Need for Speed Underground

Need for Speed: Underground (also known as NFSU or Need for Speed Underground J-Tune in Japan) is the seventh installment in the Need for Speed series, and was developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts in 2003. Its the first game in the series to use the THX technology.

Underground completely rebooted the franchise, ignoring the previous Need for Speed games which featured sports cars and exotics. It was the first game in the series to offer a career mode featuring a storyline, and a garage mode that allowed players to fully customize their cars with a large variety of brand-name performance and visual upgrades. All races take place in a generic city at night called Olympic City, though the city bears some resemblance to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Rather than exotic cars, Underground featured vehicles associated with the import scene. Underground was commercially successful, and inspired a sequel.

The player starts straight into the action, at a circuit race driving a uniquely styled Acura Integra Type R with a Mantis wide body kit, easily winning over his opponents...only to be woken up by Samantha from his daydreaming.

Samantha is the player's friend in the new environment; she shows the player how the console with the races works, who's who, and makes fun of the player's starter car. Eddie (and his orange-metallic Nissan Skyline), is the leader of the Eastsiders and current top racer of the streets, and Melissa is his girlfriend.

Time passes, races are won. The player meets other racers, and eventually gathers a small list of nemeses that continually challenge him and are defeated. He's introduced to TJ, who promises unique performance upgrades in exchange of beating time trial challenges; Samantha does the same from time to time, offering unique visual modifications instead.

The player's successive victories don't impress Eddie. First, he mocks the player's skill, saying he has a long way to go to 'roll his streets'. Later in the game, the player builds enough hype to be too hard to ignore, so Eddie challenges him to beat Samantha in a sprint race before coming after him; the player's willingness in going for it infuriates her. Samantha totals her Civic's engine trying to beat the player, unsuccessfully. TJ takes the junked car for himself after the event.

When the player comes close to reaching #1 in all kinds of races, Eddie tries to once again get rid of his rival. Around the same time, the Player sees TJ in Samantha's recovered car, now working again, but has been vandalized. Both run a circuit race worth the other's vehicle, which the player wins. The player returns the car to Samantha to make amends, and she gives the player a choice of a wide body kit for his car.

Right after the touching moment, Eddie challenges the player and loses, like everyone else who ever challenged the player so far. Before any victory can be sung, a mysterious, legendary silver Nissan 350Z challenges the player for a last run through the Market Street circuit. A challenger who, after being beaten by the player, is revealed to be Eddie's girlfriend, Melissa.

That event solidifies the player's status as the new best underground racer in the city.

Gameplay[edit]

A circuit race with a Honda Civic, PC version

Circuit is a standard race that involves racing with up to three opponents' cars around a loop track for one lap or more, and is the main mode of the game. For about the last 4 races of underground mode, the number of players decreases to only 1 rival, and the number of laps reach up to seven (Endurance Race)

Knockout Mode is similar to previous Need for Speed titles, involves "knocking out" the last racer who passes the starting line in each lap until the final leader of the race remains, and wins the race. In the case of Underground, Knockout sessions have a maximum of three laps for four racers.

Sprint mode is a variation on the Circuit mode, where the contestants race in a point-to-point track instead of loop tracks. These races are typically shorter than "circuits" (with a maximum of 8 km in length), so players are required to be more cautious of any mistakes during racing.

Drifting is the most challenging and technical aspect of the game. Drift mode consists of one player in a short loop track, where the objective is to collect as many points as possible by drifting along the track. The player competes with three other contestants, who appear to accumulate scores along with the player during the drift session. The player would be required to beat these scores in order to obtain top positions.

Bonuses are awarded for players who drift in the outer borders of the track, drift vertically, or perform chained-drifting (continuous drifting by constantly steering the vehicle during drifts to maintain speed); if the player succeeds in ending a drift without collisions onto the sides of the track, the collected points are added into the score, otherwise, the collected points are cancelled.

Drift mode is the only type of racing where time taken to complete the track does not matter, since players are given the freedom to complete the allocated number laps at their own pace. This may explain the absence of nitrous oxide in this mode, since it serves no apparent purpose in this situation.

Drag racing is the second most technical form of race in the game. It involves racing against one or three cars on typically straight tracks, and attempting to obtain top positions to win. In order to master Drag mode, players must employ good timing and reflexes for gear shifting, redlining, overtaking, and the use of nitrous oxide boosts;Because the player is going to put the engine to its limits the mode places particular emphasis in monitoring the tachometer during races, which is enlarged and situated on the leftmost portion of the screen. Steering in this mode is simplified to simply allow for lane changes, while the computer handles the steering along the lanes, and the player focuses more on maintaining an optimum speed for the car.

