Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Demo Available Today

Criterion Games, as the developer, and Electronic Arts, as the publisher, have announced the release of a demo for the upcoming Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, the game which is supposed to revive the fortunes of the car racing franchise when it arrives on the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the Wii and the PC on November 16 in North America and on the 19th in Europe.

The demo is important because it allows gamers to see how the new Autolog social gaming feature will work on the new Need for Speed, with gamers are to invite another player to join in their game in order to unlock a new track in the demo.

The demo is set in Seacrest County and will allow players to go after a cop in the Dark Horse Hot Pursuit game vent.

The second event, unlocked via playing another real life gamer, is Roadster's Reborn, an against the clock race.

Those who download the demo should know that it will not longer offer the Autolog element starting with November 9, a full week before the launch of the game, presumably in order to allow Criterion and Electronic Arts to make last minute changes.

Matt Webster, who is a producer at Criterion working on the Need for Speed game, stated, “Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is blowing the roof off social competition and bringing excitement back to the racing genre.”

He adds, “We’re putting players and their friends at the heart of the gameplay experience by automatically tracking and comparing each person’s performances. This demo will give gamers a snapshot of Need for Speed Autolog and how we’re amping up the energy of intense pursuits, competitive racing and online connected play – nothing is more powerful than beating your friends.”

Criterion has said that the new Need for Speed Hot Pursuit will try to take the series back to its roots and offer a pure racing game without all the flashy additions of previous installments.