Need for Speed reboot offers fun, even if its always-online is just crass commercialism

The Need for Speed franchise, which turned 18 this year, has become older than some of the players who’ll buy it. Unfortunately, this latest reboot might not offer a convincing argument to pick it up again.

Don’t get me wrong: Need for Speed, as it’s simply called once again, offers a definite improvement over recent installments in the franchise. The graphics look distinctly better, the nighttime setting makes things moody, and car customization reappears. But some odd choices, bad A.I., and a few frustrating quirks sap some of the long-term fun from this chapter.