[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"similar-games-need-for-speed-payback":3,"game-need-for-speed-payback":5},{"similarGames":4},[],{"game":6,"hasUserReviewed":22},{"id":7,"name":8,"summary":9,"cover_image":10,"header_image":11,"trailer_url":12,"release_date":13,"avg_score":14,"igdb_id":15,"slug":16,"steam_app_id":17,"companies":18,"genres":27,"platforms":30,"reviews":34,"coverImage":10,"headerImage":11,"trailerUrl":12,"releaseDate":13,"criticReviewCount":380,"userReviewCount":353,"previewCount":353,"publishers":381,"developers":382,"userReviews":383,"hasUserReviewed":22,"steamAppId":17},89744,"Need for Speed: Payback","\"This explosive adventure is filled with intense heist missions, high stakes car battles, epic cop pursuits and jaw dropping set pieces. It’s blockbuster gameplay never before seen from the series, fueled by a gripping story of betrayal and revenge. With Need for Speed: Payback, it’s no longer just about being the first to cross the finish line or racing to prove to be the best, it’s about building the perfect ride, getting behind the wheel and playing out an action driving fantasy.\n\nSet in the underworld of Fortune Valley, players will drive as three distinct characters reunited by a quest for vengeance against The House, a nefarious cartel that rules the city’s casinos, criminals and cops. They will take on a variety of challenges and events as Tyler, the Racer; Mac, the Showman; and Jess, the Wheelman to earn the respect of the underground. Featuring the deepest customization from the series, players can truly craft a personalized and unique ride, or spend hours finding and tuning an abandoned derelict into a supercar. They can then push their cars to the limit and raise the stakes by betting on their own performance, where they can either multiply their winnings or risk losing it all.\"","89744\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-cover.jpg","89744\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-header.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=uX7aw9lYB2w","2017-11-10",56.68,36662,"need-for-speed-payback",1262580,[19,24],{"company":20,"developed":22,"published":23},{"name":21},"Electronic Arts",false,true,{"company":25,"developed":23,"published":22},{"name":26},"Ghost Games",[28,29],"Racing","Sport",[31,32,33],"PC (Microsoft Windows)","PlayStation 4","Xbox One",[35,51,66,81,94,109,124,137,150,164,177,192,206,219,234,246,260,273,286,299,313,327,340,354,367],{"id":36,"author":37,"outlet":40,"summary":46,"review_url":47,"review_date":48,"original_score":49,"normalized_score":50},1331,{"id":38,"name":39},31,"Alex Santa Maria",{"id":41,"logo":42,"name":43,"website_url":44,"score_format":45},1,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FTechRaptor%20Logo.png","TechRaptor","https:\u002F\u002Ftechraptor.net","10","Need for Speed Payback is a grind to play both figuratively and literally. Even if you like the arcade racing on offer, it's not worth slogging through the amateur presentation, repetitive missions and microtransaction hooks.","https:\u002F\u002Ftechraptor.net\u002Fgaming\u002Freviews\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review-asleep-at-wheel","2017-11-13","3.5",35,{"id":52,"author":53,"outlet":56,"summary":61,"review_url":62,"review_date":63,"original_score":64,"normalized_score":65},19033,{"id":54,"name":55},2088,"Noah Buttner",{"id":57,"logo":58,"name":59,"website_url":60,"score_format":45},13,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FDualshockers-logo.jpg","DualShockers","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dualshockers.com","Need For Speed Payback is the perfect example of one step forward, two steps back. While the world is more beautiful than any of its predecessors, it feels empty in much the same way that the game does. All of the systems seem to be their own worst enemy. Want to build a car? How are you going to upgrade it? Want to customize its looks? You've got to complete unnecessary challenges. Want to progress the story just to see if it gets better? You've got to make sure your car is the appropriate level. All of these things, combined with an unimaginative and frankly boring story result in a racing game that makes it frustrating to race. While there's still the rush of pushing past second place a few meters before the finish line, that rewarding experience is not due to any innovations that the series has made here and the innovations that make this entry in the series unmemorable and unattractive.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dualshockers.com\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review-ps4-xbox-one-pc\u002F","2017-11-25","4.5\u002F10",45,{"id":67,"author":68,"outlet":71,"summary":76,"review_url":77,"review_date":78,"original_score":79,"normalized_score":80},27352,{"id":69,"name":70},2851,"Richard Wakeling",{"id":72,"logo":73,"name":74,"website_url":75,"score_format":45},28,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameSpot-Logo.jpg","GameSpot","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamespot.com","The need to grind.