Need for Speed War



Need for Speed War (Abbreviated NFSW) is a future open world racing game in the long-running Need for Speed franchise. The twenty-fifth installment in the series, it will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows. A Nintendo Switch port was planned, but never went into production due to unknown reasons.

Story Premise
You are Rowan Cooper, an action-seeking street racer who's earned attention because of your relation to your estranged twin brother, Ryan. Your driving skills take you to a populous city called New Fournier, where you're contacted by a man known as "The Beneficiary", who reveals he is a promient figure within the city's racing scene.

The Beneficiary also reveals the city's underground is made up of several street crews fighting one another for total control. Seeing potential in you, he offers you a chance to seize the scene for yourself and offers you his connections should you accept. Longing to escape from the shadow of your brother's legacy, you accept without hesitation.

However, you'll quickly find that this turf war is more drastic (and creatively dangerous) than what went down in Palmont. Hey, you wanted action. You got it!

Gameplay
At its core, Need for Speed War can be considered as a spiritual successor to Need for Speed: Carbon, and its handheld cousin, Own the City to a lesser extent. Like in those games, the overall objective of the game revolves around the player's character taking control of the city back from various street racing gangs, while tending to the attempts of the police to take them down.

Despite featuring similar gameplay principles, the game introduces new gameplay elements that make it stand out from Carbon. These are most notable in the career progression. In order to challenge each of the region's controlling crews, players must accumulate a certain amount of Bounty Points, which can be accrued after completion of races, evasion of pursuits, and completion of events in the revamped Challenge Series, a separate game mode not featured since 2011's Need for Speed: The Run. Additional new gameplay elements include participating in "Turf Challenge" races in order to permanently control a region after attaining it, and the inclusion of The Patricians, a vigilante group of police officers posing as street racers and inflitrating certain events.

Players can highly customize any vehicle they own with vast assortments of visual and performance upgrades. However, they should keep in mind that certain upgrades are unlocked for use only after completion of select Challenge Series events. The game features the ability to layer vinyls over each other and the return of Autosculpt, a component-altering means of customization last seen in 2008's Need for Speed: Undercover.

Game Modes
Collectively, there are a total of 11 types of playable events in the game; 8 are exclusive to single player use and 3 are exclusive to online play only. Unless otherwise noted, all race oriented events feature up to 10 racers at one time. The bulk of these events also have police and/or Patrician members integrated into them with random chances of appearing.

Single Player/Career

 * Circuit - Lap based racing along a set route. Circuit races range anywhere from 1 to 3 laps in length.
 * Sprint - Point-to-point racing with the goal of reaching point B from point A in first place.
 * Speed Run - A Sprint race where the goal is to accumulate the highest total top speed. This event is similar to the "Speedtrap" events from past NFS games.
 * Checkpoint - A Sprint race where the player must reach the finish line before the time limit expires. This event features the player as the only racer.
 * Drift - Multi-lap circuit racing with the goal of accumulating more drift points than any other racer. This mode and Drag are the only ones where there is no risk of police. This event features up to 6 racers at one time.
 * Drag - Event where the player must finish a 1/2 mile, 1.0 mile or 1.5 mile long drag race in first place. Drag races require the use of manual gear changes and nitrous in order for the player to be successful. This mode and Drift are the only ones where there is no risk of police.
 * Turf Series - A series of races that feature only the player and the leader of a crew that controls a territory. If the player wins all the races in the series, the player takes control of that territory away from their opponent. The number of races in the Turf Series increases from two to four as the player progresses through the career. Turf Series' events always feature a combination of circuit and sprint races.
 * Turf Challenge - An event where the player is randomly challenged by members of either a smaller street crew or a more established one for control of the player's territory. Winning a Turf Challenge will cement control of said territory to the player; losing one will allow the challenging crew to repossess said territory. This event begins to occur once the player acquires a territory and will occur more frequently as the player controls more territories. Turf Challenges are almost always circuit races.
 * Free Roam Challenge - An event where the player is randomly challenged to an open-route sprint race by an independent racer if he/she sits idle or cruises the city long enough. In this event, players can set the race length and choose their own finish line. The player wins the challenge if he/she reaches point B from Point A in first place. There is a chance for multiple racers to challenge the player in this event.
 * Pursuit - An open world event where the player must escape from the police and/or The Patricians without getting caught.

