''Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed'' is a
racing video game
Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
developed by
EA Canada
EA Vancouver (formerly known as EA Burnaby, then EA Canada) is a Canadian video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened as Distinctive Software in January 1983, and is also Electronic Arts's largest and ...
, originally known as Pioneer Productions, and published by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
, released for the
3DO in 1994, and ported to
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
in 1995. Another version of the game, ''The Need for Speed: Special Edition'', was released in 1996 for the
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
, and
Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
platforms. The original 3DO version offers eight sports cars, including several exotic models and Japanese imports, and tasks the player with racing in three realistic point-to-point tracks either with or without a computer opponent. Subsequent ports of the game normally include an additional ninth car and have more tracks, including closed circuits. Checkpoints, traffic vehicles, and police pursuits commonly appear in the races.
The game was noted for its realism and audio and video commentaries.
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
collaborated with automotive magazine ''
Road & Track
''Road & Track'' (stylized as ''R&T'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. It is owned by Hearst Magazines and is published 6 times per year. The editorial offices are located in New York, New York.
History
''Road & Track'' (often ab ...
'' to match vehicle behaviour, including the mimicking of the sounds made by the vehicles' gear control levers. The game also contained precise vehicle data with spoken commentary, several "magazine-style" images of each car's interior and exterior and short video clips highlighting the vehicles set to music.
''The Need for Speed'' was a commercial success. Video game publications praised the incorporation of realism into the gameplay and graphics, as well as the inclusion of
full motion video
Full-motion video (FMV) is a video game narration technique that relies upon pre-recorded video files (rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models) to display action in the game. While many games feature FMVs as a way to present information duri ...
s. It is the first installment released in the
''Need for Speed'' series, which has influenced several racing games. It was also sold in Japan as ''Overdrivin' DX''.
Gameplay
The premise of ''The Need for Speed'' involves racing in sports cars, including several exotic models and Japanese imports. The original 3DO version includes three point-to-point tracks, each divided into three stages; subsequent ports feature both the point-to-point tracks and new closed circuits. The Saturn and PlayStation versions include an additional three tracks.
Traffic vehicles appear in races, and may be avoided by the player. Police pursuits are also a key gameplay mechanic, with the player ticketed or arrested if a police car succeeds in catching up with them. Players are arrested if they receive a third police ticket (or a second ticket in the
Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
version). In the special edition, completing the tournaments (or entering a cheat) unlocks the "rally" mode, where car dynamics are changed to make for a faster 'arcade' experience, as well as the "Warrior PTO E/2", a fictional jet-powered sports car.
Except for the aforementioned Warrior, each car in the game comes with detailed specifications, history, audio commentaries and real-life videos, which would also be featured in subsequent games in the series, though this was omitted in later games. A replay feature allowed the player to view a saved race. Multiple camera views, playback speed and video navigation are offered.
Multiplayer consists of a two-player head-to-head racing mode, which requires computers connected via
modem
A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...
.
There are a total of six courses in the game (three in the 3DO version
): City, Coastal, Alpine, Rusty Springs, Autumn Valley and Vertigo. Each is a distinctive environment. City, Coastal and Alpine have three sections each, while the others are circuit races.
There is an extra track in the game, named Lost Vegas, which can be unlocked by winning all of the tracks above in tournament mode. A flag in the bottom right corner of the track's image indicates a victory in the menu to help the player keep track of the progress.
Development and release
![3DO-FZ1-Console-Set](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/3DO-FZ1-Console-Set.jpg)
''The Need for Speed'' was noted for its realism and audio and video commentaries. Electronic Arts collaborated with automotive magazine ''Road & Track'' to match vehicle behaviour, including the mimicking of the sounds made by the vehicles' gear control levers. The game also contained precise vehicle data with spoken commentary, several "magazine-style" images of each car's interior and exterior and short video clips highlighting the vehicles set to music. ''The Need for Speed'' was released in 1994 for the 3DO.
Ports
In 1996, an edition of ''The Need for Speed'', ''The Need for Speed: Special Edition'', was released only on PC CD-ROM, containing MS-DOS and
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...
versions. It includes two new tracks ("Transtropolis" and "Burnt Sienna") and various enhancements to the game engine. The Windows 95 version supports
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with "Direct", ...
2 and
IPX
Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) is the network layer protocol in the IPX/SPX protocol suite. IPX is derived from Xerox Network Systems' IDP. It also has the ability to act as a transport layer protocol.
The IPX/SPX protocol suite was very po ...
networking.
''The Need for Speed: Special Edition'' is the only game in the ''Need for Speed'' series to support MS-DOS, as subsequent releases only support
Windows 9x
Windows 9x is a generic term referring to a series of Microsoft Windows computer operating systems produced from 1995 to 2000, which were based on the Windows 95 kernel and its underlying foundation of MS-DOS, both of which were updated in subs ...
.
In June 1995,
Atari Corporation
Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when WarnerMedia, Warn ...
struck a deal with EA in order to bring several titles from their catalog (including ''The Need for Speed'') to the
Atari Jaguar CD
The Atari Jaguar CD is a CD-ROM peripheral for the Jaguar video game console.
Atari announced a CD-ROM drive for the Jaguar before the console's November 1993 launch. Codenamed Jaguar II during development, the Jaguar CD was released on Septem ...
. These ports, along with ''The Need for Speed'', went unreleased.
