Friday, February 22, 2013
Remember the Mystic Peaks,
Proving Grounds, and Hollywood? McLaren F1, Ferrari F50, and the awkward Ford
Indigo? FZR 2000, Bomber BFS, and GO21?
This startup screen awakens intriguing memories!
For the young generation lucky enough to experience the birth of 3D gaming, Need For Speed Two Special
Edition, better known as NFS 2 SE, was a thrilling experience. NFS 2 SE was
launched as a sequel for the NFS 2, unveiled by Electronic Arts in 1997 as the
second in the NFS series which took 3D racing games to the masses. Especially
popular among the PC gamers, NFS 2 SE brought some of the most exotic cars
produced by that time (most of them were just prototypes or concept cars that
never made it to the public, like the Ford trio – GT90, Indigo and Mustang Mach
III) to the fingertips of the gamers. The game provided a host of picturesque
tracks, ranging from the as-easy-as-it-can-be Proving Grounds, to the daunting
and seriously demanding Mystic Peaks. The tracks were glittered with landmarks
to highlight their location, such as the Australian – based Outback - The track
enabled gamers to visit the Sydney Harbour Bridge, to the Opera House, and the
Outbacks within minutes! Last Resort, North Country, Pacific Spirit, and
Mediterrano were the remaining tracks, while Monolithic Studios was a hidden
track.
Remember this track?
The game involved plenty of
exotics, such as McLaren F1, Ferrari F50, Ford GT90, Lotus GT1, Isdera
Commendatore, Italdesign Nazca and Cala, Jaguar XJ220 and some day to day
supercars of yesteryear such as Lotus Esprit V8 and Ferrari 355F1. Racing in
three styles – wild, arcade and simulation, out of which wild was scarily easy
and simulation was challenging, and three formats – single race, knockout and
tournament, was allowed. Single race and tournament formats were carried over
from the original NFS – Road and Track Presents The Need for Speed, while
knockout was a new type that required the gamer to complete the knockout rounds
without being eliminated, and finish first in the final duel.
High - flying Ford Indigo. Concept cars like this were hardly seen again in racing games
Cheatcodes (Easter eggs, as the
instruction text referred to it) were aplenty and allowed the player to
customize the vehicle he/she raced. The GO-XX (XX – 0 to 50) combination
showcased various machines, such as a heavy truck, a pickup, a Unimog, Yellow
school bus, and EVEN a box and A DINOSAUR! RUSHHOUR meant that road traffic was
heavy, while ROADRAGE gave the horn superpowers to devastate the vehicles in
front. FZR 2000 unlocked the fastest car available in the race, an imaginary
car named as FZR2000.
The gameplay experience, paying
respect to the time it was released (so no comparisons with anything available
these days, please) can be described as entertaining, albeit a tad boring if
you were to play it for extended hours. Graphics were very much up to the
standards, and audio too was solid. The real pictures of the cars available,
and the history of manufacturer, were features never repeated beyond NFS 3. The
behavior of the machinery was, well, easy to control, and may be a bit too easy
for most. Selecting the right car for the right track was the key to winning a
race. The most notable glitch was the unrealistic crashes. And compared with
its predecessor, the original NFS, neither NFS 2 nor 2 SE had cop cars to
intervene the racers. The limited number
of tracks, and cars meant that the gameplay became boring for longer hours.
The graphics were more than satisfying, for its day
More than 15 years after the game
was released, and with numerous successors honing the NFS franchise almost on
an annual basis, NFS 2 SE looks completely outdated, and prehistoric. However
the game plays an important role in the evolution of the series, as well as
racing games altogether. For me, it’s the nostalgia of being the first game I
ever played on a PC that makes NFS 2 SE an unforgettable experience. Such a vivid bundle of exotics, especially
prototypes and concepts, never made their way to NFS series afterwards. And for
most people, it’s the experience from NFS that reminds the existence of those
machines.
Fancy racing the Indigo on Mystic
Peaks? Believe it or not, I actually wish I could.
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Hey Bro!
ReplyDeleteI played this game for a long time, spent hours playing, and it was so good. This game made me like cars, and computers.
I don´t speek english, just a little, so sorry about the mistakes in the text.
And..I have the "iso" game to install, if you want it, just send me a e-mail: TZipUP@live.com