Need for Speed: The Run

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 218 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 96 out of 218
  2. Mixed: 73 out of 218
  3. Negative: 49 out of 218
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  1. DJ_Demon213
    May 12, 2014
    6
    After reading most of the comments, I've realized that most negative comments giving away 0's like they're going out of style are simply unwarranted.
    There was a time where Need for Speed didn't need car customization beyond car colors, or even free-roam, a la Underground 1. It's a fast-paced, story-driven racing game that focuses on huge, wonderful-to-experience set-pieces that will have    After reading most of the comments, I've realized that most negative comments giving away 0's like they're going out of style are simply unwarranted.
    There was a time where Need for Speed didn't need car customization beyond car colors, or even free-roam, a la Underground 1. It's a fast-paced, story-driven racing game that focuses on huge, wonderful-to-experience set-pieces that will have you on the edge of your seat as you rush down the hill of a mountain as an avalanche closes in, or as a subway tram chases you down a dark tunnel.
    "But DJ," I hear you all cry out, "Why only a 6, if it's as great as you say it is? Surely it's worth it to see such a spectacle and experience the story!"
    That's just the issue. There is no real story, and the spectacles wear off once you realize that everyone around you has IQ's equivalent to a box of rocks. Collectively.
    NFS: The Run has you playing as Jack Rourke (a name I had to look up simply because he's that forgettable), a man who apparently is in a lot of trouble with the mob (a concept never delved into deeper than "you did some **** now run as they gun you down with a turret from an overhead helicopter") and is looking for a way out. With the help of his friend and business partner Sam Harper (who also turns out to be his girlfriend? No seriously--where in the hell was this in the story?), Jack manages to find a way into the main 250 racers and begins his race from San Francisco to New York. If it seems as though I'm not entirely giving a thorough report of the story, suffice to say, there isn't much a story to begin with, and with a story-driven racing experience, that's a huge hindrance.
    The wonderful parts are obviously the spectacles, as I've mentioned before. There's something about racing down the snowy patches of the beautifully realized Rocky Mountains or blasting through the sand and dust-covered deserts in Death Valley that just makes evading and racing around the cops that more fun. While many would criticize the turning, you do get a fair warning; they blatantly say it's in between Shift and Hot Pursuit in terms of handling, giving you less of an arcade-y or simulation-y experience for something a bit more...action-y, for lack of a better term (as if the QTE's in game weren't enough of an indication. Also, there's QTE's. Share the frustration)
    However, as fun as blasting and drifting through leaf-covered mountain roads may be, there still lies a major flaw in all of this: the A.I.
    The A.I. competitors and police, frankly, are simply the biggest dicks you will ever find driving the roads. Almost as if they never took Driver's Ed, or driven a car, the police will do everything in their power to **** everything up. I'm looking at you too, competitors; you and your ****ty driving styles have cost me a few complete race resets because of y'all.
    Another thing that bugs me is the choices of cars. Fine enough if you're an mechanophilia (also, feel free to Wikipedia that **** it's an actual term!), but many of the choices never seemed to make a difference. They say that Muscles are better for highways, Exotics for technical courses, Sport cars for Urban, etc., but it never made a difference. I used exotics the whole way through and never bothered picking up some other car until the game made me choose.
    Overall, it's a decent racing experience that would be worth it if EA ever sets it up to go on sale. A rental at best, really, since the game lasts around 2-3 hours.

