Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 Gamecube FAQ Version 1.11 Copyright 2003 Written by White_Pointer whitepointer@blood-sports.net Contents of this Guide: 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Legal Information 3.0 About the game 4.0 What’s in this guide? 5.0 Vehicles 6.0 Tracks 7.0 Hot Pursuit Guide 8.0 Championship Guide 9.0 Acknowledgements and Credits 1.0 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 has been released across multiple platforms, however, the Gamecube (and X-Box) version of the game is different to the Playstation 2/PC version of the game. There are different cars, different tracks, and different events to complete in Hot Pursuit and Championship mode. This is due to the fact that two different teams at EA developed the game, one team developed the PC/PS2 version while the other developed the GC/XB version. Gamefaqs currently only has FAQ’s that cover the PC/PS2 version, which is useless if you have the GC or XB version. So, this guide was born. 2.0 Legal Information -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide is intended for personal use only. No profit can be made from this guide under ANY circumstances, it is to be used for non-profit only. This guide will ONLY be hosted on Gamefaqs, unless you have my written consent to publish it on your own site and you MUST e-mail me to request my permission to use it. Please explain in your e-mail what the theme of your site is, the approximate amount of unique visitors you receive each month and what materials the site covers. This guide may not be altered in any way, shape, or form. 3.0 About the game -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 is the sequel to the hugely popular Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit, and pits you up against not only aggressive opponents, but the cops as well as you race your way through two intensive career modes. You’ll be racing on a variety of different tracks, and be up against opponents of varying skill level, but to truly conquer the game, you need fast reflexes, a brave heart and a need for speed! 4.0 What’s in this guide? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This guide covers the Gamecube version of the game, and from what I understand, the X-Box version is the same, so this guide should be good for both versions. This guide is not for the PC/PS2 version of the game. The guide will detail each available car, each available track, then outline each race in both Hot Pursuit and Championship modes in a walkthrough style, giving you pointers on how to win the gold medals in each event. 5.0 Vehicles -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I’ve split the cars up into different “classes”. This was actually done in previous NFS games, but not in this one, however, there are distinct classes of cars in this game even if they aren’t specified, so I’ve created my own classes. Also, I’m Australian, so I’ve written the speeds in kilometres per hour (km/h) rather than miles per hour; just find an online unit converter if you can’t do it yourself. :) You can find a good one here: http://www.b2btrader.net/etools/measurementconverter.htm and another one here: http://www.onlineconversion.com/speed.htm . To give you an idea though…100km/h is about equivalent to 60 mph. BHP is the car’s horsepower. One other thing to note is the NFS versions of these cars. The actual stats are the same as the normal versions, but EA claims that each NFS version of the cars has improved acceleration and top speed. In game, it won’t make much of a difference. 5.1 – Class ‘C’ cars 5.2 – Class ‘B’ cars 5.3 – Class ‘A’ cars 5.4 – Class ‘AA’ cars 5.5 – Class ‘AAA’ cars 5.6 – Cop Cars 5.1 CLASS ‘C’ CARS ****************** 5.1.1 LOTUS ELISE Stats: 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds Top Speed: 201km/h BHP: 122 The Lotus Elise…not much to say about this car really. It’s one of the slowest cars in the game, doesn’t look particularly flashy and accelerates like it has a dead elephant on its back. Having said that though, in my opinion this is the best Class ‘C’ car to use because its handling is surprisingly good. You’ll actually need to try incredibly hard to crash this thing hard enough to need to reset the car. 5.1.2 VAUXHALL VX 220 Stats: 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds Top Speed: 217km/h BHP: 145 The stats for the VX 220 look slightly better on paper than the Elise, but trust me on this one, the car is worse largely due to its clunky handling. What it gains over the Elise in speed and horsepower is lost in its handling, and personally I prefer a better handling car than a slightly faster one. Your choice, of course. 5.1.3 OPEL SPEEDSTER Stats: 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds Top Speed: 220km/h BHP: 145 An average car in stats, with the best top speed of the Class ‘C’ cars but the worst acceleration (0.1 of a second makes a big difference with these low speed cars). Its handling is about average, and this is probably the best car to begin racing with. 5.2 CLASS ‘B’ CARS ****************** 5.2.1 FORD TS50 Stats: 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds Top Speed: 249km/h BHP: 335 Well, it’s only a slight step above the Class ‘C’ cars, but a Class ‘B’ car nonetheless. It’s got bad acceleration, an average top speed and pretty shocking handling. I wouldn’t recommend this car, you’d have less trouble driving a tank. 5.2.2 MERCEDES CL55 AMG Stats: 0-100km/h in 6 seconds Top Speed: 249km/h BHP: 355 A better choice than the TS50, the CL55 AMG is still a little under par with the rest of the cars in its class. It’s fast enough to give your opponents a challenge, though. 