Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 170 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 142 out of 170
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 170
  3. Negative: 5 out of 170
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SamB.
    Jun 19, 2004
    10
    The Best!
  2. BenN.
    Mar 15, 2003
    9
    It never gets boring, and the cars are phat, it lasts for ages. The police mode is the best ever, but it could be a little more realistic but the game makes up for this with many more great factors. buy it now!!!!!!
  3. MingC.
    Jun 11, 2003
    9
    Even if you're not a car fan, tis game is for u...
  4. MustafaM.
    Aug 18, 2003
    10
    It's sneaky.
  5. Tubie
    Oct 3, 2010
    7
    The game builds on the first one and while it didn't feel as fresh it was still a nice ride and any fan of the racing genre that is looking for a fun arcade racer should pick this up.
  6. Ps2-game
    Aug 10, 2014
    9
    One of my favorite racers of all time. Plenty of cars and modes to play around with. My personal favorites are " You're the cop" and race knock outs. My only problem with this game is the track selection. It's one of those games that simply reverses a track and calls it new. I don't have a huge problem with that just when there are 6-7 sceneries it gets old seeing the same thing after aOne of my favorite racers of all time. Plenty of cars and modes to play around with. My personal favorites are " You're the cop" and race knock outs. My only problem with this game is the track selection. It's one of those games that simply reverses a track and calls it new. I don't have a huge problem with that just when there are 6-7 sceneries it gets old seeing the same thing after a while. Everything else is pretty much flawless with this game.… Expand
  7. JimmyW.
    Aug 20, 2004
    5
    Is cool cos of the lamborghinnis ferraris and porsches and most of all the coppers i own this game (my first game) and used to luv it but now ime thinkin of sellin it good game for people who like to play then sell games.
  8. [Anonymous]
    Oct 8, 2003
    4
    Needs to have the cars customizable like porsche unleashed and underground.
  9. PiranhaG.
    Aug 30, 2003
    9
    Cool cars cool tracks coool music not too coool graphics.
  10. silasbodnick
    Mar 21, 2014
    9
    I just had so much damn fun with this game. I can't tell you how many hours and how many nights I lost just trying to get a better time trying to slander those idiots off the road. There is something to be said about creating a simple game with amazing graphics an incredible sound that many developers today seem to be missing.
  11. MattR.
    Oct 10, 2002
    7
    Fun game, but so incredibly forgiving in its physics model that it actually hurts the game. The computer can almost always pull out a last minute victory through some cheesy maneuver. The car selection is great, but they all feel the exact same, which stinks.
  12. AlG.
    Oct 5, 2002
    9
    I can't believe how much better this version is than the Xbox game.
  13. Steve
    Oct 6, 2002
    7
    High quality, but it is missing some of the small features that made the Need for Speed series unique. I was and still am a big fan of Need for Speed: High Stakes. NFS HP2 doesnt have features such as car lights, turn signals, weather features, and damage. Its difficult to damage tail lights, or even scrape the paint on the car. The AI for the cops is much more difficult now and can be High quality, but it is missing some of the small features that made the Need for Speed series unique. I was and still am a big fan of Need for Speed: High Stakes. NFS HP2 doesnt have features such as car lights, turn signals, weather features, and damage. Its difficult to damage tail lights, or even scrape the paint on the car. The AI for the cops is much more difficult now and can be difficult and fustrating for racing. But dont get me wrong, it a great game.… Expand
  14. BradyC.
    Oct 6, 2002
    10
    Bitchen need for speed ever best cars man it just rules i got it for the cube but wow it kicks ass!
  15. KennyC.
    Jan 17, 2003
    10
    Rubber burning madness! This game Kicks Ass!
  16. BrendonC.
    Feb 17, 2003
    9
    This game is great! The one thing that i can't get over is that they actually put a Ford Crown Victoria in the game! All the cars are licensed and the soundtracks are great! I love the game!
  17. AndrewH.
    Mar 3, 2003