    Peace.    … Expand
  2. Stealthgear
    Aug 8, 2015
    6
    This is one the best PS3 driving games out there, BUT it has a choppy difficulty curve AND its missing car customization. EA and Criterion did not fix anything I've been **** about for about 11 years (Burnout 3 came out in 2004). SO this game is not much different from BLUR or other NFS. What I love is that backgrounds are astoundingly beautiful. There are some details that seem odd, likeThis is one the best PS3 driving games out there, BUT it has a choppy difficulty curve AND its missing car customization. EA and Criterion did not fix anything I've been **** about for about 11 years (Burnout 3 came out in 2004). SO this game is not much different from BLUR or other NFS. What I love is that backgrounds are astoundingly beautiful. There are some details that seem odd, like road textures that repeat in ways that aren't believeable. The game looks kind of fake in a plastic way, but the draw distance, meandering hills, and lighting are incredible. The car models are drivable for someone who hasn't driven many cars. The game is fun till about halfway through when the courses get bland and too hard! Many times you'll cut a corner too close and the game will drag you back to the road. Drifting still slows you down too much even though you get boost for it! Because its not like old NFS it doesn't drift like Hot Pursuit 2 and Underground!! The game seems great at first but under lots of play it gets annoying. The most annoying is the RESET gameplay. Many times it will put you back to a point in the game where your time wasn't good to complete the whole stage. In short, the reset mode wastes your time. This game is a fun time, but only for about an hour of driving. EA still hasn't fixed any of the problems in this series or put back in the missing features. They haven't been able to make a game as fun or technically perfect as Takedown 3 or Underground, or Hot Pursuit 2. I wanted to love this, but extended playing just shows that its a bit buggy, choppy difficulty, and missing a bunch of features. The main gameplay modes are kind of broken with resets that can waste your time and not enough gas stations to change cars. It looks great, but there is a reason this game can be picked up for cheap. I just don't know why the developers are sitting on their asses and not fixing the main game play style to be more balanced and exciting. This game would have been a solid 8 if it weren't for the poor effort. The problems I list make it a 6.… Expand
  3. HelloMyNameIs
    Nov 25, 2011
    5
    Need for Speed â
  4. projectahmed
    Mar 25, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Note: This Review was Reviewed on November 22-nd 20 11
    I was less impressed that this junk racing game somewhat being short due to its short story, lack of free roam & quick race, difficult quick time events and cops that only do nothing. Well cars in the game are great and tracks as well.

    For else there are some great sequences including Helicopter chase and Rival Races that could facing near the end Like Stage 10.    … Expand
  5. EnKira
    Mar 10, 2013
    7
    I actually liked The Run.
    The Run itself has some boring moments here and there, but some moments surpasses some of my nostalgic memories of the Underground era. 2 examples: The Rockies. It was a wonderland.
    Las Vegas Chase was awesome. The game looks very good with Frostbite 2. The game sounds good with a extremely good soundtrack. The game plays like a classic cross country racer. It    I actually liked The Run.
    The Run itself has some boring moments here and there, but some moments surpasses some of my nostalgic memories of the Underground era. 2 examples: The Rockies. It was a wonderland.
    Las Vegas Chase was awesome. The game looks very good with Frostbite 2. The game sounds good with a extremely good soundtrack. The game plays like a classic cross country racer. It takes some time to get used to the handling. But what's missing? Some classic NFS races. It's always from point A to point B. It would've been such a nice addition if they could place circuit races in the streets of San Fran or New York. Have alternate routes, diverse challenges, etc... More car customization would've been nice. But customization ain't a big deal for me. It's the lack of racing content that we've missed in this...racing game.
    It's not the worst NFS by far, and really not the best. If they could've add more detail and content, this game would've rocked even now.
    7/10 I've had tons of fun, but it didn't last that long.    … Expand
  6. TheEN4cer
    Nov 17, 2011
    5
    Basic, and boring racer game, nothing new to the genre, car physics suck and the ranking system is useless, its just an arcade game not worth the price.
