When I was in elementary school back in the early 1990s my parents bought our first family PC. I don’t remember the specs on that behemoth, but it had a high tech CD-ROM drive and most likely just a fraction of the computing power my smart phone has today. Sure, there was the promise of word processing, spreadsheets and some new thing called the internet – but all I cared about was the video games. One of the earliest PC gaming memories I have came from The Need for Speed. It came in gigantic cardboard box and from what I remember it was the first racing game to feature real cars. I loved it, and somehow never imagined that a racing game could ever get any better than that.
Well, it’s been 20 years now and Need for Speed is as strong as ever – with regular game releases and even a feature film. To mark the 20th anniversary of the game, the NFS team has released this video that looks back on two decades of virtual racing with many nostalgic moments.
Here’s to another 20! Does anyone else have any great memories of Need for Speed?
Mike Garrett
Instagram: speedhunters_mike
mike@speedhunters.com
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
When I was 7, my dad brought home a copy of Need for Speed 2:SE. The first real connection I ever had with cars was through bouncing a black McLaren F1 off the Proving Grounds track walls. Eventually I moved on to the incredibly moddable NFS 4: High Stakes, which introduced me to the import scene via the community over at nfscars.net. I blame those early games for every ounce of my addiction to cars. They had the best music, too.
I think it was one of the first racing games I ever played. I think I started with NFS II and went from there. Although anything after Underground kinda went downhill and I stopped after that. But all the NFS games before that were epic, and consumed most of my childhood. Whenever I think of NFS, I think way back to what I think was Hot Pursuit 1 and there was a secret car. I can't remember the name, but it was some type of tropical storm. That is always the first thing to pop into my head.NFS also taught me how to pronounce Aston right.
Now I can't even find that secret car, so maybe it's a different game altogether? I don't know, but still, all NFS games from Underground on down were awesome.
Need for Speed Porche Unleashed was the first N4S game that i had a really proper rig to play. I was finally able to turn effects up all the way and I even went so far as to buy a PC steering wheel and pedals. I really thought I was learning to drive high end cars since nothing had ever looked that good. God save Canary Yellow 911
It was the El Nino, I found it. Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit.
EricSeanDelaney My man, exactly. My top choice has to be NFS Underground 2 with the crazy neon lights, tacky sound systems or even the nitrous purge that came in multiple colours... It was a really good investment back in the day and I spent many hours on this game.
On the other hand, the most recent NFS products were abysmal especially for PC users who kept getting badly optimised ports with a few or no innovations. Let's be realistic though. It is not easy to get a decent product when u get a new title every single year. It has been unanimous for years that people want NFS Underground 3, but we are deprived from the privilege of getting a well developed game and not another Hot Pursuit title.
I was always addicted to car racing games (Stunts, Test Drive, Car and Driver were some of the early titles). I must admit though, the NFS games kept the arcade feel fun (except for Shift... that style of gameplay was better performed by the Grid titles from codemasters).
theAught Yeah that was a good one. I was struggling to control the GT1 at something that looked like a test area with cones. I cannot remember specific details, but it was fun.
@Seeking Perfection EricSeanDelaney I'm still trying to find out when police would actually use a spike strip across a real hwy!
It still crashed less than GTA 4-5 does on the PC though.
Greatest need for speed memory of customizing the cars. What happened? Gran turismo has more visual upgrades now. Bring back underground and massive customization alla midnight club. Please
I played my 1st NFS when I was 4, my dad bought it for me. I can clearly remember the McLaren F1, and the videos who made me so crazy about cars, that made me study what I study today, and what I'll be doing in the future. I think all the Need for Speed games were very good, the worst ones like Undercover were at least better then any other one at the moment. I will never forget NFS III Hot Pursuit, NFS Hot Pursuit 2, Underground and U2, Pro Street and more recently Shift 2 Unleashed. I love Need for Speed, because it introduced me to car culture.
lost vegas in that purple high tech car from NFS1 back when 17" colour CRTs were considered massive...
