Need For Speed Collection Xclusive TEAM WBZ

Need For Speed Collection






Introduction



Need For Speed (NFS) is a series of racing video games by Electronic Arts, released on platforms including the personal computer, 3DO, PlayStation, PS2, PS3, GameCube, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, and various other gaming platforms. The games consist mainly of racing with various cars on various tracks, and to some extent, include police pursuits in races. Since Need for Speed: Underground, the series integrates car body customization into gameplay.

History


The Need for Speed series was originally developed by Distinctive Software, a game studio based in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to Electronic Arts purchase of the company in 1991, it had already created popular racing games such as Stunts and Test Drive II: The Duel. After the purchase was made, the company was renamed Electronic Arts Canada. The company capitalized on its experience in the domain when it began developing the Need For Speed series in late 1992.

Electronic Arts Canada continued to develop and expand the Need For Speed franchise for many years. In 2002, another Vancouver-based gaming company, named Black Box Games, was contracted to continue the series with the title Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Black Box Games was acquired by Electronic Arts shortly before the game's publication and the company was renamed Electronic Arts Black Box and became a part of EA Canada. Since then EA Black Box has been NFS's primary developer.

The original Need for Speed was released for 3DO in 1994 with versions released for the PC (DOS) (1995), PlayStation (1996) and Sega Saturn (1996) following shortly afterwards. Most cars and tracks are available at the beginning of the game, and the objective is to unlock the remaining locked content by winning tournaments. The first version featured chases by police cars which remained a popular theme throughout the series - the so-called Hot Pursuit editions (Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Need for Speed: Carbon) have sold better in the marketplace than intervening versions. The initial version also featured an obnoxious opponent who taunted the player if the computer won the race or the player is arrested (if the player is ticketed several times).

The first installment of the NFS series was beyond doubt the series' only serious attempt to provide a realistic simulation of car handling and physics without arcade elements except Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, which is the most realistic. Electronic Arts teamed up 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 interior and exterior and even short video-clips highlighting the vehicles set to music.

Based on the 1995 PC release of the game, and was released only for PC CD-ROM in 1996 It featured support for DirectX 2 and TCP/IP networking, two new tracks, and various enhancements in the game engine.

The Need for Speed and its Special Edition are the only games in the series to support DOS, as subsequent releases for the PC only run on Microsoft Windows 95 or above.

Features some of the rarest and most exotic vehicles ever available, including the Ford Indigo concept vehicle, and features country-themed tracks from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. A new racing mode was also introduced in NFS II dubbed Knockout, where the last racers to finish laps will be eliminated until the only leading racer remains, and wins.

Many fans of the first edition of Need for Speed were disappointed to find NFS II was arcade-like instead of preserving the realism of NFS.[verification needed] Though the gameplay was arcade-like, the levels were intricately well designed.[verification needed] In addition, track design was more open-ended; players could now "drive" off the asphalt, and even cut across fields to take advantage of shortcuts.

This version includes one extra track, extra cars, and support for Glide, the then-burgeoning 3D graphics standard used in 3Dfx's Voodoo and Voodoo 2 graphics cards.

Hot Pursuit mode was added, in which the player either attempted to outrun the police or be the cop, arresting speeders.
NFS III took advantage of the multimedia capabilities of the CD-ROM by featuring audio commentary, picture slideshows and music videos. This game also is the first in the series to allow the downloading of additional cars from the official website. As a result, modding communities have sprung up to create more vehicles which would otherwise be unavailable to the game.

High Stakes introduced several new types of gameplay: High Stakes, Getaway and Career. High Stakes is a racing mode in which the reward was the losing player's car. Getaway requires the player to outrun a pursuing police vehicle for a given time period. Career mode incorporates a monetary reward system that allowed a player to purchase vehicles and performance upgrades while earning cash by racing in a chronological set of tournaments

Another innovation is the introduction of damage models. Vehicles which have been involved in accidents featured visibly crushed car bodies and suffered from performance penalties. After a race in Career mode, the player is given the option to purchase repairs. The mode also allows players, for the first time, to upgrade cars, although the feature simply consists of switching between three upgrade levels for each car.

This is different from the previous versions because it featured only Porsches and featured a wealth of information regarding them. The cars handled more realistically than in any other NFS game, and there is an in-depth catalogue of different Porsche parts that span throughout the years. The player had to win races in the Evolution career mode to unlock cars in chronological order from 1950 to 2000. Porsche Unleashed also featured a Factory Driver mode, where the player had to test Porsches with various stunts and move on with his career. The game is also the first NFS game that didn't have a split screen mode. However, the game did contain a well constructed LAN multiplayer feature.

