E3ODUS [E3 2017 Preview]: Need For Speed Payback / F1 2017.

NEED FOR SPEED: PAYBACK (Ghost Games/EA – PS4, Xbox One, PC – November 10, 2017) – I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. In the gaming world, my zombie fighting, and monster killing skills have greatly improved. But the fact still remains, when the pixels hit the pavement, I’m really only good at shooting and driving. GTA reigns supreme and the early Burnout games still hold a special place in my heart. But with those out of the picture at the moment, Need For Speed: Payback is an obvious choice deemed worthy to fill that excitement. The trailer looks sick AF, but let’s not be fooled by the flashy cinematics; Ghost Games is boasting an offline single player campaign, beef with The Cartel, vehicle customization, heists, and an open-world environment. All wins in my book, even though I always make a wrong turn in open world racing — and thus go from 1st to 19th place in a fraction of a sec.

The only downside is the same downside every game comes with now, especially when EA is involved: if you want the coolest cars and the best parts, you’ve gotta pay. Expect a nice list of DLC add-ons to be available for purchase. So if you want to win once you’re playing on the interwebs, it’s gonna cost you. All in all, NFSP looks to be zooming down the right road with all green lights and the music up loud. I cant wait to get my hands on the wheel to piss off some cops and the cartel, win the race and get the girl. Not looking forward to peeling out extra cash for a super car though, so I might end up just doing donuts in the parking lot.

EA Play takes place at The Hollywood Paladium from June 10-12, and will be showing live on EA.com.

F1 2017 (Codemasters/Koch Media – PS4, Xbox One, PC – August 25th, 2017) – Not only am I, your grand Cardinal, a huge comic book geek — but I love me some Formula 1 racing. After the positive reviews of the 2016 release, Codemasters has released some tidbits before E3. What we do know is that classic cars will be making a return to 2017, including the gorgeous 2002 Ferrari F2002–included in career mode. I’m hoping for older models of cars as well (the 60s and 70s had gorgeous styles).

Speaking of which, F1 will include McLarens, with the legendary 1988 McLaren MP4/4. Now, with new track layouts we might see some iconic ones, which helps when COTA in your hometown of Austin, TX. F1 2017 will have a much more expansive career mode, so you’ll know what it’s like being a billionaire playing with multi-million dollar Hot Wheels. With Esko’s beloved NFS franchise making a return and Codemasters F1 coming in red hot, all I can leave you with is: “Happy racing!”

Check out our other E3 2017 previews:

–Sea of Thieves – 6/5

–The Last of Us, Part II – 6/5

–Assassin’s Creed Origins – 6/4

–Star Wars Battlefront II – 6/3

–Madden NFL 2018 – 6/1

–Extinction – 6/1

–Death Stranding – 5/31

–Red Dead Redemption 2 – 5/31

–God of War – 5/31

–Splatoon 2 – 5/30

–Battlefield: In the Name of the Tsar – 5/30