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamespot.com\u002Freviews\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review\u002F1900-6416803\u002F","2017-11-08","5.0",50,{"id":82,"author":83,"outlet":86,"summary":91,"review_url":92,"review_date":93,"original_score":79,"normalized_score":80},28928,{"id":84,"name":85},3064,"Aaron Main",{"id":87,"logo":88,"name":89,"website_url":90,"score_format":45},29,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGaming%20Bolt%20Logo.png","GamingBolt","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingbolt.com","2017 is a cracking year for racing fans but unfortunately for Need for Speed, Payback doesn't stand tall amongst the likes of Forza Motosport 7, Gran Turismo Sport, Project CARS 2, DiRT 4 and F1 2017.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingbolt.com\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review","2017-11-12",{"id":95,"author":96,"outlet":99,"summary":104,"review_url":105,"review_date":106,"original_score":107,"normalized_score":108},31591,{"id":97,"name":98},1083,"Phil Iwaniuk",{"id":50,"logo":100,"name":101,"website_url":102,"score_format":103},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FPCGamer-Logo.jpg","PC Gamer","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcgamer.com\u002F","100","Need For Speed Payback takes a narrative gamble, loses.\n","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcgamer.com\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","2017-11-16","53",53,{"id":110,"author":111,"outlet":114,"summary":120,"review_url":121,"review_date":122,"original_score":123,"normalized_score":123},32197,{"id":112,"name":113},3391,"Owen S. Good",{"id":115,"logo":116,"name":117,"website_url":118,"score_format":119},36,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fpolygon-logo.png","Polygon","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polygon.com\u002F","unscored","Coupled with a desert city and countryside that feels lifeless despite being packed with racing challenges and collectibles, it’s the equivalent of a bland paint job surrounding a high performance engine block. Considering how little I customized my cars in Need For Speed Payback, much less wanted to, that’s the best epitaph I can give it.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polygon.com\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F11\u002F16636968\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review","2017-11-11",null,{"id":125,"author":126,"outlet":129,"summary":134,"review_url":135,"review_date":136,"original_score":119,"normalized_score":123},49145,{"id":127,"name":128},1220,"John Walker",{"id":130,"logo":131,"name":132,"website_url":133,"score_format":119},64,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FRock-Paper-Shotgun-Logo.jpg","Rock Paper Shotgun","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rockpapershotgun.com\u002F","I cannot fathom what Ghost are doing with the Need For Speed series. The introduction of smashable billboards (although not of course those with real-world advertising on them) seems like a hark back to the glory days of Criterion, but the repeated punch in the face that is the storyline and quest structure seems like something unwanted in either the Burnout or Need For Speed worlds. It's such a ghastly game, not because of its weakly driving, but because of every single other thing it does to get in the way of it.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rockpapershotgun.com\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review","2017-11-14",{"id":138,"author":139,"outlet":142,"summary":147,"review_url":148,"review_date":48,"original_score":149,"normalized_score":80},38414,{"id":140,"name":141},3742,"Bill Hess",{"id":80,"logo":143,"name":144,"website_url":145,"score_format":146},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FAttack-Of-The-Fanboy-Logo.jpg","Attack of the Fanboy","https:\u002F\u002Fattackofthefanboy.com\u002F","5","Need for Speed Payback is another miss for the franchise.  The racing feels good, the presentation is great, but everything surrounding it is absolutely abhorrent.","https:\u002F\u002Fattackofthefanboy.com\u002Freviews\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","2.5",{"id":151,"author":152,"outlet":155,"summary":160,"review_url":161,"review_date":106,"original_score":162,"normalized_score":163},63874,{"id":153,"name":154},3920,"Richard Seagrave",{"id":156,"logo":157,"name":158,"website_url":159,"score_format":45},27,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameSpew-Logo.jpg","GameSpew","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamespew.com","Need for Speed Payback is at its best when you’re completing story missions, speeding through thrilling set-pieces and battling against cops and criminals. It’s even highly entertaining when you’re just belting around its open world, completing activities and engaging in events. But when you hit that brick wall and have to put a halt to your fun for hours at a time in order to raise your car’s performance level, your patience will be tested, and many will decide to simply not bother at all.