5.2.3 JAGUAR XKR Stats: 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds Top Speed: 249km/h BHP: 370 Probably a better choice than either the CL55 AMG or the TS50, if you can put up with the rather clunky handling this thing has to offer. There’s no difference in top speed, but it’s significantly faster off the mark. 5.2.4 BMW M5 Stats: 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds Top Speed: 249km/h BHP: 400 On paper, this car isn’t all that much different than the XKR, but rest assured, the extra horsepower and better handling is worth it. It’ll more than hold it’s own in an intense race. 5.2.5 BMW Z8 Stats: 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds Top Speed: 249km/h BHP: 400 The best acceleration out of all the cars in this class, bar none, and also in my opinion, the best handling. Put yourself in one of these and you’ll be pretty hard to beat, although beware of the XKR’s and M5’s, they’ll more than be able to keep up with you. 5.3 CLASS ‘A’ CARS ****************** 5.3.1 HSV COUPE` GTS Stats: 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds Top Speed: 273km/h BHP: 402 The classic Australian car, the HSV GTS is built for speed and power. It boasts a pretty impressive acceleration and top speed, and excellent handling. 5.3.2 FORD SVT MUSTANG COBRA R Stats: 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds Top Speed: 281 km/h BHP: 385 This car is rather nice, with a very impressive acceleration and top speed. Unfortunately it’s a little down on horsepower and could be a bit of trouble in the handling department. 5.3.3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 Stats: 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds Top Speed: 275km/h BHP: 405 Look out off the starting line, because the Z06 is pure dynamite, with a good amount of horsepower under its bonnet to boot. It may have a little trouble keeping up with some of the other cars in the class though at top speed, so make sure you pull away as far as you can at the start and turning out of corners. 5.3.4 DODGE VIPER GTS Stats: 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds Top Speed: 297 km/h BHP: 450 Well, EA liked this car so much they made an entire game dedicated to it, and in this instalment of the Need for Speed series, it again is a prominent force. With the largest amount of horsepower to play with in this class, the Viper is indeed an impressive car and the car of choice for a lot of players. The only downside to the Viper is its somewhat awkward handling. 5.3.5 FERRARI 360 SPIDER Stats: 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds Top Speed: 289km/h BHP: 400 The 360 Spider is one of three Ferraris that feature in the game, and they don’t leave us wanting. It can keep pace with the Viper and 911 Turbo without too much trouble, with excellent handling to make up for the slightly slower acceleration. 5.3.6 PORCHE 911 TURBO Stats: 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds Top Speed: 305km/h BHP: 415 The 911 Turbo is the fastest car in this class, with an impressive acceleration and very good handling to top off its already impressive stats. You’ll probably even be able to stay pretty close to the Class ‘AA’ cars in this thing. There isn’t really much of a negative side to the 911 Turbo, except that if you slam the car into a wall at high speed, you’ve got a pretty good chance of flipping over, so watch out. 5.4 CLASS ‘AA’ CARS ******************* 5.4.1 ASTON MARTIN V12 VANQUISH Stats: 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds Top Speed: 305km/h BHP: 450 The V12 Vanquish is an impressive motor car, boasting a nice top speed, decent acceleration and decent handling. Not the best car to be using in this class, but it’s a good start. The handling is a little loose, but it won’t take you too long to get used to it. 5.4.2 FERRARI 550 BARCHETTA PININFARINA Stats: 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds Top Speed: 299km/h BHP: 485 When you start racing with this thing, you could be fooled into thinking that it’s not up to par with the other cars in its class, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s deceptively fast with good acceleration and probably the best handling in the class. Not to mention the impressive horsepower. 5.4.3 LAMBORGHINI DIABLO 6.0 VT Stats: 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds Top Speed: 329km/h BHP: 550 This is when you start playing with real power. The Diablo is easily one of the fastest cars in the class, both in terms of acceleration and top speed, with a huge amount of horsepower to utilise. Personally, I don’t like either of the Lamborghini’s that much, because their handling is a little below par for my liking…but, if you’re the type that prefers speed over handling, the Diablo is for you. 5.4.4 PORCHE CARRERA GT (CONCEPT VERSION) Stats: 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds Top Speed: 321 km/h BHP: 558 Now this is a nice car. A very good top speed and acceleration topped off with very good handling…only surpassed in this department by the Barchetta. You’ll be able to hug the turns very well with this baby without losing too much speed, which gives it an edge over its competitors. Unfortunately, like the 911 Turbo, it’s quite easy to flip this thing over, so drive with caution… (yeah right) 5.4.5 LAMBORGHINI MURCIE`LAGO Stats: 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds Top Speed: 329 km/h BHP: 571 The Murcie`lago is deceivingly fast, more so than the Diablo, and it boasts the best acceleration of the class, sharing the best top speed with the other Lamborghini: the Diablo. Unfortunately though, like the Diablo, the Murcie`lago is let down in the handling department, making it awkward to steer and making it easy to fishtail and lose control. 5.5 CLASS ‘AAA’ CARS ******************** 5.5.1 MERCEDES CLK-GTR Stats: 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds Top Speed: 321 km/h BHP: 600 Now we are really rocking, with some of the fastest cars in the world. First up is the impressive CLK-GTR. These are the stats provided in the game, but don’t let them fool you, the CLK-GTR blitzes virtually every other car in the game with its incredible straight line speed. It’s a little slow off the mark and has some clunky handling though, but if you can put up with this, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with behind the wheel of one of these. 