In terms of game construction, it is most often hailed as Need For Speed's best collaborated effort to bring forth one singular car brand and amplify and deepen the depth of knowledge both on history and motor functions. It features historical videos and many pictures of old photos of Porsche vehicles. The Evolution concept was a hit for many people, creating many new Porsche fans due to the game's high level of academia and depth of Porsche cars. The Factory Driver was also a different kind of unlocking, except to do with performing and excelling in certain slaloms, speed races, deliveries, etc.

The debut Need for Speed title of Blackbox Software and the first Need For Speed for the "sixth-generation" of consoles. Hot Pursuit 2 draws primarily from the gameplay and style of NFS III; its emphasis was on evading the police and over-the-top tracks featuring lengthy shortcuts. Although the game allowed players to play as the police, the pursuit mode was drastically less realistic than preceding versions of NFS; players merely needed to "tap" a speeder a certain number of times to arrest them, as opposed to using actual police tactics such as the PIT maneuver or utilizing spike strips to immobilize a speeding vehicle.

For the multiplayer mode of the PC version, GameSpy's internet matchmaking system was used in place of Local Area Network (LAN) play. Hot Pursuit 2 is also the first Need for Speed to forego an original instrumental rock/techno soundtrack in favor of songs sung by licensed song artists under the EA Trax label. The game is also the first in the series to lack an in-car cockpit view that was available in preceding Need for Speed titles.

While well-received by the press, it lacked the realism and sheer depth of Porsche Unleashed. Strangely, different versions of the game were produced for each system; the best version, according to the gaming press, was the PlayStation 2 version, with the Xbox, GameCube and PC versions generally considered inferior. (EA Seattle developed the inferior versions, they were not ports of the PS2 version which was developed by Black Box Games.)

A complete re-imagining of the series' formula, Need for Speed: Underground shifts focus to the import tuner culture, offering a career mode that features a storyline, and a garage mode that allowed players to fully customize their cars with a large variety of brand-name performance and visual upgrades. Races take place fully at night, and police pursuits were also forgone characteristics that were reused in the sequel Need for Speed: Underground 2. Instead of hundred-thousand dollar exotics, Underground featured vehicles associated with import tuner culture. This, plus the increasingly arcade-like controls, became points of controversy for NFS fans. Despite this, Underground was commercially very successful.

It is rumored that the car manufacturers were very strict in how their vehicles were to be portrayed in this game, especially considering the "illegal street racing" reputation of the tuner culture. EA took some effort in making the races appear as sanctioned racing events, and included a public service announcement in the game's introduction. In addition, vehicles do not have damage models.

While the PC version of the game featured Internet multiplayer, it strangely lacked LAN multiplayer capabilities. This limitation could be overcome with the use of third party utilities.

The sequel to the commercial hit Need for Speed: Underground, was released on November 15, 2004. A demo of the game was placed as a "late" easter egg in finished copies of the EA Games and Criterion Games collaboration Burnout 3: Takedown, and completed versions of NFSU2 also have a demo of Burnout 3 in the game.

In Underground 2, the story continues, but there are new racing modes such as the Underground Racing League and Street X, new and more tuning options, as well as a new method of selecting races just driving around the city (similar to Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club II) and selecting race "beacons". Also included is an "outrun" mode where a player can challenge random opponents on the road and the race leader will attempt to distance themselves away from the opponent to defeat the opponent (similar to Tokyo Xtreme Racer). Underground 2 also introduces several SUVs, which could be customized as extensively as other Underground 2 vehicles and used to race against other SUV racers.

The customization features in the game was significantly expanded to modifications that have no actual affect to vehicle performance. The sound systems, for example, could be put in the trunk of cars, but served no purpose other than sheer flash (like the numerous carbon-fiber parts throughout the game that do not alter the performance characteristics of the vehicles). The game also features more extensive product placement for companies with no connection to auto racing, such as integrating the logo for Cingular Wireless, an American wireless communications company, into the game's messaging system and displaying it on-screen for much of the gameplay.

The performance and handling of the car is not only affected from "performance shops", but things like spoilers and hoods, also affect the downforce of the car.

Released on November 15, 2005, and is one of the first games released for the Xbox 360. Police chases make a comeback and represent a significant body of the gameplay, and includes the Grand Theft Auto-like free-roaming of Underground 2, but with less extensive vehicle customization features than in the Underground series. The story mode is presented in a significantly different style from Underground, with CGI effects mixed with live action. The mode also features a blacklist, consisting of 15 racers that the player must beat one-by-one to unlock parts, cars and tracks.