    10
    THIS GAME ROCKS! The graphics are kick-ass and the music is great! The physics of the game is also the most advanced I've seen it yet.
  18. Uter
    Sep 17, 2003
    7
    I was pretty hyped to play this, but came away slightly disappointed. the graphics aren't great. the load times are long. and the whole experience doesn't feel fully fleshed out.
  19. SteveL.
    Oct 11, 2002
    10
    This game rocks its got everything! High speed chases awsome graphics all the sweet cars cool music and dont forget the tracks its got!Its got all you want in a racing game!
  20. Andrew
    Nov 8, 2002
    10
    Best car racing game i've ever played. Hours of fun!! The car selection is excellent, the control is incredible, the cops are harder to ditch which makes the game even more challenging.
  21. BrandonH.
    Oct 26, 2002
    8
    This game is good, great sense of speed, but does get old fast, therfore may not be worth the money if you are limited and want to buy gta4.
  22. DanF.
    Oct 29, 2002
    9
    The most entertaining game I have played since Outrun in the arcades! It's not as realistic as GT3, but it has the same sense of speed and sheer fun that the old arcade games did. Add some cops, and you have an absolute winner!
  23. AdamJ.
    Sep 26, 2002
    8
    Better than Burnout and Burnout 2!!! Its fast, fun, has massive police chases and easy handling. Only problem, a tiny bit of slowdown.
  24. EricC.
    Nov 24, 2002
    9
    This is the closest any game has ever come to beating Gran Turismo 3. While the graphics and realism are not as good, Hot Pursuit 2 emphasizes its spirit for speed and the intensity of it, something that GT3 didn't always get. Hot pursuit mode is a blast to play, especially when you have lots of cops on your tail. The effects that allow you to do a 360 view of your car increase the This is the closest any game has ever come to beating Gran Turismo 3. While the graphics and realism are not as good, Hot Pursuit 2 emphasizes its spirit for speed and the intensity of it, something that GT3 didn't always get. Hot pursuit mode is a blast to play, especially when you have lots of cops on your tail. The effects that allow you to do a 360 view of your car increase the effect of the chase. Play this if your more addicted to the thrill speed than realism.… Expand
  25. JohnS.
    Jan 13, 2003
    10
    BUY IT NOW! Seriously the best game on the PS2 by a clear lap.
  26. Harry210
    Jan 4, 2011
    9
    Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 is the best Need for Speed game I've ever played. Better than the current ones? I think so. The game is a great racer and definitely a game for people who love exotic cars because there is a great selection of them from Lamborghini Murcielago to the Ferrari 360. The tracks are nicely designed and are fun to race on although they are long in length. The policeNeed for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 is the best Need for Speed game I've ever played. Better than the current ones? I think so. The game is a great racer and definitely a game for people who love exotic cars because there is a great selection of them from Lamborghini Murcielago to the Ferrari 360. The tracks are nicely designed and are fun to race on although they are long in length. The police pursuits are intense and the police will stop at nothing to bust you. Typical police equipment like helicopters and road blocks are at the polices disposal to take you down. The graphics are fantastic and the cars handle nicely. There is a meaty single player campaign which consists of racing in events in a championship to escaping the police in hot pursuit events. You can even be on the cops side and try to apprehend your opponents in some events. Also the soundtrack is pumping and really good when your racing along at high speeds. As I said before, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 is the best NFS I've played and a lovely addition to the racing genre.… Expand
  27. emlugo123
    Feb 23, 2015
    9
    First of all, I loved the soundtrack in this game! The songs that they picked for this game really matched to the game. Finishing a race and unlocking the next car felt so good!
  28. Duke_Nukem
    Oct 10, 2015
    10
    This is probably the best race game on the PS2. Nice graphics and a fairly good soundtrack for a race game (most soundtracks in race games suck!), sweet cars, interesting tracks and fantastic controls.

