Need for Speed: High Stakes

[a007apl]

"For those of us who lack $500,000 to plunk down on a new car, video games are the closest we'll ever get to sitting behind the wheel of a Ferrari F-50 or a Lamborghini Diablo. Thankfully, settling for this virtual alternative has been made a lot easier by Electronic Arts' Need for Speed (NFS) series.

Long considered one of the finer racing collections available for the PlayStation, Need for Speed has always produced enjoyable, high-octane racing. In the latest installment, High Stakes, EA really guns its engine.

High Stake's virtual showroom looks like a young boy's poster-filled wall. Drivers can choose from exotic cars: Porsche 911, Ferrari 550, McLaren F1 and Mercedes CLK. In addition, you'll find some not so exotics: the new Corvette, Camaro, Firebird and BMW Roadster.

Handling the cars is a mix between real-life and arcade. You won't be able to take corners at 125 mph like some arcade racers; you'll need to effectively use the gas and brake just as if you were in the car. However, you can still bounce off walls, run through trees and recover quickly from spinouts.

Unlike past versions, your car will see damage as a result of these run-ins with stationary objects. But don't expect a major performance hit. At most, you'll find your car accelerates a tad slower, not the kind of thing you have to worry about.

Several new game modes have been added to this latest version. Drivers can participate in a ''high stakes'' race where you and a buddy race for pink slips. At the end of the race, the loser's car is deleted from his memory card and transferred to the winner's card. Imagine the heartbreak when you lose a car you've been building for some time.

In addition, for the first time in the series, you can take control of Johnny Law in ''hot pursuit'' mode. This new mode requires you to stop those pesky joy-riding speeders by any means possible. You can call for backup, set up roadblocks or run the perp off the road.

Like the other Need for Speed games, High Stakes delivers a nice visual experience. However, the abundance of detail occasionally causes problems. The game slows down when the track is full of cars. Plus, you might find your attention distracted by an over-detailed landscape that washes out the course ahead.

Minor problems aside, High Stakes is an excellent racer for the virtual jet-setter. The wealth of cars, tracks and game modes deliver an exciting and re-playable driving experience."

[a007apl]

Originally posted by a007apl
"For those of us who lack $500,000 to plunk down on a new car, video games are the closest we'll ever get to sitting behind the wheel of a Ferrari F-50 or a Lamborghini Diablo. Thankfully, settling for this virtual alternative has been made a lot easier by Electronic Arts' Need for Speed (NFS) series.

Long considered one of the finer racing collections available for the PlayStation, Need for Speed has always produced enjoyable, high-octane racing. In the latest installment, High Stakes, EA really guns its engine.

High Stake's virtual showroom looks like a young boy's poster-filled wall. Drivers can choose from exotic cars: Porsche 911, Ferrari 550, McLaren F1 and Mercedes CLK. In addition, you'll find some not so exotics: the new Corvette, Camaro, Firebird and BMW Roadster.

Handling the cars is a mix between real-life and arcade. You won't be able to take corners at 125 mph like some arcade racers; you'll need to effectively use the gas and brake just as if you were in the car. However, you can still bounce off walls, run through trees and recover quickly from spinouts.

Unlike past versions, your car will see damage as a result of these run-ins with stationary objects. But don't expect a major performance hit. At most, you'll find your car accelerates a tad slower, not the kind of thing you have to worry about.

Several new game modes have been added to this latest version. Drivers can participate in a ''high stakes'' race where you and a buddy race for pink slips. At the end of the race, the loser's car is deleted from his memory card and transferred to the winner's card. Imagine the heartbreak when you lose a car you've been building for some time.

In addition, for the first time in the series, you can take control of Johnny Law in ''hot pursuit'' mode. This new mode requires you to stop those pesky joy-riding speeders by any means possible. You can call for backup, set up roadblocks or run the perp off the road.

Like the other Need for Speed games, High Stakes delivers a nice visual experience. However, the abundance of detail occasionally causes problems. The game slows down when the track is full of cars. Plus, you might find your attention distracted by an over-detailed landscape that washes out the course ahead.

Minor problems aside, High Stakes is an excellent racer for the virtual jet-setter. The wealth of cars, tracks and game modes deliver an exciting and re-playable driving experience."

http://www.mobygames.com/game/credits/gameId,979/

[Ando_Rules]

ya its a really good game, but for PC it is really hard to handle (im getting the hang of it though) but the graphics r better than they r for ps1