Need for Speed Heat is released next week and we can't wait to get our hands on Ghost Games' latest racer. The signs ahead of its general release have been good so far, and we believe that Heat could rediscover NFS' glory days and reignite the series.
EA's Under the Hood notes have been providing us with plenty of juicy details in the runup to release day. One of the most recent announcements is the reveal of Palm City's full playable map. Palm City is a fictional metropolis that takes heavy inspiration from the real-life city of Miami, Flordia state's largest city.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about NFS Heat
Trailers for Heat have placed heavy emphasis on Palm City being the player's "playground" and the domain where you can roam around in what is effectively a car-based sandbox is crucial to how good the video game will be.
Vistas such as Burnout's Paradise City and Grand Theft Auto's Los Santos are ingrained in our memories and will always be iconic settings. Palm City could well one day join them in the top echelon, but here's everything we know so far!
Full Map & Districts
PALM CITY: The open world of NFS is everything we could want
It's hard to tell how large a map is without reference, but there are a total of 20 districts in Palm City, each of which appear to be unique in terms of the layout of the roads, setting and traffic conditions you can expect to experience.
Whatever the time of day it is, Palm City will look stunning, but areas such as Downtown will be breathtaking at night and take us back to NFS Underground from the mid-2000's. Eden Shores will be the city's Lummus Park, the best beach in town, which will also include a racing circuit of its own. Nearby, there's the docks of Port Murphy, where there will no doubt be some intense racing around cargo containers and a quick dip if you go too wide around a bend.
Westside is home to a massive water filtration plant and offers huge jumps that will be helpful for both shortcuts and escaping the police. Bayview Park is the most affluent area of Palm City, complete with golf courses that are just begging to be torn up by the rear wheels of your favourite supercar.
READ MORE: Complete NFS Heat car list
Palm City Raceway offers what looks like an oval racing couse like we see in NASCAR and IndyCar as well as an enclosed circuit inside, just like Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Although, as this is Florida, it's probably going to resemble Daytona International Speedway.
Edgewood Valley is home to an expansive former mall, which is perfect for tearing around. Florida isn't famed for its hills, but Palm City isn't lacking in sharp inclines. Cloudbank is on the peak of said hills and has a observatory complex as well as off-roading opportunities.
Sandpiper Forest has what is described as a "classic circuit" named Apollo 10 that has a mix of drift sections and long straights. Rockville’s, as you'd potentially expect has terraced rock quarries, and the Fairview Fields has a massive bridge spanning over a landmark known only as the Cake Factory.
READ MORE: Early NFS Heat gameplay review
The Frontera Hills, overlook the Rust Valley Industrial region, while the swamps of the Grenada Wetlands will likely resemble the Everglades National Park. The Mendoza Keys may well emulate the Florida Keys, as they have a gigantic suspension bridge, modest village, and lighthouse, just– plus some of the most intense high-speed driving you’ll experience anywhere in the game!
Cape Castille, is no doubt a play on Florida's Cape Canaveral, the main site for NASA's rocket launches.
It also seems that there are more areas to be discovered later in the game or perhaps in DLC, as there are clearly more roads and buildings in the left and top right of the map that aren't mentioned in the Under the Hood article.
Need for Speed Heat will be released on Playstation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC on 8th November.
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