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The Need for Speed franchise has seen many ups and downs throughout its history. Early titles up until the mid-2000s are cult classics, though after that the franchise lost its way. The 2015 iteration was a total car crash due to its always-online requirement, and a host of missteps that leaves me wondering how Ghost Games managed to salvage the wrecks and build up a solid car named Payback afterward. This time, the series returns with another Hollywood-like action. Tyler Morgan and his crew have been betrayed by a nefarious organization, and they're out for revenge to take the city back from its corrupted grasp.
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This review is solely focused on single-player aspects. There's no such luck finding active or even half-full multiplayer lobbies in 2021.

The story follows a crew of talented and bold drivers of Fortune Valley—loosely based on Las Vegas. Tasked with stealing a precious Koenigsegg Regera, Tyler, Mac, and Jess soon find themselves betrayed and caught up in the underworld. Determined for retribution, the crew decides to race numerous leagues in hope of having their help in taking down the House when the time comes.

In a series of action-packed missions in the course of the story, the crew gets to know the House up close, disrupt their systems, hijack hypercars, and steal cutting-edge equipment. The individual driving styles of each crew member collide in these missions, where Payback is seen at its best.

The crew, together with the rest of the cast, suffer from no character development as well as poorly written dialogue. Unchanging characters that tend to only boast in their abilities and nothing more. Overall, Payback feels clichéd, though it gives players enough reasons to carry on. The onset is rather rushed; it introduces several characters and numerous events within only a few minutes, but cutscene after cutscene it leaves players in the aftermath of the sell-out. Well, at least Hollywood-esque, high-octane drama aficionados will be right at home.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2445080389
There's a total of five racing types that each crew member specializes in one or two. Tyler partakes in race circuits and drag events where pedal to the metal and on-time gear-shifting is of the essence, while Mac tests his cars against bumpy terrains and does continuous drifts along curvy roads. Then there's Jess, battling cops in urban areas, all while chauffeuring shady individuals.

The events themselves are tied to defeating each of the league's bosses and their entourage. The race tracks are tailored to their styles, so taking the particular car class is a must. Each class requires a different skillset from its driver that aims to make them feel distinctive. Race cars are built for speed and perform well around corners. The drag ones feel heavier to drive and grip the asphalt harder. The bulkier off-road cars can withstand the pounding upon a rough landing, while anything else would take a hit to the speed and control.

Overall, driving around the Valley is a joy. The feel of the rubber against the road is palpable thanks to the easy arcadey handling and a decent sense of speed, something that was discernibly mishandled in the 2015 reboot. The game also provides an impressive array of body parts, decals, and wraps—which player-made content can be also shared with the community.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2445084121
The world is filled to the brim with side activities such as speed cams, billboard smashing, and so on. It functions well—and nothing is broken in any way—yet it feels bland and empty. However, there's something more prestigious and noteworthy: the derelicts. These rusted, classic American cars are scattered part by part around the sprawling map of the Valley, which can be collected and fixed to restore them to their former glory.

Performance upgrades are presented as speed cards; random drops at the end of each race that can't be transferred from one car to another, and that's where the usual EA schtick comes in: microtransactions. Although, throughout my entire playthrough on the medium difficulty, it was manageable to ride out the races without coughing up for loot boxes.

There's yet another shortcoming: The lackluster police system. While thrilling and intense, they're not the stout challenge one would be looking for. They're criminally scripted and abruptly end once players are near the finishing line. Not to mention there's no free-roam cop-baiting at all. The AI during the pursuits as well as in the races is able to perform clean corners at a high speed. It can easily snatch the golden cup from your hands, but once you get the hang of the controls, it is all fair and nicely challenging.


Visuals
This title performs well at what the series has always excelled at: the graphical quality. The loose reimagination of Vegas, in addition to the deserts of Nevada/Utah, presents prominent landmarks and lovely landscapes. Cars are also modeled with extreme detail, while customizations further extend the uniqueness of the already vast selection of cars.

Audio
The soundtrack has been a cherished feature of the franchise all along, but Payback does nothing to retain that with unremarkable and forgettable songs from Soundcloud mumble rappers, though the featured rock songs are more tolerable. With the utilization of 7.1 surround sound, the overall ambiance plus the engine sound transmutes to something melodious when the cars are whizzing by.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2446273152
💻Specs
Ryzen 5 3500X - GTX1050 2GB - 16GB DDR4 RAM

• 1680x1050 - Medium settings
  
• I can't thoroughly comment on the performance due to my specs, but I'll share my experience anyway. The game mostly outputs +40 FPS, while it takes a serious hit in enclosed areas like tunnels.

⚠️Bugs & Other issues

• Beside the micro stuttering for the first minute of every launch, I haven't encountered any game-breaking bug so far.

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Payback lacks the power earlier entries had under the hood, although it manages to win the race, given that the previous Ghost games title stopped dead in its tracks. Open-world design issues and enforcement of microtransactions might poorly rev the engine, but once this car is warmed up, you're in for an enjoyable ride.
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