The old ones were cool but they're too arcadey to play for long. Take Gran Turismo's JDM heavy car list, visuals and handling, add Forza's sounds and modifications and DON'T charge a crazy amount for DLC. Perfect car game.
JapCarVideos Add in gran theft auto sized maps to drive in including race circuits.
Started with NFS II SE, but it was the new-and-exciting NFS Hot Persuit that got me hooked. Anyone remember the great jump on the alpine course (if driven backwards)? Loved the cheater cars..... the cardboard box, x-wing, ice-cream truck, etc.
Hot Pursuit 2, Underground, Underground 2, Carbon, Most Wanted, Pro Street, Undercover, Shift, Shift 2..... Sigh... Still waiting on Shift 3 (aka Project Cars?)...
After nfs underground 1 and 2 the game series just went downhill.
Definitely not the first game to feature real cars, Test Drive had been doing that since the 80s. It was the killer graphics, video descriptions of the cars of which there were a lot for the time and physics that enabled cars to actually drive like real cars (ie lock up brakes, slide around on corners) that made it so revolutionary!
Big up on there 20th but gotta say unground 2 was a real legend, they should consider an upgrade...and really looking forward for shift 3
My first memories begin here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASUCj2Uyats
it was the little extra video's that got me hooked : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfF2W3abz0g
That wasn't even the first version. The original came out for a system few remember today, the Panasonic 3D0. It was one of the first gaming systems to use optical discs, and cost a whopping $399.99 in 1993/4 dollars. I saved my birthday cash, xmas cash, and everything I earned an entire summer mowing lawns, doing other chores, and helping old people with crap. I walked into waldensoftware at the mall, pointed to the 3D0, and plunked down all the cash on the counter. I remember walking out of the mall, and other kids were pointing and in awe. It didn't have a lot of games, but then this game came out... oh my god.
There were only three courses, and if I remember correctly, three tracks on each. You had to beat this douchebag that just lent you all his supercars, the radar detector was borderline realistic, and my favorite quote was "Wow. Man and steel. Becoming one. You waxed my ass, congratulations".
I hated that guy... but I loved beating him. The newer games are fun, but I think they missed out on that guys personality; he was so annoying you really wanted to beat him. After that, the games largely went downhill and got arcadey... which sucks. Hence why I switchted to Gran Turismo, then Forza.
JakWhite My God! THAT took me back!
i feel strongly that the new NFS should be more tuner friendly whilst delivering the thrill of pursuits, more creativity to modify cars like Forza while being totally able to free roam in a beautiful city and have street races and circuits to race too...just spitballing as a avid gamer and mechanic...
Hello,
Mike, You are not even close about the " first racing game to feature real cars".
You can find the PC Game "Stunts" from 1990 : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stunts_%28video_game%29
It was pretty cool back then, with the real dashboard and stuff ... plus name another game where you can drive the Lambo LM002 4x4 ?
Vell Let me ask the Internet Game Cars Database:
http://www.igcd.net/vehicles.php?make=Lamborghini&model=LM002
How about bringing back Sports Car GT? that was fairly sim like.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/97/Sports_Car_GT_cover.jpg
ToyotaSupraMan Oh thank you, this website is now in my bookmarks !
Original Need for Speed was by far most enjoyable because it was unique. It had a perfect blend of realism and fun, which no other racing game at the time, and unfortunately no other NFS game since then could match. I congratulate the franchise with this anniversary, but I do this with hopes that the developers will deliver the game with depth and balance that all enthusiasts want.
One of my first racing games was Need for Speed II (Not the special edition!) on the PC. It was a blast! I never quite got the hang of braking before turning (I was that young lol) but you know. My favorite part of the game was actually the car, track, and manufacturer showcases with the man's voice giving us facts and telling stories. It made every car feel important and real, and much more satisfying to drive! The speech about the McLaren F1 still gives me the shivers.
