EA - The fall of the Need for Speed series - Part 1

For many years we have enjoyed & drooled over the NFS games...

Not any more!

The time for fun racing games we actually want to play has come to an end! EA has adopted the new 'cookie-cutter' development of the Need for Speed games churning out a new game year after, year.

I for one am sick of EA screwing around with my enjoyable racing experience...

I am done with the Need for Speed series - I have handed in my racing gloves!

Now, I'm not saying that the entire series was crap.

There are redeeming factors to this series & I will reiterate the positive & negative in each game!



The Need for Speed

Do you remember the first Need for Speed... The beginning!

Long sprawling tracks... Beautifully rendered cars... It was 3D!
Did you notice I said tracks & not circuits, yes people the days when you drove from point to point & not in circles getting NOWHERE!
I have nothing against circuits, but I like tracks - point to point!

High performance cars that you can race with.
Simple formula & original - in essence a great fun game.




Need for Speed 2 / S E

This was an awesome game - do you still remember 3Dfx - the bugs crashing in to your windscreen, chrome effects & truly great jumps, cool circuits!

Tracks that took you across the world in great races, awesome cars & the A.I. also crashed their cars & made mistakes. Video clips, showcases, pictures & statistics on every car!

What ever happened to the showcases, the replay functions & ghost. Yes I know in some of the games EA have brought those features back, but just to remove them in the next one - don't screw with a good formula & game!

More on that later.I thoroughly enjoyed this game & even after all these years, I still play this game from time to time.




Need for Speed III - Hot Pursuit

Holy crap! This rocked! Cops... Fast Cars... Split Screen... Wicked tracks! It also had replays, ghost, showcases - no video clips though, but still a great game.

Do you remember how beautiful this game was compared with NFS 2? If you had a 3Dfx card you also got those cool car names flying around the menu - too much for my S3 Savage 2Mb SVGA card!

Did I just give away my age?

My favourite car was the McLaren F1 GTR! WHAT WAS YOURS???
How could they improve upon this game?

I had no asnwer, until...



Need for Speed 4 - High Stakes

Yes, boys & girls to my mind the ultimate Need for Speed ever made!

Why would I say that, when we have games that are much more visually stimulating? Let me just emphasise that again 'THE ULTIMATE NEED FOR SPEED EVER MADE!'

Well here are the facts:
Basically this was a whole new game, but it also included NFS: HP's tracks, cars, cops. Upon that it added more realistic looking cars, damage, clear windows, downloadable cars & tracks. It also sported the first computer generated intro movie in the series, but It was sooooooo good!

Of all the Need for Speed games ever made I have nothing bad to say of this game! EVER!

If someday I do - You hereby have my written permission to drag to into a field & torture me viscously, have your way with me & then kill me in the most violent & horrible way you can think of & if that you can't think of anything else to do - I'm a sick & twisted person who would gladly assist you with a few horrible ideas!

Now if that doesn't prove my point & my utter conviction & devotion to this game & I don't know what else would!



Need for Speed 5 - Porsche Unleashed / 2000

This was an unexpected change in the Need for Speed series (for me at least). Focussing on one manufacturer only? Would they maybe be develop other derivatives for other manufacturers like Ferrari, Mercedes, etc?

The answer was 'NO'!

We should probably count our blessings for that as EA wouldn't have been able to pull this off ever again!
Forever ever? Forever EVER!

I loved this game! You were basically taught how to drive a Porsche. Not only drive it, but also do 360's, handbrake turn & all sorts of other insane shit only test drivers & hooligans ever get to do...

Not to mention it also looked sooooooo good! It had non-linear race tracks - 2 to 3 different routes to get to where you need to be on certain tracks. It was a totally different game from the rest, but it was done well & is still rated as one of the best in the series!


Re-playability - Please EA, look up this term!
I know it seems foreign now, but you used to know it.
Just like the old get senile & forget things, you too forgot what this means!


The next blogging rant review will include the last six Need for Speed games.
This should probably be in about two weeks time.