14 DAY TRIAL // In between different teaser announcements for the upcoming E3 2015, last week brought a relatively controversial set of statements concerning the new Need for Speed reboot experience, which may or may not require a permanent Internet connection in order to fully deliver its single-player and multiplayer modes.
Publisher Electronic Arts did something similar before, in different iterations, as it made the recent SimCity a game that needed an always online connection, while the previous Need for Speed Rivals employed a mechanic called AllDrive that brought your friends into the open world.
Unfortunately, while AllDrive worked relatively well because it was optional, SimCity was a disaster and ultimately forced EA and now closed-down developer Maxis to release a free update that made it an offline experience.
As such, I think EA shouldn't repeat its mistake, especially since it seemed to learn this with The Sims 4, which was even marketed as an offline single-player experience.
Need for Speed should employ classic mechanics
Electronic Arts and developer Ghost Games made a pretty big deal last month, when they officially revealed to the world the Need for Speed reboot. The two companies emphasized that the title features classic customization mechanics, from past installments like NFS Underground, not to mention cop chases, from Hot Pursuit, and other such classic mechanics.
In my opinion, it's enough to bring back the AllDrive system from NFS Rivals and ensure that it works even better this time around, with fewer problems and a few more incentives to get your buddies into the title at the same time as you.
Its striving for innovation might force always online
However, as we found out in the leaked details from Microsoft's, Ghost Games is trying to innovate in different ways, such as the multiple overlapping narratives, not to mention the various ways in which players can progress through the single-player campaign.
Among the reasons listed on the official Twitter for the always online requirement was the fact that a player's friends can actually have a role in the aforementioned overlapping storylines. As of right now, it's unclear just how that might work, but while I certainly like playing a Need for Speed title with friends, I'm not ready to ensure flawless Internet anytime I want to play the game, with or without my buddies.
The Crew showed that always online racing can cause frustration
Ubisoft already made a venture into full-fledged always online racing with The Crew at the end of last year, and while the title certainly has a passionate following, it proved to deliver also a bit of frustration to fans, due to downtimes and outages at launch, not to mention connection issues.
As such, Need for Speed should be wary of forcing a player to remain online at all times if they want to enjoy any aspect of the racing experience.
I'm still cautiously optimistic about NFS, even if EA and Ghost Games are currently tight-lipped about the title, at least until Electronic Arts' own E3 2015 press conference that's set to take place later this month, on June 15.
You can then expect to see a wealth of actual details about Need for Speed's various known or surprise mechanics. At the same time, the two companies also mentioned last month that during the press conference an actual video with gameplay footage would be revealed to the world.
Until then, you can expect to hear a bit more speculation about the long-awaited racing game, its mechanics, its possible always online requirement, and the different cars that might be a part of its roster, besides the ones already revealed to the world so far.