Xbox 360 Critic Reviews

The Run takes the venerable franchise in a startling new direction while preserving all of the aspects that have made the series so successful. This one is definitely worth taking a look at.

If you focus on the pure details of the cars and racing itself, Need for Speed: The Run stands head and shoulders above past installments as well as other racing simulations.

A solid, polished product that's a bit rough around the edges on occasion, but not so much that it takes away from the core experience, which is boosted by a solid storyline and robust array of online options that makes it one of my favorite entries in the series to date. If you're looking for an arcade racer with a lot of flash and the speed to match, give The Run a spin. It's great ride.

A lot of my driving fantasies were realized in this game. I found myself grinning the whole time, gripping the hell out of the controller, leaning into turns with my body, gritting my teeth as I mashed on the nitro button to boost past rivals. If you've ever found yourself daydreaming about whipping past slow cars on the highway, passing on the sidewalk, or bashing police cars off the road, you're going to love this game.

NFS: The Run is a fast, frantic, and thoroughly enjoyable racer. The idea of a movie-encased racing game is an excellent one, and despite the fact that EA's first attempt lacks due tact or sophistication, the over-the-top plot does add extra context and excitement to the basic premise of driving at ridiculous speeds.

The Run falters with its high-profile but underdeveloped plot as well as some awkward design choices. However, it overcomes these potholes with courses that are a blast to drive and simple multiplayer that keeps you hooked in.

As I said, I've been a fan of the Need for Speed franchise for quite some time, but even I've been rubbed a bit raw by some of the franchise's evolution over the years. It's not like EA and Black Box were struggling to find an identity, but they seemed to always be looking to switch things up just for the sake of switching. With Need for Speed: The Run, it seems like EA finally found the right mix of action and challenge, and the sporadic out-of-the-car sequences give just enough of a break to keep you pushing forward.

I enjoyed the refreshing diversity of the 40+ track sections you get to experience as you cross our great country.

More like an FPS than a racer, The Run lacks the performance and depth of Gran Turismo and Forza, but delivers on insane speeds and nail-biting arcade thrills.

A very pretty and in some parts surprising arcade racer. It takes a step or two towards the original Need for Speed and that's a good thing. There's one annoying problem, though. The stupidly expensive police cars are just, well, really stupid. [Dec 2011]