Windows Phone

Must Have Games 2012 has officially kicked of with one of the hottest games in the line up. If you are a fan of big name, fast paced games, then Hot Pursuit is right up your street. The game is available in the Marketplace as a trial, or for £3.99 for the full game. And what a game it is – you’ll expect to get plenty of entertainment for your money, with two separate career modes, quick races and both cars and achievements to unlock throughout.

Do you have a dark side?

The game can be played in one of two ways, you can be the racer – that is the car evading the police – or as the cops, hunting down that speeding maniac in your Subaru, Porsche, or if you get to the top – a Bugatti Veyron. We chose to play as the police, being the racer must be fun and all, but it’s not everyday that you get to drive a cop car (yes – we do know it is a game and not real life!)

The learning curve is pretty fair, you’ll find yourself breezing through the first few races, but soon you’ll have to focus on tactics – when to use the nitro, which weapons to use and how best to take down the car in front. All of this makes for a game with real depth and long playtime.

Choose your race type

The game has a whole range of race types, with different races for the police car and the racer. You get a score out of three stars, with the better the star rating the more money you get. That money counts towards your rank – with each rank up unlocking a brand new, faster, more awesome car.

But don’t worry about losing a race or not getting three stars each time. You will always earn money and you can even go back to easier races or play quick mode to earn money which helps you rank up. So if you get stuck on a level, go back a few races and earn enough money to get a better car to obliterate the competition.

Weapon of choice

It’s not all about driving skill. You’ll be provided with three different Bond-style weapons to help take down the car in front. As a police car you get 3 options; a roadblock, spike strips and a Matrix style EMP. The racer gets 3 options too; overdrive, jamming and oil slicks. These will help you take down whoever is in-front (or behind) but use them wisely – they take a while to respawn and a failed weapon can be costly.

Pursue it

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is one of the best driving games around in the Windows Phone Marketplace. If you enjoyed the previous Need for Speed game then things have only got better. Hot Pursuit is packed full of nail biting races, hours of career fun and the great replay options.

The game is available in the Marketplace now; you can try it for free or get the full game for £3.99. Download it now. We’re celebrating Must Have Games with a competition each week. To celebrate Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit we’re giving away the Xbox 360 game – click here for more information.