Two conditions will result in players being forfeited during a drag race: head-on collisions with an opponent, barriers, traffic cars or dividers (being 'Totaled'); or blown engines as a result from prolonged redlining and the subsequent overheating of the engine.

Car customization[edit]

In the car customization menu, cars can be altered with performance upgrades and visual upgrades, such as paint colors, vinyls, neon, custom front and rear bumpers, custom side skirts, spoilers, custom hoods, exhaust tips, roof scoops, and wide body kits.

Players have the ability to increase their car’s performance by applying performance upgrades to the car. The player can upgrade their car’s engine, drivetrain, suspension, tires, engine control unit (ECU) as well as add nitrous oxide, turbo chargers and reduce the car’s weight (in the form of “weight reduction packages”).

Since Underground is street racing and tuner-themed, the player also has the ability to customize their car visually.

Soundtrack[edit]

The game's soundtrack features a variety of licensed music, from bands such as Story of the Year, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz, Overseer, The Crystal Method, Rancid, Rob Zombie, Asian Dub Foundation, Fuel and Blindside.a

Read More

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 is a 2002 racing video game, serving as the debut Need for Speed title from EA Black Box,[2] and the first Need for Speed game for the sixth generation of consoles. It is the sixth installment in the Need for Speed series and is the sequel to the 1998 racing game Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. It is also the last Need for Speed game of the series' first era, as the following game would reboot the series to focus on the tuner culture. In 2002, the game was awarded "Console Racing Game of the Year"[3] at the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Like Porsche Unleashed before it, Hot Pursuit 2 was not released in Japan.Hot Pursuit 2 draws primarily from the gameplay and style of Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit; its emphasis was on evading the police and over-the-top courses featuring lengthy shortcuts.

As with the original, the player also has the option to play as a police officer trying to arrest speeders. To do so the player rams the speeding vehicle multiple times to disable it. The player must turn on their lights and sirens while in pursuit, and they automatically turn off after arresting the suspect. Police can call for a barricade, additional units, "Unit 9" in broadcasting assistance (PS2 Only), spike strips, and request help from a helicopter to assist in chasing the target vehicle. At the end, the player is awarded for the cars busted. In the PlayStation 2 version this mode is called You're the Cop mode while in the PC, GameCube, and Xbox versions it's Be the Cop mode.

NFS Edition cars are also in this game, the cars are the same as you see above, the cars are just slightly modified. However, in the PS2 version, the BMW cars didn't get their corresponding NFS Edition remakes. This was because of a licensing policy by BMW that restricted unauthorized vehicular modifications. Also in the PS2 version, The Ferrari 360 Spider didn't get its corresponding NFS Edition remake as well due to the Ferrari 360 Modena Challenge as an alternative and that car is a PS2 exclusive whereas it was not available on the other versions, instead, they had the NFS edition 360 Spider.

Races take place in four environments which differ in atmosphere, with a handful of courses per environment. The different courses in an environment are formed by different roads being connected or separated by road blocks. A fictional tropical island, reminiscent of Hawaii, is the most varied environment; the track traverses a city, volcano, waterfall, beach, forest, and two villages. The coastal forest environment, reminiscent of the Washington coast because of its forest and nature, sometimes has foggy weather, but this does not effectively limit visibility during races. The Mediterranean coast which resembles Greece because of the stadium and a building which resembles Parthenon and so-called Alpine environments that resemble Alaska are more homogeneous, with little variation except the occasional short cut. The PS2 version also contains a Desert environment that bares resemblance to Thunder Mesa that sometimes has thunder storms. Compared to the original Hot Pursuit, which features weather and day/night variation independent of track, and widely varying environments from snowy mountains over cities to desert, Hot Pursuit 2 courses have significantly less variation.

Hot Pursuit 2 is also the first in the series to lack an in-car view that was available in preceding Need for Speed titles. There is only a "driver's perspective" view available, without a visible dashboard. Although the PlayStation 2 version does have a cockpit view during the final stages of the game's Championship and Ultimate Racer modes.[4]

Race types[edit]

All types of modes can only have a certain class of cars to be used. Faster cars are used near the end of the "Championship" and "Ultimate Racer" modes. Delivery is a timed point-to-point dash, with the police in pursuit. This is similar to the delivery mission in Porsche Unleashed while the police pursuit makes it more challenging. Sprint is a point to point race where competitors try to get from one end to the other before their opponent. Time Trial gives players three laps on a level with the goal being to beat the required time to get the gold/silver/bronze medal. Lap Knockout eliminates the last racer in each lap until one player remains the victor. Knockout follows a similar principle, but eliminations are made to the last racer at the end of each race. Several other modes, such as Tournament, Single Race, and Championship/Ultimate Racer are also available.

