Retrospective of NFS games
This article was written for the release of the twelfth installment in the NFS series - NeedforSpeed Undercover. It sums up EA's 14-year activity in the NFS department. I would like to believe that they won't rest on their laurels, but will continue to delight fans with their creations… Let's drop this lyrical digression and get back to the topic.
As usually happens, it all began with the very first game - NFS: Road&Track. If we imagine the whole series as a river, then Road&Track is the estuary. It was this game that determined the quality of the water and the speed of the current. In the year of its release (1994) it struck almost all computer owners dead. The system requirements were very democratic, which made the game universally accessible. Here the developers clearly bet on realism - the physics of car behavior, the geometry of their bodies, video and audio effects, etc. were like the real thing! Unfortunately, a flaw can be found everywhere, and this game was no exception - only seven tracks, clearly not enough cars, graphics corresponding to the era, only 2 race modes. It seems to me that all this is forgivable - after all, it was released long ago, and in general this was the developers' first such experience, so nitpicking is simply silly…
Need for Speed 2 changed relative to its predecessor, but one cannot say definitively in which direction - good or bad. Two driving styles appeared, a split-screen mode, there were more tracks, and more picturesque ones at that, the number of cars increased, but the race mode with law enforcement disappeared, the gameplay became arcade-like, and realism dropped sharply. There is no single opinion here and there cannot be, so let's leave it to the judgment of the people.
About NFS: Hot Pursuit one thing can be said – this is the first NFS game in which progress was visible in practically all aspects:
1. the guardians of order returned, and with improved artificial intelligence at that.
2. the number of tracks increased (from 8 to 9).
3. you can race only in North America, but in the fastest and most exotic cars!
4. new game modes appeared.
5. an interesting option emerged - setting up the race yourself.
6. finally you can be in a police car not only in the back seat!
Having disappointed many gamers, NFS 4: High Stakes brought nothing new except a fairly large number of tracks, partially stolen from NFS HP. It contained the same cars and similar game modes.
But NFS 5: Porsсhe Unleashed, released in the anniversary year two thousand, surprised with new cars, tracks and game modes. Quoting one of the users, I'll say – "the racing ended, and then street racing began". This is indeed so, because races in previous games took place only on tracks, while here also on the streets!
NFS: Hot Pursuit 2, like the first HP, became a new push for the further development of the series and an increase in the speed of the current of the river we all love. Here there were as many as seven game modes and four varieties of tracks!
The river widened, the current became no longer so calm, the year 2004 was marked by a remarkable event - the seventh NFS game came out… Need for Speed Underground clearly wins compared to previous installments – the cars were updated, and there were more of them, the tracks run exclusively through the city, which brings us closer to street racing life, for the first time a semblance of a Hollywood plot appears, predominant in modern NFS games. The only thing that hindered its triumph was the absence of police.
What is happening?! Riffles have formed on the river! The current is faster and faster! Now fans thank EA for Need for Speed Underground 2! This game has new game modes, but the best of them is the exploration mode. Before, you could race only against rivals and only on a specific track, but now – a whole city is at your disposal! As in the first Underground, everything is centered on tuning, both visual and technical. But again, the absence of cops spoils the picture!
What is this?! Why?! Why is our river completely strewn with whirlpools and depressions?! Because the era of the classics ended and a new one began – the modern one. The waves tear large stones from their places and smash them against each other, striking showers of sparks. The sparks give birth to wonders, namely - NFS Most Wanted; NFS Carbon; NFS ProStreet and finally NFS Undercover… They are too different and multifaceted to compare them. BUT! But they have a common trait – they are all unique in their own way, among them there is a game for any gamer that will suit their taste…
Some people prefer the classics, but personally I hold this opinion – the future belongs to the modern era, and one cannot turn one's back on it… This river will never dry up completely, because street racing will remain in our hearts forever...
Author: Ralor, for nfs.place.