JakWhite YES!!!
"Need For Speed" was the very first game I played on PC. The cars on the cover design caught my eye (Porsche 993 Turbo and Ferrari 550 Maranello).
I've played every single NFS title, except for the latest 3 (The Run, Most Wanted 2012 and Rivals) because my PC's specs aren't up to par.
First NFS I played was NFSII with the Ford GT90 Concept.
But I have to agree with most here, Underground series was good, Carbon was GREAT! Shift, not amazing. Shift 2, Great.
Haven't even bothered to play another one since then!
NFS, downhill ever since the great NFS porsche unleashed
NFS Hot Pursuit.... Epic Races with my Black 993 Turbo
I got my start in the game industry modding SCGT funny enough! Virtua_LM forever!
They should add more Ferrari brands like the 360 Modena roadster. And maybe Supra & Skyline in the nxt NFS Hot pursuit. Or leave it to the makers.
Great memories from NFSU2 (imo the best entry in the series)
- learning about car tuning and driving by playing NFSU2 as a kid
- seeing the "Corolla" in there, thinking it probably sucks, watching Initial D, realizing it is an AE86, then trying it, only to find out it is actually the fastest cornering car in the game by far
- as long as you don't take 'blueprint the block' upgrade, engine sounds already better than those of GT6
Not so great memories from NFSU2:
- even though there are S2000 files in the game's folder, you can't actually play it in the game
- steering wheel driving physics are actually realistic, but someone forgot to program force feedback for losing grip by accelerating, it works for side forces though (weirdly)
Anyone else noticed that SH is becoming one infomercial? Look down the bottom of the main page and you will see the copyright information for the website - EA Games. The guys should at least take a nod to the fact that they are simply spruiking/advertising.
Love the site and SH content, could do without the amount of ads we're getting lately.
Need for Speed game I remember had a cockpit mode but I don't remember which one it was but I do recall driving the Lamborghini or Corvette quite a bit using the arrow keys on the keyboard and I was a terrible driver lol
The next NFS speed game I spent nearly 200 hours on was NFS Shift 2 Unleashed, I pretty much did every event in the game but my favorite car had to be Mad Mike's 3 Rotor FC3S that thing turned into a beast once you hit the 3rd/4th gear. I also spent a fair bit of time trying unofficial mods to change the way the cars handled but also dug into some of the files to see what gear ratios the cars were using, how much camber they used etc
I also raced on the Nordschleife quite a bit with every car but I'd always crash or wipe out near the Karrussel
Only other NFS game I played were NFS The Run, Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted these were pretty fun to play but I think I lost interest too fast. I drove like a mad man in Most Wanted literally taking the Egoist GT-R and smashing the Rhino units into walls or off a highway.
I think I still have nfs porsche unleashed in a box somewhere. Congrats on two decades
I'm the same age as the European release of NFS (31.08.1995), so maybe that counts for something
HolySteel I just remember making a Infiniti G35 sound like the meanest car ever in that game, with Yellow NOS jetting out of the hood.The game wasn't the most fun to play (I've honestly really enjoyed the mountain passes in the Run and Rivals), but it was the most memorable for the tuning. I agree that GT5 / GT6 never came close to the glory of engine and exhaust notes from that game!
my first Need For Speed was NFS III HP. It was the 1999 black friday edition that came with a MOMO Logitech wheel and NASCAR road racing.
What would be awesome though is if EA does a thing similar to what they did for 10 years of Battlefield, the first game of the series free to download, or possibly one of the early ones
o man i wish i wish EA / PSN would allow all these fantastic games on the store. years of memories i had with this franchise but unfortunatly fell out of touch.
WE NEED A NEW NFS SHIFT!!!!
