Need for Speed Payback

On the road, where it matters, Payback is the most fun we've had with a Need for Speed game in a long time and while there are some questionable design choices and shady things going on regarding player progression and customisation, the developers do seem to be reacting to the negative feedback.

NFS is famous for its storylines, but it might be a bit too much in Payback. Thankfully besides a story there is an amazing game to play, filled with endless possibilities.

Need for Speed Payback is a very fun open-world racing arcade game. There's plenty to do: many different type of races and a huge world with night & day cycle to explore, full of events, collectibles, opponents to challenge and one of the best car customization in the series.

Need for Speed Payback is an epic racing game thanks to his cinematographic style. Fans of the franchise will be very satisfied with all the content that awaits in the game.

Need for Speed: Payback has a lot of competitions to complete and has everything you can expect from a game in the series. It is also heavily focused on grinding, because it's the only way to avoid the infamous microtransactions.

Need for Speed ​​Payback is probably the richest and most varied episode of the series, thanks to a truly vast open world, full of activities and very different races.

Need for Speed Payback feels like the natural evolution of the series, and that’s a good thing considering the game ends with a great tease for a potential sequel. While I finished the story in around 15 hours, it’s worth noting that there are a ton of side events and collectibles that I failed to collect in that time. I could see myself easily doubling my time within Payback, and do so with a smile on my face the entire time.

An overall good game can still be brought down by bad business decisions.

EA and Ghost Games set out to make the quintessential Need for Speed by bringing in aspects that worked in the past and has mostly succeeded. The unnecessary narrative ultimately holds the game back, but it’s a blast once the world is made available to the player. The off-road racing is addicting and the search for Derelicts could remain a mainstay with the franchise moving forward. This is much less of a CAR-PG than the previous game, as players will be able to build a great library of cars much quicker. Add to this an excellent livery editor and community features, and the core elements of Need for Speed Payback will keep fans playing for quite a while.

Need for Speed: Payback's story is completely irrelevant and the last-gen graphics almost hurt the eyes, but the gameplay is as good as ever, the police remain enjoyably annoying and customizing the cars is nice and comprehensive. Recommended for a rainy weekend.

Ghost Games is on the right track with Need for Speed: Payback, but there are still aspects to polish. However, the experience is fun overall.

Need for Speed Payback is one of the biggest games that we have ever seen in this franchise. Yet the game does not feel fresh and different, because the story is really bad.