EA Torque's NFS Retrospective

Submitted by Kirk Pedersen on Wed, 2009-10-21 13:40

The guy who holds down the fort admirably as moderator of the Need for Speed Forums, EA Torque, has finished his first retrospective about his favorite racing game. This writing covers the first six NFS games. Enjoy.

Lots of people around the world talk about Need for Speed: where it has been and where it comes from, what it represents and what it doesn't. Truth is, most really don't know the history behind NFS. This may be because it's before your time, or because you weren't interested in games or cars at that time, or because you didn't discover the series until recently.

Regardless of the reason, I was inspired recently to write this article to reflect on and highlight where Need for Speed has come from over the past fifteen years. I hope you find it entertaining, whether you’re learning about the early days of the series or simply feel like taking a walk down memory lane.

The Need for Speed

Need for Speed starts nearly 16 years ago with the first title launching under the name “The Need for Speed.” The game was developed by EA Canada and sponsored by Road & Track magazine.

At the time, there was no other racing game on the market like it. With a mixture of closed circuits and open road races, random traffic and police, not to mention a very unique and diverse selection of cars to choose from, the Need for Speed was born.

Another important factor of this game was the major bar it set for other would-be racing game developers. For the first time in a racing game, all of the vehicles performed differently with the Need for Speed.

What many don't realize about this title is that it was not the exotic escapade that many seem to think it was. While the few exotics in the game were insanely fast replicating their real life capabilities, there was much more to this eight car list then it may seem. All of the major classifications were there, the tuners, the muscles and the exotics.

A Ferrari 512, a Lamborghini Diablo, a Porsche 911, a Corvette, a Viper, an Acura NSX, a Mazda RX7 and a Toyota Supra headlined the birth of a series that would go on to sell more than 100,000,000 copies worldwide. I remember this list like it was yesterday. And there were so many ways to admire these cars: from the instant replays to real video footage in the showcase. Those were the good old days. Need for Speed II

Fans of the series wouldn’t see another installment until 1997, when Need for Speed II was release. “The” was dropped from the title, making the game simply Need for Speed, as was the Road & Track sponsorship.

Cops were left out of this game and so were the Sprint style point-to-point tracks. Instead the game featured only circuits based around the streets of real world locations. The traffic from the first game remained but the diversity in the car list disappeared.

NFSII shifted the focus to the unobtainable: the million dollar extreme machines of the late '90s. Cars like the Ferrari F50 and the McLaren F1.

One of the greatest ways to enjoy these rides was the awesome feature that allowed racers to select fast-paced arcade physics, or realistic simulation physics. Minor elements of tuning were also present, as you could tweak the gearbox for acceleration and top speed as well as adjust the steering response of the vehicle.

NFSII was actually the first Need for Speed I owned. Having loved the first one so much after playing it for hours on end with my friends,

I saw this on a shelf when browsing a local department store and decided to purchase it with my Christmas money. I remember being shocked when I found out the cops weren’t in it.

Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit

A year later saw Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit. Cops were brought back into the series, having been absent from the previous game. NFS III was very similar to NFS II in that it had closed circuits and the latest in exotic rides, though the new Corvette C5 appeared in the game bringing with it a little bit of American muscle.

The new police pursuits were much more dynamic in this game and featured more realistic AI and mechanics. If you had the game on PC, you could even play as the cop and arrest street racers.

A few short months after the release of Hot Pursuit saw a massive shift in console racing games. The release of Gran Turismo was met with huge appraise. Boasting several hundred cars, super realistic physics, and a state of the art vehicle modification and tuning system. Need for Speed had to adapt if it were to survive.

Need for Speed High Stakes

The following year saw the release of Need for Speed: High Stakes, reinventing the series and kicking the spiraling roman numerals from the title. This new NFS presented a ton of incredible new features, better police and the largest car list the series had ever seen.

This title is by far my favorite of the classic NFS titles. I can remember the introduction video to this day: a Porsche, clean and stock parked at a red light next to a tricked out hatchback resembling a Honda Civic.

When the light turned green the Porsche flew off the line and the little tuned hatchback broke down, eating Porsche dust. This moment is probably the single best moment in NFS history when you consider where the series is today.

One of the most interesting aspects of the game was the new High Stakes mode. The concept was simple: lose the race, lose your ride. Something like this had never been done in a video game before and helped the series remain unique.

