Need for Speed is the ultimate racing game franchise. Admittedly, the series has lost some of its shine over the last decade or so, causing new releases to not feel as special as they once did.

As someone who grew up with Need for Speed in the '90s and 2000s, it pains me to say that the series has been largely irrelevant in the gaming landscape for longer than one cares to remember or admit.

Say what you will about the Need for Speed series, but it is certainly gaming royalty. One of the longest-running franchises in gaming, especially in the racing genre, Need for Speed has seen a lot of ...