  7. ashleyfan1
    Nov 29, 2011
    6
    getting it out of the way the graphics on this game with the frostbite 2 engine are incredible i dont think it can get better sadly it is downhill from here, the game is very dull and bland you overtake a few cars then get a checkpoint race then some more overtaking, there are a lot of cars in the game but i completed story mode just changing when i was forced to in the storyline i thinkgetting it out of the way the graphics on this game with the frostbite 2 engine are incredible i dont think it can get better sadly it is downhill from here, the game is very dull and bland you overtake a few cars then get a checkpoint race then some more overtaking, there are a lot of cars in the game but i completed story mode just changing when i was forced to in the storyline i think that is about 3 or 4 times but cars do handle very realistically lol if you try to drift around a corner in a track based bmw like i did prepare to spin out a lot, quick time events are good but not challenging, the whole game is unchallenging i finished it on hard difficulty mostly using an m3 gts and could get past everyone by half way through unless it was a storyline race which involved a roadblock where 3 superfast cars had crashed etc, mob chases are ridiculous since when have you seen a huge porsche cayenne keep up with a lambo of porsche carrera not only on a straight but round twists and turns lol, the story will enrage you a lot as if you crash you are shown a huge black screen with a rewind sign which is tacky, it would not be so bad if it only happened a few time but it happens a lot in a few places i was rewound because i had one wheel on the grass and it said i had crashed so anyone playing story requires patience, happily multiplayer is much more fun a level system like most fps games that reward you for completing objectives like say overtaking 5 people of winning races and here you actually race each other and are challenged, so to sum up the entire story mode is one huge time trial multiplayer is great, i had the game for 2 days and sold it at only a £5 loss thank god, i however will buy it back when it comes down to around £20 and i suggest everyone else do the same, just dont buy preowned as like most ea games it has an online pass for online play which is the only reason to play the game… Expand
  8. jeef1523
    Dec 14, 2012
    7
    The game is nothing but a way of getting the series back on it's feet, by trying to give the people what they lost a long time ago in games such as Most Wanted and Carbon, however it didn't work out.The game is entertaining but that as far as it goes, it's nice to see the scenarios, the interactions and all but it's not the same thrill and fun you had with the other games, and the storyThe game is nothing but a way of getting the series back on it's feet, by trying to give the people what they lost a long time ago in games such as Most Wanted and Carbon, however it didn't work out.The game is entertaining but that as far as it goes, it's nice to see the scenarios, the interactions and all but it's not the same thrill and fun you had with the other games, and the story it tries to present is way to simple and basic, it's basically needless. It was a nice try from the series, it just didn't work out as expected… Expand
  9. raghav123
    Nov 15, 2011
    7
    this is actually a step down from NFS hot pursuit as it actually features action elements that just take away all the shine from its scope as this manages to hide the fact that in its heart its still a fun but flawed arcade racer.
  10. Imran
    Dec 6, 2011
    5
    Medicore game the worse thing in game is car physics its very difficult to control cars specially at turning points.Hot pursuit was not even great but now i feel that was a great game as compared to this game.
  11. AllDayXbox
    Nov 29, 2011
    5
    Oh my God... This Game...... Its.... Its.......... Terrible! Hot Pursuit was good, but this, what a way to destroy a franchise! The graphics are great and all, but the Game Play is just boring and repetitive, its only saving grace is the graphical performance and an ok multi-player, but honestly Hot Pursuit is so much better than this waste of $50!
  12. Serginho07
    Feb 22, 2021
    7
    Наконец-то прошел-таки этот ёбаный NFS: The Run. Ну это тот, где по сюжету надо было выйграть гонку от одного побережья пендосии до другого. И десяти лет не прошло (технически, ибо игре будет десять лет только в ноябре). ПК-гейминг сосёт хуи, ибо у меня никогда эта игра нормально не работала на компе, приходилось начинать на 360-ом боксе, но чот как-то не осилил, сраный движок, очень всеНаконец-то прошел-таки этот ёбаный NFS: The Run. Ну это тот, где по сюжету надо было выйграть гонку от одного побережья пендосии до другого. И десяти лет не прошло (технически, ибо игре будет десять лет только в ноябре). ПК-гейминг сосёт хуи, ибо у меня никогда эта игра нормально не работала на компе, приходилось начинать на 360-ом боксе, но чот как-то не осилил, сраный движок, очень все неудобно было. Пытался я ее начать ну вот прям дохуя раз, и постоянно что-то да мешало. Сейчас же, наконец-то, спокойно, купил диск на PS3 и добил этого хуеплёта. Игра все-таки больше заебись, как по мне, чем хуйня. Только вот проблема в том, что, концептуально, гонка от одного побережья до другого была пиздатой идеей исключительно до выхода The Crew, в которой эту самую гонку можно прям вот взять и за раз, минут за 30-40 проехать. Но я все же принципиально отыграл таки этот санный The Run, было все равно весело.

