Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit walkthrough

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|                         Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit                         |

|                       Walkthrough By: redapocalypse04                       |

|                Contact: red_apocalypse2004@stewiesminions.com               |

|                                Version: 1.00                                |

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||  Table of Contents  ||

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 Controls___________________________________[BAS1]

 Shortcuts__________________________________[BAS2]

 Equipment__________________________________[BAS3]

 Event Types________________________________[BAS4]

 Sports Series/Traffic Police Unit__________[VEH1]

 Performance Series/Highway Patrol Unit_____[VEH2]

 Super Series/Rapid Deployment Unit_________[VEH3]

 Exotic Series/Speed Enforcement Unit_______[VEH4]

 Hyper Series/Special Response Unit_________[VEH5]

 Big Timber Forest__________________________[RAC1]

 Boulder Desert_____________________________[RAC2]

 Carson Ridge Reservoir_____________________[RAC3]

 Coral Bay__________________________________[RAC4]

 Eagle Crest________________________________[RAC5]

 East Gorge Canyon__________________________[RAC6]

 Fox Lair Pass______________________________[RAC7]

 Grand Ocean Coast__________________________[RAC8]

 Memorial Valley____________________________[RAC9]

 Mission Beach______________________________[RA10]

 Oakmont Valley_____________________________[RA11]

 Rockingham Point___________________________[RA12]

 Big Timber Forest__________________________[POL1]

 Boulder Desert_____________________________[POL2]

 Carson Ridge Reservoir_____________________[POL3]

 Coral Bay__________________________________[POL4]

 Eagle Crest________________________________[POL5]

 East Gorge Canyon__________________________[POL6]

 Fox Lair Pass______________________________[POL7]

 Grand Ocean Coast__________________________[POL8]

 Memorial Valley____________________________[POL9]

 Mission Beach______________________________[PO10]

 Oakmont Valley_____________________________[PO11]

 Rockingham Point___________________________[PO12]

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||  Basics  ||

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Controls                                                                 [BAS1]

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you'd expect, too. Right Trigger moves the car forward. Left Trigger stops the

keep in mind when you're going down the road:

-Drafting, or slipstreaming as it's called in Need for Speed, is when you 

 get right behind another car and use the lack of wind resistance to gain 

 more speed. In Hot Pursuit, you don't even need to be directly behind the 

 car. This is most noticeable near the beginning when all the cars are grouped

 together. Move to the side a little bit and you will still receive the 

 benefits of slipstreaming without having to actually move around the cars in 

 front of you. This move also builds up your nitrous bar.

 experience for both drivers. The lead car generally loses control/stability,

 while the rear car loses speed. In Need for Speed however, getting bumped 

 is actually helpful. The lead car will almost never lose control and will 

 instead get a small boost of speed, depending on how fast the rear car is 

 going. So if you see a car zooming towards you in the rear view mirror, don't

 be afraid to move in front of him. You'll get a boost and he'll be slowed 

 down quite a bit.

 exception. Tapping brake as you're going into a turn, then mashing on the gas

 as you actually turn your car will initiate the drift, which is basically

 just breaking the traction on the rear wheels. It's useful for sliding 

 through tight turns, and drifting will fill up your nitrous bar. Some cars 

 will even start drifting without having to touch the brake. The downside is 

 that drifting can slow your car down a lot, especially if you don't do it 

 right. The racing line generally dictates that you should enter a turn from 

 the outside, get as close to the inside corner as possible in the middle of 

 the turn, and then leave the turn from the outside again. Doing this will 

 allow you to go through the corner and exit with maximum speed. Trying to 

 follow the racing line while drifting is difficult, if not impossible in 

 most cases. Of course, Hot Pursuit is definitely not the same kind of racing

 game as Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo, so it doesn't help to over-analyze

 the nuances of the racing line. In the end, drifting vs. just turning really

 boils down to the turn, the car, and your own playing style.

 _______

To the left of your speedometer you'll find a vertical bar. This is your 

nitrous gauge. Pressing and holding A while you have nitrous will give you a 

end of a drift or on dirt roads to offset the loss in speed. If you are at 

top speed, do not use nitrous. You can't push your car past the top speed 

You can gain nitrous by slipstreaming, drifting, taking shortcuts, nearly 

of traffic. Cops gain nitrous more quickly and burn it a lot faster. Cops 

will automatically earn nitrous as long as they're going fast. This ensures 

Shortcuts                                                                [BAS2]

your mini-map. The road is blue if you're a cop. Most of the time the entrance

-Dirt roads are by far the most common type of shortcut. There will almost 

 always be obstacles scattered around the shortcut, and sometimes even 

 alternate paths to take while going through it. The main drawback to dirt 

 roads is that they cause you to lose quite a bit of speed. This is most 

 noticeable in cars that sit lower to the ground, like those in the Hyper 

 Series and Special Response Units. Always weigh this loss of speed with the 

 nitrous by staying on the main road. This is because you can slipstream, 

 nearly miss other vehicles, and drive on the oncoming side of the road. Cops,

 however, don't have to worry so much about this. They get nitrous just for 

 driving fast, and they accumulate nitrous quicker, so running through a 

 shortcut can fill the entire bar up. They also don't get nitrous for driving 

 in the oncoming lane of traffic to begin with.

