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Let's talk Need for Speed

S

strafer

member
nfsbannerm7oma.png

PLATFORMS: 3DO, PC, PLAYSTATION, SEGA SATURN, GAME BOY ADVANCE, PLAYSTATION 2, XBOX, NINTENDO GAMECUBE, MOBILE, NINTENDO DS, XBOX 360, PSP, WII, PLAYSTATION 3, IPHONE, IPOD TOUCH, NOKIA N-GAGE

History of Need for Speed

Part 1 | Part 2 |

Need for Speed began its journey back in 1994 and has released an astounding 22 games on all kinds of gaming systems, ranging from pure racing to street racing and running from the cops.

18.road_tracks-box.jpg
17.nfs_2-box.jpg
16.nfs_3_hot_pursuit-box.jpg
15.high_stakes-box.jpg


14.porsche_unleashed-box.jpg
13.hot_pursuit_2-box.jpg
12.underground-box.jpg
11.underground_2-box.jpg


10.most_wanted-box.jpg
4.carbon-box.jpg
5.prostreet-box.jpg
9.undercover-box.jpg


6.shift-box.jpg
7.nitro-box.jpg
8.world-box.jpg
nfs_nfshp_pack.jpg


nfs_s2u_pack.jpg
nfs_nfstr_pack.jpg


To keep things going I will include some basic questions.

  • What is your favorite Need for Speed game?
  • What do you think about the direction the series has taken?
  • What is your favorite Car/Track/Character (in the later part of the series)?

Feel free to discuss.

My favorite of the bunch has to be High Stakes. I remember being amazed by the dashboard view, had a pretty cool intro too.

i wouldn't mind a Underground 3 if (read; ofc they will) EA decides to do another.
 
A

Atolm

Member
Loved the first one for 3DO, then NFSIII and Porsche Unleashed for the PC, then Hot Pursuit on PS2 and finally Hot Pursuit for PS3/360/PC. Never cared about The fast and the Furious-style games.

Hot Pursuit is the perfect reboot to me. Brings up the same "Coast to coast with supercars" feeling as the original NFS with great online features and breathtaking landscapes.
 
Y

Yamibito

Member
There have been some great titles in the series, the Hot Pursuit entries being my favourites of the bunch, I wish they would stop releasing one or two a year though even if it's different devs.
 
B

-bakalhau-

Member
NFS III earns my favorite medal because of the dynamic and incredible soundtrack. But high Stakes does have more content...

Most wanted was incredible. The police chatter was very well done and the chases were the best in the series.

There's been lots of good games in between too.
 
C

cmonmanreally

Member
What's the online community for the latest Hot Pursuit like? The multiplayer looked really fun when it first came out but I never picked it up.
 
D

Double D

Member
Really have a soft spot for Underground 1. Did a lot of cheesy car customization competitions on another message board back in the day.
 
R

Risk Breaker

Member
NFS III: Hot Pursuit. So many hours as a kid, with my father. :( I hate what they've done to NFS and the fact that it still sells more than enough to be kept this way...
 
X

xXJonoXx

Member
My Favorite NFS game is probably High Stakes. It's the one I played most as a kid.
Also very good entries are Hot Pursuit (PS1), Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2), and Most Wanted (the only good game for 360 for a few months to me at launch).

Basically for me, when police chases aren't the major feature of a NFS game, it's nowhere near as good.

Favorite character: Sergeant Cross - Most Wanted
 
G

GitarooMan

Member
Atolm said:
Hot Pursuit is the perfect reboot to me. Brings up the same "Coast to coast with supercars" feeling as the original NFS with great online features and breathtaking landscapes.
Click to expand...
I completely agree with this, it finally returned to that great mix of different awesome environments and supercar racing.

Hot Pursuit 2 on PS2 was classic along with the original Hot Pursuit and I enjoyed Most Wanted (maybe the greatest cheese-fest story ever) and Carbon as well. Pro Street was pure garbage and Undercover was almost that bad as well. The first Shift I thought was pretty enjoyable as well, even though it was a departure from traditional NFS, haven't tried the second.
 
D

desu

Member
NFS4 was the best, loved the tracks and all the mod cars the community released. After that Porsche, Underground and Most Wanted were cool. Cant really get into most of the recent titles.
 
C

Codeblue

Member
I played the hell out of the original Hot Pursuit before my mom accidentally broke my CD. Still haven't picked up the reboot.

