Games - Need for Speed

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	Games - Need for Speed

Need for Speed (NFS) is a series of racing computer and video games by Electronic Arts released on platforms including personal computers, Nintendo, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable consoles. The games consist of racing with various cars on various tracks.

Origin of the series

Need for Speed 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. 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 and Electronic Arts Seattle continued to develop, and expand the Need For Speed franchise for many years. In 2002, another Vancouver-based gaming company, named Blackbox Software, was contracted to continue the series with the title Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Blackbox was acquired by Electronic Arts shortly before the game's publication and the company was renamed Electronic Arts Blackbox. Since then EA Blackbox has been NFSs primary developer.Need for Speed installments
Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed (1994)
The original Need for Speed was released for 3DO
in 1994 with versions for PlayStation
, PC (DOS
), and Sega Saturn
following shortly afterwards (1995 and 1996). 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 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted) 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 got arrested (which happened with the third ticket.)

The first installment of the NFS series was beyond doubt the only serious attempt to provide a realistic simulation of car handling and physics without arcade elements. 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.
Need for Speed SE (1996)
A little known edition of Need for Speed, Special Edition is sometimes considered as the lost episode of Need for Speed, though it wasn't significantly different from the 1995 PC release.

Available only on PC CD-ROM, it contained both a DOS and Windows 95
version. The Windows 95 version supported DirectX
2 and TCP/IP networking, included 2 bonus tracks and various enhancements in the game engine. This is the last game in the series to support DOS as future releases for the PC will only run on Microsoft Windows 95 or above.
Need for Speed II (1997)
NFS II featured 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 elimated until the only leading racer remains, and wins.
[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Need for Speed ]

Games - Need for Speed

Origin of the series

Need for Speed installments

Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed (1994)

Need for Speed SE (1996)

Need for Speed II (1997)

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