If you’ve played any racing games at all in the past decade or so, chances are you’ve played at least a couple of Need for Speed titles. Easily one of the most well known racing franchises in the world, Need for Speed has managed to keep the cash coming in after all these years, if not critical acclaim. Like so many one time die-hard fans (now painfully disillusioned), I watched as the Need for Speed franchise peaked with Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit back in 1998, and then begin its slow decent into mediocrity.
Find out about Need for Speed’s three new properties and the future of the Need for Speed name, after the jump!
The glory days of Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit seem so long ago now. Not only was Hot Pursuit popular and profitable, it was also a fantastic AAA racing game that was loved by the critics just as much as it was loved by the fans. What the hell happened?
Like any long running series, a number of things have changed over the years. Staff changes, budgets, the economy, technology, platforms and more have had an impact on how the series evolved. Of course, from the outside, as a gamer, the noticeable decline in the quality of the series can be linked to one specific type of behavior: cashing in on a well known name.
If Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit was the peak of the series (up for debate of course), then Need for Speed: Most Wanted (with a high score of 83 for the Xbox 360 on Metacritic) was the last all around solid title. It did not wow me, but I never regretted the purchase (on PC), and it provided more than a few hours of racing goodness.
The games that followed were so far from being the “great” NFS games of the past that the only thing the newest NFS titles had in common with series forefathers was the brand name. Need for Speed: Carbon was a decent rental, and achieved a respectable Metacritic high score of 78 (on PC). Need for Speed: Pro Street was a piece of utter garbage (that’s me being diplomatic) and brought home a pitiful Metacritic high score of 74 (on the DS, which is just sad).
The trend only continued with last years Need for Speed: Undercover, which was so far away from what Need for Speed fans loved about the series that it should have been called Need for Speed: Yawn. A high score of 66 (on PC) from Metacritic is pretty sad for a big name title.
Popularity: 1% [?]
I always named Hot Pursuit II as the series’ peak… hm.
I STILL own and still PLAY NFSU2. (the best in my opinion)
Most Wanted was kewl.
Carbon sucked.
Took one look @ Pro Street and vomited.
I remember the good ol’ 90’s, when i was a young kid and bought my first NFS, Hot Pirsuit.The love affair went on till NFS: Most Wanted.
Then came Carbon, ProStreet and Undercover, which i’m sorry to say, SUCKED. Oh well, I wonder how the “simulator” version of NFS: Shift will turn out.
Fingers crossed.
I loved NFS High Stakes. Cars could actually be damaged in that one, not just scratched.
i have playe every single NFS game since the First underground and i can tell you the only good ones were UG2 and MW