Had every game since the original, being on different platforms. The first 3 games on P.C, the the next few on PS1-2. Now I'm an X-box fan boy. Being an aussie I can't help going past the first time playing 'High Stakes'. Having a Ford Falcon GT and a Holden HSV GTS I almost died in joy......and i was only 10ish and does anybody remember that hot rod cheat car with the "OH YEAH'' horn? lol Yes EA needs to make another 'Shift' and yes EA needs to make another 'Underground' but I'm also looking forward to seeing what they can do different as well. Just don't make another 'Cops vs Racers' game please!! The last few games have been getting boring.
2 years old sitting on a pile of old books to reach the keyboard on an old PC, playing The Need For Speed (1994). Best memory
<3
Enjoyed them all but my greatest memories come from NFSU2. Underground 2 took racing games to a whole new level. Everything about it was sick and I like how it utilized it's free roam.. Why have free roam if you aren't gonna use it, right? Me and my friends were addicted to challenging each other in multiplayer. Great times man! Underground 2 was something else I'll tell you. Was an amazing experience
All the good times.
I had NFS1 on PC but I also had a friend that had it for Sega Saturn. The stupid fun thing we did was when we played split screen. We'd pick this one road that had a really long straightaway. One of us would drive way down the road and then park the car sideways in the middle of the road. There was no look behind feature and even if you drove backwards on the track you couldn't see that direction. But we knew traffic was building up behind that car. We'd wait a few minutes and then the other player would take off from the starting line, reach full speed, and plow into all the traffic. It was so much fun. It's like we were playing Burnout Crash mode 15 years early. We took turns doing this for hours. And drinking of course.
NeedforSpeed SPEEDHUNTERS need for speed nitro
always Rocks.. I have bought my PC 4 years back.. played many of its part.. and I wanna say.. It always Rocks....
I love Rivals so much.. I'm going to play it again after upgrading my PC for a better gameplay.. waiting for another release, another rocking release..
need for speed rivals and hot pursuit are the best
It was 2004 I think when I was 5th grade. My parents bought me my first computer. The first NFS I actually played was NFS Underground 1, mostly because I was a lot into F&F back then. I knew this wasn't the first NFS game, so I made sure to try all of them released before Underground. Luckily I had a friend's dad who collected video games and was also into NFS since the beginning. I really loved NFS High Stakes and Hot Pursuit 2, and I said to myself " this is the kind of NFS I want to play ". And in 2005 something happened: NFS Most Wanted was released and in 2006 - Carbon. I really loved the police chases. I have spent hours in hot pursuits. Well my PC has gotten weak with the time and my parents couldn't afford to buy me a new one or upgrade so I was stuck with the same PC until last year, when I finally got a job, saved some money and bought my current PC, capable of running my currently favorite NFS games : Rivals and Hot Pursuit 3. I have also made sure to check out the older releases after Carbon. So I can happily tell that I have played all of the Need For Speed games ( except for the professional driving simulators ).
when i play NFS it helps me focus when i listen to linkin park songs especially the screamo ones
NeedforSpeed it was when I finished most wanted 2006 and 2012
Great games. Every one of them has some particularities that makes you fell good. I still play NFS U2, because for me it's the most complete NFS ever: exterior customization is fantastic,the city is big and never gets old for me, nice every-day cars makes you feel that you may own that car one day and customize it,and the posibility to buy performance parts and tune them is the salt and pepper of the game, the car sounds are just perfect(it is also fun to play with a wheel and quite realistic) LAN playing is a lot of fun, still doing it after all this years. It is good to remember the Most Wanted 2005 cop chases, all the adrenaline rush when you are about to escape. To bad the car physiscs changed a lot , into worse i say, comparing to U2. The muscle cars from Carbon were also amazing. ProStreet has pretty nice graphics, and the best vinyl customization from all NFS. Also the performance tunnig is as good as the one from NFS U2, maybe even better. Undercover is to be forgotten. Shift is a total diferent game, brilliant game though. After 2010 none of them can compete with the ones mentioned above.