It's actually the only NFS I've ever played. I'm not a huge racing fan.
 
B

Bgamer90

Banned
My favs:

Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed: High Stakes

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2

Need for Speed Underground

Need for Speed Underground 2

Need for Speed Most Wanted

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit (2010)

Loved all of those games; more so the hot pursuit / cop chase games in that bunch
 
TheMan

TheMan

Member
Haven't touched this series since Underground 1, probably never will again. I really liked the first one on PSX as well, but nowadays I associate the series with mouthbreathing 10 year olds.
 
B

Berksy

Member
I remember the times when NFS II&III were the shit.

New games are too easy, even for a person who is not very into racers like me.

But i actually liked Shift.
 
B

Bgamer90

Banned
TheMan said:
Haven't touched this series since Underground 1, probably never will again. I really liked the first one on PSX as well, but nowadays I associate the series with mouthbreathing 10 year olds.
Click to expand...

you should try out Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit 2010.
 
S

Strike

Member
TheMan said:
Haven't touched this series since Underground 1, probably never will again. I really liked the first one on PSX as well, but nowadays I associate the series with mouthbreathing 10 year olds.
Click to expand...
I pretty much feel the same way (about the EA Black Box games anyway). I haven't touched a game since Underground and the Burnout series pretty much all I need.
 
K

kamspy

Member
I need a new Need for Speed Underground. Not so much the car style, but the city hud and arcade with a dash of sim driving model. Burnout has the city, but too much arcade to scratch my NFS Underground itch. Plus all the car modding.

Shift (modded) is about the closest thing I can find on PC to Forza or GT. The racing sims on PC usually exceed the limitations of my controller. I still really want a Forza/GT level racing sim on PC.

Overall favorite: Hot Pursuit 2 on PS2. That game came out of no where and rocked my shit for months.
 
D

DMeisterJ

Banned
Need for Speed Most Wanted and Underground 2 were both so amazing. Ready for Most Wanted 2 and Underground 3 for next year's release.
 
A

AlphaTwo00

Member
For me, I've played a ridiculous amount of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Underground was also great (Underground 2 was shit). Dabbled with Carbon, wasn't too fond of it. Shift (and Shift 2) was interesting as a more sim focused game. Also spent a ridiculous amount Hot Pursuit (2010), mostly because of the geniuses over at Criterion.

I'm fairly indifferent to where the franchise goes, it's got enough branches to be whatever it wants. They just need better devs and better execution (or more time for the right polish).
 
iNvid02

iNvid02

Member
it spikes and dips like crazy, you get an amazing nfs and then 2 bad ones.
hot pursuit 2010 is my fav followed by most wanted
 
A

AlphaTwo00

Member
Strike said:
Criterion game.
Click to expand...
Well yeah, you said Burnout is all you need. I played the shit out of Paradise, and thought Hot Pursuit was a pretty good concession of Criterion design and NFS feel.
 
B

baekshi

Banned
anything else besides these, I don't have;
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2
Need for Speed Underground
Need for Speed Underground 2
Need for Speed 3 Hot Pursuit
 
G

gokieks

Member
I played all of the Need For Speed games up until the current console generation (with the exception of the handheld semi-spinoff versions) and last year's Hot Pursuit. For me, the best NFS is without a doubt NFS III: Hot Pursuit on PC (and only on PC). The game looked gorgeous back in the day, and there was a pretty amazing modding community for adding all sorts of bat-shit insane vehicles. That alone makes it quite possibly still my favorite racing game ever - I mean, I could "drive" a TIE Interceptor at like 350MPH!
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
I didn't mind Underground. Underground 2 would've been okay if it didn't require the whole Cinqular phone bullshit. On the bright side: I liked the point-to-point races.
 
G

GQman2121

Banned
The PSX games were great. If they were to make it onto the PStore, I would buy them to transfer to play on the go.


TheSeks said:
I didn't mind Underground. Underground 2 would've been okay if it didn't require the whole Cinqular phone bullshit. On the bright side: I liked the point-to-point races.
Click to expand...

Makes me yearn for a proper Road Rash game.
 
X

X26

Banned
All-time most played for me is easily high stakes, wonder if they ever remade any of that game's great tracks like dolphin cove and celtic ruins
 
C

Confusion Illusion

Banned
NFSIII and High Stakes are my favorites followed by Hot Pursuit 2(PS2 version), Most Wanted, Hot Pursuit 2010. I passed on Porsche Unleashed, never cared for Underground games and I don't have much interest in the Shift series.

