20 years The Need for Speed

Need for Speed ​​2 (1997)
Despite the success of the first part, there was a sequel in 1997, leaving many fans in disbelief. Developers police removed from the game, made the race ring and, worst of all, had gone away from the realism.
His esteem continue still were on the slopes for the first time there alternative routes added to the list of cars very rare instances (such as Italdesign Cala), a built-in encyclopedia and live video is also pleasing to the eye. But this was not enough - in memory players Need for Speed ​​2 long entrenched as the most unfortunate part of the series.



Need for Speed ​​3: Hot Pursuit (1998)
Fortunately, the developers have listened to criticism, and a year later again surprised everyone, fully dedicating the game adrenaline chases and battles with the cops drivers.
Fortunately, the developers have listened to criticism, and a year later again surprised everyone, fully dedicating the game adrenaline chases and battles with the cops drivers.
In Hot Pursuit it was good all: scenic route, a stunning soundtrack and outstanding at the time the picture. Physics was very simple, but a lot of fun driving the process. But the favorite players encyclopedia "cut": expensive movies was no longer there. However, it was no longer important - Hot Pursuit forever entered the history as one of the best races of all time.



Need for Speed: High Stakes (1999)
At first glance, High Stakes seemed slightly improved version of the third part: the battle with the police and all the tracks remained in place, but the schedule has become much better. And the addition of a full-fledged career mode looked very appropriate.
However, trouble came from not waiting: for some reason the developers have changed the physics, trying to make the game more realistic. Alas, with realism in Need for Speed ​​did not work, but the ride was not nearly as interesting. Suffered as a soundtrack and a "live" video. The first is simply not suited for racing, and the second was replaced by computer graphics. Fans of this approach, of course, did not like.



Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (2000)
The long history of the series managed to change the set of images from the pretentious about street racing arcade to serious simulation. Nevertheless, Porsche Unleashed is still the most unusual game ever bore the name of Need for Speed. It was intelligent, soulful, unique in its kind race dedicated to the history of Porsche.
Porsche Unleashed offered to plunge into the great history of the German mark. So much so that any car could literally feel the hand: to open the doors, to look into the interior. But the race itself, and let the police have lost, but instead offered a much more complex physical and magical atmosphere of the autumn European routes. The ride was interesting even in the slow and creaky sports car of the fifties.
Despite the fact that the game is still a lot of loyal fans, Porsche Unleashed was a commercial failure. After it even Electronic Arts has decided to temporarily close the series.



Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)
Yet another chance to give the series yet. EA Black Box, become the new series of developers have decided to experiment and not just "restored» Hot Pursuit. It turned out well: the game came out beautiful and had a wonderful licensed soundtrack (with vocals for the first time in the history of the series), and sometimes even fascinated, although his distinguished predecessor, yet did not reach.
A bit lacking drive and balance. Especially in those moments when the horizon appeared annoying police helicopter up to the top loaded with drums of fuel. The best had a version for PlayStation 2 owners got unfinished PC port with a simplified physics and without repetitions cinematographic races. However, despite the shortcomings, the game has proved the main thing: to bury the Need for Speed ​​yet. And the next year showed how well received in the EA, retaining the series.



Need for Speed: Underground (2003)
In 2003, Need for Speed ​​radically changed her image, becoming a noisy, sparkling neon lights game about street racing. Instead of expensive supercars players offer massive Japanese subcompact, picturesque scenery gave way to the same track, laid on the night city and the police to temporarily out of the frame. What it is now not so scary: marketers clearly sought to play on the similarity with the popular Movies "Fast and the Furious." And they were right on target.
However, the success of the Underground is explained not only the selection of the best setting. A rather simple, but the adrenaline gameplay where the main obstacle on the path to victory was not even adversaries and the city itself. Counter traffic, sharp turns, jumps and obstacles, crazy feeling of speed - during the arrival time for a break simply no choice. A great arcade physics, soundtrack and, of course, tuning, only complement the already beautiful picture: turn the factory cars in many road warriors liked even more than riding them. Sales of the game were just crazy, so Underground series sets the direction for years to come.



Need for Speed: Underground 2 (2004)
After such a spectacular success of the second part of the Underground we decided to prepare a classic recipe for Electronic Arts: the concept of the old left, only poured money into the development of much more.
The result, however, is left ambiguous. It seems to be left in place, but travel around the city and even the race too quickly bored. Although some fans of this does not seem to have noticed: Underground 2 copies sold 9 million copies.



Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
Even though resounding financial success, the developers have wisely decided that the third consecutive Underground concept may fail. And made a number of interesting innovations: the day turns to night, unpretentious comics - videos with live actors so came back a little half-forgotten police. Game fired again: the battle with the cops came extremely complex and adrenaline, even if the plot did not shine, but held at the screen and fall entourage and returned supercars bit refreshed memories of the classic parts of the series.
Most Wanted successfully combined the ideas of the first Need for Speed ​​line and Underground, so that the younger generation of fans has become almost a perfect race.