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamespew.com\u002F2017\u002F11\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","6\u002F10",60,{"id":165,"author":166,"outlet":169,"summary":174,"review_url":175,"review_date":176,"original_score":146,"normalized_score":80},45284,{"id":167,"name":168},4017,"Neil Bolt",{"id":170,"logo":171,"name":172,"website_url":173,"score_format":45},62,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FPlaystation-Universe-Logo.jpg","Playstation Universe","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.psu.com\u002F","There’s a perfectly fine racing game somewhere in this mess of half-baked ideas. A fun arcade racer has been drowned in enough ‘one more thing’ additions to fill the entire run of Columbo, and the result is a rather unpleasant muddle of bland story, stop-start driving, and player control being ripped away just as things get juicy.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.psu.com\u002Freviews\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","2020-09-30",{"id":178,"author":179,"outlet":182,"summary":187,"review_url":188,"review_date":189,"original_score":190,"normalized_score":191},46247,{"id":180,"name":181},90,"Tyler Treese",{"id":183,"logo":184,"name":185,"website_url":186,"score_format":45},37,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fplaystation-lifestyle-logo.png","Playstation Lifestyle","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.playstationlifestyle.net\u002F","https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002FdpNYjDo7oJE","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.playstationlifestyle.net\u002Freview\u002F614647-need-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","2017-11-06","8",80,{"id":193,"author":194,"outlet":197,"summary":202,"review_url":203,"review_date":176,"original_score":204,"normalized_score":205},47155,{"id":195,"name":196},4078,"Sammy Barker",{"id":198,"logo":199,"name":200,"website_url":201,"score_format":45},63,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FPush-Square-Logo.jpg","Push Square","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pushsquare.com\u002F","Republished on Wednesday 30th September 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pushsquare.com\u002Freviews\u002Fps4\u002Fneed_for_speed_payback","3",30,{"id":207,"author":208,"outlet":211,"summary":216,"review_url":217,"review_date":136,"original_score":218,"normalized_score":205},67381,{"id":209,"name":210},1345,"Dan Roemer",{"id":212,"logo":213,"name":214,"website_url":215,"score_format":45},10,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FDestructoid-Logo.png","Destructoid","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.destructoid.com","Once the servers for this game inevitably go offline, with no way to obtain loot boxes, earn speed cards or trade tokens, I can’t help but wonder if the casual consumer would genuinely ever have the patience to fully complete this game. Need for Speed Payback is another result of EA meddling in the concept of “games as a service” and taking an otherwise mediocre entry in the series and completely butchering it in the process to achieve this goal.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.destructoid.com\u002Freviews\u002Freview-need-for-speed-payback\u002F","\n\t\t\t3\t\t",{"id":220,"author":221,"outlet":224,"summary":229,"review_url":230,"review_date":231,"original_score":232,"normalized_score":233},73061,{"id":222,"name":223},4789,"Luke Reilly",{"id":225,"logo":226,"name":227,"website_url":228,"score_format":45},69,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FIGN-logo.jpg","IGN","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ign.com\u002F","Need for Speed Payback is a big, competent, and confident arcade racer but it’s really let down by its linear cop chases, its overwrought and insidious upgrade system, its dreadful dialogue, and its superficial action sequences. It feels fine and it looks flashy, but Payback really went all-in on its direct-to-DVD revenge tale and it was a bust for me.