    P.S: За прохождение сюжетки, игра меня наградила зависанием. Пришлось гасить консоль, так что точно сказать не могу сколько по часам ушло на прохождение. Рот ебал.    … Expand
  13. Elsingo
    Nov 22, 2011
    5
    This game is fun at times, but apart from realy nice graphics this game offers me nothing new apart from the anoying parts where im forced to spam, enter or space to see the cutscene, they could have just skiped that part and let me see the cutscene, it would have been a whole other story if you got options on how to handle the situations but all it does is force you to spam your buttonsThis game is fun at times, but apart from realy nice graphics this game offers me nothing new apart from the anoying parts where im forced to spam, enter or space to see the cutscene, they could have just skiped that part and let me see the cutscene, it would have been a whole other story if you got options on how to handle the situations but all it does is force you to spam your buttons to see a video.… Expand
  14. Ovrful
    Nov 19, 2011
    7
    I really dont care about stories in arcade racing games, but a few things could be done better in this game e.g no far camera and sometimes due to dramatic camera moments I couldnt avoid a crash. Graphics are superb, environment is beautiful and it varies, by that I mean that you race in mountains, citys, country sides etc. With this story I think they just tried to make this game feelI really dont care about stories in arcade racing games, but a few things could be done better in this game e.g no far camera and sometimes due to dramatic camera moments I couldnt avoid a crash. Graphics are superb, environment is beautiful and it varies, by that I mean that you race in mountains, citys, country sides etc. With this story I think they just tried to make this game feel less repetitive.
    To conclude I think that this game is decent, but I somehow prefer the style of NFS-Hot Pursuit way more.    … Expand
  15. Cooldude731
    Jul 7, 2012
    5
    The story was very unique and fun, but for sure it lacked in length. The story was only 2 hours long, like come on, that's a total joke. There are some DLC for games that are longer than that. The multiplayer was decent, but it suffered from lag. The graphics are well done, within the world and cars. But for sure a step down from Hot Pursuit 2010, but way better than the Shift series.
  16. plushcarpet
    Nov 30, 2012
    5
    I remember playing this a while ago. It was.....ok. Not bad, not excellent, just ok. Campaign is painfully short and I lost interest quickly. This is a rental at best, buy at your own risk.
  17. chix
    Jun 13, 2014
    6
    I felt like this game deserves a 5/10 but due to the excellent graphics of the people and cars I'll give it a 6/10. This game is a disappointment in many ways. The story is uninteresting, the way you change your car during a race is a stupid inconvenience and the fact that if your car is a small distance out of the road the game resets you back to the nearest checkpoint and you lose aI felt like this game deserves a 5/10 but due to the excellent graphics of the people and cars I'll give it a 6/10. This game is a disappointment in many ways. The story is uninteresting, the way you change your car during a race is a stupid inconvenience and the fact that if your car is a small distance out of the road the game resets you back to the nearest checkpoint and you lose a life, this removes the feeling of driving freely and just makes the game tense for nothing.
    Although some of the action cutscenes are good I would rather recommend you play NFS most wanted(2005), NFS Carbon, NFS hot pursuit(2010) and even NFS 2 on ps1 or if you don't want any NFS then just play Forza or something.    … Expand
  18. Alex_Evan
    Jan 30, 2017
    6
    O enredo é até legal...mas sem nada que anime o jogador...finalizei o jogo no modo single e me diverti de forma relevante no modo multiplayer online...como não espero grande surpresa positiva da franquia...até que gostei desse jogo.