Development[edit]

As with other games in the Need for Speed series, Hot Pursuit 2 features real world cars, including the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR (pictured).

Different versions of the game were produced for each game platform; the Xbox, GameCube and PC versions were developed in EA Seattle, a subsidiary of EA Canada, while the PS2 version was developed by EA Black Box[2] in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Also, it did not feature a career mode allowing car personalization. Instead, there is a point system where cars are purchased from winning races. Points are determined by laps led and finishing position. In the "Championship" and "Hot Pursuit" trees, extra points are awarded if a medal is won, decided by the requirements. For example, a sprint (see section below) would give 5000 points if awarded the gold, 4000 for silver, and 2500 for bronze, etc. Points would give types of tracks to race on, cars, police cars, etc. If the tree is completed, extra bonus races are unlocked. These races include the hardest AI and the hardest courses. For the multiplayer mode of the PC version, players can host a game server for LAN or internet based playing. In addition to this, the GameSpy internet matchmaking system can be used to publish and locate such servers.

Soundtrack[edit]

Hot Pursuit 2 is the first Need for Speed game to feature licensed rock music under the EA Trax label ("EA GamesTM Trax" at the time of game launch) along with techno music composed by contract artists. The game's soundtrack consists of eight vocal rock songs and seven instrumental rock and electronic songs, all fast-paced with elements of grunge, hip-hop and rap. The vocal songs are also featured in a second, instrumental version. In the "Be the Cop" and "Hot Pursuit" game modes, the instrumental versions replace the vocal ones, which avoids obscuring the police radio messages by the song lyrics. In the PS2 version, there is the option to change whether or not certain songs are played in normal races, hot pursuit races, the game menus, or if they are not to be played at all. The Xbox version also allows custom soundtracks.

Read More

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, released as Need for Speed: Porsche 2000 in Europe, and Need for Speed: Porsche in Germany and Latin America, is a racing video game released in 2000. It is the fifth installment in the Need for Speed series. Unlike other NFS titles, Porsche Unleashed centers on racing Porsche sports cars, with models ranging from 1950 to 2000. The game is noted for its extensive information regarding Porsche and its cars. Unlike the previous four Need for Speed games, Porsche Unleashed was not released in Japan.Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed gives the player the opportunity to race Porsche cars throughout a range of tracks located in Europe. The cars were studied in detail in terms of driving mechanics in order to create a realistic simulation. The premise of the game remains largely the same compared to previous games in the series: driving and racing sports cars. However, the game only offers Porsches. The handling of the cars was improved, and the player can customize their cars drawing from an in-depth catalog of different Porsche-parts. Although the game retains the police chases from Hot Pursuit and High Stakes, the feature is relatively minor and is only seen in the Factory Driver mode (see Modes).

In terms of game concept, Porsche Unleashed is often hailed for the unusual effort of focusing on a single car brand, thus allowing greater depth and acting as a platform of information on the Porsche brand. Apart from the vast number of cars and spare parts, the game also features many historical videos and pictures of Porsche vehicles, as well as written information.

Single player and Multiplayer[edit]

Players can create custom races, alter the difficulty level, change the number of opponents (up to seven or three On PSX), the cars the opponents are driving, traffic density, and driving direction in a similar style as Need for Speed: High Stakes.

Quick Race - Players can drive in standard races at a location of their choice.

Time Battle

Chase

Capture the Flag

Knockout - The driver in last position is eliminated after each event until there is only one driver remaining.

Players can participate in Multiplayer modes across the Internet, LAN, or peer to peer (modem or IP) games.

Factory Driver[edit]

Factory Driver puts players in the role of official Porsche test drivers. Players are given various simple tasks such as performing 360 degree spins before being able to sign with Porsche. Players will need to deliver cars and take part in races after being signed on to Porsche. They also need to beat challenges from other test drivers, such as slaloms through parts of tracks, or test cars from the team's mechanic. The Factory Driver in the PC version greatly differs from the PS1 version.

Evolution[edit]

In the Evolution mode players purchase and race cars in a series of tournaments and club meeting events. Each is divided into three eras: Classic Era, Golden Era, and Modern Era. Players start from the introduction of the Porsche 356 1100 to the debut of the Porsche 911 Turbo (996). Most tournaments differ in difficulty level, the fee for entry, and the number of tracks and course types.

Modes[edit]

As in previous Need for Speed games, Porsche Unleashed includes two standard modes that had been featured in previous Need for Speed games: Quick Race and Multiplayer. The Quick Race mode is increasingly flexible, allowing players to customize and play single player races, by selecting the number of laps and opponents and directly customizing their cars (to a certain extent) as well as toggling a knockout match for circuit-based tracks (where the last racer to complete each lap is eliminated until one remains, winning); the multiplayer mode allowed players to join or host races with up to 15 others.

