While the launch lineup for the Playstation 4 is a healthy and robust one, it is lacking when it comes to the racing genre. After the delay of Drive Club, fans of the genre are really only left with one option, and that is EA’s Need For Speed: Rivals. We have spent some time with the newest Need For Speed title released and here are some quick impressions of what we liked, and what could be improved. 

What we liked

Driving model and physics – While this is an arcade racer at its core, we still liked the responsiveness that we felt while both driving as the racer and as the police.

Graphics –The early streams really did no justice to the game. While it looks grainy at times, the car models and environments are done very well. It may not scream next gen, but it at least whispers it.

Chasing and racing – Both aspects of the game are fun, and really isn’t that what this game is about. The collisions are also a huge part of the game, and are just as fun as one would hope.

What we didn’t like

The story – Ghost games tries to implement a story to go along with the onscreen action, but it feels tacked on and has little impact on what you are doing. We understand the necessity of this, but just feel it could have been handled better.

AI rubber banding – Yes...rubber banding is back for the latest iteration of Need For Speed , even though the game was developed by Ghost Games, and not Criterion.

All too familiar – If you played NFS Hot Pursuit, than you know what your are getting here. The two games feel eerily similar – which isn’t a bad thing, but those hoping for a brand new experience with a different developer might be letdown a bit.

There is definitely some fun to be had with Rivals, but how much? – we will let you know in the upcoming review this week.