Need for Speed Payback

Need for Speed Payback took players to the fictional Fortune Valley, a city inspired by Las Vegas and the surrounding desert, where a story of revenge against a corrupt cartel controlling the underworld of illegal racing unfolds. The main novelty was the switch to three distinct playable characters – a racer, a stunt driver, and a former car thief – between whom the player switches during the campaign depending on the type of mission, which was meant to give the story a more cinematic, episodic structure.

Gameplay was divided into several disciplines: road races, drifting, quarter-mile drag duels, and off-road routes in the surrounding desert, which gave the vehicle roster a wide range of builds, from classic tuners to monster trucks and modified pick-up trucks. The car upgrade system worked through parts cards with randomized stats, an element that became a target of criticism for its resemblance to microtransaction mechanics, although the cards could also be earned through pure gameplay without having to pay. Visually, the game on Xbox One relied on Hollywood-style chases with spectacular crashes, body panels tearing off, and extensive scripted sequences in the spirit of action movies. The musical accompaniment combined electronic and rock tracks meant to underscore the sense of speed and danger.

Reviews of the time praised the entertaining action side and the variety of disciplines, but pointed out the shallow story and the aforementioned economic system, which disrupted an otherwise smooth progression through the game. Within the series, it was an attempt to combine arcade racing with Fast & Furious-style cinematic action, which succeeded partially, especially in the spectacular chases with trucks and trains in the middle of the desert. Today Payback is remembered as a transitional installment between the more open Rivals and the later, better-received Heat, yet it still offers a solid dose of arcade racing with a distinctive atmosphere of a neon-filled desert metropolis.

Why play it: Anyone who wants to experience spectacular chases with trucks and trains in the atmosphere of a neon-filled desert metropolis in the spirit of Fast & Furious will overlook the shallower story and the annoying economic system.