5.5.2 FERRARI F50 Stats: 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds Top Speed: 325 km/h BHP: 513 The F50 is my personal favourite car in the game, with excellent acceleration and superb handling. It lacks the horsepower that the CLK-GTR possesses, meaning it can be chased down quite quickly in straight line speed, but it more than makes up for this shortfall with its great cornering – I’d go as far to say that the F50 has the best handling in the game. Its acceleration is nothing to be sneezed at either, possessing the second fastest acceleration in the game, and will leave most opponents in its dust. I just wish it didn’t have such a wussy sounding horn! 5.5.3 MCLAREN F1 Stats: 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds Top Speed: 386 km/h BHP: 627 The McLaren F1 is the fastest street car ever manufactured in the world, and in this game, it’s no different. It has unbelievable acceleration, and an even more unbelievable top speed – the fastest top speed and acceleration in the game. Unfortunately, you’ll never actually reach this top speed as none of the tracks in the game have straights long enough. The car does have its shortcomings though…you can easily lose control at high speeds due to some loose handling…if you so much as clip something, it will be enough to throw you offline and spin the car around. 5.5.4 MCLAREN F1 LM Stats: 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds Top Speed: 333km/h BHP: 668 You’d think that this would be faster than the regular McLaren F1 – not so, but it does have some distinct advantages over the F1. For a start, it handles better and it isn’t as easy to lose control of the car. It also has more horsepower, meaning in tight races around courses with lots of curves and turns, it’ll be a real dogfight to see who emerges the victor. The lowered top speed and acceleration is its shortcoming, making the F50 and CLK-GTR more than capable of beating it. In all, when you put all the stats together, there isn’t a real clear winner in this competitive class. 5.6 COP CARS ************ 5.6.1 FORD CROWN VICTORIA Stats: 0-100km/h in ? seconds Top Speed: ? km/h BHP: 235 The worst cop car you can choose, it handles like a cardboard box on wheels and looks like one too. Only choose this one if you don’t have a choice. 5.6.2 FORD TS50 See 5.2.1 5.6.3 BMW M5 See 5.2.4 5.6.4 HSV COUPE` GTS See 5.3.1 5.6.5 FORD SVT MUSTANG COBRA R See 5.3.2 5.6.6 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 See 5.3.3 5.6.7 DODGE VIPER GTS See 5.3.4 5.6.8 PORCHE 911 TURBO See 5.3.6 5.6.9 LAMBORGHINI DIABLO 6.0 VT See 5.4.3 5.6.10 LAMBORGHINI MURCIE`LAGO See 5.4.5 6.0 Tracks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What’s a racing game without tracks, eh? Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 offers plenty. Let’s take a look at them. When I’m describing the tracks, I’m assuming you are driving forwards and unmirrored. 6.1 COASTAL PARKLANDS Difficulty: Beginner Length: 7.2 Kilometres This track isn’t too hard…lots of open straight sections where you can really test out your car’s top speed. Watch for the sharp turn with the house on the corner. There’s several parts of this track where you can go offroad, one is on the right close to the beginning of the race if you are going forwards. Don’t take this…its quicker to stay on the road. The second place is on the left of the large tunnel, just before you enter it. During the offroad section, you’ll need to choose between taking several forks. Taking this route isn’t any faster than going through the tunnel though. The last shortcut really is a shortcut…just after you drive through the small wooden tunnel you’ll be faced with a fork in the road. Take the left path, it’s significantly quicker than the right. 6.2 NATIONAL FOREST Difficulty: Beginner Length: 7.4 Kilometres A straightforward track with very few twists and turns, it’s another to test your speed on. Immediately after starting the race, you’ll see an offroad section on the right of the track that goes through a tree with a hole in it. Head down that path, follow it around, cross over the actual track and get back on the dirt (taking care not to hit the trees), and follow the path back up to the road. It’s actually quicker than following the track itself. Once you cross over the large bridge with reddish/brown bars, you’ll be faced with a pretty big fork, you need to stick to the extreme right or the extreme left or you’ll just smash into the middle. The left is the quicker path. Once you emerge from the tunnel, take the little offroad shortcut on your left. 6.3 SCENIC DRIVE Difficulty: Intermediate Length: 12.4 Kilometres Combining the Coastal Parklands and National Forest Tracks, Scenic Drive is your first point to point track – meaning it’ll always only be one lap. Nothing much to say here, all you need to do is recognise whether you are on the Coastal Parklands part or the National Forest part and follow the above strategies. It’ll mix and match them though, so be careful, it’s not just CP + NF = SD. It’s more like… 1/2 of CP + 1/2 of NF + 1/2 of CP + 1/2 of NF = SD…you get the idea. You’ll recognise the different parts in it though, so don’t sweat it, it’s not as hard as it sounds. 6.4 ISLAND OUTSKIRTS Difficulty: Intermediate Length: 8.7 Kilometres This track isn’t too hard, provided you stay out of the middle of the road to avoid hitting the Palm Trees. Soon after you start, you’ll be greeted with a fork in the road. It’s slightly quicker to go up the hill to the right. If you decide to go to the left however, the road will fork again, one way goes through a tunnel while the other sends you along the beach. The tunnel is quicker. Further along the track you’ll come to another fork, your choice to take the high road or the low road. The High road is slightly faster, but there’s a puddle of water at the end where you can easily lose control. The 3rd split in the road comes after you pass through the volcano area. The road will veer off to the right after the big rock. I believe both ways are just as fast as each other. Once you are through the next section of twisting S-curves, you are greeted with yet another fork, you have your high road/low road option again. I personally take the high road, but I don’t think it’s any faster than the low road. 6.5 PALM CITY ISLAND Difficulty: Advanced Length: 11.9 Kilometres Prepare for one of the hardest tracks in the game. You’ll start in the city area. Drive along the wide road, following the slight turns until you see a road off to the left. Take that, it’s a big shortcut. After the tight turn, the road will split, one route takes you up the hill while the other takes you under the supports of a