The Need for Speed

After the huge success of Road Rash and Fifa Soccer, Electronic Arts released another hit for the 3DO console with The Need for Speed. Developed by the creators of the famous racing game series called "Test Drive", The Need for Speed is the best racing game I have ever played.

Still, The Need For Speed is a superb simulation/racing game that any fan of the genre should now be without. Everything from the outstanding controls and realistic physics to beautifully modeled courses screams excellence.

If EA could have brought the speed up a notch or two all-round (The Need For Speed being such an apt name), this could have been the best thing ever. Again.

With eight cars to master across nine races and three difficulty levels, this game provides enough challenges to satisfy both granny drivers and NASCAR pros. You won't get any closer to driving these killer cars without winning the lottery, so strap in and take off!

It's hard to top the feeling of redlining a Ferrari or a Lamborghini and Need for Speed's as close as most gamers will get! If you're a serious racing fan this game's worth every cent.

It's nice to finally see a road racing game with a fairly realistic driving model. All we need now is a classic cars add-on. Being able to race a '66 Mustang convertible or a Hemi Barracuda would be make this great game even better. Need for Speed is final proof that Electronic Arts knows how to make the best looking games for the PC. There's a lot out there, but with titles like Magic Carpet I and MC II, USNF/MF, and now NFS in its portfolio, EA has proven that they can product games thatplay as great as they look. If you want a fun racing game with a realistic driving model, excellent frame rates, superior graphics, and detailed vehicle information without the complexity of NASCAR RACING, then Need for Speed is the game you've been looking for.

Simply put, The Need For Speed is hands down the best racing game on the PlayStation to date. One of the most outstanding games ever made for the fast fading 3DO has hit the PSX in a big way, and Electronic Arts has done everything in it's power to improve on the original (which came out way back in November of 1994). With the extra options, codes, and play mechanics, The Need For Speed has turned from a die hard racing simulator fan's dream for the 3DO into what could be the top rung of the ladder for console racing games in it's PSX incarnation.

About a year ago, Electronic Arts released The Need For Speed which quickly became one of the best games for the 3DO platform. It still remains one of our favorite games of all time, and so far we have never found a 3DO game better than NFS. We were excited to discover the PC version which is now available in the stores, but even with the extra-features included in this version, we didn't feel the same excitement we experienced with the 3DO version.

Now this baby can move. The racing perspective really flies and it's controls are excellent. Enhanced details are shown in both cars and tracks, but it wouldn't have hurt to add some newer model cars and more courses. As a PS platform, this is a solid game with fast-paced racing action at your fingertips.

The Need for Speed zu bewerten fällt nicht ganz leicht. Sicherlich, die Grafik ist das Beste, was ich in diesem Genre bisher zu sehen bekam. Selbst eine gestandene Genre-Größe wie etwa unsere Referenz Indy Car Racing kann da nicht mehr mithalten. Für einen absoluten Top-Hit hätte die Steuerung aber ein wenig direkter und zugänglicher sein müssen. Dennoch besteht für Bleifuß-Fans überhaupt kein Anlaß, an diesem Programm vorbeizugehen.

Need for Speed delivers a high-speed thrill ride that's sure to get the testosterone boiling and is well worth checking out.

Einzig die fehlenden Features wie Tuning, Wettereinflüsse oder ein schönerer Meisterschaftsmodus verwehren "The Need for Speed" den Spitzenplatz unter den Rennspielen. Wer aber wie ich gerne alles probiert, was die Straßenverkehrsordnung strengstens verbietet, ist hier optimal aufgehoben.

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!

As a whole package, Need for Speed is a great racing title! While it doesn't have all the whistles and bells of more modern racers, it still offers long courses, some great jumps, and hour upon hour of wrecks and collisions!

Spelet innehåller de flesta landsvägsvidunder man kan önska sig och det känns som en rundvandring i en herrtidning för bilfreaks. Nästan det enda jag har att opponera mig mot är att bilarna känns väldigt svajiga. Need For Speed är mycket snyggt och mycket gediget. Det är ett av de bästa racingspelen på marknaden just nu.

I'm not a big fan of driving games, but this one has a lot of quality editing and full-motion video to dress it up. The actual driving is mainly from a first-person perspective and is good, but nothing too exceptional, it controls well and there is good response, still, driving was never that exciting to me. However, where this game really shows off is the look and feel of it's interface. Quick cuts and excellent editing make it look hot!

Not perfect, but immensely enjoyable. It scores eight because the fun factor and sheer weight of the content will keep you at the wheel for a long time.

The graphics are gorgeous, with hardly any draw-in at all. However, you never really get that feeling of speed, like in Ridge Racer, and there're no power slides either. The Need For Speed isn't the best racer out there, but offers a nice change from the norm.

If you own a 3DO and don't add the game to your collection, you're really missing out. It's not perfect, but if feels so real, you won't care! (And, man...being able to finally drive that Ferrari doesn't hurt, either!)

This is one of the landmarks of the console as it's the Need For Speed's debut. It's definitely solid and needs to be in any 3DO collection. I'm afraid it won't turn a new gamer on to the system. It would be the same as starting someone off on the Playstation with Ridge Racer. The game play options aren't there and the length is too short. At the least, it's a great tool to show that the console could get darn close to the graphic capabilities of the Playstation and would been a serious contender had the right games been produced for it.

One area where Need For Speed suffers is its stiff control, and it doesn't help that the analog stick is not supported. The frame-rate is fair, but in terms of sheer velocity, the game falls short of its title. Also, the boxy cars and seams in the scenery never let you forget you're playing a 1996 game. The audio consists of generic beats and guitar jams - nothing to get excited about, but still preferable to the "extreme" soundtracks of more recent games. In the end, Need For Speed isn't the showpiece it once was, but it's still worth pulling off the shelf every now and then.

It all boils down to this : this is a great title for the readers of the magazine, and for car lovers in general. If your fantasy is to drive a Diablo, then this is the title for you. But if you truly want a game for speed, you'd probably be better off with NASCAR.