While never quite reaching the influence and quality of those competing franchises, Shift nevertheless produced something worth playing for hardcore sim fans. Shift focused instead on delivering a bonafide racing sim experience more akin to the likes of Gran Turismo and Project Cars. It’s hard to imagine a Need For Speed style without up-and-go arcade-style gameplay, but Need For Speed: Shift did just that.
Whatever side of the law you play on, the chases are systematically intense, breathless affairs soundtracked to an excellent playlist of songs courtesy of the EA Trax label. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 also allows you to play as the police, who’ve their own stacked arsenal of cars and equipment to hunt down speeders. Set loose on a broad roster of varied and well-conceived tracks with a robust stable of luxury motors from big-name manufacturers like BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Dodge, McLaren, Porsche, and Lamborghini to choose from, players don’t just vie for the top spot on the podium, but must also evade the cops in genuinely gripping pursuit sequences.
#GAME PC NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND SERIES#
It was released at a time when NFS was at the height of its powers and is a confident, irreverent racer that saw EA take the best of the series and iterate upon it with excellent results. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2Īlthough released nearly 20 years ago, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 captures the essence of the series for many who’ve followed its rocky history in the intervening years. A healthy selection of cars, all customizable to boost speed and looks, and a bevy of varied modes, including checkpoint races and online multiplayer, delivered hours of frantic driving fun that in many ways embodies the very best of what Need For Speed can be. Of course, racing other cop-avoiding street racers formed a core part of the experience, all packaged in a suitable light and enjoyable story of revenge and plenty of era-appropriate kitsch in its so-bad-they’re-good cutscenes. Endlessly exhilarating, it’s a true highlight of a hectic era for the franchise.
Most Wanted’s polished pursuit system saw police respond differently depending on how much heat you’d built up, dialing up the aggression, turning to more drastic tactics like spike strips, and calling in the big guns in the form of a swooping helicopter when pushed to the limit. Firmly rooted in street racing, the game delivered a snappy and responsive driving experience that truly came to life as you attempted to lose the fuzz through the surprisingly varied streets of Rockport. Need for Speed: Most WantedĢ005’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted took the best of series predecessors and threw in a load of upgrades and new features, enhancing the series’ signature police pursuits. Here’s a round-up of the best Need For Speed games, each one worth revisiting or trying out for the first time. Whether your fancy veers more towards the grit of street racing, track racing, or the adrenaline-pumping thrill of a high-speed car chase, there’s a Need For Speed game for you. The franchise has never shied away from throwing caution to the wind and trying something new with successive reboots and attempts to rekindle the spirit of its 90s and 00s heyday. Iconic alongside franchises like Gran Turismo, Need For Speed has weathered its fair share of ups and downs along the way, but the main aim of delivering a thrilling, arcade-style driving experience persists to this day.
With a first entry dating back to the early 1990s, Need For Speed is a mainstay of the racing genre.