Criterion Games announced a demo for Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. This demo will give gamers early access to this holiday’s hottest action racing title. Starting October 26 for a limited time*, players can experience the intensity of friendly competition, using Need for Speed’s revolutionary social network, Autolog. This new in-game technology makes personalized recommendations to gamers based on what their friends have been playing. Autolog is a brilliantly simple feature that challenges each player to set the best race time amongst their friends. Play alone and reign supreme against the game’s AI or invite just one friend to join, and unlock a second track in the demo. Playing with friends or frenemies, players kick off an addictive competitive loop where the compulsion to be the best and earn bragging rights is irresistible.

Matt Webster, Producer at Criterion Games. “ This demo will give gamers a snapshot of Need for Speed Autolog and how we’re amping up the energy of intense pursuits, competitive racing and online connected play – nothing is more powerful than beating your friends.”

In the Need for Speed Hot Pursuit demo, players will be able to chase as a cop in the Dark Horse Hot Pursuit event, speeding through the coastal highway and mountainous ridges of Seacrest County. At the heart of the demo is a social network called Autolog that tracks cop and racer performances while playing solo and uses those statistics to generate fierce competition between friends. Once players add a friend to their Need for Speed friends list, the second event will unlock called Roadster’s Reborn, where gamers can compete as racers to set the best times. When they download and play the demo they will also earn 500 bounty award points in the full game for both Cop and Racer careers**. Accruing bounty will allow players to unlock events and exotic cars and progress through their careers in the full game.

The Need for Speed Hot Pursuit demo will be available for download October 26 on Xbox LIVETM Marketplace worldwide and the PlayStation Network in the UK on October 27 on the PlayStation Network. The retail game will be available on November 19th in the UK on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3  and PC.