Need for Speed: The Run

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 194 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 96 out of 194
  2. Mixed: 44 out of 194
  3. Negative: 54 out of 194
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  1. TheDiscoBison
    Nov 27, 2011
    3
    Have I been playing the same game as the majority of you lot?

    A 2 hour single player campaign with a limited collection of are until the last two levels really doesn't float my boat. The off t rack reset is one of the harshest I've seen in some places and in others allows you to cut whole sections off the race. I finished the game, but only because I like to finish something I've    Have I been playing the same game as the majority of you lot?

    A 2 hour single player campaign with a limited collection of are until the last two levels really doesn't float my boat. The off t rack reset is one of the harshest I've seen in some places and in others allows you to cut whole sections off the race. I finished the game, but only because I like to finish something I've started unless it's so awful I'd rather hammer nails into my eyes.

    Whoever described the story as something to look forward and of a "Michael Bay" style isn't having much in their life at the moment and I'd warrant hasn't seen a MIchael Bay film. On second thoughts, they probably have.

    Yes, the Frostbite engine looks lovely, the lighting effects are stunning, but looking pretty doesn't make a game.

    This is the worst NFS game of the series, and as far away from Hot Pursuit as two games about racing could be. Save yourself money and time and walk away.    … Expand
  2. koszulla
    Nov 16, 2011
    3
    The game is shorter than your penis. The Run's physics is terrible, car is "swimming" on the road. I think after very good NFs like Shifts and HP we're getting the worst NFS game of all time.
  3. Pokern1nja
    Nov 22, 2011
    3
    Such a super frustrating game. Let's start with the good : graphics and sound make it feel like a really intense and desperate drive across the country. But..... loading times are totally unacceptable - I would suggest having something nearby to keep you occupied while u stare at a loading screen every 30secs, this really disrupts the speed of the game. The pointless QuickTime sequencesSuch a super frustrating game. Let's start with the good : graphics and sound make it feel like a really intense and desperate drive across the country. But..... loading times are totally unacceptable - I would suggest having something nearby to keep you occupied while u stare at a loading screen every 30secs, this really disrupts the speed of the game. The pointless QuickTime sequences are just unneccessary and again disrupt the flow of the game. Sometimes I wonder whether they even test some games before launch because if u just stray off track into the dirt even a tiny bit, the game just frustrating warps you back to a checkpoint, and of course another loading screen. This game is enjoyable in parts, but I was expecting a fast and fluid drive across the continent, but the are just too many frustrating disruptions.… Expand
  4. unabatedshagie
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    After playing Hot Pursuit I was excited when I heard this was being released. I wish I had waited for the reviews before I purchased. Only good thing is I didn't pay full price for it.
  5. MegWhiteley
    Mar 13, 2012
    4
    The worst game of the saga, is horrible, and terrible, have much mistakes, the controls are okay, the graphics amazing, the music, gameplay is boring, this title is same that the other Need For Speed Titles.
  6. Razv
    May 17, 2014
    4
    Not the worst NFS game I've played, but still pretty bad.

    Let's start with the positives: - Very good graphics. The cars, the landscape, the effects, all combine well into this very complex visual experience. Top notch. - It has a story behind it. Even though a not very complex one, I love the fact that the game has a story behind it. And then the negatives: - Disgusting A.I. How    Not the worst NFS game I've played, but still pretty bad.

    Let's start with the positives:
    - Very good graphics. The cars, the landscape, the effects, all combine well into this very complex visual experience. Top notch.
    - It has a story behind it. Even though a not very complex one, I love the fact that the game has a story behind it.

    And then the negatives:
    - Disgusting A.I. How is it even possible to develop such terrible A.I. in a 21st century game is incredible to me. How did no one think that this is a bad idea.
    The opponents are poorly scripted and make the game a constant frustration. If you are behind, the opponents wait for you so you can catch up. If you are in front, they are flying. Constant frustration.

    - The driving feels poorly designed. I know it's Need For Speed so I'm not expecting simulator driving, however, let's at least hint in that direction. It's like you're driving a spaceship in a 90s game, not a modern day car.

