Favourite need for speed game(s)?

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CnPx

CnPx

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What is all your favourite need for speed game(s)?
I don't think there is a single person on this planet who grew up gaming and hasn't played at least 1 NFS game.

My favourites are definitely:
Underground 2 for its ridiculous amount of in depth visual customisation. I do not think there has ever been a game with the same amount of visual tuning since this game with hydraulic suspension, wide body kits and to even go as far as tuning things like monitors, sub woofers and nitro bottles in your trunk/boot. You can then take pictures for magazine covers and flex your awesome ride. Who didn't try and get the most ridiculous picture they can 😂 I would love to see a new NFS game with the all the awesome tuning options NFSU2 had.

Next I would say the original Most wanted. The police in this game were arguably the best out of all the NFS games. It brought a hole new level of fun in the core racing of NFS and it has never reached this level again. Well in my opinion anyway. I also found that this one had the most fun campaign as well and it brought an extra meaning to progress through the campaign.

The next one I will probably get every disagreeing but I actually enjoyed
NFS carbon. Its probably just a nostalgic thing and it didn't have as much to offer as loads of the other games but I just liked carbon. With your team mate being able to ram other racers of the track in order to help you win. It was OP but still fun none the less. The canyon battles was awesome and I am disappointed they haven't made a return. I just liked the idea of how you had to take over a territory and then complete the boss at the end.

My overall opinion on the new NFS games.
The new NFS games are alright. I didn't like the new Hot pursuit remaster. I found after Xbox 360 NFS just took innovate at all. They were always known for switching things up and every game bought something new to the table which is cool. How ever it would have been nice to see some of there ideas make a return. I feel like these days NFS has just declined hugely. The story(s) are just not fun. The police are never made as good as they were before. The core visual tuning as good but the performance tuning could be so much better.
NFS 2015 probably had the best performance tuning out of the latest 3 games (not including remaster). Payback had some stupid slot machine and Heat just made no sense. The wrong category's worked better in certain races. For example the drifting parts were pointless as speedcross was far easier to drift with. I found drag worked better in certain races. Speedcross was better in a lot of dirt races. The game would probably be better if these were just removed.
The new NFS games have been fun thou. But I just wish I could hop on a new NFS game and there not be such obvious things that get completely looked over. Like police in Payback. They were so big in the campaign but in free roam police didn't exist? Why?! NFS 2015 the police were so dumb and you could loose them just from driving round a corner. (Not literally). NFS heat the campaign consisted of about 10 missions but then they were dragged out miles apart from random level requirements even thou you never even had to tune your car. Tuning requirements make sense but level requirements in a racing game has to be the dumbest thing I have ever witnessed in the hole racing genre. These things are just so obvious that even a blind guy would see them from looking at them.
Anyways this post turned into something that it wasn't supposed to be now I have wrote it, its staying. What are your favourite NFS games and what do you like and dislike about them?
 
Mine are Most Wanted (2005) and Carbon, but I picked the latter mostly because I think it has some game mechanics that I’d love to see expanded upon in a future title. Like making the whole “crews with motifs fighting for turf” thing into an online mode that could lead to emergent gameplay, not unlike MAG or EVE Online.

I also really liked Hot Pursuit 2 - which I would call my first NFS title - and Hot Pursuit 2010. To what would likely be a surprise to many people, I never played UG nor UG2, but I do hear they were fun. I’m also told MW2012 was great, too, in spite of its originally-planned vision.

In fact, MW2012 was the last NFS game to get a MetaCritic score above 80, so I’m really hoping the next game that’s coming this year can break that barrier again.
 
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Carbon is probably one of the most underrated video games of all-time. It's my favorite and I often wonder what could have been had Black Box gotten the time they needed to do everything they wanted for the game.
 
1. High Stakes 1999
2. Shift 2 (If we count that as NFS)
3. NFS 2 SE
4. Original one 1994
5. Most Wanted 2012
6. Porsche Unleashed
 
Underground 2 is my favorite. I was actually good at drifting even as a kid and it was fun racing the SUVs with all of the crazy customization. It was also the first game I used tuning settings for. I didn't play Most Wanted. Carbon is a close second with the advantages of having cops, supercars and a dump truck that went 170 mph, but by then I already played Midnight Club 3 remix a lot and considered it better than both. I really didn't get into Carbon much until the early 2010s seeing YouTube videos of the cop chases. I went back and completed the story and managed to launch a cop car about 40 feet into the air.
The only game I played in the PS3 era was The Run and it was nothing special. I didn't like 2015 or Payback and Heat is alright but doesn't really stand out.
 
I wasn't a kid anymore when I bought my first NFS game, NFS2 HP. Maybe because of that I never got particularly attached to any game in the series. But I am a fan and bought every single game except the first one.

For me Heat is the one that I like the most, probably. The car list, tuning, day and night mode, crew and all the things you can do. But it's not a clear winner either.