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ign.com\u002Farticles\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F07\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review","2017-11-07","5.9",59,{"id":235,"author":236,"outlet":239,"summary":244,"review_url":245,"review_date":13,"original_score":162,"normalized_score":163},76121,{"id":237,"name":238},5800,"Charles Singletary Jr",{"id":240,"logo":241,"name":242,"website_url":243,"score_format":45},70,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FShackNews-Logo.jpg","ShackNews","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.shacknews.com\u002F","In an effort to adopt the stylings of other popular, open-world racers, Need For Speed: Payback presents some fun ideas with poor execution. It also misses an opportunity to elevate an NFS staple with a tacked-on, linear version of Pursuit that annoys while simultaneously reminding me of the absence of a Burnout game on the market. Payback could have solidified the NFS franchise’s spot in the market with the new heist missions and stood out from open-world racers with cop pursuit but, instead, gave us bright moments set in a bland world with technical shortcomings.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.shacknews.com\u002Farticle\u002F102073\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review---wrong-way",{"id":247,"author":248,"outlet":251,"summary":256,"review_url":257,"review_date":258,"original_score":259,"normalized_score":163},77802,{"id":249,"name":250},5576,"Dominic L",{"id":252,"logo":253,"name":254,"website_url":255,"score_format":45},56,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FTheSixthAxis-Logo.jpg","TheSixthAxis","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thesixthaxis.com\u002F","Despite it’s flaws, I still found Need for Speed: Payback quite a likeable arcade racer. Just having a narrative sets it apart from the other, more serious offerings this year, even if it’s not delivered with much panache. Sadly its attractive visuals, and alternate take on the genre, can’t disguise a gamut of poor design decisions, some of which serve to make the enjoyable racing less than enjoyable.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thesixthaxis.com\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F15\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","2017-11-15","6.0",{"id":261,"author":262,"outlet":265,"summary":269,"review_url":270,"review_date":48,"original_score":271,"normalized_score":272},80104,{"id":263,"name":264},6057,"Kevin O'Connell",{"id":233,"logo":266,"name":267,"website_url":268,"score_format":45},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGaming-Nexus-Logo.jpg","Gaming Nexus","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingnexus.com\u002F","Need For Speed : Payback is a game that everyone hoped might put the series back into the limelight of seat-of-the-pants racing. Instead, the game has middle-of-the-pack graphics, weak storyline, emotionless driving and a poor upgrade system. This game is definitely a car in full-throttle reverse instead of speeding off in the right direction.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamingnexus.com\u002FArticle\u002F5525\u002FNeed-for-Speed-Payback\u002F","6.5",65,{"id":274,"author":275,"outlet":278,"summary":283,"review_url":284,"review_date":48,"original_score":285,"normalized_score":163},86147,{"id":276,"name":277},6847,"Tom Morgan-Freelander",{"id":279,"logo":280,"name":281,"website_url":282,"score_format":146},78,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FStuff-Logo.jpg","Stuff","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.stuff.tv\u002F","They’re both long-running franchises obsessed with driving fast, crazy customisation and OTT action – but this latest entry gets closer than ever to matching the car-based carnage of Dom Toretto and crew.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.stuff.tv\u002Freview\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","3\u002F5",{"id":287,"author":288,"outlet":291,"summary":296,"review_url":297,"review_date":298,"original_score":146,"normalized_score":80},140160,{"id":289,"name":290},11820,"Zach Jackson",{"id":292,"logo":293,"name":294,"website_url":295,"score_format":45},147,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fwellplayed-logo.png","WellPlayed","https:\u002F\u002Fwell-played.com.au\u002F","Despite righting some wrongs of its predecessor, Need for Speed Payback fails to capitalise on the opportunity to put the franchise back on the podium.