building. It’s faster to go up the hill. If you missed the big shortcut, just follow the road. After you exit the tunnel (mind the pylons) you’ll see a dirt track in your driving line as you enter the corner. It’s probably faster to stick to the road, but if you take the dirt, watch for the fork. Halfway up the hill you’ll hit the resort, make sure you veer to the inside and take the two offroad shortcuts underneath the houses, knocking down the ladders as you go. Other than that, there isn’t really any other places you can gain time. Take the S bends and Hairpins with care, but make sure you do it fast, because computer cars can drive through this section at the top of the hill faster. Once you start your downward decent, keep the pedal to the metal, braking hard when you need to around the corners until you get back into the city. 6.6 TROPICAL SUNSET Difficulty: Advanced Length: 20.9 Kilometres The point to point track that combines Island Outskirts and Palm City Island. As expected it’s tough, and to top it off, it’s the longest track in the game. Make sure you know which part of the track (Island Outskirts or Palm City) you are driving on, and use the strategies outlined above. 6.7 FALL WINDS Difficulty: Beginner Length: 4.9 Kilometres Time for some relaxing driving in the countryside. From your starting position, head straight along the straight, even when it looks like turning, there’s an offroad shortcut that cuts off the corner. Slow down when you get out of it though to get around the series of 3 Hairpins. Once you get out of the hairpins, if you are feeling adventurous, there’s a mine shaft on the right that goes through the mountain that cuts off the long corner. Once you emerge out of the tunnel halfway through the track, watch out for the sweeping left hand turn, it turns sharper than you initially think it does, and there’s a nice big rock waiting for you to hit if you miscalculate. There’s one more offroad shortcut, after you take a fairly tight left hand turn with a big grey hill off to the side of the road. The shortcut will be on the right as you accelerate out of the next corner. 6.8 ALPINE TRAIL Difficulty: Intermediate Length: 3.8 Kilometres This track is pretty straightforward. Stick to the road and just follow it most of the way until you reach the section with the trees on the sides of the road (they have yellow and orange leaves). As you approach the first corner, you’ll see an offroad section straight ahead. If you take this, it’ll cut off the next corner, cross over the main road and head up into another offroad section, where you’ll cut off the next corner, but you’ll need to go the long way around the 3rd and longest corner. If you don’t take that initial offroad track, you’ve made the wise choice. Follow the track around the two sweeping corners and a series of short turns until you can see a bit of a “tree tunnel” where you can see the tops of some yellow trees straight ahead of you. Drive straight ahead, and you’ll find an offroad shortcut there, which cuts the longest corner of the section. Since you drive faster when on the road, and you’ve cut the longest corner, you’ll usually emerge out in front. 6.9 AUTUMN CROSSING Difficulty: Intermediate Length: 7.9 Kilometres Race through a combination of Fall Winds and Alpine Trail in this point to point track. Again, just use the same strategy as the other point to point tracks…recognise which of the tracks that comprise it you are on and follow the above guides. 6.10 WINE COUNTRY Difficulty: Advanced Length: 9.9 Kilometres Don’t ask me why this track is classified as Advanced Difficulty, it’s not that hard. It’s probably the most straightforward track in the game, just stay on the road and you’ll do fine. The one and only shortcut on this track comes about 3/4 of the way through the lap. You’ll be driving in a fairly open area, with a cliff face on your left and a couple of moderately sharp turns. After a hard left turn, there will be a stone bridge that emerges on the right hand side of the road, drive across that to cut the corner, but make sure you slow down at the end to avoid crashing into the rock face on the other side. 6.11 CALYPSO COAST Difficulty: Intermediate Length: 8.0 Kilometres This track is more challenging than Wine Country if you ask me. Anyway, watch the start as you go through the little town area, there’s some tight turns through there. After that, just follow the road around a series of easy and moderate turns until you reach a section where the road snakes a little. There’s a stone structure on the left side of the road. Drive through here and down the hill a bit, around the left hand bend, and the stone bridge from Wine Country will be on the left hand side of the track, and it again cuts off the corner. Don’t forget to slow down slightly at the end to avoid crashing. The next turn is a rather sharp left hander, then follow the track through a series of S-bends until you reach the harbour with the wide road. Veer off to the right as you enter this area, there’s a narrow passage here that you can take to cut the long corner, just mind the tables and chairs, they can throw you off occasionally, especially if you’ve picked a car with loose handling. Once the corner is cut, you can steer back onto the wide road when you see the break in the wall on the left, or you can push right and continue along the narrow passage until you meet the track back in the open area. Either way is just as fast as the other, I believe. 6.12 MEDITERRANEAN PARADISE Difficulty: Advanced Length: 15.2 Kilometres Your last point to point track again combines two of the other tracks…you guessed it, Wine Country and Calypso Coast. As with the other point to point tracks, just learn to recognise whether you are driving along a section of Wine Country or Calypso Coast, and refer to the above guides. 