2015 is hated by many, but for me it was a very good NFS. The atmosphere was perfect. Beautiful graphics and original body kits. That is enough for me to place it higher than all those PS2 masterpieces. I won't say the story was good, but they did such a good job by bring real life people to take part in the story.

Rivals is such an underrated game imo. It's all I wanted from Hot Pursuit titles. Online was also really good too. But yeah the bugs killed most of fun... When it worked however was perfect imo. Also probably my favourite map.

Pro Street is another masterpiece ruined by the yearly releases. It's short and linear but I lost the count of how many times I restarted and finished it. Wish I had 12 years playing that game for the first time. It would be my favourite racer of all times. Ryan Cooper, Ryo Watanabe, Karol Monroe, Aki Kimura, Nate Denver and Ray Krieger are AI names that I will never forget. And even now I'm trying to replicate kings cars in other games... Ok that is not telling much.
 
I love all the PS1 era games so it's difficult for me to choose.
NFS R&T was my first NFS so it's always special.
NFS II had the best menu soundtrack, some really creative track designs and the Mac F1.
NFS III HP also had incredible soundtrack (both menu and race), introduced police chases and Atlantica/Aquatica is still one my top fictional tracks ever in a racing game.
NFS IV HS is a bit of a low point for me. The handling feels weird, and only 3 tracks are unlocked at the start (do not like the career mode with betting cars).
NFS PU is my top played. Just love driving through the history of Porsche and learning about all the old and obscure models. Also the first free roam in NFS (albeit quite simplified).
In the end I think I'd go with NFS III. It's the easiest to pick up and play and I had lots of good memories playing it with my uncle. Spoilt ;)

Blackbox era, I'm torn between UG1, UG2, Carbon and The Run.
UG1 has the best arcade NFS physics, even until now. Very fun career mode (finished 4 times). Introduced extensive car customizations. Memorable tracks and opponents.
UG2 is the first proper free roam NFS, expanded even more on tuning (remember dyno feature?), has great mountain roads to drift on, but physics feels worse than UG1.
Carbon introduced the crew feature and I love canyon racing, but the rest of the game feels empty.
The Run is one of the most underrated NFS. Yes it's short, but if you think of it as Outrun for the new generation it's amazing. Love the variety of cars and routes. Challenge series kept me playing long after story mode is finished.
I'd go with UG1 for this era. Just like NFS III, it's the one I played the most and had the fondest memories.

Criterion/Ghost era, one clear winner for me: Most Wanted 2012.
Expected Burnout Paradise with real cars, and that's exactly what we got. I didn't play the old MW so I had no baggage with the name. Accessible handling but hard to master. Great graphics. Fun city. Amazing engine sounds (still the best LFA in a game so far). I'm not big on online play normally but I finished unlocking all the cars, upgrades and license plates. Awesome awesome fun title. HP 2010 is a great hommage to the PS1 era, but the handling is a bit stiff. Payback and Heat has some flashes of goodness, but once I finished the game, it doesn't keep pulling me back. MW 2012 sometimes I just boot it up to cruise around and mess about in the city.
 
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Underground 2 is my favourite. Its just the full package. Plenty of customization options. An interesting map that was always set in night time. A fantastic soundtrack that still resonates with me in that if I hear a song from the OST I instantly think of this game.

The greatest near miss in the series? - NFS2015. Good map. Great setting. Always at night. So atmospheric. But the physics just make the game very unenjoyable. Not just by a small margin either. What a waste. I would gladly pay full price if they rereleased 2015 again but with better driving physics
 
NFS Underground 2 and NFS Pro Street sits at the top of my list.

Other games that i really liked were the MW 2005, Carbon, High Stakes (PS1) and 2012 MW (underrated imo).
 
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CnPx
What is all your favourite need for speed game(s)?
I don't think there is a single person on this planet who grew up gaming and hasn't played at least 1 NFS game.

My favourites are definitely:
Underground 2 for its ridiculous amount of in depth visual customisation. I do not think there has ever been a game with the same amount of visual tuning since this game with hydraulic suspension, wide body kits and to even go as far as tuning things like monitors, sub woofers and nitro bottles in your trunk/boot. You can then take pictures for magazine covers and flex your awesome ride. Who didn't try and get the most ridiculous picture they can 😂 I would love to see a new NFS game with the all the awesome tuning options NFSU2 had.

Next I would say the original Most wanted. The police in this game were arguably the best out of all the NFS games. It brought a hole new level of fun in the core racing of NFS and it has never reached this level again. Well in my opinion anyway. I also found that this one had the most fun campaign as well and it brought an extra meaning to progress through the campaign.

The next one I will probably get every disagreeing but I actually enjoyed
NFS carbon. Its probably just a nostalgic thing and it didn't have as much to offer as loads of the other games but I just liked carbon. With your team mate being able to ram other racers of the track in order to help you win. It was OP but still fun none the less. The canyon battles was awesome and I am disappointed they haven't made a return. I just liked the idea of how you had to take over a territory and then complete the boss at the end.