New additions in the game include Evolution and Factory Driver modes, which are essentially career-based modes, each presenting the player with different challenges. Evolution mode is a set of tournaments, wherein the player is required to purchase and upgrade cars to drive for specific races, unlocking them for access in the Quick Race mode (selling them, however, would lock them again); race tracks will also be unlocked through wins. As the player wins in tournaments, the time goes by and the new cars appear. The second mode, Factory Driver, places the player in the position of a test driver for Porsche, performing various stunts and deliveries in order to advance through the mode and acquire several cosmetically customized Porsches.

Online play is the real strength of PU, where a loyal and very active community flourished. Despite the disconnection of the original EA servers in late 2003 the community continues to thrive through the private development of the IPLounge, together with a scoring system known as Porsche Unleashed Records Lists (PURL), which continues to serve a worldwide racing community.

Locations[edit]

This game features many different tracks, all set in Europe such as Corsica, Autobahn, Côte d'Azur and Schwarzwald. At the beginning of the game, four locations are available: Côte d'Azur, a Monte Carlo circuit, Normandie and the Pyrénées. Players unlock more tracks as they progress in the Evolution mode.

PlayStation version[edit]

The PS1 version contains different title/cars/music and different tracks. None of the tracks are the same between PC/PS1, with different locations, and names. It is likely that a completely different game engine was used.

Need for Speed: Top Speed[edit]

An additional online-only conversion of Porsche Unleashed, dubbed Need for Speed: Top Speed, was released in response to both the release of MacGillivray Freeman's 2002 IMAX film, Top Speed, and the Porsche Cayenne. The game features three existing tracks from Porsche Unleashed and three Porsche vehicles: the 911 (996) Turbo, the 959 and the Cayenne Turbo.

Access to Need for Speed: Top Speed was bundled alongside the Windows version of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2.[4]

40 Jahre 911 Bundle[edit]

The 40 Jahre 911 Bundle was released on November 13, 2003 and was only available in Germany. It was a special 40th anniversary edition for the Porsche 911.

The CD box is packed in a unique metal box with the game itself patched to version 3.4. Also included is the official soundtrack of Need for Speed: Porsche although no additional game features were included.

Reception[edit]

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator Score

GameRankings (PC) 84.36%[5]

(PS) 74.50%[6]

(GBA) 59.25%[7]

Metacritic (PS) 78/100[8]

(GBA) 62/100[9]

Review scores

Publication Score

AllGame 3/5 stars[10][11]

EGM 7.5/10[12]

GamePro (PS) 4.5/5 stars[16]

(PC) 4/5 stars[17]

Game Revolution D[13]

GameSpot (PC) 8.9/10[14]

(PS) 5.9/10[15]

IGN (PS) 8.3/10[18]

(PC) 7.9/10[19]

(GBA) 6/10[20]

Nintendo Power 3.4/5[21]

OPM (US) 3.5/5 stars[22]

OPM (UK) 8/10[23]

PC Gamer (US) 94%[24]

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed received mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 84.36%,[5] the PlayStation version 74.50% and 78/100[6][8] and the Game Boy Advance version 59.25% and 62/100[7][9] In the UK, Official UK PlayStation Magazine gave the PS version eight out of ten and liked its structure, but said that many of the 70 cars were indistinguishable, and criticised the lifespan. They described the handling as "arcadey", and warned people who didn't like Porsches to "steer well clear

Read More

Need for Speed: High Stakes

Need for Speed: High Stakes, released as Need for Speed: Road Challenge in Europe and Brazil and Over Drivin' IV in Japan, is a 1999 racing video game released by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation. A version of the game was released for Microsoft Windows-based computers a few months later.

It is the fourth game in the Need for Speed series, once again featuring a host of exotic sport cars and tracks located in Western Europe and North America. High Stakes is particularly notable within the series for being the first installment to include a vehicle damage model and a genre-standard "career" system.High Stakes builds upon the previous Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. The standard races and police pursuits are bolstered by a new type of race (High Stakes) and two new pursuit modes (Getaway and Time Trap). The now-standard career system was introduced, with its scenarios and budget balancing. Vehicle physics are also improved, chiefly with the introduction of a damage model that affects both the appearance and performance of a given vehicle.

Tournament and Special Event/Career Mode[edit]

The career system of this entry consists of two modes: "Tournament", straightforward series of races with certain cars; and "Special Event", similar to Tournament, but with various conditions such as with night driving or with a fully upgraded car. As you complete races, you acquire credits which are used to buy new cars for new events and to upgrade old cars to make events a little easier. Completing races also unlocks the tracks for single race purposes, and completing Tournament events unlocks the Special Event events. Beating all events of Tournament or Special Events will unlock one of two secret cars to purchase; the player also gets a free sample at the same time.

