bugatti, Ferrari, McLaren, and Pagani that are the true gems. Pushing them to the limits of possibility and beyond is what makes this game so much fun. Drifting a corner at 200 miles per hour or pulling a 180-degree turn in a heartbeat is unrealistic, but it reflects Need for Speed's arcade-game nature. And it's fun! Check out the Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport games for more-realistic racing simulations.

The Need for Speedpoints
Racers and cops must best challenges such as finishing first place in a race or busting a certain number of racers to advance through the game, and each successful event, pursuit, or drift generates Speedpoints. If you're a racer, Speedpoints work as a currency you can use to customize your car or purchase the new Pursuit Tech feature (more on that in a bit). If you're a cop, you can only buy Pursuit Tech—there's no pimping out your squad car. Even if you're a racer, you'll find that the customization isn't terribly deep, so you're likely to spend most of your points on Pursuit Tech.

Source: www.pcmag.com