Online

 * Pursuit Eliminator - A "lap knockout"-style circuit race where the last player eliminated after each lap becomes an NFPD officer and chases the remaining racers. Once only one racer remains, they must must drive two more laps around the course and finish the race before they are captured. This event features up to 8 players at one time.
 * Pursuit Tag - Description to be added here.
 * Money Grab - An open-environment event featuring up to 30 players at once, split into three groups of 10: 1 group of racers, 1 group of NFPD officers and 1 group of Patricians. In this event, members of the racer group must transport bundles of cash from one point of the map to the other without getting taken down by the NFPD group or the Patrician group. If the player is taken down by either, the cash reward will go to them instead. The group with the most cash awarded to them wins the event and keeps all cash earned, which can be used in single player.

Challenge Series
Link to be added here.

New Fournier
Known in game as "the street racing capital of the world", New Fournier is a fictional Louisiana city, and the open world setting of Need for Speed War.

The open world location draws primary inspiration from two southwestern U.S. states in Louisiana and (eastern) Texas, and can be explored during the day or night. Inspirational ques for the city's design include New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Driscoll Mountain, the Bayou, Houston, and Galveston. A dynamic weather system can change the driving conditions from dry to wet through differing amounts of rain, as well as fog and mist.

Regions/Territories
List to be added here.

Vehicles
War features a total of 157 vehicles that the player can purchase and customize with cash. It is the biggest vehicle list to date in a Need for Speed game, surpassing the 126 vehicles available in Need for Speed Heat.

* Vehicle cannot be fitted with performance upgrades

~ Vehicle has convertible/roadster option

Street Crews
Aside from smaller and more unknown ones, there are 9 main, well known street crews that the player will interact with during his/her career. These crews are made up of several members, including one leader and many subordinates. Each crew's leader controls a respective territory and can only be challenged for that territory in "Turf Series" events. At the same time, most of each crew's subordinates will challenge the player in "Turf Challenge" events in an attempt to either acquire more territory or take a territory back from the player for their leader to control.

Subheadings to be added here,

Police
The New Fournier Police Department (NFPD) is the main law enforcement agency for New Fournier and one of the many forces attempting to impede the player's progress in Need for Speed War. Despite appearing as being connected to them on the surface, the NFPD is ultimately a separate entity from The Patricians.

The NFPD's system is a mixture of those from Need for Speed: Undercover and Need for Speed: Carbon. Specifically, they are like the former in that they will engage in pursuits if rammed by the player and like the latter in terms of overall aggressiveness. However, like The Patricians, they are capable of utilizing certain special tactics and increased aggressive manuevers in order to take the player down.

Heat Levels
(NOTE: In heat levels 2 & 5, the bolded vehicle represents the primary Pursuit Unit. The italicized vehicle represents the secondary Pursuit Unit)

Busted
The busted system is similar to that of Most Wanted (2005) and Carbon. Players will be busted when their bright red busted meter is filled. This meter will start to fill if the player is not moving and has police units trapping their vehicle.

However, War 's busted system comes with a slightly different gameplay mechanic. If the player is busted the first three times in their career, they have the option to either pay a fine and receive an impound strike on their vehicle or use one "AntiCrime" marker, which absolves the player of these penalties. Any subsequent bust after these markers are used will result in the player receiving a fine and an impound strike. If the player receives three impound strikes, their vehicle will be seized indefinitely by the NFPD. If all of the player's vehicles are impounded, the player will have to start from the beginning of the game again.

Cooldown
The cooldown system is the same as that of Most Wanted (2005) and Carbon. Players begin filling the blue cooldown meter by escaping from the police and by driving to hiding spots, which are scattered throughout the city. Each hiding spot fills up the cooldown meter faster.

The Patricians
The Patricians are a vigilante group of NFPD police officers that take to the streets of New Fournier, and the biggest form of opposition to the player.

Posing as high speed street racers and appearing unconnected to the NFPD on the surface, the collective aims to shut down other street racers themselves including the player, infiltrating certain events and pursuits to do so. They have also been known to take down NFPD units in the way of their objective, further highlighting their status as a separate force.

Members
Need for Speed War/The Patricians

DLC
To date, there are 3 DLC packs available for purchase across all platforms. Upon purchase, these packs award the player with new vehicles among other desirable perks. Should the player purchase all DLC packs at once, the packs have a combined price of $29.99.