7.0 HOT PURSUIT MODE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first career mode is the game’s namesake: Hot Pursuit, You’ll race through 33 events against aggressive opponents while avoiding the cops and negotiating through the traffic. The tree is set out like this: [1] | --------------------------- | | [2] [3] | | ------------- ------------- | | | | [4] [5] [6] [7] | | | | --------- --------- --------- --------- | | | | | | | | [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] | | | | --------- --------- ---------- ---------- | | | | | | | | [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] | | | | --------- --------- ---------- ---------- | | | | | | | | [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] | | | | ----- ----- | | [32] [33] Take note of the way I’ve numbered the tree, as that’s how I’ll be referring to each event. 1. LOTUS ELISE DELIVERY Point to Point Easy peasy. Just drive along the road, avoiding the cops and traffic, and you’ll come in for the gold easily. The cops are pathetic here, so you don’t have to worry about them. 2. MEDITERRANEAN CHALLENGE Single Race Two laps around Wine Country. No sweat. Choose your car and off you go. 3. FALL CLASSIC KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout Your first lap knockout race, and it’s not at all difficult. Just make sure you don’t finish a lap last or you’ll be eliminated, but you shouldn’t have any problems in nailing first place on every lap. 4. BMW ISLAND KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout Again, this isn’t too hard, choose between one of the two BMW’s (the Z8 is probably the better choice) and race it out. 5. TROPICAL OPEN TOURNAMENT Tournament Ahhh, your first tournament, and it’s not too challenging either. It’s a 3 race tournament, and you shouldn’t have any trouble achieving first place in every race. 6. MEDITERRANEAN TOURING CHALLENGE Single Race Make your choice from the different touring cars and race around 3 laps of Wine Country. Not too much of a problem, although the cops will probably start to annoy you at this point. 7. GENERAL MOTORS TROPICAL CHALLENGE Single Race Ewww, I thought we were done with the class C races? Obviously not…this is a 2 lap single race around Island Outskirts. No biggie. 8. PARKLANDS QUOTA Be the Cop The first event where you sit behind the wheel of a cop car. You’ll need to issue tickets to speeding drivers – just read the explanation to know how to do it. This isn’t that hard to get the gold once you get the hang of it. 9. MERCEDES CL55 AMG CHALLENGE Single Race This may be the first event you’ll race that the cops could be a problem. Everyone is in the same car, and it’s 2 laps around Calypso Coast. Not too hard. 10. PARKLANDS KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout A basic knockout race around Coastal Parklands. You’ll get to use some pretty nice cars in this one…make sure you don’t finish a lap last. 11. BMW M5 CHALLENGE Single Race The competition is starting to become a little more competitive now, and the cops are becoming a little more aggressive. This 3 lap race around Fall Winds gives you a small taste of what’s to come. 12. AUSTRALIAN INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT Tournament Your second tournament involves the two Australian Manufactured cars – the Ford TS50 and the HSV Coupe` GTS. The cops will be right on your tail too, so keep the pedal to the metal. The HSV is easily the best choice. 13. BMW Z8 DELIVERY Point to Point Seems like an age since the last Delivery you did, but don’t worry, this won’t be your last. The cops will be out to give you a hard time here, and you get thrown into the deep end on the Tropical Sunset track. 14. CALYPSO KNOCKOUT CHALLENGE Lap Knockout This will be the first race in your Hot Pursuit Career that will probably be a good challenge. It’s a lap knockout on Calypso Coast, and you’ll have plenty to do to not finish last in a lap. The cops will be a real nuisance here. 15. FALL WINDS QUOTA Be the Cop Damn, I hate these cop events. However, this one isn’t too bad as you chase down speeding drivers around Fall Winds. It’s not too hard to achieve the gold on this. 16. FORD VS CHEVY SHOWDOWN Single Race Two laps around Island Outskirts, Ford vs Chevy. Choose your destiny, outrun the cops and win that gold medal. 17. AMERICAN WOODLAND TOURNAMENT Tournament This is where the going will start to get tough. You’ll be up against skilled opponents and the cops will be bringing out their big guns after you. You’ll need to finish in the top of the points after 3 races to claim the gold. 18. FERRARI 360 SPIDER DELIVERY Point to Point A nice easy drive to break up the increasingly challenging regular races. You’ll be bringing the 360 Spider through Mediterranean Paradise. The cops will constantly be on your tail, but it shouldn’t be a problem as you cross the line for the gold. 19. CONVERTIBLE CRUISE RACE Single Race If you choose the Z8 for this race you are an idiot. Choose the Carrera or the Barchetta here and go for it. It may be possible in the 360 Spider, but you’d have to be pretty damn good. As long as you don’t choose the Z8, this shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. 20. DODGE VS CHEVY SHOWDOWN Single Race Here is where you’ll start to use some real muscle. Choose between the Viper or the Z06 and hammer that throttle. You’ll want to be good though, the cops start getting ruthless from here on in. 21. COASTAL KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout You have a choice of a mix of class A and class AA cars on this one, so choose wisely. This lap knockout is noticeably harder than the previous ones, but it’s on Coastal Parklands so it shouldn’t be that much trouble for you. 22. AMERICAN TOURNAMENT Tournament This is a tough tournament using the classic American built cars. It’s also quite long, 6 races in fact, so make sure your fingers are ready for some serious exercise. Watch out for the cops, too. 23. LAMBORGHINI MURCIE`LAGO DELIVERY Point to Point Don’t be miffed by the little explanation it gives you, it’s very easy to come in under the 3:15 required to get the gold. The cops will make sure you know they are around, but they shouldn’t cause you many problems – you’ll be more worried about the traffic. 24. WINE COUNTRY QUOTA Be the Cop Time to stick on that cop hat, get your ticket book out and pull over some speeding drivers around Wine Country. This is actually very, very challenging, you have limited backup and only 5 minutes to ticket 8 speeders to achieve the gold. When I finally nailed this one, it was by the skin of my teeth, ticketing the 8th car with literally no time left on the clock. 