Need for Speed for the Playstation

Features:
1 or 2 player with either split screen or link cable
Choose from 8 cars including the Lamborghini Diablo VT, Chevy Corvette
ZR-1, Porsche 911 Carrera, Ferrari 512TR, Acura NSX, Mazda RX-7, Dodge
Viper RT-10 (rag top up only), or the Toyota Supra. Real world data and
video of each car available.
Race against one or several computer opponents, with or without other
traffic and police (ala Road Rash), or against the clock.
Four views in race mode (full screen, behind the wheel, behind the car,
or helicopter) and 7 views in replay mode (add chase cam, farther
behind the car, and opponent view).  Replay mode also includes
slo-motion and an option for automatically changing camera views.
Six tracks including 3 race courses and 3 cross country, plus a bonus
track. You can also choose from 3 times of day for your race.
"Real world" physics for car crashes (although the cars are apparently
made of neutronium since nothing seems to damage them).
Full support of Mad Katz wheel and NeGCon controller.

Let me start by saying that Need for Speed is not a racing game in the
classic sense; it is more of a driving sim.  Originally programed for
the 3DO and later ported with improvements to the PC, NFS resembles an
old program named TEST DRIVE more than Daytona or Ridge Racer.  If you
are looking for 300 yard power slides that perfectly follow the apex of
turns this program is going to be a disappointment.  On the other hand,
if you want a realistic driving game you should check this one out.

The graphics of this game are excellent.  Frame rate is average for the
PS and the seams between polygons are sometimes evident (a common
complaint on PS games) but there is NO apparent pop up and scenery is
often beautiful, with waterfalls, canyons, glaciers, beaches, forests,
and plentiful bridges and track side objects. When you enter a tunnel
or covered bridge the ambient lighting changes and the effect is even
seen on your dash (which makes the Corvette's digital Christmas tree
dash lighting especially pretty). The heads-up display includes a map
section, speedo, tach, elapsed time, and current position but
unfortunately it remains on the screen when the behind the wheel view
is chosen (although the speedo and tach on the dash work) taking up
valuable screen space.  The texture mapping is of lower resolution than
Wipeout but is nicely detailed and is Gorand shaded into the distance. 
One annoying problem that is becoming common on PS ports is that there
is too much contrast in shaded areas.  For instance, when entering a
tunnel on the alpine course it is almost impossible to see.  I can live
with this since it would happen in real life but in real life I would
have my headlights on (not an option in the game).  But my biggest
graphic gripe is that any time you deviate more than about 30 degrees
to the side you automatically shift to the outside view.  I would much
rather ride out the crashes and spins from the inside view.  This also
makes going backwards on any track impossible (unless you want to drive
with the car facing you).

And in case you missed it, I said NO POP-UP. Although the tracks use
curves and hills to limit your line of sight there are long stretches
of road that allow  you to set up your entry into a turn.  On several
tracks you can see down a hill to a covered bridge and through the
bridge to the turn on the other side.  Pop-up can ruin a great driving
game fast (Daytona on Saturn is a prime example) since driving fast
when you can't see where you are going is not fun.  Kudos to EA for
realizing this.

All those pretty graphics are worthless without good control, though,
and this is where NFS falls a little short.  Part of this is due to the
realism of the driving model. If you hit the brakes hard at 120 you
will more than likely understeer and wind up in the weeds- just like
you would in real life- but even at low speeds it is more difficult to
steer than it seems it should be.  Power on oversteer is almost
impossible even with cars that are prone to it, like the 911. The jury
is still out as to how much of this is realism and how much is poor
control.  I will say this, in many ways the driving model for the
individual cars seems right on. If you come off the gas quickly in a
turn while driving the 911 it will oversteer like crazy, something many
a new 911 owner has found out the hard way. While I can't vouch for all
the other cars, the ones I have driven seem very accurate. (I just wish
my current car, the Mitsubishi 3000, had been included.) The other
problem with Need for Speed is the Feel of Speed.  While not nearly as
lethargic as the 3DO version was, it is still difficult to tell the
difference between 60 and 120.  The full screen view helps this
somewhat (it was available on the 3DO version with a cheat code but was
still letterboxed to a size just slightly larger than the windshield
view) but then you are stuck with that hood ornament feeling.  Despite
all this kevetching it still seems the most accurate driving model I've
seen on a console game.  I think it may be the only (console) game that
can actually make you a better driver in real life.

Another minor gripe is when you cross a checkpoint of finish line the
car immediately goes into a full lock slide.  If you are in back of the
pack and WFO trying to catch up this makes for some spectacular crashes
since the other cars will be waiting for you sitting in the middle of
the road but it's still a little depressing to finish a race only to
crash just past the finish line every time.

All in all I would say Need for Speed is well worth buying, but if you
love arcade racers like Daytona or Ridge Racer you may want to rent
before purchase.  It may be short on seat of your pants thrills and has
a steep learning curve but like other great racing games (such as
Wipeout) it will reward patience and perhaps keep you from making your
insurance company rich.

jberzins@ix.netcom.com