Deluxe Edition Upgrade ($10.99)
The first DLC and the more expensive of the three available, the Deluxe Edition Upgrade is a digital upgrade for the standard base game that includes 5 stock vehicles and a host of other desirable perks. These 5 vehicles are customizable and must be purchased from the car lot.

* Vehicle cannot be fitted with performance upgrades Additional awards included in the upgrade:


 * 20 additional vinyls
 * 24 additional events (6 Circuit, 4 of each Sprint, 3 Drag, 3 Drift)
 * 25% discount on cash prices for all stage 2 and stage 3 performance upgrades
 * 15% discount on cash prices for the following vehicles:
 * Acura NSX
 * Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe
 * Chevrolet Corvette C7 ZR1
 * Ferrari 458 Italia
 * Ferrari F40
 * Ford GT (2006)
 * Ford GT (2017)
 * Lamborghini Aventador S
 * Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Coupe
 * Lamborghini Diablo SV
 * Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SV
 * McLaren P1
 * More to be added here.
 * 25% discount on cash prices for the following vehicles:
 * Apollo Intensa Emozione
 * Aston Martin Vulcan
 * Bugatti Chiron
 * Bugatti La Voiture Noire
 * BXR Bailey Blade GT1
 * Koenigsegg CCX
 * Koenigsegg Regera
 * Lamborghini Reventón
 * McLaren F1
 * McLaren Senna
 * Pagani Huayra BC
 * Pagani Zonda F

Challenge Series Extension Pack ($8.99)
The second DLC available, the Challenge Series Extension Pack is a DLC pack that features ten extra Challenge Series events and three custom tuned vehicles designed by LoganC22, with each of these vehicles being awarded to the player when they complete a certain percentage of the entire Series.

Reward Cards Expansion Pack ($9.99)
The last DLC available for purchase, the Reward Cards Expansion Pack features the return of Reward Cards, a rewards feature involving new vehicles, aftermarket body parts, rims, and vinyls last seen only in Need for Speed: Carbon. Like in Carbon, each of War’s Reward Cards has four independent tasks with a set target that involve either the career and/or Challenge Series. Beating each task will count as a completed section for that card, and beating all four tasks will reward the player with that unique item.

 

There are 20 Reward Cards included in this pack totaling 80 tasks. Once this pack is purchased, the player will have access to a "Reward Cards" section in their garage/hub.  

NFS War Studio
NFS War Studio is a mobile car customization and companion app to Need for Speed War available on iOS and Android for free. The app functions very similarly to NFS Heat Studio. Players can integrate their customizations into the main game by logging in to their EA account. Every car that is available in the main game is selectable in the app.

Soundtrack
The game features a soundtrack curated by LoganC22 and consisting of 43 songs that the player can listen to. This soundtrack is split into two sections, with one being heard only in the garage/hub and the other during races and free roam. As a whole, the soundtrack has similar themes to both Need for Speed: Undercover and Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005).

Trivia

 * First Game Idea created by LoganC22 for 2022.
 * It is also the only Need for Speed Game Idea planned for the year.
 * It is also the winner of LoganC22's second poll on Game Ideas Wiki. This poll was similar to his first one in that he asked people to decide which Idea out of four planned for 2022 he should make. Out of 11 officially counted votes, Need for Speed War received 4 votes, or 36.4% of all votes.
 * Unlike Ryan, Rowan Cooper does not have a helmet and interacts with the other characters.
 * The Beneficiary is modeled after two fictional people to varying extents: Gilbert Dauterive from the TV show King of the Hill (to a greater extent), and The G-Man from the Half Life video game franchise (to a lesser extent). According to LoganC22, he specifically has mannerisms and speech similar to the former and the enigmaticity and overarching influence similar to the latter.
 * The official insignia for the NFPD (See "Gallery" below) was created by LoganC22 using DesignEvo.
 * Other than in select Challenge Series events, it is not possible to drive as an NFPD police unit.
 * Aside from select characters/vehicle customizations, all 9 main street crews and ? other vehicle customizations were created by LoganC22 using the following:
 * Need for Speed: Carbon
 * Need for Speed: No Limits
 * Need for Speed: ProStreet
 * Need for Speed: Shift
 * Need for Speed: The Run
 * Need for Speed: Undercover
 * Need for Speed: Underground 2
 * NFS Heat Studio
 * Possibly more to be added here.