25. AUTUMN SPRINT Single Race This race is a real bitch, and I needed to try this one quite a number of times before I finally got the gold. Your opponents are aggressive, the cops are annoying and pull out the choppers and spikes on you, and the traffic will cause you to pull the hairs out of your head. It’s tough, no question there…persist and ye shall be rewarded. 26. LAMBORGHINI VS PORCHE SHOWDOWN Single Race This is another tough event, however not as hard as event 25 in my opinion. Pick one of either the Lamborghinis of the Porches and fight your way to the front of the grid over 3 laps of Alpine Trail. 27. MERCEDES CLK-GTR KNOCKOUT Knockout Your first taste of the AAA cars and what’s to come is in this event. You’ll all be in the CLK-GTR in a lap knockout around Coastal Parklands. You shouldn’t find it too difficult, especially compared with the last few events. Just watch for the cops and traffic. 28. FERRARI 550 BARCHETTA PININFARINA DELIVERY Point to Point 6:30 for the gold? No problem! As with the other point to point races, you should nail this one pretty easily. The cops will be out in force of course and you’ll no doubt have spikes set up and helicopters after you to slow you down, but overall this isn’t that bad. 29. SUPERCAR OPEN Tournament Your pick of the fastest cars in the game here as you battle it out around the Mediterranean tracks. This is tough, it’ll be 3 races of adrenaline pumping filth. Your opponents will play dirty, you so need to be alert. 30. LAMBORGHINI DIABLO CHALLENGE Single Race Tough, tough, tough! You’re really starting to get into the business end of your Hot Pursuit Career now, and it’s showing with difficult races, and this one’s no exception. Jump in a Diablo and race against other Diablos for 3 laps around Island Outskirts. 31. PALM CITY QUOTA Be the Cop In my opinion, this is the absolute hardest event in the entire game to get the gold medal for, Hot Pursuit and Championship modes combined. You’ll need to ticket 8 speeders in 5 minutes around one of the toughest tracks in the game to achieve the gold, and it’s mirrored, to boot. It’s so difficult, it’s nearly impossible. When I FINALLY got the gold on this one, I was so ecstatic! I tried it so many times it wasn’t funny. My driver profile showed that I had issued 308 tickets, and I’m willing to bet at least 200 of those were accumulated on this event. Since this event is so hard, here’s a separate little “drivethrough” to help you along. For the record, I tried every car on this event, and the car I finally got the gold with was the Dodge Viper. If you miss ANY of these speeding cars at the spots on the track I describe, forget it and restart the event, because you’ll never do it. Start off the race and put your siren on straight away. The first speeder will be in the same car as you, so you won’t gain any ground on him until he brakes at the end of the tunnel. Use the opportunity to smash him full throttle from behind. He should spin out of control a little, which should allow you to come up beside him. Turn sharply into him like they do in the movies, and he’ll be as good as done. For the second speeder, there’s a great little trick I figured out. He’ll also be in the same car as you, but you should gain some ground on him through the S- curves. Resist the temptation and don’t try ramming him. Rather, drive straight past him, and at the sharp corner when you reach the resort, stay on the road. He’ll take the dirt track on the OUTSIDE on the road. You’ll drive faster on the road, so speed along and pull up just before the outside dirt track joins the road again. Line your car up horizontally across the end of the dirt track, right near the white fence, and wait there. If you did it right, he’ll ram straight into you and be instantly busted. Reset the car immediately and plant that throttle. The third speeder is a real bitch, and this is when you’ll need to rely on your support. This speeder will probably be the one that causes you to need to restart the race the most, because you’ve got to nail him on the hairpin or you won’t be close enough to the next speeder to chase him down in time. Since you’ll be chasing this guy down through the part of the track where the computer opponents always pull away from you, you need to utilise the helicopter as soon as you put your siren on. Annoyingly, it won’t actually start dropping the explosive canisters until you reach the hairpin, so stick as close to the speeder as you can through the S-bends. You need to hope and pray that the speeder hits at least one of the canisters. If you are close enough, you can ram him while he’s still flipping over to bust him – or better yet, if he hits a second canister, that’ll see to him as well, but don’t rely on that happening. Use the same strategy for the fourth speeder, the only difference being you’ll be heading downhill. With any luck you’ll nail him on or before the straight at the base of the mountain. Once number four is busted, you’ll be heading back into the city with about 2 minutes left on the clock. Head full throttle down the straight with speeder number five in sight. He’ll brake just before the first light turn, and if your timing is right, you’ll smack him at close to top speed from behind and instantly bust him. Speeder number six can be tricky. As you are chasing him, it will look like he’s heading towards the shortcut…don’t be fooled because he’ll swing back onto the main road, and this is your chance. As he’s swinging back onto the track, slam into his side, and if you got it right, he should go careening into the opposite wall. Smack into him again while he’s recovering from the smash and you’ll have him. It should be common sense now how to bust the last two, but for those of you who haven’t caught on, you should have 2 road blocks/spike strips left. You should partly catch speeder seven as you exit the city area and start heading up the hill. Set up your road block, and ram him from behind if you get the chance (which you should). Keep on his tail until he reaches the road block, which should be set up on the left hand entrance to the tunnel. If it’s a road block, he should smash into it and come to a dead halt, in which case you can easily ram him from behind at high speed to finish him off. If it’s a spike