    The police chases are incredibly fun. You can also play with two players racing each other, or one of you can be the police while the other is the speed devil. The player who is the    This is probably the best race game on the PS2. Nice graphics and a fairly good soundtrack for a race game (most soundtracks in race games suck!), sweet cars, interesting tracks and fantastic controls.

    The police chases are incredibly fun. You can also play with two players racing each other, or one of you can be the police while the other is the speed devil. The player who is the police can call in helicopter support, spike strips or road blocks, which makes for a very exciting chase.

    Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 delivers everything it promises: hot pursuits and hair-raising speed!    … Expand
  29. Captain_Faramir
    Jan 30, 2017
    10
    Probably has the best soundtrack in any game to date. With artists like Bush and Rush songs constantly playing while racing with epic cars on amazing tracks and police chasing, it is an incredibly iconic game in the racing genre.
  30. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Feb 3, 2021
    8
    I remember being highly addicted to "Hot Pursuit 2". It's a fantastic racer featuring an amazing sense of speed, outstanding graphics and a great selection of cars. The game includes two sets of challenge modes; racing with a sports car or chasing in a cop vehicle. This is a better game than the "Underground" entries and Criterion's "Hot Pursuit" reboot. It's a pure joy to play. I'd rateI remember being highly addicted to "Hot Pursuit 2". It's a fantastic racer featuring an amazing sense of speed, outstanding graphics and a great selection of cars. The game includes two sets of challenge modes; racing with a sports car or chasing in a cop vehicle. This is a better game than the "Underground" entries and Criterion's "Hot Pursuit" reboot. It's a pure joy to play. I'd rate it with an 8.7 out of 10… Expand
  31. ASpectreOfSorts
    Jan 11, 2019
    9
    I recently revisited this title, and, simply put: it's one of the best, if not THE best racing title from the PlayStation 2 era (Need for Speed Undercover 2 and Most Wanted; and Gran Turismo 3 and 4 included).

    The cars and environments are all beautifully done, for the era, with crests and dips to the circuits that genuinely affect how the cars behave over them. Courses have these    I recently revisited this title, and, simply put: it's one of the best, if not THE best racing title from the PlayStation 2 era (Need for Speed Undercover 2 and Most Wanted; and Gran Turismo 3 and 4 included).

    The cars and environments are all beautifully done, for the era, with crests and dips to the circuits that genuinely affect how the cars behave over them. Courses have these shortcuts that aren't necessarily marked on the map but can help get you back in the fray if you suffered from an unfortunate crash early on in the race.

    The police chases are also quite well-executed with police that, particularly at higher wanted ratings, won't stop at hell or high water to get you. Unfortunately, they can be pushovers on the lower wanted ratings.

    Neat details include car sounds that are all unique from one another, though the AI cars all suffer from this generic drone more fitting of a commuter car (even if they're driving the same car as the player). The Chevrolet Corvette Z06's engine note is particularly good. Also, in the bumper cam, the gauges are facsimiles of the real thing.

    And while the soundtrack isn't the most extensive ---four licensed songs with instrumental versions--- it suits the style of the game quite well. But, best of all, the tracks are all fun to listen to outside of the game.