The "Black Edition" of Most Wanted features additional races and challenges, and two bonus cars, a specially-tuned BMW E46 (M3) GTR and a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, and also includes a Black Edition-only behind-the-scenes DVD. Both versions of Most Wanted are available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows-based PCs. Only the standard edition of Most Wanted is available for GameCube and Xbox 360 ("Black Edition" was not produced for these platforms).

The PlayStation Portable port of Need for Speed: Most Wanted is Need for Speed: Most Wanted: 5-1-0.

Need for Speed: Carbon Nighttime racing and drift races have returned, possibly in response to the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Initial D: The Movie. Carbon sees the return of nighttime-only racing, and a selection of cars similar to that of Most Wanted, including compact cars and sports cars associated with import culture, American muscle cars, and supercars. Carbon also introduces a new feature wherein the player is allowed to form a "crew", to which members may be assigned with specific tasks that aid the player in races.

The game was released on November 1, 2006 for Windows-based personal computers, followed by video game consoles and handheld game consoles. Carbon's handheld ports are known as Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City. Drag racing was removed from the series. There was a special race which was named "Canyon Duel". It had two parts. One: you had to follow as closely as you can to your foe while earning points. Two: you had to stay as far as you could from your opponent without losing all your points. The pursuit system is still there, but it is harder to evade it. Police are faster and there is more equipment that they use to try to catch you.

Need for Speed: ProStreet is the latest title in the Need for Speed series and was announced by Electronic Arts on May 31.
Key features of the game include very advanced graphics, realistic damage (not in wii version), realistic racing (instead of the arcade-like racing of previous titles), modelling, burnouts and more.
The realistic damage modelling seems to be a very important factor of gameplay. In an interview with the game's producer, he put high emphasis on the idea of gambling with the player's skill: "Do you want to push the limit and risk wrecking your car, or just play it easier..." - Game's Producer.
Also, the director made a strong emphasis on the AI Skill in the game saying that "computer players will be much more difficult - capitalizing on any mistake you make." He also added that they can make mistakes as well giving the player a chance to wreck their vehicle as well. The tracks will all be closed, thus the races will all be fully legal, eliminating the police aspect of the games. A final point is that of tuning the car; Any modifications, including body kits, can seriously affect the performance of the car.

Need For Speed: Undercover (c) Electronic Arts

11/2008 :..... RELEASE.DATE .. PROTECTION .......: Securom
1 :.......... DISC(S) .. GAME.TYPE ........: Racing


You never thought it would turn out like this, an all-out chase where you're
the hunted. And the hunter. Now you must get behind the wheel and risk
everything to infiltrate a ruthless international crime syndicate and take
them down.

The man you're after is a maniac behind the wheel, and he's driving like his
life depends on escape, which maybe it does. He's the one with all the
answers you need, you will track him down. Needless to say, that fleet of
police cruisers in your rearview mirror won� make things any easier.
It will take all of your experience, and every ounce of skill, to outrun the
law, take down the enemy, and unlock the truth that puts an end to this
chase once and for all.

Shift into high gear! Designed to deliver a true driver's experience that
reflects contemporary motorsports, Need for Speed Shift is built by
racers for racers. Need for Speed Shift delivers an authentic and
immersive driving experience, replicating the true feeling of
racing high-end performance cars like neverbefore.
Players are thrust into the heart of the action with immersive
and exciting features including a stunningly realistic first-person
cockpit view camera and an all-new crash mechanic, providing an unrivaled
sensation of the speed and feeling of racing a car on the extreme edge of control.

NEED FOR SPEED HOT PURSUIT (2010)

This November, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit launches you into a new open-world landscape behind the wheel of the world's fastest and most beautiful cars. From Criterion, the award-winning studio behind the Burnout series, Hot Pursuit will redefine racing games for a whole new generation.

You'll experience stunning speeds, takedowns, and getaways as you battle your friends in the most connected Need for Speed game ever. Through Need for Speed Autolog and its innovative approach to connected social competition, your Hot Pursuit experience will extend beyond the console onto the web, constantly moving your gameplay in new and unique directions.

Loaded with action, this game will challenge you to become Seacrest County's top cop or most wanted racer. For the first time ever in a Need for Speed game, you'll be able to play a full career on either side of the law. This fall, whether you're a lead-foot speeder or a cop with a mean streak, make sure your aviators are spotless and your driving record is anything but.

RELEASE DATE: November 16, 2010