The PC version is somewhat different, starting with having everything under a clear "Career Mode". All events are split into "tiers", a selection of 1 to 5 individual competitions. Usually, one of those competitions is a "High Stakes" race, where the player bets their current car.

High Stakes[edit]

In High Stakes, two racers bet their cars on a duel; the winner of the race keeps their car and gains the loser's. The player or players must own more than one car to participate in a High Stakes race.

On the PlayStation version, it is a special multiplayer mode, which requires two memory cards inserted; the loser's car is deleted immediately after the race to prevent reloading the save file to potentially save the car. On the PC version, High Stakes races are only found in the Career Mode, and the cars anted are of similar performance to the player's vehicle.

Read More

NFS III: Hot Pursuit


Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, released in Japan as Over Drivin' III: Hot Pursuit, is a racing video game released in 1998. It is the third major installment in the Need for Speed series, significantly incorporating police pursuits as a major part of gameplay. Hot Pursuit remains focused in racing using exotic sports cars, but features races that primarily take place in locations within North America, including varied settings and climates. In addition, police AI is significantly improved over its predecessor, utilizing several tactics to stop both the player and opponent. The game was released for PlayStation in March 1998 and later received an enhanced port for Microsoft Windows in October 1998. A PlayStation 2 version was developed, but later cancelled. The game title's suffix, "Hot Pursuit", is a term for a police pursuit. The game had a sequel that was released in 2002 as Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2.

With police pursuits reintegrated into the game, Hot Pursuit's gameplay now consists of two categories. The first encompasses standard racing, as it has been in its predecessors, The Need for Speed and Need for Speed II, in which the player is allowed to race against one (including split-screen races) or seven other racers in normal circuit racers, knockouts, or tournaments (which allow the player to unlock bonus vehicles and a bonus track). The second category is dubbed "Hot Pursuit", where police pursuits are included in races; the mode allows the player to select a standard sports car to race against a single opponent in a police-scattered track. The PC version also contains a role reversal variation in which players select a police version of a sports car to pursue and stop all six racers before they complete their race. Completing both Hot Pursuit challenges in the PC version on every track of the game unlocks additional police sports cars.

Two modes were introduced in the game. The two-player split-screen mode allows two players to race using the same computer. The "Knockout" mode consists of 7 races with 8 racers on randomly chosen tracks, in which conditions such as selected difficulty, weather, and so on that the player has chosen before starting the race-series will apply. Each race consists of two laps where the driver who finishes last will be eliminated from the race lineup. All other drivers advance to the next round and carry on with the battle until there is only one player left, who technically wins the knockout competition. The game also supports network play through a serial port, modem, or IPX, and online gaming through TCP/IP protocol. It also allowed spawn installations of itself to be installed on other machines.

Racing tracks are greatly varied, with settings ranging from wide desert canyons to homely countryside villages, as well as snow-capped mountain ranges. A particular track in the game is even host to a modern and intricate structure identified as the Electronic Arts development office. Most tracks contain one or more secret shortcuts which can dramatically alter the outcome of a race.

The game also boasted some fairly impressive graphics support for its time, allowing up to 1152 by 864 pixel, 16-bit in-game resolution; widescreen support, car chrome effects, and slider settings for car detail and view distance. Motion-sensing controllers received support as well, granting the players a more thorough gameplay experience by actually allowing them to "drive" the cars.

Car tuning was also introduced, which allowed any car's handling to be customized by adjusting low or high end properties for engine tuning and gear ratios, front or back brake balance, slow or fast braking speed, soft or stiff suspension, low or high aerodynamics as well as rain or racing tires. Any of these options could be modified via sliders to offer a digit-sensitive, percentage-based effect to the selected car's overall performance. Higher-end engine and gear tuning, for example, will compromise acceleration for better tops speeds. Rear-based brake balance and slow braking speeds make for wider, drifting turns, and aerodynamics provide even higher speeds at the loss of handling.