I'll admit I have a bit of a soft spot for NFSII, even though it wasn't really well received, iirc.
 
BrokenSymmetry

BrokenSymmetry

Member
I put hundreds of hours into the Shift games. The incredibly immersive cockpit view, and the great selection of real-life tracks, for me override any other drawbacks these games may have.
 
M

MadOdorMachine

No additional functions
Strafer said:
140px-nfs_hp2001rneuz.jpg
140px-71bhrncccml._aat5d6z.jpg





To keep things going I will include some basic questions.

  • What is your favorite Need for Speed game?
  • What do you think about the direction the series has taken?
  • What is your favorite Car/Track/Character (in the later part of the series)?
Click to expand...
Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2) is still the pinnacle of the series imo. The new Criterion game was the closest to dethroning it and setting the series on the right track. I still play NFS:HP2 on PS2 to this day. It has held up really well and I would love an HD remake of it or the ability to download it's tracks in a newer game. Why is it so good still to this day?

- Excellent course designs/gameplay
- Tons of cars to choose from
- Beautiful graphics (PS2 version)
- No story mode

I think the reason NFS:HP2 was good is because they stuck to the basics. They focused on gameplay. Finding shortcuts to out run the cops and competition was a blast. There were also a ton of unlockables - something we rarely see today as it's been replaced with achievements/trophies.

Hot Pursuit did a lot right to make the series fun again but their biggest mistake was not including circuits imo. Autolog is great, but you're severely restricted with which cars you can pick in what race. If you have a favorite car, it's impossible to race it on your favorite track unless you go online. That is a serious flaw to any racing game. Anyway, they also force the annoying crash/cop camera on you. I wish you could have turned that off in the Criterion game. Nothings more annoying than taking the control out of your hands in the middle of a race and then placing you randomly on the track. I'm pointing out the flaws a lot, but it's still the best NFS game to come out in a while. I feel like if they fixed these issues, it might be one of the best racers of all time.
 
mr stroke

mr stroke

Member
My favorite NFS-

No circuits, just awesome point to point driving with amazing graphics(in its time)
3OXVu.jpg
TnyfB.jpg





2nd would go to Shift 1, Still the best cockpit view in any game.
 
G

GSR

Member
I have very fond memories of playing NFSII and NFSIII splitscreen with my neighbor. Especially fun was NFSII, which had codes that let you replace your car with any model in the game. I dare you to find me another game that lets me crash a T-Rex on wheels into five other cars at 80 miles per hour.
 
B

Broder Salsa

Banned
I liked some of them on PS1. Kind of downhill from there from the sequels I played (which wasn't all of them), especially disliked the underground games which all my friends loved the shit out of.
 
N

[Nintex]

Member
These are the good/great entries in the series:

  • Need for Speed II
  • Need for Speed II: Special Edition
  • Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
  • Need for Speed: High Stakes
  • Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed
  • Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
  • Need for Speed: Underground
  • Need for Speed: Underground 2
  • Need for Speed: Most Wanted
  • Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)

  • What is your favorite Need for Speed game?
    - NFSII: SE holds a special place in my heart.
  • What do you think about the direction the series has taken?
    - Ups and downs really, I don't think the 'Shift' games are Need for Speed games and should've been a seperate IP. Some games like Carbon were actually offensive and The Run looks shit despite Hot Pursuit from Criterion being totally awesome.
 
P

Parch

Member
I've always thought of Need For Speed games to be B-Grade. They're alright, but compared to the big hitters they lack. Forza and the arcade gems make NFS seem real cheap.
 
S

strafer

member
So I decided to play some Most Wanted and the AI still pisses me off.

Final lap and I hit one of those famous bridge columns; BAAAAM!!! and the rest just casually drives past me and I couldn't for the life of me catch up again, I were like 15-20 sec behind.

No matter how much power I put in the car they are still faster than me.

Damn that rubber band AI.

Most Wanted is a great game but the AI is ridiculous.
 
F

Fallout-NL

Member
/edit: Sorry Strafer, don't have anything to contribute on the merits of Most Wanted. :D

Strafer said:
15.high_stakes-box.jpg


My favorite of the bunch has to be High Stakes. I remember being amazed by the dashboard view, had a pretty cool intro too.
Click to expand...

Yeah, High Stakes was a fantastic game. Porsche Unleashed was enjoyable as well, but the series went down the drain pretty quickly after that.
 
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