I would like to see a new game with all these good stuff i just wrote; a difficult and smart game like in the old days. Forget about that "tap the brake and the car will start to drift-countersteer to keep drifting". I want to make the car drift (like in U2 or ProStreet or Shift) not the computer.
My greatest NFS memories come from Need For Speed 6: Hot Pursuit 2. I was on my final lap and had turned the last corner before the finish line and the finish was down a long straight road. So it was foot to the floor as it quickly turned into a drag race between one of the computer players and myself. The computer was winning until about halfway down the road when he hit a traffic car head on. That was one of the most epic crashes I had ever seen and boy was i laughing. Now, I have some pretty bad luck with computers. That is why I play the racing games, there is very little luck involved. But I would never have guessed what was about to happen after the computer hit that traffic car head on. That car came crashing down on the hood of my car and made me wipe out real good. I had never seen anything like that happen before in a racing game. That actually made me laugh a little harder more than it made me mad. The one thing I miss from that game though, is the helicopters that dropped flaming barrels that exploded when you hit them. It was awesome to see the cops hit them, and they were fun to hit just before the finish line so that you get this awesome finish camera. Man, I got so good at that game that I actually went searching for servers full of cheaters and still finished in the top three. The other people in the server were like, "Who is this guy?" Another funny thing though, is that I was only twelve when I was playing Hot Pursuit 2. I have to owe my skills though to Need For Speed Porsche Unleashed. The most realistic racing game ever. That is the game where Porsche helped Need For Speed make the cars perform in the game exactly the same way they would in real life. That game really taught me how to drive. All the challenges that were in the game. Having to make all these near impossible maneuvers around pylons and down winding roads. Wow, did that game ever give you some mad driving skills. I think NFS should make another game like Porsche Unleashed. Teach all these newbies that have joined the fan base these past few years how to really drive.
NeedforSpeed SPEEDHUNTERS That moment I watched the intro to The Run was pretty epic, too bad the game was not exactly on par.
Chris 'Haffy' Hafner What I really miss the the game that came out the same year as High Stakes. It was called Porsche unleashed and is the most realistic racing game ever. That is the game where Porsche helped Need For Speed make the cars perform in the game exactly like they would in real life. That and Need For Speed 3: Hot Pursuit and Need For Speed 6: Hot pursuit 2 were a lot of fun. I don't remember High Stakes that well though, even though I do still have it.
Rivals did have its ups and downs. NFS is really on to something with the multiplayer free roam. I really like that, they just need to have more than 6 players able to be in the same server at a time. The one thing I hate the most in that game though, is how you have to drift in order to do any real turning. In real life, sliding makes you go slower. It would be nice if the driving got a little more realistic.
I've enjoyed all he games since Hot Pursuit 2 but my favorite memories goes to The Run. My husband bought me this the first day it came out for Christmas and and from there I along with a pack of friends played it for 6 months straight. We were on playing everyday trying to beat our challenge records or trying to win cars or just beat each other in multiplayer, it was so much fun.
NeedforSpeed SPEEDHUNTERS Getting chased by a swarm of cops w/Mclaren F1 GTR in Celtic Ruins #NFSHS
NeedforSpeed SPEEDHUNTERS finishin Most Wanted '05 5 times in a row
For me the best Need For Speed games were Need For Speed II SE (ow nostalgia), Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2, Need For Speed Underground series and the 2005 Most Wanted, ProStreet (solely because some reason I loved the whole scene in it!) and SHIFT2!! Wish NFS does something really car culture and grass roots scene oriented like ProStreet but the racing is intense as the SHIFT series!! Happy Birthday Need For Speed!!
Playing Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit. Always the same track, called: Hometown. I even remember that song playing in the background, which is called Little Sweaty Sow by Saki Kaskas. Great game! It was the first Need For Speed I bought.
NeedforSpeed SPEEDHUNTERS BRING BACK UNDERGROUND
FaizKoyaa Hearing you loud and clear. We'll be sure to note your suggestion.