Pursuit system[edit]

Hot Pursuit's pursuit system has been significantly improved in terms of AI and police tactics over the first Need for Speed. The game now requires that the racer only stop near a pursuing police car to be ticketed or arrested by the police, as opposed to being overtaken by a police car, forcing the racer to pull over for the same punishments. Accordingly, police cars are now programmed with the ability to block a racer's car in an attempt to halt them. In addition, whereas the original Need for Speed would only have a single police car chasing a racer in each pursuit, Hot Pursuit allows more police cars to pursue a racer, opening up the opportunity for them to collectively ambush the racer's car. The police are only playable in the PC version. However, the police cars can be played in the PS1 version, through hacking with a GameShark. The player must select a car in Hot Pursuit mode, which will then be replaced by a police car when the race starts. CLK-GTR, and El Niño cannot be replaced. Even when driving as a police car, the cops can still arrest the  player
Tactical aspects of the police pursuits have also been improved. The police have the ability to deploy roadblocks which has computer-controlled cop cars form a wall across the road, and spike strips which puncture the tires of a racer's car, bringing it to a halt. Both tactics present weaknesses, specifically gaps in the blockade that can be used by a racer to avoid collisions with police cars, or tire punctures from a spike strip which is only deployed on one side of the road. The player may also listen to police radio chatter on the pursuits' statuses, revealing to them the current locations of racers, police cars, as well as roadblocks and spike strips. The radio chatter also reveals reactions to specific events, such as a racer's collision with a parked police car, as well as referencing the racer's passing speed and the occurrence of the race itself ("It looks like the cars are racing!"). Furthermore, if a computer-controlled racer's driving conduct proves to be more dangerous than that of the racer's, the cops may relent their pursuit of the player and chase the AI instead.

Each track setting features unique police cars, including three sedan-based squad cars, a hatchback and two SUVs. The Chevrolet Caprice Classic (for Hometown and Country Woods and sometimes also appears on the Redrock Ridge and Lost Canyons tracks in the PS1 version only) Ford Crown Victoria (for Hometown, Country Woods, and Empire City in PC version and Atlantica and Aquatica and sometimes also on the Rocky Pass and Summit tracks for the PS1 version), Eagle Talon (for Lost Canyons and Redrock Ridge for the PC version and Empire City in the PS1 version), Ford Falcon or Pontiac Grand Am (for Atlantica and Aquatica in the PC version only), Lamborghini LM002 (For Rocky Pass and Summit in the PS1 version only) and Land Rover Discovery (for Rocky Pass and Summit in the PC version and Lost Canyons and Redrock Ridge in the PS1 version). In addition to standard police cars, a handful of Chevrolet Corvette C5 police cars are also included in each track, more equipped to engage in high-speed pursuits and capable of outperforming normal police cars. In the PS1 version, Lamborghini Diablo pursuit vehicles replace the Corvettes if Expert difficulty is selected.

Soundtrack[edit]
During gameplay[edit]
Saki Kaskas - "Little Sweaty Sow"
Rom Di Prisco - "Hydrus 606"
Matt Ragan - "Snorkeling Cactus Weasels"
Rom Di Prisco - "Cetus 808"
Matt Ragan - "Rear Flutterblast #19"
Rom Di Prisco - "Aquilla 303"
Matt Ragan - "Snow Bags"
Saki Kaskas - "Knossos"
Saki Kaskas - "Flimsy"
Alistair Hirst - "Warped"
Menus and videos[edit]
Traz Damji - "Intro"
Rom Di Prisco - "Romulus 3"*
Alistair Hirst - "Whacked"
Rom Di Prisco - "Minotaur"
Rom Di Prisco - "Pi"
Rom Di Prisco - "Triton"
Crispin Hands - "Monster"
Alistair Hirst - "Whipped"
Rom Di Prisco - "Sirius 909"

Saki Kaskas - "Win"

Read More

Need for Speed II 1997

\

Need for Speed II 1997

Need for Speed II, released in Japan as Over Drivin' II, is a racing video game released in 1997. It is a part of the Need for Speed series and is the second installment in the series, following Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed.

Like its predecessor, Need for Speed II allows players to race exotic cars, either against computer-controlled opponents or human opponents via a LAN, modem or serial connection. There are three distinct gameplay modes:

Single Race is largely carried over from the previous game, in which a player simply chooses a car and a course and completes a single race. The player can customize both the number and type of opponents as well as the number of laps to be completed.

Tournament is also carried over from The Need for Speed, in which the player must complete a series of races successfully to unlock a bonus car.

Knockout is a new type of tournament to the series. It consists of a series of 2-lap races with 8 opponents; the last-place finisher at the end of each race is eliminated from the competition. Successfully completing an entire Knockout (being the last surviving racer) unlocks a bonus track.

Unlike The Need for Speed, which featured a mix of both point-to-point and circuit courses, Need for Speed II features circuit courses only. Each track's scenery is inspired by real-life locations around the world:

A Jaguar XJ220 racing on the Mystic Peaks track

Unlike the previous game's tracks, which were realistically rendered generic locales, Need for Speed II's tracks mix real-world landmarks with elements of fantasy, in a somewhat similar fashion to the Cruis'n series of arcade games. For example, the Outback course has the player racing from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House to the rural Australian Outback and back again in a matter of minutes.

