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The Need for Speed, originally created for the 3DO has finally been released for the PlayStation, and to this date it is arguable more realistic than any racer. The Need for Speed offers something that previously designed racers didn't offer in such large numbers - sports cars! Yes, you have a choice of eight different cars (plus one secret car), including a Lamborghini, a Porsche, a Corvette, a Ferrari, and a Viper among others. As expected, each car is different, having advantages and disadvantages over one another. Six tracks are available, improving upon Ridge Racer (which only included one track) and Sega Rally (which had three). Graphics wise, The Need for Speed is impressive. Bright colors are rarely used, making the scenery seem realistic. On the other hand, this often makes them dull and dreary, similar to the graphics in Extreme Games. Like any game, however, you don't notice it nearly as much after becoming accustomed to the game. While racing I found that the cars were lacking in detail, and were often quite (dare I say) ugly. This is especially noticeable when comparing them to the cars in other next-gen racers. Another notable problem that I found were the polygon stitching. At times you are able to see between where two polygons are stitched together. Not a huge problem, and this too becomes virtually unnoticeable after playing for a short while. I often found the frame rate choppy as well, coincidentally, like Extreme Games. Even with these problems, The Need for Speed makes up for it with it's huge selection of options and great game play. When first sitting down to play this racer, I found the steering to be a bit tight. It wasn't very easy to steer at all, and this caused my interest to be lost. This feels second nature after a bit of practice, somewhat like the steering of Sega Rally (which was extremely touchy!). Manual and automatic shifting are available for each car, with the L and R buttons used to shift. The player has the choice of several controller configurations - a good feature, especially considering the default placement of the gas and brake buttons, which I felt were poorly arranged. One other thing I disliked comes to mind: The player must shift into first gear at the start of each race. I must ask, why? In the music and sound category, The Need for Speed excels. The music is a rockin' metal-thrash mix, and it's perfect for this racer. The sounds aren't just your average clunks and motor hums. The realism of the crashes, crunches, and squealing is fantastic. This is this racer's redeeming quality. The volume of the music and sound effects can be set from the option screen too, another added plus. The game play is fairly straight forward, but enjoyable. Some races contain other traffic on the opposite side of the road, and the artificial intelligence of cars (I mean the people inside the cars) is great. For example, stopping in the center of the road causes the oncoming traffic to stop and blaze their horns at you, and some computerized vehicles change lanes and cut you off. How interesting! The detail and realism of The Need for Speed is phenomenal. While traveling through a tunnel, light from the early morning often shines in on your vehicle and real signs are on the sides of the road (you can even knock 'em over!). Crashes are exciting and realistic in The Need for Speed although the vehicle can immediately drive without a scratch. Who thought that flying into a wall at 200 miles per hour would send your car flying in every which direction? When this happens, the player hears the awful crunch and squeal of metal scraping the road when you land. Eek! Oh yeah, you will intermittently be flagged down by a law enforcer and given a speeding ticket. "Hmm...he must not have seen me flip my car a minute ago." In the category of options, The Need for Speed shows plenty. Several play modes are available (time trials, head-to-head races, tournaments, and a two player mode played via split screen or link cable) as well as several cars (like noted previously). A nice replay feature is added too, allowing you to view the highlights of your race. Rewinding, fast-forwarding, and a frame rate selector is there as well, for those that fancy it. Between races you can feast your eyes on some rather nice looking sports cars while the game loads. A welcomed feature. The Need for Speed improves upon what previous racing games have done, but it falls short in a few categories as well. I advise you to give it a try or perhaps even purchase it. You'll surely enjoy the speed and excitement! |
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