Another awesome feature was the ability to play as the cop on all versions. When selecting one of the game’s police cars, you could hunt down and arrest would be racers. You could even call for road blocks and spike strips. This provided hours of fun, especially in multiplayer.

The car list was massive as more than twice the amount of cars were featured in this game than Hot Pursuit, and for the first time players purchased the cars instead of selecting them and could upgrade the cars to make them faster. Doing this enhanced the appearance of the vehicle, making it look more aggressive.

The Chevrolet Camaro joined the Corvette, beefing up the American muscle quotient, and luxury sedans such as the BMW M5 entered the fray.

There were performance roadsters like the BMW Z3 and even the return of some exotic favorites like the ever-dominating McLaren F1 were there. This returned much-needed diversity to the series though tuner cars had still yet to make a comeback.

A brand new, in-depth career mode was introduced encouraging NFS drivers to explore the entire range of cars offered instead of jumping into the fastest car and moving on. The career was complete with trophies and rewards such as the Pro Cup Corvette and Porsche cars made this NFS title a very rewarding one to finish.

There was so much in this game, from the ability to race day or night, through a variety of different weather, turn signals and hazards, headlights and high beams, 3D cockpits replaced the pre-rendered ones of the past, even a little bit of damage was in there.

The only real downside with High Stakes was the lack of real car footage. Such a massive array of new and unique features and a huge car list meant some sacrifices had to be made. Despite that small little absence of a once cool feature, the future of Need for Speed was secure from the looming Gran Turismo.

Need for Speed Porsche Unleashed

Time passed by and suddenly it was the year 2000 and it was time for a new Need for Speed. This NFS was a special one as instead of featuring a wide variety of cars from different makes, it instead chronicled the last 50 years of history of one of the world's greatest sports car manufacturers: Porsche.

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, though revolving around a single make, was a milestone in NFS history. The new Evolution career mode allowed players to experience a manufacturer like no other game in history. There was so much amazing Porsche history and knowledge in this game that playing it could turn you into a Porsche fan.

Factory Driver mode was another really awesome mode in the game. In this mode, you were a virtual Porsche test driver, pushing various Porsche rides to their limits and help Porsche become the amazing sports car manufacturer it is today.

Many would argue that the physics in the game are the most realistic the series has ever seen and I'll join that side of the argument. Not to mention the incredible – for the time - damage model featured in the game.
The damage in this game was truly memorable, and was permanent until you repaired it. This meant you had to be cautious, especially in the early stages of the game when money was very tight.

Speaking of damage, it truly provided another unique experience to the game. In Porsche Unleashed, you had the option of buying used a Porsche instead of just a new one. The used cars had a random amount of damage done to them and needed to be repaired before their full potential could be experienced.

Regardless of what sort of cars you like, everyone could find a way to enjoy Porsche Unleashed. I couldn't stand Porsche before this game and I found myself fascinated by the history of the company, not to mention the incredible gameplay and career modes. I think the only thing lacking from this game was the split screen. That's right, no split screen multiplayer fun in Porsche Unleashed.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2

In 2002, NFS returned with Hot Pursuit 2. NFS development was now being handled by Black Box Games, which continues to the present day. This new studio turned back the clock and tried to recreate the classic NFS experience of the nineties.

Until HP2, Need for Speed leaned towards a more realistic style of driving, but this game turned that on its ear.

The car physics were pseudo-realistic in HP2, performing much like one would expect, but manageable and accessible for everyone, not just race car drivers. In Hot Pursuit 2, Black Box Studios decided to build the game with a new style of adrenaline filled action blended with a modern arcade style engine.

Another interesting aspect to this game was the tracks. Based off of real world locations much like the games of NFS past, Hot Pursuit 2 offered a new dynamic when driving on the tracks.
Players now had a variety of side roads and shortcuts they could choose to drive down. Some were good, some were bad, some were fast, and others slowed you down.

The car selection had also returned to its roots, providing a massive well rounded selection of exotics and modern muscle cars. Once again, the exotic rides stole the spotlight with their ever-so-dominating performance characteristics.

Police pursuits were back as well, hence the subtitle, “Hot Pursuit 2.” Once again they were reinvented in an attempt to make them more exciting and more enjoyable and of course, more realistic.

HP2 marked the end of the “classic” Need for Speed era as the next year would revolutionize both the series and the racing genre.