NeedforSpeed SPEEDHUNTERS reaching top 5 in #HotPursuit & #Rivals. Mastering the drifting technique in the two donuts of Charged Attack
My best memory is when i played Carbon on my ps2 once. I've jsut started a new save on it, came driving towards where the first garage is and see an trafic car just suddenly taking a hard right and slamed into the backwall. I got picture of it and thought it was funny and odd that it happend.
Thinking back to the first one. My NEC had the basic(s): Intel Pentium 66mhz, Win. 3.11/DOS 6.22, 4mb RAM, 328Mb hd, Multimedia CD, 28.8bps modem. When NFS II came out, I had to get a Voodoo 16mb video card to play. My NEC could play NFS III HP, High Stakes, and Porche Unleashed before it died. I would always upgrade or build a new system before the next NFS hit-the-shelves. Motor City Online is the only one I do not have. My dial-up could barely handle multiplayer. There are only 2 titles that I do not have for PC; Most Wanted 2012 and Rivals. Both are on the Xbox 360. Now I am just waiting to see if there will be a major patch to fix Rivals.
NeedforSpeed SPEEDHUNTERS playing Underground 2 with my bro, I miss that I still play to even tho I still haven't finished
playing nfs underground 1 in group of 4 friends,i was good in drift others were expert in other races..it was kind of fun
Underground one when i beat the Queen on the hardest difficulty that was the best feeling i ever had#nfsforlife
NFS Carbon and Most Wanted. Customizing every aspect of my ride was the best thing Need For speed ever had.
First need for speed, one of the first with cockpit view ( and AI traffic you could create massive pile ups )
My favorite videogame f all time was Need For Speed Underground 2. That game was the prime of custamizible cars. from gauges to audio and EVERYTHI(NG u could want, IF they made a 2014/2015 rendition w/ lots more crs i would be ALL UP ON IT
my favorites were NFS3, High Stakes, HP2, MW, and Carbon. Shift was boring, Underground shouldnt have existed, NFS Online was ok i guess. never played Undercover. NFS HP was good except you had to be online to play it.
what I would love to see back is the customization the stickers, multi colors and the lights underneath the cars, I use to take hours hooking a single car up please bring that back PLEASE
Viper_Prime customization AWW MISS THAT PS2 DAYS
NFS III: Hot Pursuit is the best for me until today, I want a game this level in 2015, I bought of closed eyes a new game arcade with cockpit view called Need for Speed 2015
NFS 2: SE! That was the first NFS Game i played, and i remember that back in Elementary schools when we got the PC for the first time, that game came with it and all we did in Computer class was to see who was the fastest and who can unlock the red hidden car faster!
I've been playing all the NFS games since I was 6! It was thanks to Hot Pursuit that I fell in love with the Mclaren F1 and it kicked off my love for cars. One of my favorites was NFS Underground 2, I played that through 3 times! Most Wanted was just too much fun. Can't choose my absolute favourite though. I grew up with NFS and will never stop playing!
I seen nfs porsche unleashed since I was 9 but I never played it........2 years later I finally played my first nfs game:Hot pursuit 2 on the pc....then underground 1 and 2 and then years goes by....I nearly played all the nfs games on the psp, I played two on the game boy and recently....I finished nfs most wanted 2005 not once but 5 times in a row since I played nfsmw2005 in 2012.....and I watched the movie as well.......I'm looking forward to the next year's nfs game and I can't wait.....hope I'll play more nfs games and I'll never forget that day I first played my first nfs game Happy 20th Anniversary Need For Speed
#NFS20
NFS underground 1 my first nfs.played it since I was 4.And when ug1 opens starts that amazing sound:dourundoumdoum duuoum sum...to the windooooooooooooooowXD best memory
@petersafwat62 NeedforSpeed most wanted 2005*
NeedforSpeed SPEEDHUNTERS i love when i played evo8 to collect bounty points in Most Wanted PS2
The first NFS i played was NFS II SE it was a lot of fun and very fast action at that time. My favorite NFS would definitely have to be NFS underground 2. All the customizations, the map, the drifts on the hill, lan play and also the story line was superb you actually feel like you are in the game and everything is happening to you. i finshed that game five times or more an different years. Only other game that i liked that much is GTA Sanandreas. All other NFS titles i also played and liked some more then others like MW i liked very much the Run also last but not the least NFS Porsche Unleashed was an exelent game. The handling of the cars in that was very tough and it was a lot of fun to play. Please NFS guys should remake NFS UG 2 and Porsche Unleashed.
