by Gonzo
Ars recommended system: P2-300 w/ Voodoo2
Street Price: $40
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Due to popular demand I'm taking a look at a game which doesn't involve running around and blowing stuff up. Need for Speed: High Stakes is the latest entry into what is probably the most lucrative arcade racing franchise ever. I consider NFS III to be the best arcade racer available on the PC. So you know High Stakes has some big shoes to fill. Let's see how it stacks up.
While some people make the mistake of assuming that Need for Speed is a supercar simulation, it is and always has been an arcade racer, with a only dash of simulation. There are 4 classes of cars, ranging from the lowly (but cool) BMW Z3 to the mighty McLaren F1. When I say NFS has a "dash" of simulation, I mean that the different classes of cars handle differently, but within each class there is little variation. What differences there are will be found in each car's top speed and acceleration capabilities.Of course, for all I know, this may be the way these cars handle in real life--I've never driven anything resembling one of these beauts.
All of the features we've come to know and love from the first 3 Need for Speed games persist. There are 18 cars and 18 tracks, including all of the old, beloved tracks from NFS III. You can't access some of them until you've crossed a few finish lines in 1st place, but that just gives you something to keep playing for.And you'll want to keep playing, because if you're a arcade racer nut like me, you're going to love NFS: High Stakes' force feedback support. It's simply the best I've seen yet in any game. Opponents skill levels can range from Amateur to Professional, giving any driver a challenge, but the graphics only come one way--stellar. Just take a look at the scenery in these screenies. Lock yourself in a room and get funky because the 3D audio via EAX or DirectSound 3d puts the icing on the cake.I'll hit on those details some more in a moment.
Modus operandi
If variety is the spice of life, then High Stakes is one spicy mofo! There are four basic modes: the new career mode, simple arcade racing, hot pursuit, tournament, and knockout. Five, the five basic modes are...
In career mode you start with a fixed amount of money to buy a cheap car, like the Z3. ("cheap" is a relative term) Then you enter races with that car. If you win you get money, but if you lose, you just get laughed at. You can apply your winnings to upgrades and repairs to the Family Truckster, or save your pennies for a new car. As you win races, you progress to better race circuits with more money at stake, and better opponents in faster cars. Eventually you even race other people for their cars (hence the name, High Stakes). Unfortunately you have to have more than one car to enter a high stakes race, so I haven't gotten to try it yet.
Career mode is tough, and I'm not just saying that coz I can't get further than the third circuit. The AI race like living breathing people. Surprisingly, on the levels I have played I haven't been able to catch them cheating. Computer controlled cars appear go the same speed and handle the same as the player's car. I've seen computer controlled cars spin out on a curve when it's raining, without assistance from me. Mega cool.
Next up is the simple arcade race. This one is simple, you vs. a number of opponents you choose, of a skill level you choose, for a number of laps you choose, on a track you choose. Pretty simple, right. This is great to practice for career mode or multiplay, especially with the AI opponents on Professional skill.
Next up is my personal favorite Hot Pursuit, which you can play one of two ways. If you choose to be a civilian, your goal is the same as in simple race mode, get to the finish line first. Oh, I almost forgot, you also have to dodge a dedicated police force intent on giving you tickets and taking you downtown. The number of tickets you can get varies depending on how many laps you are racing, but it isn't easy to beat the other racers, and dodge the cops. Oh I almost forgot, the cops have helicopters. That's right they brought in air support...
Alternately, you can play as a cop, where you have spike strips (which blowout tires), roadblocks (duh), and helicopter support on hand to deal with miscreants. Personally I enjoy the hell outta running some lead-footed AI bastard in a $500,000 car off the road and into a wall.
Knockout and tournament modes are kinda similar so I'll cover them both here. Knockout is a series of races. In order to continue to the next race, you must not be the last person to finish. I'd say this would be good practice, because some of the higher circuits in career mode are Knockout circuits. Tournament mode is simply a series of races. Racers get more points for finishing closer to #1 in each race. The person who has the most points after the last race wins.
Next: Rain, sleet and even snow...