strip, he’ll spin out after hitting the spikes inside the tunnel. Line yourself up and nail him at high speed. You have no time to lose (I had about 30 seconds left on the clock at this point), so get your car back on the road and chase down the eighth speeder. As soon as you see him, stick your siren on and set up your spike strip/road block, even though you theoretically shouldn’t need it. You’ll catch him through the small S-bends, and you should get close enough to hit him from behind. Hit him with a sweep into the rear of his car, this should spin him around. Line yourself up and give him an almighty hit (front-on collisions will almost always do the trick) and you’ve collected your eighth ticket and finished this extremely difficult event. If you don’t like your chances of doing it that way, your spike strip/road block will be set up ahead, but he won’t hit it. Instead he’ll try going around it by taking the INSIDE dirt track at the resort. To stop him doing this, drive right beside him on his inside, and this will stop him taking the dirt track. He’ll hit the road block/spikes, and it’ll just take a good whack after that to bust him. 32. GERMAN SHOWDOWN TOURNAMENT Tournament The second last event, and you’d better believe it won’t be a walk in the park or you’ll be in for a shock. It’s a 4 race tournament featuring the German cars, and you’ll need to be good to get the gold here. Don’t worry though, it’s nowhere near as hard as event 31. 33. MCLAREN F1 LM DELIVERY Point to Point For the last event, you’d expect it to be a near impossible task, but coming in under the 2:45 mark to get the gold isn’t actually that difficult. You can even afford to flip the car over a few times and you’ll still come in under that time…although don’t actually set out to do that! 8.0 CHAMPIONSHIP MODE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The second career mode pits you up against opponents of increasing difficulty as you complete 33 events without any hindrance from the law or traffic. If you managed to get gold medals in all of the Hot Pursuit events, you probably won’t have much trouble with many of these. Time for a look at the career tree: [1] | --------------------------- | | [2] [3] | | ------------- ------------- | | | | [4] [5] [6] [7] | | | | --------- --------- --------- --------- | | | | | | | | [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] | | | | --------- --------- ---------- ---------- | | | | | | | | [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] | | | | --------- --------- ---------- ---------- | | | | | | | | [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] | | | | ----- ----- | | [32] [33] Take note of the way I’ve numbered the tree, as that’s how I’ll be referring to each event. 1. OPEL SPEEDSTER TIME TRIAL Time Trial The first race in Championship mode, and as a result, it’s a piece of cake to get the gold. They give you three laps around Calypso Coast to clock a lap of 2:40 or better for the gold. I did it on my first lap (remember no rolling starts). 2. VAUXHALL CHAMPIONSHIP Single Race 2 laps around National Forest, and you’re all in Vauxhalls. This one is so pathetically easy you can do it with your eyes closed. 3. FALL WINDS KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout This is even easier than event 2. Just choose your favourite class C car, and you’ll win this 4 lap knockout around Fall Winds by at least half a lap. 4. MULTINATIONAL CHALLENGE Single Race *yawn* When is the challenge going to start? Another ridiculously easy race here, 2 laps around Palm City Island. Feel free to watch the grass growing on your lawn outside while you are racing this event. 5. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT I Tournament Yay! A tournament! A challenge maybe? Hmmm…guess not. This isn’t just one race, it’s 4 races that you need to survive without falling asleep from boredom as you win each one by half a lap. 6. BMW TIME TRIAL Time Trial Like the first time trial event, it’s very easy to get the gold on your starting lap on this one. Assuming you played Hot Pursuit mode first, you’ll know the tracks backwards by now, and without any other cars on the track, you can’t get any easier. 7. PALM CITY OPEN Single Race As you are racing this event, you’ll probably be wondering when the challenge will begin. This is supposed to be harder, and it is…slightly. You’ll only be beating your opponents by a third of a lap instead of half a lap. 8. MERCEDES CL55 AMG TIME TRIAL Time Trial Another Time Trial where you can come in under the gold medal time on the first lap, meaning you need to waste time driving around the track two more times for nothing. Meh. You may narrowly miss it on your first lap though if your start isn’t good enough. 9. BMW ALPINE CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT Tournament Another tournament, and finally it’s starting to get a little challenging. Pick your favourite BMW…the Z8 is probably the best choice, and win this tournament to move on. 10. JAGUAR XKR TIME TRIAL Time Trial This was the first time trial where I didn’t actually come in under gold medal time on my opening lap, I missed it by 2 seconds. A sign that things are starting to get a little harder, but not much. 11. AUSTRALIAN CHALLENGE Single Race A race around Scenic Drive in either of the two Australian built cars. This will be a little challenging if you choose the TS50, you shouldn’t have a problem if you choose the HSV. 12. SNAKE BITE CHALLENGE Single Race This will probably be the first race that will pose a real challenge to those who did Hot Pursuit Mode first, and will be the event that makes or breaks you if you have found the previous events in Championship mode somewhat difficult. 3 laps around one of the hardest tracks in the game, and your opponents don’t exactly play fair. Make sure you take the long shortcut in the city area to pull away as much as you can, because they’ll catch you up as you work your way up the mountain. The Viper is probably the best option here. 13. GENERAL MOTORS KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout If you found the Snake Bite Challenge a little taxing, this should be a little relief for you. Not too difficult, as long as you don’t spin out and crash. 14. