Un vistazo al Need for Speed original

[azufre36@video.hardlimit.com]

Need for Speed, a video game created in 1994 by EA with the collaboration of the prestigious magazine Road & Track. It's a... strange game, and I never really felt like playing it. Despite its graphics and attention to detail (Road & Track even recorded the sound of shifting gears on each vehicle's gear stick), the result in terms of vehicle handling and AI behavior is disappointing. What saves it are those incredible features on each car included on the disc.

We'll continue the saga!

[HIAL-9000]

Video Summary
The author outlines his intention to play through the Need for Speed series this year, highlighting its cultural impact during the tuning era and his personal connection with PlayStation 2 titles like Underground 2, Carbon, and Most Wanted, which he considers the true representatives of the franchise. He divides the saga's history into four phases: the classics (the original, Need for Speed 2, Hot Pursuit, and High Stakes); the Black Box era following EA's acquisition, which revolutionized the genre with customization and tuning; a third phase of sequels and reboots like Hot Pursuit 2010, Most Wanted 2012, Rivals, and Shift; and a final post-2015 stage, which he criticizes for prioritizing visuals and microtransactions over gameplay.

To kick off this retrospective, he plays Need for Speed (1994) on its MS-DOS version, developed with advice from Road & Track magazine to maintain vehicle realism. Although he selects iconic models like the Porsche 911 993, Ferrari 512, Toyota Supra, and Mazda RX-7, he quickly becomes frustrated with the controls. The driving feels strange and unintuitive, featuring heavy steering, confusing gear shifting, and physics that blend arcade elements with simulation attempts. Additionally, he points out recurring issues such as AI rubber-banding (the rubber-band effect), invisible walls that block progress, and inconsistent vehicle response, particularly in corners.

On a technical level, he praises the graphics and sound of the PC version, considering them superior to the PS1 or Sega ports, though he notes that the RX-7's audio isn't convincing, while the Ferrari achieves noticeable realism. After several urban races featuring traffic and police patrols, he manages to secure a victory by using tactics like driving through ditches, but he considers the overall outcome disappointing due to the unfair difficulty imposed by the AI. In conclusion, while he appreciates the car lore system and historical data about the vehicles, he deems the original game flawed due to its unpolished controls and inconsistent handling, with only that documentary aspect redeeming it from the rest of the experience.

[cobito]

Well, yes, you have to judge the first NFS by the standards of its time. I looked it up, and the game was released in '94, but for PC it came out in '95. To put things in context, a year before NFS, in 1993, Lotus: The Ultimate Challenge was released. It was a very popular game, it was 2D, and it was quite common to play it on PC using the built-in speaker instead of a sound card.

That is to say, fidelity in sound, physics, and graphics were still beyond the technical capabilities of the time. And NFS likely stood out for that attempt, even if it hasn't aged as well.

For me, the early NFS games were a revolution in every sense, although it's true I didn't play the first one back when it came out. It shifted from pure arcade with not the slightest intention of realism to laying the groundwork for what has become the most popular racing games, thanks to that blend of arcade and simulation.

I started with the second one. I replayed it a few years ago and I'd say it suffered the same fate as the first: it's fine as a historical curiosity (as you mentioned), but that's about it.

[azufre36@video.hardlimit.com]

@cobito@foro.hardlimit.com Totally agree, back then racing games were still practically arcade-style, and EA with NFS was years ahead technologically. They went from Pole Position, Super Mario Kart, or 80s-style 2D games to using real cars on a real 3D map.

You have to look at the technical merits of NFS 1, the graphics are amazing and artistically it's beautiful, but ugh, the controls are very weird. It's arcade-style but they try to give it a touch of realism by making the steering heavy (I understand Road & Track magazine wanted to give it that essence), which feels very odd on a keyboard. And well, with the tracks you can tell they're already in 3D and they want to emphasize it with very exaggerated hills and dips where the car loses grip. The technology is amazing, but the controls don't convey anything to you; sometimes it just won't turn because it doesn't want to.

Between that weird gameplay feel, the punishing AI, the invisible walls... I don't feel like playing it again, especially since it also has no progression, just times recorded like an arcade machine. We'll see how the next ones in the saga turn out, I'm sure they'll be up to snuff

[vreyes1981]

The first NFS was released before the PC, PSX, and Saturn versions on the short-lived 3DO. And the "fishbowl" port comes from this console; it's very difficult with a keyboard but quite playable with a gamepad. In fact, the videos are identical to those on Trip Hawkins' console, as is the menu, which was completely copied over, unlike the other console versions.

[azufre36@video.hardlimit.com]

@vreyes1981@foro.hardlimit.com To be honest, I didn't even know the 3DO existed. I hadn't come across that console in Spain, but from what I'm reading, it makes sense that they would debut on the 3DO given that EA was one of the platform's main developers and Trip Hawkins was involved. It must have been amazing to see those graphics on a "console" in the mid-90s, especially with a well-adapted controller. Honestly, using a keyboard is pretty horrible and just doesn't convey any sense of driving at all.

I'll play the subsequent entries in the series on a PS1 emulator specifically for the controller support, even though the graphics and sound are quite a bit worse.

[vreyes1981]

@azufre36@video.hardlimit.com The original console dates back to 1993, but it wasn't released in Spain until 1995 through imports. Its power wasn't bad for its time, but the reason for its failure was its price: $500.