  19. eva3si0n
    Jun 12, 2020
    7
    NFS The Run was probably the last NFS that at least someone followed, after which the series finally went into darkness thanks to the efforts of EA. In The Run, playing in 2020 is very painful. There is no question to the graphic component, the game on PS3 looks great, I am sure on PC everything is generally good thanks to Frostbyte 2. But after arcade Forza play NFS discomfort, theNFS The Run was probably the last NFS that at least someone followed, after which the series finally went into darkness thanks to the efforts of EA. In The Run, playing in 2020 is very painful. There is no question to the graphic component, the game on PS3 looks great, I am sure on PC everything is generally good thanks to Frostbyte 2. But after arcade Forza play NFS discomfort, the feeling is that you are riding an iron with 4 wheels. And apparently the transition to Frostbyte was difficult for the game, almost half of the total playing time I looked at the download screens, while some levels were only short, which took 2-3 minutes. Many at one time did not like The Run for the duration of the campaign. Well, I reverse it and liked it, in general, there is a maximum of gameplay for 3-4 hours. She simply does not have time to get tired as it happens with most games of this genre (Forza Horizon exception). There is a simple and idiotic plot, but thanks to it it was possible to add at least 3 magnificent levels. In general, I bought my $7 for which The Run she is worth, I advise everyone to try.… Expand
  20. PSGaming
    May 25, 2020
    6
    NFS is a game that takes different direction from its predecessors.Its very short story,car list is poor,customisation is limited to only a paint job.The sound effects are ok,but i feel like the cars have the same engine sound.Music is also ok.The graphics are the only thing i liked the most.Car models and environments are awesome.Frostbyte 2 really delivers top quality graphics.ButNFS is a game that takes different direction from its predecessors.Its very short story,car list is poor,customisation is limited to only a paint job.The sound effects are ok,but i feel like the cars have the same engine sound.Music is also ok.The graphics are the only thing i liked the most.Car models and environments are awesome.Frostbyte 2 really delivers top quality graphics.But overall its OK game at best.If you searching for a short racing game,then this is for you.… Expand
  21. Ardho
    Feb 8, 2022
    7
    Unique and strange gameplay into one, it's a new thing but it doesn't work, the story is ridiculous and there is no car development
  22. The_D4RknesS
    Jul 12, 2022
    5
    the graphics and cars are beautiful but the gameplay is a disgrace, you can't control the car
  23. Giero
    Jan 4, 2023
    6
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  24. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 25, 2023
    6
    Another Burnout "inspired" NFS game that is set over one long race from San Francisco to New York, divided into legs in the usual cops versus racers style. It's all very familiar and the least interesting section - ie the time trials - are too hard, but otherwise it's solidly done. It just feels like one of the less memorable titles of the series and too similar to Burnout while not beingAnother Burnout "inspired" NFS game that is set over one long race from San Francisco to New York, divided into legs in the usual cops versus racers style. It's all very familiar and the least interesting section - ie the time trials - are too hard, but otherwise it's solidly done. It just feels like one of the less memorable titles of the series and too similar to Burnout while not being as much fun.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
51
#51 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 48
  3. Negative: 3 out of 48
  1. Console Monster
    Apr 28, 2012
    70
    In summary, The Run provides yet another aspect to the NFS series and with its Hollywood-like cut scenes and storyline, easy to pick-up-and-play driving; The Run is definitely one to run out for, however I wouldn't run a marathon for the game. If you're not a NFS freak, a simple rent will keep you occupied for more than enough time.
    Read full review
  2. Play UK
    Jan 9, 2012
    63
    So long as you can get behind the odd handling and the deceptive setup, The Run offers some top-end racing thrills tucked in among some cheap, scripted and downright annoying moments. [Issue#213, p.84]
  3. games(TM)
    Jan 9, 2012
    50
    Fleeting fun and a mild distraction it may be, but The Run finishes this particular race upside down in a ditch. On fire. [Issue#117, p.112]
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