Played both the 3DO and PlayStation 1 versions of the game an equal amount (roughly an hour and a half's worth each, making 3 hours total!).
I’ve considered Need For Speed to be one of the racing greats, so I figured I would check in on some of the earlier entries I had never played, beginning with the first entry.
It is definitely a first-game syndrome title. The presentation is cheesy enough (I love my corny dated FMVs!) but ultimately has little content to bring it out of being nothing more than a demo.
The most the game provides you with is a couple of cars of which have practically no customization at all (though there is a section that contains precise vehicle data for each car with spoken commentary and short video clips highlighting the vehicles set to music which is likely where the Road & Track collaboration came in – the only time they were ever involved in the NFS series) and six courses in the game (though the 3DO version, having been released two years prior to the PS1 version, only has three).
The moment you get into the game, the visuals are the first thing to note. There have been much better looking racers on the PS1, but it winds up being a relatively pretty game – for the 3DO. Despite this, the scenic tracks wind up looking rather devoid of life save for the occasional traffic on the road. Other titles accommodated this by introducing vertex coloring for the tracks to infuse that bit more oomph, and I’m surprised that this was not considered for the PS1 version at the minimum.
You can choose the time of day but I’ve found this to not really be anything noticeable, they for the most part switch out the skybox here. The music (composed by Jeff Dyck, Saki Kaskas and Alistair Hirst according to the credits) is nothing worth honing on about either, as it winds up fitting the standard generic rock tracks that often plagued racers around this period.
The worst thing about this game, unfortunately, is the controls and the track design. Even if you select the automatic transmission for your car in the main menu prior to racing, you still have to shift to the first gear by hitting the R1 button to even start moving. Every race starts you with the cockpit view, which can be changed with the press of the triangle button, but I’d recommend sticking to the cockpit view anyways since these controls clearly cater to this view.
The steering is shockingly stiff for a game like this, especially since the PS1 version includes brand new closed-circuit tracks which require a fair bit of turning. The point-to-point tracks are a less painful way to play, though turns are still expected so it remains uncomfortable to get used to the controls.
The point-to-point tracks also feature traffic! It sucks! The moment your car collides with traffic (and it will happen given the unwieldy controls), you will lose control of your car and watch it fling itself against walls and other cars. In a race against several CPU players, this is a death sentence towards ever achieving a top position in the race which winds up making the game feel more frustrating to play rather than a fun experience.
Point-to-point tracks also feature cop pursuits, which is either a situation that ends prematurely because you’re driving so fast that the cop quite literally despawns, or it ends prematurely because you’ve crashed into so much stuff that the cop has instantly caught up with you. When a cop catches up to you, they will pull you over and issue a speeding ticket. Three strikes and your game’s over (though I’ve heard the Saturn version is even more strict with two strikes!), which is not uncommon knowing this game.
In conclusion, this is a game that I would only ever peek into as a curiosity over how the NFS series started. As an individual title, it ages in comparison to its contemporaries and it ages in comparison to future titles, both within its series and outside, that did the things this game set out to do in a much better format.
I’ve considered Need For Speed to be one of the racing greats, so I figured I would check in on some of the earlier entries I had never played, beginning with the first entry.
It is definitely a first-game syndrome title. The presentation is cheesy enough (I love my corny dated FMVs!) but ultimately has little content to bring it out of being nothing more than a demo.
The most the game provides you with is a couple of cars of which have practically no customization at all (though there is a section that contains precise vehicle data for each car with spoken commentary and short video clips highlighting the vehicles set to music which is likely where the Road & Track collaboration came in – the only time they were ever involved in the NFS series) and six courses in the game (though the 3DO version, having been released two years prior to the PS1 version, only has three).
The moment you get into the game, the visuals are the first thing to note. There have been much better looking racers on the PS1, but it winds up being a relatively pretty game – for the 3DO. Despite this, the scenic tracks wind up looking rather devoid of life save for the occasional traffic on the road. Other titles accommodated this by introducing vertex coloring for the tracks to infuse that bit more oomph, and I’m surprised that this was not considered for the PS1 version at the minimum.
You can choose the time of day but I’ve found this to not really be anything noticeable, they for the most part switch out the skybox here. The music (composed by Jeff Dyck, Saki Kaskas and Alistair Hirst according to the credits) is nothing worth honing on about either, as it winds up fitting the standard generic rock tracks that often plagued racers around this period.
The worst thing about this game, unfortunately, is the controls and the track design. Even if you select the automatic transmission for your car in the main menu prior to racing, you still have to shift to the first gear by hitting the R1 button to even start moving. Every race starts you with the cockpit view, which can be changed with the press of the triangle button, but I’d recommend sticking to the cockpit view anyways since these controls clearly cater to this view.
The steering is shockingly stiff for a game like this, especially since the PS1 version includes brand new closed-circuit tracks which require a fair bit of turning. The point-to-point tracks are a less painful way to play, though turns are still expected so it remains uncomfortable to get used to the controls.
The point-to-point tracks also feature traffic! It sucks! The moment your car collides with traffic (and it will happen given the unwieldy controls), you will lose control of your car and watch it fling itself against walls and other cars. In a race against several CPU players, this is a death sentence towards ever achieving a top position in the race which winds up making the game feel more frustrating to play rather than a fun experience.
Point-to-point tracks also feature cop pursuits, which is either a situation that ends prematurely because you’re driving so fast that the cop quite literally despawns, or it ends prematurely because you’ve crashed into so much stuff that the cop has instantly caught up with you. When a cop catches up to you, they will pull you over and issue a speeding ticket. Three strikes and your game’s over (though I’ve heard the Saturn version is even more strict with two strikes!), which is not uncommon knowing this game.
In conclusion, this is a game that I would only ever peek into as a curiosity over how the NFS series started. As an individual title, it ages in comparison to its contemporaries and it ages in comparison to future titles, both within its series and outside, that did the things this game set out to do in a much better format.