Illegal street racing happens at night and those events award you rep (points that go toward Heat's leveling mechanic). Sanctioned race events (part of an event series called the Speedhunters Showdown) are available in the day and reward you with bank (the game's currency). NFS Heat brings a brand new dynamic to the series instead of a full day-and-night cycle, players now choose between Day and Night modes every time they leave the garage. I have not finished Heat's main story at the time of this review, but have spent about 12 hours in the game. The story mostly takes a backseat to the racing action (as it should) and the dialogue is not masterful, but Heat's streamlined narrative framework works much better than NFS Payback's convoluted action-racing plot. As you might expect, tensions and stakes rise between the cops and racers as you progress. Unfazed, you team up with a pair of siblings: Ana, a fellow street racer, and Lucas, a car mechanic with several garages, at the start of the campaign. In NFS Heat's single-player campaign, you start off as a newcomer to the fictional Palm City, a sprawling, Miami-inspired locale with a brutal police department determined to crack down on street racing. Heat also features a more fitting setting and story than the last game, tapping into the adrenaline-fueled racing spirit that defined its most successful predecessors.

This latest entry in the long-running Need for Speed (NFS) racing game series recreates some of the best aspects of previous titles, including engrossing pursuits, ample car customization options, and inviting arcade-like racing mechanics. Tense pursuits are common in Need for Speed Heat and not all of them end with a getaway. I floor it across the next corner, cutting across part of a marsh, and just barely get out ahead of yet another approaching cop's radar. I reverse again and am lucky that the original cop changed course. I reverse and head the other direction, before noticing two more cops coming at me from that side. On the map, I see a flashing red triangle rushing towards my location. I slow to a stop at a bend on a two-way street.

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