
Thus a plan to exact revenge on the ones that betrayed them is put in place, but that plan also brings them up against a major criminal syndicate known as the House. You’re left without any flashy rides, not much cash in your pocket and a whole lot of rage. You play as various members of a crew – all, handily, with different driving styles – who get double crossed during a heist in the opening scenes. Need for Speed Payback, as the title suggests, is about vengeance.

It’s not a rags to riches story, no, it’s about sheer determination to win every race despite the odds and a bit of silliness thrown in for good measure.

But in fact, it’s Geoffrey, who happens to be rather brilliant VW Golf GTI Mk1, who absolutely symbolises Need for Speed. They laughed at his little Brum eyes, his silly wing mirrors, his retro design and said “that’s not Need for Speed”. They took one look at my car – Geoffrey – and fell about.

When I first showed off Need for Speed Payback to the GamesRadar+ crew, oh how they laughed.
