As I punch buttons in response to on-screen prompts to free myself from a car that is about to be crushed, I cannot help but wonder if I am really playing a racing game.
As it turns out, it is indeed a car racing game: the 18th edition of Need For Speed.
But it is also the first time in this series that you can travel (or escape) on foot via quick-time events such as the above.
You play the role of Jackson Rourke who owes bucketfuls of money to a mysterious crime organization and is also running away from the police.
Rourke is directed to compete in an illegal street race event with a prize money of US$25million (S$32.4m) to secure his freedom.
He has to race 4,828km across the United States, from San Francisco to New York – and beat more than 200 drivers.
Need for Speed: The Run
The race is split into nine stages, with each stage divided into a number of events.
Each event has a different objective, such as overtaking a number of drivers before reaching the finishing line or reaching several checkpoints within the allocated time.
Some events require you to battle opponents one at a time; you have to overtake each opponent before the time limit and stay ahead for a certain amount of time.
You also have to deal with slow-moving vehicles and traffic police who are hot on your heels.
Depending on the difficulty level set, you might be allowed up to 10 resets if you wreck your car or miss your objectives.
You gain points for each completed objective and level up when you score enough points. As you level up, you gain perks such as nitrous upgrades or newer, faster rides.
Overall, this Need for Speed: The Run race is quite fun and challenging, with a scintillating soundtrack adding excitement and tension as you race towards the finish line.
However, it gets repetitive after a while as the objectives tend to be the same. There are some on-foot chases by the mafia or police interspersed between stages, but they are really forgettable quick-time events.
More memorable, though, are the changes in scenery as you transverse from the neon lights of Las Vegas into the dusk of Death Valley.
The single-player race is a bit short as it can be finished in about five hours. For more of a challenge, set a higher difficulty mode which allows fewer resets. Or you can try out new races that are unlocked in the Challenge series.
Of course, nothing beats racing online against other people. The multiplayer mode is divided into playlists in which you can choose to compete in muscle car battles or exotic sprint races.
More challenges will be unlocked after a certain number of objectives, such as finishing in a certain position in your race, are completed.
However, frequent ghost opponent cars, inconsistent collision physics and frame rate drops were encountered during the multiplayer races.
Need for Speed: The Run is really enjoyable while it lasts. It is a pity the single-player run is too short and the multiplayer mode too bumpy.
Download now: Need for Speed: The Run