-Paved roads are less common and will not reduce your speed just by driving 

 on them. Unfortunately, most paved roads don't deviate too far from the 

 main road, so distance saved is generally small. They have obstacles too, 

 usually in the form of buildings and planters.

Equipment                                                                [BAS3]

 _____

second, green flames will come out of the tailpipe and you'll be thrown forward

at remarkable speeds for several seconds. These things can easily change the 

game up, especially late in a race. This is why you will generally not get 

many to play around with. Also, if at all possible, try to save these for 

straight roads. Turning is possible but difficult while you're going that fast.

Try to time it just after a roadblock or a helicopter spike strip. 

It's pretty hard to avoid those two obstacles while using Turbo, and the cops

love to have a helicopter hovering out there, just waiting for you to get 

 ___

line of sight of the vehicle, it will be hit by an EMP. The car will then 

sustain damage. Other effects vary, depending on where the car is on the 

road. If you hit a vehicle on a straight, they may incur damage, but 

nothing else will happen to them. Hit a vehicle while it's turning and you 

may cause it to do a 180 degree turn or to hit a wall. This is most useful 

them with an EMP to mess up their lead. You can use this against cops if you 

want, but they only get in front of you to drop a spike strip or harass a 

see a lock-on reticule on the back of your car. Dodging them is a pain in the 

ass. Since it's an instant effect, you can't dodge the actual EMP. You can 

only break the lock-on sequence, which isn't easy to do. The best way, by far,

is to simply use a Jammer. You can also try to hit the car that's targeting 

are available, you'll be stuck trying to weave out of his line of sight, 

preferably by going through a shortcut. The game suggests braking hard if all 

else fails to avoid the EMP, but you should only do this if you are low on 

than getting hit by the EMP, so if you're on a straight and can afford it, 

you might be better off just letting it happen. Of course, if you're a cop, 

that's locked onto you pass, if you have to.

 ______

unable to use any equipment for a short time, and all roadblocks will appear 

on your mini-map. The Jammer doesn't last terribly long. It's main use is in 

deflecting enemy equipment, specifically EMPs, which are really hard to 

avoid using other means. It's also handy against spike strips that you don't 

see until the last minute. A good tactic is to use the Turbo, then have your 

finger ready to use the Jammer when you see a helicopter in the distance. At 

 ___________

behind you. It will cause any car hitting it to spin out. Think of it as a 

really long line of bananas from Mario Kart and you get the idea. After one 

hit they go away, but at level 3 you'll start tossing down two strips instead

of just one. Avoiding them is pretty simple, as long as you're paying attention

to the road. Use a Jammer if you have to, or try to get another car to run 

 __________________

for a bit. Once the helicopter detects a straight part of the road, it'll 

hard to accurately use these things since you don't control the helicopter. 

Just use it when you've got the oppurtunity and hope it hits somebody. If it 

 _________

As a Cop, pressing Right on the D-Pad will call in a Roadblock. It'll be 

placed just ahead of your position and marked on your mini-map. Roadblocks 

are kind of hard to use. You're essentially just throwing it out there and 

times you'll damage every opponent on the track. Just be careful that you don't

generally easy. There's always a hole in the cars that you can slip through, 

you'll probably want to slow down, lest you slam into a wrecked car.

Event Types                                                              [BAS4]

 ____________

Race- This is your standard race gametype. It's usually you and 7 other cars 

      all trying to be first across the finish line. No equipment and no cops 

      to be found here.

      nobody else.

Time Trial- In this event, it's just you and the clock. Pick a car and race to 

            the finish line.

Preview- This is essentially a time trial event, except you are stuck using 

         one car, and it's always a car in the next unlockable series.

             trying to be the first one to cross the finish line. Except now,

             cops have been added to the mix. They will try everything in 

             their power to stop you and the other drivers. If you take 

             enough damage or if you stop completely, you will be busted and 

             the race will end.

          you've got to beat the clock, but you've also got cops to deal with.

 __________

             before they reach the finish line.

             fast. Second, you are racing against the clock here. There is no 

Rapid Response- The Cop's version of a Time Trial. There's one key difference 

                to note: In Rapid Response, collisions will cost you time. If 

                you hit a wall, you'll incur a two second penalty. Hit a 

                vehicle and you'll get a three second penalty.

         haven't unlocked yet.

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||  Vehicles  ||

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Sports Series/Traffic Police Unit                                        [VEH1]

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Performance Series/Highway Patrol Unit                                   [VEH2]

 ___________________

 __________

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Super Series/Rapid Deployment Unit                                       [VEH3]

 _____________________________

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         version

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Exotic Series/Speed Enforcement Unit                                     [VEH4]

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Hyper Series/Special Response Unit                                       [VEH5]

 ______________

 __________

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||  Race Locations  ||

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Big Timber Forest                                                        [RAC1]

 ___________

5.4 Miles- Left side. Dirt road that goes through a tunnel. Seems useful, but 

           because the last part is just a straight, the loss of speed cannot

           be justified by the distance saved.