Japanese versions
In 1994,
Electronic Arts Victor
was a joint-venture between Electronic Arts and Victor Entertainment. They made sports games for the Family Computer, Super Famicom, and the Mega Drive. This brand name is unknown outside Japan and the emulation community (since the brand only a ...
translated the 3DO version of ''The Need for Speed'' into Japanese, and released it in Japan as '.
The PlayStation port of the game was exported to that country as ' in 1996.
Two additional
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
-sponsored versions of the game were announced at that year's
Tokyo Game Show
, commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. The ...
:
' (released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn)
and ' (released in 1997 for the PlayStation).
The former's car lineup consists only of Nissan vehicles, whilst the latter exclusively features
Skyline
A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land.
City skylines ...
models.
Reception
The game reached number 5 in the UK sales chart. The PC version reached the top ten in many software retailers charts for several months following its release.
''The Need For Speed'' was met with positive reviews. The four reviewers of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' scored the 3DO version an 8.0 average, with two of them giving the game a 9.0 or higher. They praised the game's realistic graphics and sounds, addictive gameplay, and exceptionally clever use of full motion video.
''
GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' gave it a rave review as well, commenting that the selection of cars "will leave car buffs drooling" and the realistic graphics and handling of each vehicle "infuse the game with taut realism and fascinating variety." They expressed disappointment over the lack of two-player mode, but felt that the exceptionally challenging enemy AI largely makes up for it. ''
Next Generation
Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to:
Publications and literature
* ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company
* Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'' reviewed the 3DO version of the game, and stated that "while everything is in place for a truly great game, the unfortunate and total ''need'' of speed prevents ''The Need for Speed'' from ever being more than a pleasant Sunday drive."
British magazine ''PC Power'' gave the Windows version a score of 95%, praising car handling, graphics and overall presentation, but criticizing hardware requirements and sound.
Jim Varner of
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
gave the game a "Great" rating of 8.3/10 citing "With its marvellous attention to detail, exotic course design, and straightforward gameplay, this game is a true winner. Simply put, The Need for Speed is the next best thing to owning a $200,000 sports car!".
The two sports reviewers of ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' applauded the PlayStation version for its fast racing and excellent controls.
Air Hendrix argued in ''
GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' that "With all these improvements,
he PlayStation versionis practically a sequel to the 3DO game, and it plays like one." He made particular mention of the additional courses, the handbrake, the improved displays, and the faster speed of the game.
A ''
Next Generation
Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to:
Publications and literature
* ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company
* Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'' critic likewise found it faster and more responsive than the 3DO version, and held it to be one of the PlayStation's best racing games to date.
Other magazines were more critical, with PSM criticising the "obtrusive graphics", and saying that it "isn't an immediately enjoyable game – the idiosyncracies only serve to annoy." ''Maximum'' complained that the driving lacks intensity and that cars are too resistant to crashes, though they acknowledged that the graphics are moderately impressive.
Air Hendrix rated the Saturn version as "comparable with – and occasionally better than – the impressive PlayStation version", highlighting the controls in particular as superior to previous versions of the game. He concluded, "The gameplay demands both precision driving and cajones, and although mastery takes time to achieve, Need's ultimately more satisfying than
Daytona Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it.
Daytona may also refer to:
Locations
* Daytona Beach Shores, Florida
* South Daytona, Florida
* The Daytona Beach metropolitan area
* Halifax area, also known as Da ...
or
Sega Rally
''Sega Rally'' is a series of racing video games published by Sega and developed by several studios including Sega AM3, Sega and Sega Racing Studio.
The series released its first title, ''Sega Rally Championship'' in 1994. Initially, ''Sega Rall ...
." Rob Allsetter of ''
Sega Saturn Magazine
''Sega Saturn Magazine'' was a monthly UK magazine covering the Sega Saturn, a home video game console. It held the official Saturn magazine license for the UK, and some issues included a demo CD created by Sega, ''Sega Flash'', which included ...
'', however, said that while ''The Need for Speed'' is good on its own terms, it looks dated compared to the two games Air Hendrix referenced. He also disliked the game's elements of realism, arguing that racing games are more fun when they indulge in wild fantasy.
A ''Next Generation'' critic said it was "Certainly as fast, but not as crisp as the PlayStation version", but nonetheless "A better racer than most."
''The Need for Speed'' was a runner-up for ''Computer Gaming World''s 1995 "Action Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to ''
Crusader: No Remorse''. The editors wrote, "''The Need for Speed'', Electronic Arts' incredibly fast and enthralling driving game, almost caught the checkered flag. Multiple courses with distinctive feels, brilliant SVGA graphics, and some of the hottest iron on the road made this 3DO conversion a worthy entry into the PC action game arena.""
In 1996,
GamesMaster
''GamesMaster'' is a British television programme which originally aired on Channel 4 from 1992 to 1998. In 2021, it returned for a new series on YouTube and E4. It was the first UK television programme dedicated to video games.
Dominik Diam ...
ranked The Need for Speed 87th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time." In the same issue, they also rated the 3DO version 6th in its "The GamesMaster 3DO Top 10."
See also
* ''
Grand Prix Unlimited'', another ''Road & Track'' licensed game
Notes and references
Footnotes
Citations
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Need for Speed, The
1994 video games
3DO Interactive Multiplayer games
Cancelled Atari Jaguar games
DOS games
Electronic Arts games
* 01
PlayStation (console) games
Sega Saturn games
Video games developed in Canada
Video games scored by Jeff van Dyck
Video games with digitized sprites
Windows games
Video games set in the United States
Video games set in Europe
Video games set in the Las Vegas Valley
Video games with alternative versions