    In all, it's a fantastic game, and if you have a PS2 and haven't played it yet, you really should.    … Expand
  32. PizzaSubCombo
    Oct 18, 2019
    9
    The quintessential Need for Speed game; its' lone detriment being the absurdly long career mode events, which see the game's starter cars embarking on multi-event championships long enough to cramp you hands. Provided you can deal with the artificially extended campaign mode, and some of the grinding to unlock the high profile vehicles, Hot Pursuit 2 is easily the PS2's best racer by aThe quintessential Need for Speed game; its' lone detriment being the absurdly long career mode events, which see the game's starter cars embarking on multi-event championships long enough to cramp you hands. Provided you can deal with the artificially extended campaign mode, and some of the grinding to unlock the high profile vehicles, Hot Pursuit 2 is easily the PS2's best racer by a significant margin.… Expand
  33. oldgamer81
    May 1, 2020
    6
    Despite one big problem the game is great fun, especially because compared to many other games and the successors "underground" and "underground 2" you cannot stay on full throttle all the time. The biggest problem with the game: On the PS2, even though the gameplay is pretty fast, it feels somehow slow because the framerate is not at the standard I got used on the PS2 and the controllerDespite one big problem the game is great fun, especially because compared to many other games and the successors "underground" and "underground 2" you cannot stay on full throttle all the time. The biggest problem with the game: On the PS2, even though the gameplay is pretty fast, it feels somehow slow because the framerate is not at the standard I got used on the PS2 and the controller input is pretty delayed in responding to car steering. Especially when the screen is full and you do a hard curve, you have the impression the car reacts half a second after you start steering. The latter NFS games on the PS2 have the same problem, and I wonder why there is written so little about that. Maybe I am more sensitive to that problem?
    Anyway there is a lot of fun in racing over the different landscape tracks, chasing speeders or getting chased by the police, when you got used to the sometimes delayed controlls and the not very fluent framerate in the gameplay.
    What makes the game great anyway, besides the controll problem, is the real arcade game mechanics: You can enter a curve at top speed and spontaneously release the accelerator when you are too fast for the curve and step back on it when you feel that you get the curve and accelerate out of it. That is so much fun. Why do so few games integrate this game mechanic? NFS underground 1&2 have a typicall arcade game mechanic: Allways stay on full throttle. Boring! And other games who are diffrent from that do it too much in a simulation style way: You have to know the curve or see how steep it is and know at which speed you can enter it and have to brake down to that speed before out start steering. No, thats not how an arcade racers should be.
    Therefore I like NFS Hot Pursuit 2 very much, even though the delayed steering drives me up the wall sometime - in both senses.    … Expand
  34. neojotic
    Aug 29, 2020
    7
    Decent racing game and awesome that they have a Rush song in it!

    I would say it's not one of the better games in it's genre for PS2 but you'll get some satisfying hours in playing it
  35. Mr_Nobody34
    Jan 14, 2022
    6
    Ratings for the time period it came out
    Story : 2
    Gameplay : 7
    Graphics : 10
    Fun Factor : 8
    Environment interaction : 4
    Sound effects : 6
    Overall Immersion : 7
    There's no such thing as a perfect game
  36. The_D4RknesS
    Oct 10, 2022
    7
    the only cool thing about this game is the multiplayer, other than that the campaign is horrible
  37. Rorian7
    Sep 25, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the best racing games ever. Obe of the best NFS games in any generation… Expand
  38. Silv3rGT
    May 25, 2023
    10
    This game is cool and it what made Blackbox an unforgettable development team.
  39. vastly_local
    May 25, 2023
    10
    This game is the epitome of classic Need for Speed games! Fancy cars: check. Exotic tracks: check. Extreme speed: check. Pissy cops: check. All that you need in a simple and straight forward package with a brilliant soundtrack. Pity the game came out the box at a 480i resolution. 720p or even 480p would've done it nicely.
  40. misterz1
    May 25, 2023
    10
    Simple, fun and a lengthy career mode (what does get a bit boring at a point, though). That's it.

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best PS2 Game of 2002
13
#13 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Game Revolution
    91
    The best arcade racer to hit the PS2. With it's combination of really fun gameplay, good delivery, terrific tracks and robust modes, this is definitely worthy of gracing the collection of any console racing fan.
    Read full review
  2. GameSpy
    89
    The best arcade racing game available for the PlayStation 2.
    Read full review
  3. Absolute Playstation
    83
    The graphics are sweet, and the racing is sweeter still. Its pure, unashamed, high-energy fun, and it lasts for ages!
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »