Need for Speed update lets you turn off the damn phone

Need for Speed the series is about car racing, but Need for Speed the new game is mostly about screening phone calls. The borderline-harassing call system, which compelled your crew of urban-ish virtual friends to ring you up with the frequency of a worried parent checking in on their child's first sleepover, was significantly revised in the new Legends update. The update, which went live on Wednesday, even enables a GTA-style mute function so you can put the ceaseless calls to action on hold while you drift around Ventura Bay without fear of exposition.

Do-not-call functionality aside, the update also introduces two familiar characters from Need for Speed series history into the Ventura Bay night life: Eddie and Melissa from Need for Speed Underground. Eddie's brought along a tricked-out Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec and you can naturally win it off him by completing his new "progression thread." Thus robbing him of the one thing he's managed to do with his life in the decade since he was systematically undone by that other player character.

You'll also find 113 new customization items across six cars (the Dodge Challenger SRT8, Ford Mustang 1965, Honda Civic Type-R, Lotus Exige S, Volkswagen Golf GTI, and Volvo 242) and new music and car wraps pulled from across Need for Speed series history. And, again, fewer phone calls. Here are the full patch notes:

- Brand new progression thread unlocked at Rep Level 25. Eddie and Melissa are back and ready for a new challenge in Ventura Bay. 15 new events with a great reward at the end
- Unlock Eddie’s Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (1999)
- 12 new Donor car collectables hidden around Ventura Bay
- 10 Urbex spots – Collect interesting spots around Ventura Bay
- 113 New customisation items for a selection of cars
- New screens in My NFS to track new collectables and progression
- Rep Level has now been increased to 70, each level unlocking new decals for the Wrap editor
- 3 New Achievements & Trophies
- New Daily Challenges and new rewards
- Hundreds of new decals so you can make your favourite Need for Speed cars
- 20+ Pre-set Wraps from Most Wanted, Underground and Pro Street
- A selection of new music tracks to remind you of the old days
- Ability to mute new phone calls
- Phone call improvements
- You can now customize brake discs and calipers!
- Improvements to AI
- Various bug fixes and stability improvements

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Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.