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.well-played.com.au\u002Fneed-speed-payback-review\u002F","2017-12-04",{"id":300,"author":301,"outlet":304,"summary":309,"review_url":310,"review_date":136,"original_score":311,"normalized_score":312},144222,{"id":302,"name":303},12338,"Leif Rey Bornales",{"id":305,"logo":306,"name":307,"website_url":308,"score_format":45},149,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fsirus-gaming-logo.png","Sirus Gaming","https:\u002F\u002Fsirusgaming.com\u002F","When the issues of a game are rolled and stomped by its greatness, then it’s something to invest on if you have some spare.","https:\u002F\u002Fsirusgaming.com\u002Fneed-speed-payback-review-feel-need-speed\u002F","8.5",85,{"id":314,"author":315,"outlet":318,"summary":323,"review_url":324,"review_date":325,"original_score":326,"normalized_score":163},145769,{"id":316,"name":317},12422,"Damian Filippone",{"id":319,"logo":320,"name":321,"website_url":322,"score_format":45},150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fpress-start-logo.jpg","Press Start","https:\u002F\u002Fpress-start.com.au\u002F","Despite Need for Speed Payback’s accessible and gratifying approach to arcade racing, the time needed to progress in a satisfactory manner regresses the joy of the rubber meeting the road to a grind that ironically brings the pace of the game to a grinding halt. Need for Speed Payback totes itself as a romp of reckless abandon but ultimately lacks the longevity, charisma and conviction necessary to make it a ride worth taking.","https:\u002F\u002Fpress-start.com.au\u002Freviews\u002Fplaystation4-reviews\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F08\u002Fneed-speed-payback-review-middle-road-affair\u002F","2025-05-07","6",{"id":328,"author":329,"outlet":332,"summary":337,"review_url":338,"review_date":136,"original_score":339,"normalized_score":240},105887,{"id":330,"name":331},200,"Matt Keith",{"id":333,"logo":334,"name":335,"website_url":336,"score_format":45},139,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameSpace.jpg","GameSpace","https:\u002F\u002Fgamespace.com\u002F","Need For Speed Payback is a mixed bag. One the one hand it’s a fun arcade racer with great customization, a wide range of cars and race styles and some truly great single player moments. Yet with the other hand holding an underwhelming multiplayer experience, lather, rinse repeat story missions, and some awkward storytelling pacing, NFS never seems to hit top gear in its goal to capture the glory of the old days.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamespace.com\u002Freviews\u002Fps4-reviews\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","7",{"id":341,"author":342,"outlet":345,"summary":350,"review_url":351,"review_date":48,"original_score":352,"normalized_score":353},2240129,{"id":343,"name":344},17896,"Former GT Staff Writer",{"id":346,"logo":347,"name":348,"website_url":349,"score_format":45},159,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fgametyrant.webp","Game Tyrant ","https:\u002F\u002Fgametyrant.com\u002F","Shaun shares his thoughts on what Need for Speed Payback did really well, and where they can improve.","https:\u002F\u002Fgametyrant.com\u002Fnews\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback-review-a-step-forward-in-all-the-right-places","0",0,{"id":355,"author":356,"outlet":359,"summary":364,"review_url":365,"review_date":231,"original_score":366,"normalized_score":240},88309,{"id":357,"name":358},7066,"Nathan Birch",{"id":360,"logo":361,"name":362,"website_url":363,"score_format":45},75,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fwccftech-logo.jpg","WCCFtech","https:\u002F\u002Fwccftech.com\u002F","Need for Speed Payback feels like an attempt at a comeback. EA’s racing franchise never really went anywhere, but recent entries like Need for Speed: Rivals and the 2015 Need for Speed reboot didn’t leave much of a dent. With Payback, EA and developer Ghost Games deliver the series’ biggest open world yet, all-new race types, and a full Fast & Furious-inspired action movie storyline. Of course, Payback also continues EA’s current “live services” obsession with a focus on RPG-like car building, which can be sped along with loot boxes you can buy with real-world cash.","https:\u002F\u002Fwccftech.com\u002Freview\u002Fneed-for-speed-payback\u002F","7.0\u002F10",{"id":368,"author":369,"outlet":372,"summary":377,"review_url":378,"review_date":189,"original_score":379,"normalized_score":360},92482,{"id":370,"name":371},7700,"Ron Burke",{"id":373,"logo":374,"name":375,"website_url":376,"score_format":103},130,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGamingTrend-Logo.jpg","GamingTrend","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingtrend.com","With some excellent improvements to car control, customization, and cinematic moments, Need for Speed Payback delivers on the promise of a better racing game.  That said, it occasionally has a few engine knocks with chunky dialogue and invisible walls barring your path in the vast open world they’ve created.  It’s a good step for the series, and it should provide a good foundation for Ghost’s next time behind the wheel.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingtrend.com\u002Freviews\u002Frad-racing-derivative-dialogue-need-for-speed-payback-review\u002F","75",25,[21],[26],[]]