3.3 Miles- Left side. Be prepared to turn immediately after coming out of the 

           tunnel. Extremely useful dirt path. About halfway through the path

           will fork. Go right to get the greatest benefit.

 ____________

Eligible Cars- Maserati Gran Cabrio, Jaguar XKR, Porsche 911 Targa 4S, 

               Maserate Gran Turismo S, Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, Maserati 

               Quattroporte Sport GT S

           but when you have the oppurtunity to get back onto the main road, 

           take it. The rest of it is just a useless straight that runs 

           parallel to the main road.

           side of the main path. Useless.

           Useful.

           Distance saved by the first part doesn't account for the speed lost

           on the second part.

 _______

Conditions- Sunny

           Useless.

 ________

 __________

           Distance saved doesn't justify speed lost.

           Somewhat useful.

Boulder Desert                                                           [RAC2]

 _____________

Conditions- Sunny

           doesn't really shave off that much distance and the last part is 

           just a straight.

3.2 Miles- Left side. Dirt road with rocks on either side of the main path. 

           Useful.

 _______________________

Conditions- Sunny

9.1 Miles- Right side. Paved path goes in front of some satellite dishes. 

           Useless.

 _______________

               super Veloce, Lamborghini Reventon Roadster, Pagani Zonda 

               Cinque/NFS Edition, Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster/NFS Edition

Conditions- Sunny

            Useless.

           Useful.

           into next shortcut. Useful.

 _______________

           to be open. Useless.

 _________________

Conditions- Sunny

10.9 Miles- Right side. Paved path goes through some houses and leads into 

            the next shortcut. Useless.

           Useless.

Carson Ridge Reservoir                                                   [RAC3]

 ______________

Conditions- Sunny

           useful. The distance saved doesn't really make up for the speed 

           lost. You will probably come out in a better position, then get 

           passed up.

           goes below the bridge and by a house. Extremely useful.

           useful. Distance saved is small, but it is paved, so the only 

           thing you're losing is some nitrous. Unfortunately, leads directly

           into the next shortcut, which is useless.

0.6 Miles- Right side. Dirt road snakes under the bridge and back onto the 

           beach. Useless.

 __________________

Conditions- Sunny

           the corner. Long dirt road that snakes under the bridge. Very 

           useful. It shaves off a lot of distance, but it's also very long, so

           try to save up some nitrous before you go in.

2.5 Miles- Left side. Dirt road that goes along the beach and through a 

           tunnel. Useless.

 __________________

           Useless.

 _____________________

6.2 Miles- Left side. Dirt road runs in front of construction materials and 

           leads into next shortcut. Useful.

 _________

Conditions- Sunny

           Useless.

 ______________

Conditions- Sunny

           Useful.

1.5 Miles- Left side. Paved path goes under bridge and leads into next 

           shortcut. Useful.

Coral Bay                                                                [RAC4]

 __________

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               560-4

Conditions- Sunny

9.6 Miles- Left side. Dirt road that snakes under the bridge and around some 

           rocks. Useless. It will put you ahead of the other car for about 

           one or two seconds before they pass you up. The loss of speed is 

           just too much.

5.5 Miles- Left side. Dirt road becomes a paved path that goes under the 

           bridge. Useless.

2.2 Miles- Right side. Dirt road with a bunch of rocks scattered about. 

           Useless. 

           into next shortcut. Barely useful.

 ______________

Conditions- Sunny

12.7 Miles- Left side. Dirt road turns into paved path that goes under the 

            bridge. Useless.

8.3 Miles- Left side. Paved path runs in front of building and leads into 

           next shortcut. Useful.

 _____________

Conditions- Sunny

43.1 Miles- Left side. Dirt road runs along the beach and goes through a 

            tunnel. Useless.

            back on the main road at the first available oppurtunity. The last

            part of the shortcut is useless.

           Useless.

           next shortcut. Somewhat useful.

Eagle Crest                                                              [RAC5]

 _____________

           Barely useful. Distance is saved but to enter the shortcut you 

           have to be holding left at the very beginning of the race, so you

           won't have any speed going into it. Also, as you exit the shortcut

           and go to enter the next one, which is actually useful, you will

           almost always run right into one of the cars coming down the road.

           Useful.

6.1 Miles- Left side. Straight dirt road. Barely useful. The distance saved 

           doesn't really make up for the speed lost, especially since the 

           main road essentially becomes a straight just after the turn, 

           allowing the other cars to build up speed while you're stuck on the

           dirt.

           being hounded by cops.

1.7 Miles- Left side, just after exiting the tunnel. Dirt road goes through a 

           rock tunnel. Useful.

0.7 Miles- Right side. Dirt road with rocks along the main path. Useful, 

           except it leads directly into the next shortcut, which is useless.

Iain Wilson
Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has well over 900 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.