Need for Speed: The ('Cannonball') Run

The premise of The Run -- a cross-country car race for a huge pot of money -- reminds us of the screwball "Cannonball Run" movies, and that is a good thing.

When playing as Jack Rourke and driving muscle cars around tight turns or down long straightaways, we kept expecting to see a young Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise pull alongside in that goofy ambulance or maybe see a young Jackie Chan zoom past me in his speedster. At the very least, these trips down movie memory lane entertained us when the game's story line didn't.

The Run succeeds by mostly ignoring the story and focusing on well-crafted races. The numerous venues vary as often as the cars do, which keeps the action brisk.

Changing up the race type (checkpoint race one moment, battle race the next, and so on) keeps the game from becoming repetitive. Imperfections do crop up, though. On- foot portions are a slow, boring series of quick-time button sequences, while chase scenes featuring the mob feel out of place. The replay value is hurt by the inability to call up a particular race type; instead, gamers must replay sections of the game.

The Run doesn't include a "Cannonball"-style slapstick fistfight, but there is a thrilling racing game that stretches from snowy mountaintops to sunset-lit cities and beyond.

NEED FOR SPEED: THE RUN

RATING T for Teen

PLOT Think "Cannonball Run" as a game, sort of

DETAILS PlayStation 3, $40; Xbox 360, $40; PC, $50; and 3DS, $30

BOTTOM LINE Worth a spin