Year: 2011
Genre: Arcade / Racing (Cars) / 3D
Developer: EA Black Box
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Need for Speed: The Run is a computer game, the latest game in the Need for Speed series, developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. The Run” is a racing competition in which the stakes are incredibly high. The only way to survive is to be the first to complete the dangerous journey from San Francisco to New York. No speed limits. There are no rules. No friends. In confrontation with hundreds of desperate racers on the most dangerous tracks, you will have to rely only on your own driving skills and determination. After all, in Need for Speed The Run you have to maneuver at breakneck speed through busy city streets, overcome mountain passes and deep canyons, while trying to avoid encounters with police officers who will do anything to stop the participants in a crazy race.
It was released in America on November 15, 2011, in Europe, Australia and Russia on November 17, 2011.
Review: Playability
The long-awaited autumn has arrived, and in November, as many users are already accustomed to, the next game from the NFS series comes out. This fall was no exception, and this time another game with the big name Need for Speed: The Run was released under a well-known brand. This time, the developers from Black Box completely abandoned the open world concept, completely switching to the game plot.
According to the plot, we are waiting for a series of races stretching from San Francisco to New York, the prize fund of which totals $25 million. The main character owes a large amount of money, and in order to save his own skin he is trying to quickly earn a large amount of money. During the game we will not only have to participate in races, but also sometimes act outside the car. Although at these moments everything is decided by pressing certain keys, rather than by experience in passing games.
As in the previous part of the games in this series, the Autolog system with 40 tests and support for up to 8 people is responsible for the multiplayer. As we gain experience, new challenges with new stages will open up. Based on the linearity of the game, it is worth stating that there is no open world in the game; only after completing the game stages within the game we can replay as many as we please.
We invite you to evaluate part of the game walkthrough of Need for Speed: The Run in HD resolution, where you can see for yourself the quality of this product:
Need for Speed: The Run is a good game, but it’s not what fans expected from it. The plot is very simple – everything is clear from the very beginning. There is no open game world in which you can travel back and forth, although it is very nice. Although the police are aggressive, there is still no drive from the chases that we are used to getting in Most Wanted. Not that damn nice tuning that was Underground 2 and for which you had to travel for long hours…
Black Box wants something new and unsurpassed, but once again they fail to please fans of the game series. Perhaps the Criterion studio will be given the right to develop Most Wanted 2, because the remake of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was a great success for them, and they will be able to present everyone’s favorite game in a completely new light…
Review: Graphics
The Run is based on the newly minted game engine Frostbite 2.0. This is the second project after Battlefield 3 that is being created using DICE technology. The game has very wonderful landscapes that cover almost the entire territory of the United States. Here we can see rocky gorges, sandy plains and snow-capped mountains. There is also a change in time of day, weather conditions such as day, night, snow and even ice.
But only owners of Windows Vista and Windows 7 will be able to enjoy these beauties – the game is closed to owners of other operating systems. And this is even despite the fact that the game was also released on consoles that only support DirectX 9 in hardware. Plus, Need for Speed: The Run clearly has a console focus, having a frame rate of 30, which may cause an uproar among many PC players.
The car models are quite adequate, although somewhat washed out. A little clarity in the game’s rendering would definitely be nice. The behavior of the machines is more or less acceptable, although playing on a console controller is much more enjoyable and efficient. The physics in the game are quite conventional, and the effect of destructible cars is taken from Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The portrayal of the characters is quite high quality and deserves respect. In general, the picture does not cause any critical criticism and is quite pleasant to perceive.
Next, we move directly to testing and determine the performance of various graphics adapters and central processors in this game…
Review: Resource-intensive game
All video cards were tested at maximum graphics quality using MSI Afterburner. The purpose of the test is to determine how video cards from different manufacturers behave under the same conditions. The minimum and average frame size is taken as the performance indicator. Below is the configuration of our test systems.