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT II Tournament 4 races around each of the locales in the game, and this can actually be a little difficult if you aren’t paying full attention to what you’re doing. It still isn’t THAT hard though. 15. FOREIGN SPRINT CHALLENGE Single Race Choose from the Non-American cars and race along Autumn Crossing. It’s point to point, so be careful. Autumn Crossing isn’t THAT long of a track, so it’s easy to lose this because you don’t realise how short the race actually is. 16. ISLAND KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout 3 laps around Island Outskirts, choose your car and go for it. Don’t expect your opponents to let you get past them easily though…this is where this mode will begin to get difficult. 17. AMERICAN SPRINT CHALLENGE Single Race Another point to point race across Scenic Drive in your choice of the American cars. Scenic Drive isn’t a long track though, so you better make sure you get into the lead early in the race and stay there. 18. MEDITERRANEAN OPEN Tournament Choose between the Viper, 360 Spider or the 911 Turbo, and work your way through this 3 race tournament. It’s not easy to win this one though, you’ve got to drive really aggressively to make it. The 911 Turbo would probably be the most sensible option on this one. 19. PONY CAR CHALLENGE Single Race ‘Pony Car’? o_O Errm…right…anyway, you’re all in Mustang Cobra R’s here, and you’ll be racing over 4 laps of Fall Winds. This isn’t too hard, just make sure you don’t spin out on the hairpins and you’ll be fine. 20. PORCHE 911 TURBO KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout Finally you get to use some real muscle! This race isn’t easy either…there are a few places on this track where your opponents will simply pull away from you no matter how well you drive, so use the two big shortcuts on Calypso Coast to get back in front of them. 21. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT III Tournament The third championship tournament presents you with a rather difficult challenge. Four races, and your opponents seem to have a license to kill…or a will to smack you off the road, anyway. 22. PORCHE VS FERRARI CHALLENGE Single Race Now we’re talking! Choose between your favourite Porche or Ferrari and go hammer and tongs in this no holds barred point to point sprint through Scenic Drive. Make sure you grab the lead early in the race and maintain it all the way to the end. 23. FERRARI TIME TRIAL Time Trial I got the Gold medal with the Barchetta on this one without too much trouble, and I’m guessing you can do it with the 360 Spider too, otherwise they wouldn’t give it to you. As with most time trials, it’s not that hard. You won’t come in under gold medal time on your first lap, but you shouldn’t have any problem getting it on your second lap. 24. LAMBORGHINI TIME TRIAL Time Trial Choose either the Diablo or Murcie`lago and get a lap time of under 1:40 on Coastal Parklands to earn the gold medal. Not too difficult. 25. AUTUMN KNOCKOUT CLASSIC Lap Knockout Make your choice from the class AA cars and put the pedal to the medal in this long lap knockout. You’ll be going for 7 laps around Fall Winds, and you can’t afford to finish a lap last or it’s the end of the race for you. This one is hard, you’ve been warned. 26. FERRARI VS LAMBORGHINI KNOCKOUT Lap Knockout Another Lap Knockout, and this is another long and difficult race. Make your choice from the Ferrari or the two Lamborghini’s and dogfight it to the finish over this 5 lap race on Island Outskirts. 27. PORCHE CARRERA GT (CONCEPT VERSION) TIME TRIAL Time Trial Make your way around Alpine Trail in 1:20 or less to achieve the gold medal here. In this impressive car, 1:20 shouldn’t be any trouble. Just remember to take the shortcut at the end. Refer to section 6.8 for a detailed explanation of the track. 28. REDWOOD CLASSIC TOURNAMENT Tournament Well, they’ve thrown in a bunch of tournaments really close together at the end of championship mode, and this is the first of them. You’ll finally be able to do some serious racing with the class AAA cars in this one, and the action will be very intense. Hold on to your hat. 29. ASTON MARTIN V12 VANQUISH TIME TRIAL Time Trial Jump in the V12 Vanquish and get a lap time on or under 2:35 to grab the gold. Persist and ye shall be rewarded. It’s not too hard. 30. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT IV Tournament You’ll definitely have your work cut out here as you race against the most aggressive opponents you’ve faced so far over this 4 race tournament. Make sure you can handle high speeds, because this tournament will have plenty of them. 31. FERRARI F50 SPRINT Single Race Everyone is in Ferrari F50’s, and you’ll be racing point to point across Mediterranean Paradise. It’s not as long as other races, so, as with the other sprints, getting in front early in the race is essential. Just make sure you’re still in front when you cross the finish line. Luckily there’s a couple of nice shortcuts to help you out along the way. 32. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT V Tournament The business end of the championship mode, and you’ve got your last and most difficult tournament here. Four races around some of the toughest tracks, against the toughest opponents, in the fastest cars in the game. You’d better be good. Jump behind the wheel of your favourite class AAA car and push that throttle through the floor. 33. MCLAREN CHALLENGE Single Race The last championship mode race, and it actually isn’t that bad. Choose between the McLaren F1 or the McLaren F1 LM and fight it out over Autumn Crossing. Watch it though, these are the fastest cars in the game and you’re racing on the shortest point to point track in the game, so it’ll be over very quickly. I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record, but get into the lead as early as you can and make sure you stay there. There isn’t a lot of room for error here. 9.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CREDITS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic Arts, for making the game My brother, for buying the game Myself, for writing this guide :) If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this FAQ, feel free to e-mail me. Copyright 2003 by White_Pointer