Need for Speed II also introduced several new elements to the game. For the first time, players could customize the color of each car; additionally, a basic tuner allowed players to adjust each car's performance elements, including gear ratios, tires, and spoilers. Unlike The Need for Speed, however, Need for Speed II did not feature any police chases.

Special features[edit]

As in the original Need for Speed, the game features detailed specifications, history, and audio commentaries on each vehicle. The largest feature are several full motion video (FMV) segments for each of the cars, several of them being the professionally-produced videos for the concept vehicles. Additionally, each vehicle interior could be viewed through genuine photographs taken in a 360 degree panoramic view.

Development[edit]

Need for Speed II was developed by EA Canada. The lead programmer for the game was Laurent Ancessi with Wei Shoong Teh and Brad Gour as senior programmers.[1] To ensure the physics of fast car handling and performance were as accurate as possible, the programmers collaborated with the manufactures of each vehicle.[2]

Music[edit]

As does its predecessor, the section of music present in Need for Speed II consists of both instrumental "rock" and "techno" music. The music was composed, performed and produced by Alistair Hirst, Crispin Hands, Jeff van Dyck (then known as Jeff Dyck), Koko Productions, Robert Ridihalgh, Romolo Di Prisco and Saki Kaskas. The game's racing music are composed in a way that each two musical tracks are best played in specific racing tracks, using specific musical instruments and songs relative to the track's location alongside rock and techno musical instruments. The game also allows the player to enable what is known as "interactive music," which allows the game to play specific breaks when the player is driving along a specific portion of a racing track. The feature is also programmed to react to the player crashing, driving slowly, or leading from a pack of racers.

These traits are short-lived in the initial portion of the series, with only its Special Edition and its successor, Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998), reusing these features. Only with the release of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002) were both rock and electronic music featured in the play list again, while interactive music was only reintroduced to a limited extent with the release of Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005), which extensively uses the feature in police pursuits, the music reacting to the heat level the player is currently in, and the player hiding or being arrested. Need for Speed: Carbon (2006) features interactive music additionally in canyon races, reacting to whether the player is in the lead, or if the player wins or rams through a guard rail and falls over the edge of the road.

Soundtrack[edit]

An obscure soundtrack called Excessive Speed! The Music from Need for Speed II was released on April 28, 1997, containing twenty-two songs from the game.[3][4]

Two of the game's songs appeared in later Need for Speed installments; "Menu" was given a dubstep remix in The Run (2011), while "Romulus 3" appeared in III: Hot Pursuit as a menu theme. Both songs were added to the soundtrack of the 2015 Need for Speed game in its Legends Update.

Read More

The Need for Speed (1994)

The Need for Speed (1994)

This article is about the first Need for Speed video game. For the rest of the series, see Need for Speed. For the 2015 video game, see Need for Speed (2015 video game). For other uses, see Need for Speed (disambiguation).
The Need for Speed
The NFS Video cover.jpg
Developer(s) Pioneer Productions
EA Canada
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Producer(s) Hanno Lemke
Programmer(s) Brad Gour
Artist(s) Markus Tessmann
Series Need for Speed
Platform(s) 3DO, DOS, PlayStation, Sega Saturn
Release date(s) 3DO
NA August 31, 1994
JP December 9, 1994
DOS
NA August 31, 1995
PlayStation
EU March 20, 1996
JP April 19, 1996
NA 1996
Sega Saturn
NA 1996
EU 1996
JP December 20, 1996
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed, later released in Japan as Road & Track Presents: Over Drivin', is a 1994 racing video game first released on the 3DO and then ported over to DOS, PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It is the first installment released in the Need for Speed series. The premise of the game involves racing in sport cars, including several exotic models and Japanese imports.


The game was noted for its realism and audio and video commentaries. Electronic Arts teamed up with automotive magazine Road & Track to match vehicle behavior, including the mimicking of the sounds made by the vehicles' gear control levers. The game also contained precise vehicle data with spoken commentary, several "magazine style" images of each car interior and exterior and even short video clips highlighting the vehicles set to music.


The game featured both closed circuits and three point-to-point tracks, each divided into three stages. For the latter, traffic vehicles appear in races. Police pursuits are also a key gameplay mechanic, in which the player could be ticketed or arrested after a police car succeeded in catching up with the player. Players are arrested if he/she received a third police ticket, while the Sega Saturn version only required two tickets for the player to be arrested. Completing the tournaments (or entering a cheat) unlocks the "rally" mode, where car dynamics are changed to make for a faster 'arcade' experience, as well as the "Warrior PTO E/2", a fictional jet-powered sports car.