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Test configuration |
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test stands |
Test bench No. 1 based on the Intel Socket 1155 platform Test bench No. 2 based on the Intel Socket 1366 platform Test bench No. 3 based on the AMD Soket AM2 platform Test bench No. 4 based on the AMD Soket AM3 platform Test bench No. 5 based on the AMD Soket AM3 platform Test bench No. 6 based on the AMD Soket AM3 platform Test bench No. 7 based on the Intel Socket 775 platform Test bench No. 8 based on the Intel Socket 1156 platform |
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Multimedia equipment |
3D monitor LG W2363D Monitor LG E2750 Dell U3010 monitor product provided by the company AMD 3D Vision Kit product provided by the company Nvidia |
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Software configuration |
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Operating system |
Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Edition x64 SP1 |
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Graphics driver |
Nvidia GeForce/ION Driver Release 285.79 AMD Catalyst 11.11 |
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Monitoring program |
MSI Afterburner v2.2.0 beta 8 |
Less productive video cards up to the level of GeForce GTS 450 and Radeon HD 4870 are tested on the basis of Core 2 Quad Q9550 and Phenom II X4 940 BE processors, depending on the resource intensity of the game, and more productive ones are based on more powerful solutions. Overclocked versions of video cards presented by sponsors were equal to conventional analogues by reducing their clock speeds.
Our video cards were tested at separate screen sizes of 1920×1080 and 2560×1600 at the maximum graphics quality settings allowed by the game. NVIDIA 3D Vision technology was not tested this time and was not included in the tests due to the temporary lack of appropriate drivers, but AMD Eyefinity again works without problems and was tested at a resolution of 5760×1200. The performance of SLI and Cross Fire is quite difficult to determine, since the game has an internal FPS limit of 30 frames.
Testing at maximum quality settings 1920×1080
At the maximum graphics quality settings allowed by Need for Speed: The Run at a resolution of 1920×1080, the minimum level of performance will be shown by video cards of the level of Radeon HD 5770 or GeForce GTX 260. The most optimal graphics cards for comfortable gaming with these settings will be Radeon HD 5770 or GeForce GTX 450 .
Testing at maximum quality settings 2560×1600
At an ultra-high resolution of 2560×1600, video cards of the Radeon HD 4890 or GeForce GTX 285 level will show an acceptable level of performance. The optimal video cards for these graphics settings will be video cards Radeon HD 6870 or GeForce GTX 460.
AMD Eyefinity Technology Testing
All our video cards were tested at maximum quality settings on three FuLL HD monitors combined thanks to Eyefinity technology in a resolution of 5760×1200. Need for Speed: The Run is perfectly designed for this technology, without causing any difficulties with settings and convenient layout of the game interface.
Testing at maximum quality settings using AMD Eyefinity technology on three monitors at a resolution of 5760×1200 maximum quality
The minimum that is required for passable playability in Eyefinity mode at maximum is a video card of the Radeon HD 5870 level. The optimal solution for this game should be considered a Radeon HD 6990 or higher video card.
CPU dependency testing
We tested processor dependence on 12 models of basic configurations, which are the most relevant today. The test was carried out in those places where the value of video cards for the game is minimal and its load was less than 99%, this time at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 with maximum visual quality settings.
Testing at minimum quality settings 1920×1080
In Need for Speed: The Run, dual-core CPU models encountered performance issues. And this is taking into account the fact that the places where FPS drops can be much larger than in our test. You also need to take into account that our test involved older dual-core models and younger models will also have big problems with performance.
In conclusion, we can say that if you decide to upgrade your PC for Need for Speed: The Run, the main emphasis should be on replacing the CPU with a quad-core model. In most cases, the graphics subsystem can be left unchanged.
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Need for Speed: The Run is a good game with its own charisma and incredible gaming atmosphere. But fans of the Need for Speed series were expecting something else… |
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The graphics in the game flaunt the new-fangled DirectX 11, although its implementation is of slightly lower quality than in Battlefield 3 and the main emphasis is placed on the performance of the graphics system of consoles rather than PCs. |
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The optimization of Need for Speed: The Run is not bad, but this mainly concerns the graphics subsystem of modern PCs. For comfort in the game you need to get a quad-core CPU model. |
We express our gratitude to all the manufacturing companies that were able to provide test equipment for our GPU tests and we hope that in the future their number will increase significantly!
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