Review: Need for Speed 2: Part 1© Dan Finkelstein
Apr 29, 1997
I sometimes feel like the computer gaming industry is getting a little too close to the movie industry -- games these days are using famous actors, full motion video, and orchestral-quality musical scores in an attempt to create a better final product. Do these tricks help? Well, that is a matter of debate, and one which I will not get into now. One aspect of the movie industry from which I think many games are starting to suffer is the dreaded "sequel" curse. While the first of a series may be ground-breaking, the following sequels decrease in quality. For example, I think we can all agree that the second "City Slickers" was not as nearly as good as the first, and it is obvious that it was made just to profit from the successful first movie.
The same goes for computer games. The King's Quest series, which used to be amazingly creative and innovative, has recently sunk to the level of abysmal. The only reason Origin's Ultima series seems to be continuing (what are they at now? Ultima Eleven?) is that its original creator has a high position in the company. So, usually I am very wary of sequels.
However, I am happy to report that the "Need For Speed 2" bucks the trend. NFS2 is an excellent game, which manages to capture all the great aspects of the first game, and add on them. While "Need For Speed" was graphically stunning when it came out a few years back, the designers at Electronic Arts have obviously been spending time refining the graphics engine. There are a total of six "international courses" on which to race your eight high-performance supercars. (McLaren F1, Ferrari F50, Lotus GT1, Jaguar XJ220, Ford GT90, Isdera Commendatore 112i, Italdesign Cala, and the Lotus Esprit V8.) They also promise an additional car and track when you win the various tournaments, although it will most likely take me a long time to get there, because this game is hard. Don't even think about playing this game if you don't have a joystick or gamepad -- it's nearly impossible with a keyboard. The computer opponents are amazingly precise and very rarely make a mistake when in the lead (although giving them a bump on the rear fender has been known to send even the best driver into the wall).
Each car is meticulously modeled and textured with photo-realistic textures -- you can even choose your own car color. The individual vehicles all handle differently, so it's important to make sure you choose the right vehicle for the track you're about to race on. In "simulation" mode, you can even customize the gear ratios, downforce, and brake bias.
Go To Page:
1
2
The copyright of the article Review: Need for Speed 2: Part 1 in Computer Gaming is owned by . Permission to republish Review: Need for Speed 2: Part 1 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
