Once again no convincing result

Another year has passed and again it has EA failed to deliver a game that would justify his almost 70 euros.

Contrary to my expectations, it has become as its two predecessors The Run Most Wanted and a better spin. At least purely playful. While The Run failed on a just under four hours long storyline, Most Wanted suffered at times to control difficulties. Rather Rivals is very similar to the 2010 released Hot Pursuit.

The story is told well known and accordingly fast. It describes the rivalry between street racers and the RVPD (local police force).

As always a very good selection from renowned manufacturers. Again since 2002 Ferrari.
Unfortunately, one has to focus on a set for each side. For example, you can because the new Porsche 918 driving only as a racer, but not as a cop (but that is EA intended replacement delivery as a paid DLC).

Each side has a large arsenal of weapons (jammers, roadblocks, spike strips, etc.) of those but you can always install only two (at HP previously four).

When the racers you must also pay the Tuning upgrades with his hard-earned Speed ​​Points. The cops themselves are designed to be very robust and generally defy the more damage. For them, however, the weapons are more expensive.

The freely passable game world based size technically close to Hot Pursuit. The division between mountains, desert and forest and beach areas occurs a quite well known. Even in so many curves can be experienced at times a deja vu.

The game modes are similar again to those of HP Racer: Race, Hot Pursuit, Interceptor
Cops: Hot Pursuit, Interceptor and Rapid Response (ie time trial).
The graphic works on the Xbox 360 is no longer quite as fresh as a daisy and sometimes surprised by sudden freezing the screen and lots of bugs. The weather effects as well as the day-night scenario are still the most positive.
Playful can also complain about many things:

It has a pause menu at any time. The game was to be tuned into the online mode and has accordingly no fixed pause. If you look on the map for Events once, it can happen that takes a passing cop you targeted and arrested.

If the earned point happened unfortunately over. Conversely (and illogical) is the fact that if you put in a chase, you can still save you in a hiding place.
Another point of criticism on my part that if you are in an event, still constantly rivals meet (cops or racers). So it can happen that you ruin oncoming drivers, the prosecution or the time trial.

Conclusion: Playful Rivals certainly has the potential for time wasters. But as with EA unfortunately usual a good idea was implemented only mixed. The vehicles, weapons, and action during a prosecution speaks for itself. Unfortunately negative outweighs the feeling has not been adequately thought of every quarter to the end: The play depends every 20 minutes, after a crash is there a in the wrong direction, the graphics are felt worse than HP in 2010 and you have to constantly watch the stand not to meet an adversary.

Rivals is certainly not worth 70 euros. For half the price you may a lot of fun with the game. As with the predecessors.