My overall opinion on the new NFS games.
The new NFS games are alright. I didn't like the new Hot pursuit remaster. I found after Xbox 360 NFS just took innovate at all. They were always known for switching things up and every game bought something new to the table which is cool. How ever it would have been nice to see some of there ideas make a return. I feel like these days NFS has just declined hugely. The story(s) are just not fun. The police are never made as good as they were before. The core visual tuning as good but the performance tuning could be so much better.
NFS 2015 probably had the best performance tuning out of the latest 3 games (not including remaster). Payback had some stupid slot machine and Heat just made no sense. The wrong category's worked better in certain races. For example the drifting parts were pointless as speedcross was far easier to drift with. I found drag worked better in certain races. Speedcross was better in a lot of dirt races. The game would probably be better if these were just removed.
The new NFS games have been fun thou. But I just wish I could hop on a new NFS game and there not be such obvious things that get completely looked over. Like police in Payback. They were so big in the campaign but in free roam police didn't exist? Why?! NFS 2015 the police were so dumb and you could loose them just from driving round a corner. (Not literally). NFS heat the campaign consisted of about 10 missions but then they were dragged out miles apart from random level requirements even thou you never even had to tune your car. Tuning requirements make sense but level requirements in a racing game has to be the dumbest thing I have ever witnessed in the hole racing genre or online games like this. These things are just so obvious that even a blind guy would see them from looking at them.
Anyways this post turned into something that it wasn't supposed to be now I have wrote it, its staying. What are your favourite NFS games and what do you like and dislike about them?
Click to expand...
I'll leave my opinion, too, with your permission. My favorite version is Most Wanted! Even though it's old, but I loved it! Well look at my age :D
 
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Underground 2 was the last one I really liked. After that they've failed to pique my interest much.

Edit:
Wait. I forgot about Shift 2. I plated it a fair bit, as I recall.
 
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  1. TNFS (1994) The original, which was leaps and bounds above everything else in it's time
  2. NFS5 (2000) Porsche Unleashed - precursor to TDU, the best racing game ever created
  3. NFS4 (1999) High Stakes - Best career mode of all
  4. Shift 2 (2011) A nice change of pace from the other games, this being circuit racing
  5. NFS3 Hot Pursuit (1998) Spent hundreds of hours with friends playing split screen
  6. NFS2 (1997) Really liked it when it came out, but in hindsight it wasn't that great
  7. The Run (2011) Only liked it for the story and interactive movie feeling, the game was borderline terrible
  8. NFS6 Hot Pursuit 2 (2002) The last game that was true to the original formula
The rest of the series I have no love for, I think Underground was a huge departure from the spirit of Need for Speed, and I as such I was always hostile to it. But nothing could prepare me for Most Wanted 2012, which is the single worst NFS game by a huge margin. It is a crime against humanity and all copies of it should be loaded onto a rocket and fired into the sun.
 
1.need for speed hot pursuit 2 (ps2 version)
2. need for speed 3 hot pursuit
3. need for speed high stakes
4.need for speed hot pursuit 2 (xbox and pc version)
5. need for speed most wanted (2005)
 
Rosco1126
1.need for speed hot pursuit 2 (ps2 version)
2. need for speed 3 hot pursuit
3. need for speed high stakes
4.need for speed hot pursuit 2 (xbox and pc version)
5. need for speed most wanted (2005)
Click to expand...
Great list. I didn't play 2 or 4 but love the rest.
 
My top 8 I'm Black Box biased lol.
1 High Stakes Ps1
2 Hot Pursuit 2 Ps2
3 Underground 1,2 Ps2
4 Most Wanted 05 Ps2
5 Carbon Ps2,Ps3
6 Pro Street Ps3
7 Undercover Ps3 spite its problems.
8 The Run Ps3
 
The second one on the original PlayStation!! Janky as hell but what a game. Brilliant car list including stuff like the Ford GT90 which was my favourite car as a kid. Really interesting tracks with massive mountains, sheer drops, tunnels, caves, short cuts, 'civilian' cars on the roads, the cockpit view with the (at the time) realistic dashboards, and those cheats that let you drive literally any asset in the game as a car, from dowdy superminis to T-Rexes and garden sheds. What's not to like?

OK the graphics were pretty bad, the frame rate was probably like 5, the game was filled with bugs and the handling was so bad that there was ine track where I remember it was actually much easier to tumble into the ravine than take the bend, but what a game.

NFS 3 was the first Hot Pursuit from the PS1 era wasn't it? I remember loving that one too, because unlike the previous one it was actually a good game in addition to being charming.

I fell out of love with NFS after that unfortunately. The Underground era leaves me cold, illegal street racing just isn't my bag. Then Midnight Club came and did it all better.
 
I recently found out that people **** all over Most Wanted 2012 and yet i think it's my favourite one.

The city had a good design, the races were good, there were plenty of collectibles/side missions to keep you playing but most importantly the drfiting and general handling was spot on.
 
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