GameCenter - Issue 68 - 50

parting shots
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
NEED FOR SPEED PAY BACK
TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD
LEGACY OF K AIN: DEFIANCE

1 on 1

RILEY COOPER
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, NEED FOR SPEED HEAT

Since its debut way back in 1994, the Need for Speed franchise has become one of
the longest-running and best-known names in all of racing. The series has provided
speed freaks all sorts of pulse-pounding challenges over the years, and the latest
iteration, Need for Speed Heat, hasn't slowed down one bit. To find out more about
what makes the game's engines rev, we spoke to creative director Riley Cooper.

WGC: After the release of Need for
Speed Payback, what did the team at
Ghost Games want to do as a follow-up,
and how did that translate into Need for
Speed Heat?
Riley Cooper: After Need for Speed
Payback there were many adjustments we
wanted to make, and one of those was to
the narrative. We really wanted to make
more room for the player to put themselves in the game, so we added character selection and customization. We also
had our NPCs do more of the storytelling,
and left the player's character a little less
defined by us so that they could inhabit
them more. Another adjustment players
responded to favorably was bringing cops

We really wanted
to make more room
for the player to put
themselves in the
game, so we added
character selection and
customization.
50

back to free-roam, making them the primary adversary in gameplay and the story
to challenge progression.
WGC: A racing game is only as good as
the locations it provides players to race in.
What was the inspiration behind Need for
Speed Heat's Palm City?
RC: Palm City is inspired by Miami and
the iconic landmarks and roads from the
Southeastern U.S. We wanted to bring the
vibrant culture there to life in a way that
felt perfect for our driving experience. We
used this inspiration to create really unique
districts [that deliver] a compelling variety
of landscapes. Also, Palm City has been
built from the ground up to support highspeed driving and utilizes geometric road
design used in real-world road layouts for
more predictability and visibility.
WGC: An interesting twist to Palm City
is how the experience changes whether
you're racing around in the day or at
night. Can you tell us more?
RC: Day provides the fastest way to earn
bank which you use to purchase cars,
parts, and customization, whereas night
provides the fastest way to earn rep, which

unlocks those cars and parts. Players
can take their time to make choices and
do the things they want [during the day],
whereas night has an aggressive police
task force set on shutting down street racing, which means you've got to be tactical
and quick in the street races you take on.
Day is [also] a great time to take on much
of our open-world content due to the less
aggressive police force, whereas at night
you've got to be focused on earning as
much rep as you can without wrecking or
getting busted-because if you do, you'll
lose much of what you've earned. Ultimately, day's sanctioned races are thrilling,
while night feels dangerous.
WGC: Customization has become a big
part of the racing game experience. What
did the team want to emphasize in Need
for Speed Heat's customization options?
RC: We've added character customization
for the first time, so that was completely
new for us. Engine swaps allow lowerpowered cars to exceed their limits and
compete with the best, as well as change
the way the car sounds. Exhaust tuning
allows you to really dial in your car's sound
for a really personalized experience. Lastly,
rather than buying cars as a type, as you
did in Payback, you now build your cars to
type by the parts you equip in Heat. So if
you want to build a Volkswagen Golf GTI
with a really raw throaty exhaust, an eightcylinder engine that crushes drift events,
you can do that.
WGC: If you had to pick one of the cars
you've owned in your life to use in an attempt to win races on the streets of Palm
City, which would it be?
RC: I've owned an Audi A4. I really liked
it. In Need for Speed Heat we've got the
2017 Audi S5 Sportback Performance and
the 2019 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe.
Those are cars I set goals on unlocking,
customizing, and crushing in. I've done
that. The handling characteristics really did
feel familiar to me. Now I've just got to get
a test drive in those models in real life to
complete the experience.

https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=Need%20for%20Speed%20Heat&cat_id=2636

GameCenter - Issue 68

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GameCenter - Issue 68