The Final Word game review

Road & Track Presents: The Need For Speed -- Electronic Arts

Drive on seven tracks, in your choice of eight exotic cars (Acura NSX, Dodge Viper RT/10, Lamborghini Diablo VT, Ferrari 512TR, and others), under three selections of daylight settings, in Road & Track Presents: The Need For Speed from Electronic Arts for the Sony PlayStation. This title supports both the Mad Katz and NegCon controllers, for the a driving experience you won't forget.

Jester
Wanna go fast as hell in a car you couldn't possibly afford to wreck much less buy. Well your wish has come true in R&T's Need For Speed. Choose your exotic and go to it. There are several race options (head-to-head, tournament, etc....) to choose from. The graphics aren't bad and pop-up is minimal. The two-player mode is quite good and is probably the game's best mode. Both modes give a good sense of speed but in two-player mode objects in the distance tend to come up rapidly. Sound effects are good, not great, and the music is well done. Play control is ok on the PS pad but I've never played a racing game like this that so demanded an analog controller. It's kind of a shock when you discover that the long coveted practice of tap turning is no longer as useful as it once was. Oh well. Despite that one flaw this is definatly a game worthly of attention and probably a spot on your entertainment center.

R.I.P.
Well, I'm not trying to start off on a bad note but, external driving mode in this game is pretty much useless. The only way to play this game is internal view. This was ok since I play most racing games in internal view anymore. The graphics are quite good as are the sound effects, if not better than EA's Road Rash. The music is really good as well. If you drive in internal view, you really get an excellent sense of the road and the cars handling, as well as a very good sense of speed. Play control was good, but not the best, since you are restricted to some pretty crappy, fixed controller options. If you're lucky enough to have been born the heir of some family fortune, then you might want to strongly consider an analog/steering wheel controller to really enjoy this game. Personally, I don't think any driving game should ever be crafted so that you are compelled to buy a specialized joystick/pad just to enjoy the game, and while this game is playable without a specialized controller, it's (as I said above) not the best. When it comes right down to it though, I think I enjoyed the 3DO release of this game far more.

>>>>> 36.5/50 <<<<<		Jester	R.I.P.
Graphics		4.0	4.5
Sound		4.0	5.0
Gameplay/Control		3.5	2.5
Longevity/Playability		4.0	2.0
Overall		4.0	3.0
Total		19.5	17.0

(07/96)