Obviously though, due to the game's nature, races are also included as the core behind the gameplay.ĭriving in the game is designed in a cinematic fashion, meaning the camera angle will be set-up to work with the events on-screen as well. If you miss a button prompt, the police officer you are fighting with will put you into a choke hold, though you can escape this by pressing a button rapidly. An early example of this can be found in a on foot chase sequence in Chicago. The game asks you to press multiple face buttons at a time and if you fail, the scene keeps on going, giving you chances to redeem yourself.
However, the game doesn't give you full control of your character's movements, instead the on foot sequences are quick time events that resemble the ones found in Heavy Rain. The game is the first in the NFS franchise to include on foot sequences.
Like Need for Speed: Undercover, Need for Speed: The Run has an in depth story about a driver par taking in a high stakes, illicit cross country race from San Francisco to New York while being chased by the police and the mob. Despite winning the race, Jack decides to take part in yet another one and the game ends. The story climaxes in New York, where Jack defeats the mob and comes in first, giving the mob its money. During the trip, he faces off against certain characters such as a boxer who's put all his money into the race, a model and her childhood friend who's just in the race for the thrills, a family man who needs the money for his family (he races with his crew) and finally the mob, who constantly chases him throughout the game. Naturally, he makes all of these objectives. He has to be in 150th place by the time he reaches Vegas, 50th by the time he reaches Chicago and (naturally) 1st by the time he reaches New York City. Jack has to be in a particular position in the race by the time he reaches particular cities. The story is then told through cut scenes and quick time events. Jack naturally accepts, is hooked up with a fast car and proceeds to escape San Francisco just as the cops close the city down. Jack wakes up in time and manages to escape the mob and meet with his lady friend (voiced by Christina Hendricks) who offers to help him get out of debt by partaking in a cross country race where the winner takes home 25 000 000 dollars, more than enough to pay off the mob.
The mob have put him there, wishing to permanently end his racing career, as he owes them too much money.
The game opens with Jack knocked unconscious in a red Porsche that's being lowered into a car crusher. The player must take Jack through a cross country race from San Francisco to New York in hopes of winning money that will get him out of debt. The player takes on the role of Jack, a man who owes too much money to the mob, money that he knows he won't be able to pay. Need for Speed: The Run has a prominent story mode dubbed "The Run". The game takes this further though, expanding upon the protagonist and his reason for being involved in the illegal races. The concept behind the game is similar to the Gumball Rally, being an illicit street-race running across the United States with competition coming from law enforcement. This is helped along by the engine the game runs on DICE's Frostbite 2.0, which also powers Battlefield 3. The game's release date was November 17th 2011, and marks the first time that the Need for Speed franchise will offer on-foot sequences in a story driven environment. Need for Speed: The Run is the 2011 release in the franchise,and was developed by EA Black Box (also responsible for Need for Speed: Carbon).