Electronic Arts today provided our first good look at Need for Speed: Payback, which was recently announced for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. During its EA Play press conference, the company showcased a gameplay demo that showed the type of action players can expect. In short, you’re in for a treat if you’re a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise or driving with a real purpose, rather than standard racing.
The demo consisted of a section we saw in the announcement trailer, where the player has to chase down a tractor trailer. A player in a Mustang pursues the truck, which is accompanied by “house enforcers”–a group of vehicles that need to be taken out in order to access the truck itself.
These enforcers are dealt with by slamming into them, which reduces what amounts to a health bar and causes them to flip into the air for a spectacular–if somewhat drawn-out–slow-motion sequence showing their fiery crash. This is reminiscent of the Burnout series, which makes sense given Ghost Games is comprised of many members of ex-Burnout developer Criterion.
With the enforcers dealt with, you’re able to slam into the truck itself, triggering one of a number of cutscenes during this entire sequence. When it’s complete, there’s destruction littered all over the road and you’re able to get close enough to the truck for your passenger (picked up at the gas station) to jump on the semi’s trailer and get inside. Moments later, a Koenigsegg comes flying out of the back and control shifts to that character as she makes her escape from an arriving police force, which includes a helicopter.
EA had previously said that you would control three different characters, though it wasn’t apparent that this would happen so seamlessly during the course of a single mission. The trailer also drives home what EA meant when it described this as an action-driving game, as the heist-style sequence feels like something straight out of a Fast and Furious movie.
Need for Speed: Payback is slated to arrive on November 10 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more on EA’s E3 announcements, check out our EA Play liveblog and head over to our E3 hub for all of our coverage.