    - Loading times. Wow. If I wanted to finish the race without using any resets and I had to restart the whole race every time I made a mistake, I had to wait about 2 minutes after every mistake. About 2 minutes! And if I choose to play hard, I will probably make some mistakes here and there.

    I'm not very picky when it comes to car games, but still, disappointing.    … Expand
  7. sammydeedge
    Apr 1, 2013
    4
    As a gamer, I have never truly been a racing fan, aside from the odd burnout game. The Run in some ways is a nice game as it can be forgiving when it needs to be, and can at time give the illusion of being good at driving. Whilst the campaign got me excited to see the mission through to the end, the novelty ended there. Repetitive missions (well it is a race game, but I would haveAs a gamer, I have never truly been a racing fan, aside from the odd burnout game. The Run in some ways is a nice game as it can be forgiving when it needs to be, and can at time give the illusion of being good at driving. Whilst the campaign got me excited to see the mission through to the end, the novelty ended there. Repetitive missions (well it is a race game, but I would have preferred more of the 'stunt' scenes), with QT events and pseudo plot showing off the pointless characters did nothing and might as well have been avoided. It's a nice way to burn an hour or two, but nothing spectacular.… Expand
  8. Chrisracer8903
    Dec 6, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game was disappointing. There are things you want to like about this game, but there's a lot of garbage you need to go through to come across the best moments.

    The campaign: It took me only 2 hours and 5 minutes! I can't replay my favorite races without replaying the entire "chapter". Each chapter has painfully short races with devastatingly long loading times. The resets add even MORE frustration to the momentum of racing. Example: I wait 2 minutes for the race to load, just to drive an inch off the shoulder lane, then to wait ANOTHER minute for the reset to place me 2 miles back to where I came from. This is a terrible and frustrating design that makes replaying favorite races too troublesome to even bother!

    The soundtrack is good, and the car sounds are good, but that's about it.

    The environments look good with good variety, however, the "races across the county" is a lie. The courses that they claim are somewhere like "Denver, Colorado" or "Rushville, Nebraska" are nothing more than open maps with events played as different courses within the same map to act as if you are traveling across the country when actually you are playing the same course BACKWARDS! Many of the events your going down the same road in different directions and routes while claiming you are in a new location when you are in the same place! How did Black Box/ EA think they were going to get away with that?! Half of the environments look great road-side, but lack depth (Mainly the Eastern-US MAPS) which I think is from the Frostbite engine. Except for the western locations, the courses don't give a sense of distance like it is seen in Hot Pursuit (2010).

    The car selection is good, but I cannot choose them (Outside of the gas station method), can't do quick races, can't choose courses/ weather, just not a lot of options outside of the career and challenge mode. Where are my options?!

    Overall, this game is one large step back in the series compared to the year prior (Hot Pursuit) and is nothing more than a glorified coin-op game, not worth $60, and the DLC doesn't improve the experience.

    Scoring 4: (2 for the locations and 2 for the soundtrack).    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
87
#87 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 65
  3. Negative: 2 out of 65
  1. DailyGame
    Feb 12, 2012
    83
    As I said, I've been a fan of the Need for Speed franchise for quite some time, but even I've been rubbed a bit raw by some of the franchise's evolution over the years. It's not like EA and Black Box were struggling to find an identity, but they seemed to always be looking to switch things up just for the sake of switching. With Need for Speed: The Run, it seems like EA finally found the right mix of action and challenge, and the sporadic out-of-the-car sequences give just enough of a break to keep you pushing forward.
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  2. GamingTrend
    Jan 24, 2012
    78
    Need for Speed The Run is a game that has just enough issues to make it an average game. It is filled with potential, and it eventually could have made a really great game. The cross-country race is a great story-telling mechanic and the cutscenes are well done. The progression of the Driver Level to gain more bonuses could have been given out more consistently and some of the cars could have handled better. If you don't mind driving for a while to unlock cars and abilities, then you should find a satisfying experience.
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  3. Armchair Empire
    Jan 18, 2012
    80
    Although the single-player adventure runs out of fuel way too soon, the intensity of the racing while driving beautifully rendered "dream" autos makes up for the brevity, and a few replayable modes (Challenge and online) greatly increases Need for Speed: The Run's gameplay driving distance.
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