I was about 6 years old and we had this pentium 133 computer. My dad downloaded the official nfs demo. He also hooked up a joystick and we played the demo a lot. Then a few months later, me, my little brother and my dad went to a cd shop. And there it was: this big light brown cardboard box 'need for speed special edition'. We begged dad to buy us the game. He did and we played the game every single day for at least a year. Im 25 years old now and i still play NFS. Love the series, keep on making the best racing games!
That screen shot above took me straight back to school! I loved that game and played it to death. Driving with those arrow keys on the keyboard - brings back happy memories.The coolest things about that game were the burnouts, cop chases and crashes. That game had awesome crashes for its time.
You know I still have the disk for the game somewhere.....maybe I'll take a look for it!
Wow, has it really been 20 years? I still remember the first time I got into the series from playing NFSHS. Then we got NFS3... then 2, then UG1. I instead worked backwards. I always loved the splitscreen version of it. Would have 14 minute long races in HS where my brother and I would spend most of the time doing jumps and crashing. Or getting hit by trains and try to lure the police onto the tracks as well. Was always funny. Nothing beats how NFSHS is in my eyes.
I still have NFS3 and HS on my PC. Plus editing programs that I have been using to try to get drifting physics. Those have gone a long way since I have started that project too. Happy 20th Birthday NFS, maybe I'll make a new video for in your honor.
NFS Porsche Unleashed on the PC, and the Shift series on XBox have been my favorite NFS releases. I loved Porsche Unleashed - 50 years of Porsches?! All the chassis and engine tweaking? You could make a right mess of your car in no time, or if you dialed it right, your 356 could cut some serious time. You couldn't drive some of the crazier 911s from the keyboard though (at least not my keyboard - if you weren't going straight it was either full-lock left or full-lock right!) A driving wheel made that game awesome.
The last couple (XBox) releases have turned me off since you can't drive a stick though. And this reliance on XBL with the most recent one? Forget it. I've lost interest since Shift 2, and I haven't played that as much as I did the original Shift. I think that was the last title that let you drive a stick and have some measure of control over the cars' dynamics.
The Run was an interesting idea too; I beat that game up for quite a while ...
i have loved need for speed since its release! i used to play all the games. but NEED FOR SPEED HASN'T RELEASED RIVALS FOR PC!!!!
DhaanishKaja Not sure where you've been looking, but Rivals on the PC's been around since for half a year now.
Wow, that headline image really takes me back to the original, played that a lot on my PC with a joystick for steering/brakes back in 97-98. I had the 'special edition' version of the original, I remember completing the game and unlocking the 'gravel' versions of the tracks and the special 'PTO' car.
The point-to-point races (City, Coastal and Alpine) were great, especially weaving through the traffic; each three-part race really felt like an epic adventure. I loved the way they got the sound and cockpit view so realistic, the gearing (Viper wouldn't reach top speed in 6th as that was an economy gear to cheat the US regulations), everything was really done with attention to detail.
NFS2 Intro Movie is still the best intro in racing games. I remember I was in secondary school. I printed car wallpapers in the game and sold it to whole class. I made some great money but now I realize it was a bad investment because of the printer cartridges =)
Oh and the last very very very TRUE NFS is the NFS: Porsche.