Need for Speed: Carbon (2006)
But give great games every year, EA Black Box was not on forces: over time, the studio just finished a good idea. Need for Speed: Carbon was back in the city at night, but in contrast to the colorful streets of Underground, the current ugly metropolis called only gloom. Racing out too boring, largely because of the broken balance and all-powerful teammates. Do not save the situation, even competition with the police - the year the cops somehow just forgot how to do their job. The only good innovations can be considered unless it peeped a third "Fast and the Furious" races on streamers and Autosculpt - a system that allows you to manually set the shape of some of the details. Watched such creations sometimes curious, but from oblivion game is not saved.



Need for Speed: ProStreet (2007)
In 2007, the series again decided to come up again, departing from stritreyserskoy subject to professional racing. It worked only partially. On the one hand, in ProStreet it was not the boring mode, full damage system and the atmosphere of the car festival. On the other, many have not been able to get used to the changed physics: some it seemed too complicated, others are too simple. As a result, the game did not really understand anybody, which is a pity: the potential of the project was good.



Need for Speed: Undercover (2008)
Failing to get the desired result in the EA decide to go back to street racing. And once again wrongly prioritize. It would seem that everything is in place: a huge light metropolis and the police, both in Most Wanted, tuning and good music, a full story about the double agent. And at the same time with cinematics featuring professional actors!
But all it was simply not necessary, as the EA Black Box can not cope with the most important: the races. After listening to a lot of criticism about the high complexity ProStreet, the developers went to the other steppe and all radically simplified. Play Undercover was interesting except children.



Need for Speed: Shift (2009)
After another failure of Electronic Arts has taken under his wing, a new developer: talented but poor Slightly Mad Studio. And young team did not disappoint, creating a true feast for the serious racing fans. There was also a great view from the cabin, and the opportunity to ride on the old Nurburgring or Spa, and all this in the form of atmospheric show with good music and lots of cars.
Impression marred only slightly strange physics, because of which the machine even managed to go straight into a skid. However, to play at the same time it was still a very interesting project that rendered a great service.



Need for Speed ​​Nitro (2009)
A strange experiment to make friends with the audience a series of Nintendo. Cartoon Pictures and simple gameplay into the hands of the project clearly did not play. Although due to the lack of good races on the Wii, Nitro, perhaps someone and I liked.



Need for Speed ​​World (2010)
On paper, the World looked interesting: a lot of favorite cars, the city collected from the locations of the previous parts, all online, with friends. But that's actually the process resulted in an endless, tedious pure grinding, besides scared glyuchaschy. And yet extortionate way: serious play World without monetary investment was nevozmozhno.Ponyatno that the project never took off, but somehow manages to survive until now.



Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
After the success of Shift, Electronic Arts once again took a good solution: a second revive the classic Hot Pursuit. The development of trusted reputable studio Criterion, creators of the series Burnout, that the best versed in the arcade racing.
As a result, Hot Pursuit has turned almost the best game of the series for many years, combine the best of the classic Need for Speed ​​and explosive Burnout Paradise. Stunning scenery and chase with the cops on expensive cars then combined with colorful accidents and insane speed. The only thing that slightly upset the old fans of the series - a clear bias towards multiplayer. But really there, thanks to an innovative system Autolog, the game is fully revealed.



Shift 2: Unleashed (2011)
After a few months Slightly Mad Studios released their second Shift. He becomes a logical development of the ideas of the original: the legendary slopes became even more night races there and licensed championships (GT1 and GT3). And the strange part was corrected new physics, realistic level of complexity. Unfortunately, in this series of flirtations with motorsports stopped: sell Shift 2: Unleashed at times worse than the first part.



Need for Speed: The Run (2011)
In the autumn of 2011 came the next part of the series, which again created in the studio EA Black Box. Major developers have promised a series of incredible adventure story with Christina Hendricks, the duel with the police, and most importantly - the hard race from the west to the east coast of the United States. Alas, it turned out they had not all: the race from San Francisco to New York was divided into many short races with a hard scenario to operate the machine is unpleasant and the game is played for three hours.



Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012)
After another error EA Black Box series, it was decided finally to hand over Criterion Games. And they immediately began to step on a rake. If Hot Pursuit Burnout borrowed from just a few ideas, the Most Wanted developers decided to move almost the entire concept as a whole. Along the way it badly broken. Beautiful picture and interesting in the whole of the race could not block the main drawbacks: the nervous physics, because of which regularly supercars did not fit in tight corners and found themselves riding the fence. Boring trip on an open city and country-style organization of single player "entertain himself" neither pomogli.Vprochem case, online update Most Wanted looked pretty good.



Need for Speed: Rivals (2013)
Rivals become successful compilation of the best ideas of the series. There was an open world with beautiful landscapes, exotic cars, and police battles with the drivers. And all this - with an incredibly beautiful picture, which gave the engine of Battlefield 4.
Reached a new level, and online capabilities. The game world is served as a refuge for several players. Single player and online now been brought together, and some klutz could easily ruin your race scene, at the wrong time after leaving the bend. There were things like that is rare, but the process revived.