I used to own Need for Speed on the 3DO, so I will make some comparisons to it.

Synopsis:

The game is basically a driving simulator, featuring 8 exotic cars (at
least they used to be exotic when the game first came out). You can choose
to drive any of these cars against time, the computer, or a human (both
2-player and link-up are supported).

Good points:

* Frame rate
The frame rate has been greatly improved over the 3DO version, making it
much better. I believe that the game's speed overall was increased,
probably due to complaints about its slow gameplay. In addition, the
graphic quality is just as impressive (in my opinion), with virtually no
pop-up and pixelation.

* Many tracks
There are seven tracks. Those who remember the 3DO version will be familiar
with the three off-road tracks (City, Coastal, and Alpine), but there are
three new closed-circuit tracks (a.k.a. racing tracks). There is also a
secret track that shows up if you win on every track in the tournament
(more about that later).

* More play options
There are four ways to play the game: Time Trial, Head to Head, Single
Race, and Tournament. The Time Trial is when you race solely against the
clock, with no traffic or cops to bother you. In Head to Head, you race
against the computer or a human opponent. In Single Race, you race against
several opponents (one of which can be a human). In Tournament mode, you
race all tracks against all opponents in a quest for First place and the
Championship (not to mention the secret track)

* In-play music
In the 3DO version, you were restricted to sound effects during the game.
However, on the PSX version you can now listen to music during play.

Bad points:

* Control
What happened here? In the 3DO version, the game was simple to pick up, yet
difficult to master. On the other hand, the PSX version is difficult to
handle even after a couple hours of play. A good example of the difference
can be seen in the curves. On the 3DO all you had to do to adjust to the
typical understeer was to let go of the accelerator or press on the brake.
However, on the PSX version, the brake does *nothing* to increase your
steering angle, and letting the accelerator go has a minor effect. On most
sharp curves, I usually crash into the barriers unless I start steering
into the turn very, very early. Hopefully, this will get better after some
more play time.

* Less spectacular crashes
There seems to be less susceptability to crashes, which is both good and
bad. Although it is better for gameplay, I do miss the ability to create a
great-looking car crash fairly often.

* Cartoony font
I hate the new cartoony way of displaying speed, gear, and time. Look at
the screenshots. Enough said.

* Generic music
I always thought that the 3DO version had great music during the options
menu. However, in the PSX version it seems to have evolved into generic
hard-rock sounding music that just plain sounds, well, forgettable.

*Crappy FMV
I know, I know, it's unimportant to most of you. However, for me, it's a
great wow factor for friends. Although the FMV is crystal clear, it is very
slow and stutters a lot. In fact, it seems that they just ported the 3DO
FMV, and I know the PSX can handle better.

Conclusion:
I'm sure that I am missing a lot of stuff, but if you want more info on the
game, look at reviews of the 3DO and PC versions. Overall, I'd have to say
that you should rent it first. If you can get the hang of it, then go for
it. Otherwise, it's just eye-candy.


{Then, after a few more hours of play...}

Synopsis:

I have now played the PSX version of Need for Speed for a while now, and
I'd like to add/clarify a few points that I made in my earlier post:

* Tournament mode
The Tournament mode is not like a racing season; you face eight other
opponents on every track. You can go through them in any order, but to
access the secret track (and a rumored secret car), you need to finish in
first on every one of them. You get unlimited tries to come in first. This
is good because of the next point:

* Difficulty
Even after playing for a while, the game is DIFFICULT. The best comparison
may be with the Rapier class in Wipeout. I have gotten good enough to win
two of the six tracks in the Tournament mode so far; in order to win, you
must run almost a perfect race. I am now starting to look at the difficulty
as a challenge; what kind of game would it be if I could finish it in a
day?

* Control (changed)
With experience, I can now control the cars fairly well. (NOTE: It is
easier to deal with sharp curves if you learn how to use the manual
transmission.) In fact, I am having a blast racing with all the different
cars and their physics models. It seems to be analogous to the "Pro" level
on the 3DO version. For those of you with no prior NFS experience, the
game's control is like Wipeout: difficult at first, but much more enjoyable
after some practice.

*Crashes (changed)
I have now experienced some awesome crashes, albeit at a lesser frequency
than in the 3DO version. The reasons for this are that in Head to Head,
there is less traffic. Also, in the Single Race and Tournament modes, there
is NO other traffic except for the competing cars.

Revised Conclusion:

I can now highly recommend this game to others. However, be aware of the
game's learning curve. If you are willing to spend some time familiarizing
yourself to the game's controls (at least several hours), then you will be
richly rewarded with what is, in my opinion, the best Playstation game to
date. However, if you enjoy pick-it-up-and-go games, you may not find this
game compelling. (Games I think have a learning curve include Twisted Metal
and Wipeout.)

--------------------
Kyung Soo Choi
M. I. T.
gronk@mit.edu