I still remember playing the 3DO NFS
RodChong I just read your "Frequenly asked Questions" Q&A from Shift 2 UNLEASHED, and was laughing at how some of the angry questions BEFORE the release of the game. I just bought this game a couple of days ago, as it was missing from my collection, and was impressed that the 3 year old game was still quite impressive for gameplay. Well done keeping your head and responding politely. Have you considered politics?
WE NEED A GAME WITH CUSTOMISATION AND STORY BACK THAT FOCUSES ON RACING AND NOT A CONSTANT BATTLE WITH COPS!!!! (WE WANT COPS BUT LIKE THEY WHERE IN MOST WANTED 2005 OR CARBON) PLEASE DONT LET US DOWN NEXT YEAR BECAUSE NEXT YEAR IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT IF NOT NEED FOR SPEED MIGHT DIE
nicolaspecoy10 Talk about being dramatic, the last thing the team needs are people screaming down their neck deciding the future direction of Need for Speed.
Also, why are you complaining to SPEEDHUNTERS? I don't think you've noticed, but there is a very specific group of people who you should be talking to. I'm going to let you figure that out yourself, you seem bright enough.
Still playing "NEED FOR SPEED: PORSCHE"
Test Drive (1987) also had real cars in it so ia guess that was the first to use real cars. Great series that was in the '80s and '90s.
There are only a few NFS games that counts for me:
-NFS (1994) the first was a nice game for that time but not the best.
-NFS 2 (1997) (best intro)
-NFS 3 HP (1998)
-NFS 4 HS (1999)
I still remember the best music from those 3 , the circuits, the cars (only supercars not boring normal cars), everything was nice.
-NFS Porsche (2000) best ideea, best real drive sim and that history thing with all that 356 was the best for me.
My fav are all 4 (nfs2,nfs3,nfs4 and porsche).
-NFS HP 2 (2002) the last good game
I don't consider NFS all that came after 2002. It's just something else some good some not that good. But none like the old ones. Bad new music, boring new car like veyron and that tuner cars from Asia, boring race tracks (except the real ones in shift), annoying and long cop chases...
Now days NFS and Test Drive are just some race games. The best is Gran Turismo but even GT is not like it used to be. The worst in GT is that there are too many stupid Asian cars (it's a japanese game so...). The real fun cars are from EU or US.
Mazda RX-7 (1995), furai concept, mitsubishi eclipse (1995), mitsubishi Evo (7,8or 9) and nissan skyline r34 (1999) are enough for Asia in games.
That's only my opinion, an old race games player. I don't want to upset anybody.Sorry for this long post.
Pro street, the best one. Then, Forza came out.
@NightmanRacer for me all the fun cars are japanese. theres just so many german cars in here and they all look boring. theire good and classy but they just look and feel boring to me. gran turismo is the only game i want to own a ps lol
owner of fc3s
My favorite need for speed is the nfs underground 2 although carbon is better but I think nfs U2 is much more fun as there are many features for you to pick based on your taste of modifying. Ever since I started playing nfs game I just love import Japanese car more and also into drifting!
Nitrogliserin huh? NFS PU is probably the most un-NFS there ever was. only one manufacturer. VERY deep customization. purchasing 2nd hand cars. it's awesome, but nah. HP2 was dude
iansteelmatheson Nitrogliserin HP2? Really? First NFS game without cockpit view which is completely against the spirit of NFS. Well done very good example.
Need fo speed has been the first game that I ever played and that was the day... I fell in love as I kept playing I grew more fond of cars and my favorite game was prostreet because of the storyline,customization and the game modes like drifting drag races etc. so NSF I hope you read this and see things you should add like the amazing customization options like in prostreet,carbon,undercover etc,the storyline and cars and thanks for an amazing series ^_<
Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2005 = one of the only nfs's to have a decadent storyline. to need for speed, i say:
BRING BACK THE STORYLINE!
Loved the underground ones and the carbon! Tottally addicted!