Except for the aforementioned Warrior, each car in the game came with detailed specifications, history, audio commentaries and real-life videos, which would also be featured in subsequent games in the series, though this was omitted in later games. A replay feature allowed the player to view a saved race. Multiple camera views, playback speed and video navigation were offered.

Multiplayer consisted of a two-player head-to-head racing mode, which required computers connected via modem.[notes 1]

Tracks[edit]
There are a total of six courses in the game: City, Coastal, Alpine, Rusty Springs, Autumn Valley and Vertigo. Each is a distinctive environment. City, Coastal and Alpine have three sections each, while the others are circuit races.

There is an extra track in the game, named Lost Vegas, which can be unlocked by winning all of the tracks above in tournament mode. A flag in the bottom right corner of the track's image indicates a victory in the menu to help the player keep track of the progress.

Cars[edit]
Eight cars are available to choose from in the game, and a secret ninth car known as the Warrior, which is in purple and is a special car rather than being a licensed model. It can be accessed via a special game code if entered correctly. The eight cars featured (besides the Warrior) include:[1]

1994 Toyota Supra 2JZ - Colored red
1992 Acura NSX - Colored silver
1991 Mazda RX-7 - Colored yellow
1993 Porsche Carrera 911 - Colored dark blue
1994 Dodge Viper RT-10 - Colored royal blue
1993 Chevrolet Corvette C4 ZR-1 - Colored dark green
1993 Lamborghini Diablo VT - Colored black
1994 Ferrari 512TR - Colored red
Music[edit]
Menu & Showroom Themes

Alistair Hirst - "Showroom Music"
Alistair Hirst - "Ferrari 512TR Showcase"
Alistair Hirst - "Porsche 911 Carrera Showcase"
Alistair Hirst - "Lamborghini Diablo VT Showcase"
Alistair Hirst - "Acura NSX Showcase"
Alistair Hirst - "Mazda RX-7 Showcase"
Alistair Hirst - "Toyota Supra Turbo Showcase"
Alistair Hirst - "Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Showcase"
Alistair Hirst - "Dodge Viper RT/10 Showcase"
Racing Themes

(Rock)

Saki Kaskas - "Rampant"
Saki Kaskas - "Toxic Exhaust"
Saki Kaskas - "Scud"
Saki Kaskas - "Overheated"
Saki Kaskas - "Route 99"
Alistair Hirst - "Power Slide" (Main Menu)
(Techno)

Jeff Dyck - "Fill'er Up"
Jeff Dyck - "Odyssey"
Jeff Dyck & Angela Somerville - "Aaeeyyaaeeyyaa"
Jeff Dyck - "Hideous"
Jeff Dyck - "Funk'n Bubba"
Jeff Dyck - "Chronos"
Reception[edit]
Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings (SAT) 95.00%[4]
(PC) 83.00%[5]
(PS) 68.50%[6]
Review scores
Publication Score
EGM (3DO) 8.0/10[2]
(PS1) 8.75/10[3]
GameSpot (PC) 8.3/10[7]
Maximum 2/5 stars (PS1)[8]
PC Power 95%[9]
The Need For Speed was met with positive reviews. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly scored the 3DO version an 8.0 average, with two of them giving the game a 9.0 or higher. They praised the game's realistic graphics and sounds, addictive gameplay, and exceptionally clever use of full motion video.[2] GamePro gave it a rave review as well, commenting that the selection of cars "will leave car buffs drooling" and the realistic graphics and handling of each vehicle "infuse the game with taut realism and fascinating variety." They expressed disappointment over the lack of two-player mode, but felt that the exceptionally challenging enemy AI largely makes up for it.[10]


Aggregating review website GameRankings gave the Saturn version 95.00%,[4] the PC version 83.00%[5] and the PlayStation version 68.50%.[6] British magazine PC Power gave the DOS version a score of 95%, praising car handling, graphics and overall presentation, but criticizing hardware requirements and sound.[9] Jim Varner of GameSpot gave the game a "Great" rating of 8.3/10 citing "With its marvelous attention to detail, exotic course design, and straightforward gameplay, this game is a true winner. Simply put, The Need for Speed is the next best thing to owning a $200,000 sports car!".[7] The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly applauded the PlayStation version for its fast racing and excellent controls.[3] Air Hendrix argued in GamePro that "With all these improvements, [the PlayStation version] is practically a sequel to the 3DO game, and it plays like one." He made particular mention of the additional courses, the handbrake, the improved displays, and the faster speed of the game.[11] Other magazines were more critical, with PSM criticising the "obtrusive graphics", and saying that it "isn't an immediately enjoyable game - the idiosyncracies only serve to annoy."[12] Maximum complained that the driving lacks intensity and that cars are too resistant to crashes, though they acknowledged that the graphics are moderately impressive

Read More