Was Need For Speed Payback Really THAT Bad?

Need For Speed Payback is without an ounce of doubt, one of the most talked about racing games of all time. Payback sent shockwaves through the community in 2017, with its aggressively different design choices and microtransactions. In 2024, with the dust cleared, and an open mind, I decided to re-venture into the depths of this game and ask the question: Was Payback really THAT bad?

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:29 Paybacks Reimagined World
6:09 Paybacks Divisive Cars
9:36 Paybacks Evolution
12:38 A Campaign Runthrough In Review
25:10 In Summary

[serperior]

Please lets not forget cause of this game, Jake Paul is canon to the NFS extended universe

[Milty]

The card system and the fact that you can't compare your cards on one car to the other cars in your garage were my only gripes about payback, but the story, customization, soundtrack and offroad races were the things I enjoyed about it.

[MerrillDragonAge]

roaming racers and derelicts should return

[drlaggaming]

The upgrade system was what i hated the most about this game

[Kyller]

I 100% completed this game. IIRC they doubled the money rewards in a patch, so the grind wasn't too bad. The FEM final showdown started from the observatory through the whole map was the most memorable event, way better than the final one. Also, there's a crashed UFO out there in the desert.

[derpedfox]

It was Ghost's passion project until EA told them to make money

I still remember the weekly dev log and teasers before it's released, they were so passionate about this game

[succulenttrash]

I will die on the hill that the one thing i think they did well was the drifting in this game. I don't know why people complain about brake to drift in an arcade racing game, but Payback really nailed BTD handling

[WolfTwister]

I distinctly remember the feeling of rushing through the canyons in my rally evo being a highlight of the game. Sadly in heat rally events became "go play around in some sand, " and just didnt hit the same

[TheCamSays]

In a short answer, no.

In a long answer, divisive. I enjoyed the game even if it’s a diet modern Fast & Furious story wise and with its dumber moments, the gambling gimmick for parts and other issues.

I came into it when they had an ongoing abandoned cars event where they put a random car in the map and you have to escape the police to keep it. Was one of the better things in the game that not that many people mention.

[StellarCosmic]

I'm a *major* fan of this game, aside from the speed cards of course. And I think it has one of the best NFS maps we've ever gotten.

[LotsOfToubleUsuallySerious]

Finally someone did it. Microtransactions exist and they are bad, but Payback is one of the few games that are more than its monetization can tell you, and i just realized it when i actually got to play it. I hope many are able to realize it too

[epicdude]

i also really like how this game brought in some new brand names: Chidori, Outlaw, Nextech, Carbon, Americana, The Alchemist. and that these brands are still included in Heat and Unbound

[jakit]

after the outlaws rush i think the curator talks to you on the radio about it. personally, the curator was the most hyping up part of the whole game and i loved it so much

[mrsev]

The only thing that really bugged me in Payback was the car upgrade system, thankfully on PC you can mod that to give you what you want rather than randomly. Payback was my favourite modern NFS game, the story was fun and the gampley diverse.

[dislexyc]

19:22 let's not forget seeing a lh truck taking corners at 130 mph so you don't catch it too early is... An experience

[giancarlog]

Outside of the Speed Cards, I'll never understand the hate for this game. The variety in events, terrain and cars was outstanding.

[kt]

AFAIK freeroam cops were planned but cut due to lack of time to finish and polish it, so they resorted to those "packages" you collect to initiate a cop chase.

[muhammad_zaman]

Finally, someone acknowledges the positives of payback
personally, i found payback's story was more intriguing than anything came afterwards from nfs series.
they mimicked the fun gameplay loop of nfsmw without calling it "Blacklist". Only if there were pinkslips 😣
If you didn't pay a single penny and played it in hard mode (always underleveled), the gameplay becomes lot more fun
it forces you to do all kind of stunts to recharge nitros, kinda like witcher 3 death march

[piettrosantos]

I remember when your name was Moses B… You surely came a long way! Great job man!!

[justahumanbeing]

dude i'll just say it now, as someone who loves the older games, i love this game and always have since launch. it's nice to see a lot of people come around to it now. it's not perfect by any means, but i feel like it was definitely overhated.