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The best in the series?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 28 / 29
Date: June 01, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing the NFS titles since number 2 and we are now on the 5th. Its hard to play a game in a series without judging it against previous ones. When I first played NFS5 it had a very different feel to the previous ones. The graphics engines on 3 and 4 were almost identical. 4 had lots additions to 3, it was the introduction of the career mode, damage but it did sometimes feel like an add on pack as it had the same 'feel' - similar cars, same gameplay/graphics.

Still, after much debate I have found I enjoyed the 4th installment the most because of the introduction of the new career mode.

So what additions were there to #5. Does it feel like another add on pack? It plays like a different game entirely. Gone are the cops (sob!)and the range of cars and bring on the Porsches! There are TONS of them and everyone is different. It was a bit boring at first with the old cars (as they drive like a wheelbarrow!) but once you get going this is a hughly addictive game.

My favourite part is still career mode where you start of in the 60s with old cars and build your way up to modern day. Winning tournements means you get money to buy new cars and so on.

The graphic engine has been totally revamped. Cars movement is more realistic as is collisions. One bad hit will do your car a lot of damage unlike before. Steering will suffer (similar to Rally Championship) and you wont just get big knocks bumping up your damage the same as small knocks. The graphics are also the best of their kind. You need a good spec machine (nothing less than a PII400) and although there always seems to be a lack of tracks in NFS games they are a joy to ride. They have multiple routes for the first time and the cars AI has been improved. I didn;t find myself ALWAYS winning and you have the option to buy parts for you car which will substancially make it quicker. There are the usual modes of play aswell as a Factory Driver mode where you have to complete tasks like drive in and out of cones in a certain time etc. I didn't find myself playing this too much.

I miss the other cars, cops and wish there were more tracks (loses a star for this) but this doesn't detract from an excellant racing game. I still played NFS4 more when I first got it but this game is the bees knees. Much different to the other titles and holds the crown of the best racing graphics to date. You wont be dissopointed unless you want to be a cop! Go for a ride!

Ausgezeichnet! (Excellent)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 21
Date: March 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'm not a big computer gamer except where driving simulations are concerned. I have purchased every one of the Need For Speed series and while they are all very good, Porsche Unleashed takes the prize as my favorite to date.

The new physics model is evident the minute you start playing this game. The cars demonstrate characteristics of many of the orignal cars. For instance, one will get the idea why the early 911 series cars were sometimes referred to as "the widow makers" (Hint: After you get the game, drive an early Porsche 930 and try lifting off the throttle in mid-turn. Now try to keep the car from swapping ends! It is very entertaining to master the handling issues of each car. The game also includes a Porsche Test Driver program that will put you in more than a few challenging situations. I had this game the day after it's release and have been hooked ever since. If you appreciate games with a bit more attention to detail, PU has it. I love it!

Best Driving Game On the Planet

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: March 31, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I got this game the first day it arrived. Having played all the other nfs games I had high hopes. I was not disappointed. The graphics are outstanding but what really makes this game shine is the playability.

It has a very nice interface and once behind the wheel you feel like you are driving. Each car has a different feel. The tracks are laid out nicely, all different locations have a europian flavor to them. The al in this game is also very good. It is an awesome feeling to be racing neck & neck towards the finish line.

If you enjoy a great driving game that puts you behind the wheel of the best cars in the world, get this game.

This has to be a serious contender for game of year.

best NFS yet

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: April 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Definitely one of the best racing games available, especially for the PC. The physics model is far better than the past ones, and the two main game modes, Evolution and Factory Driver, are challenging and fun. Since I got it, I haven't been able to stop playing. I sit down intending to only run a race or two, and I end up playing for hours. Aside from a few complaints about realism (the cops seem intent on causing as many accidents as possible, whether with evil speeders or innocent passerby (of course, it is an arcade game after all(I love nested comments, don't you?))) there is nothing wrong with the game. I miss the hot pursuit from earlier versions (namely NFS3), but the two main game types more than make up for it. If your computer has the horsepower to run it, you won't find a more graphically appealing or fun-to-drive game anywhere.

Poor man's way of driving a $100,000+ Porsche

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Ever wished to drive a porsche down the street racing past other cars at over 100+mph?? This is the game! Fast pace, almost realistic physics, and real porsches at your disposal!! Featuring Evolution (starting with older models and work your way up), Porsche test drive team, multiplayer, single quick race and Knockout race. Beautiful scenery, great sounds and music soundtrack for the ears........

GFX: 8/10; Still some glitches

Sound: 9/10; I love the way the engine sounds

Control: 9/10; Just like any other racing game, simplified

Replay: 8/10; many modes, and manipulation of tracks offer great replay value

Realism: 7/10; quite realistic, but I am sure you get more than a yellow dent if you crash into the wall head on at 120mph

Overall (not average): 8.5/10

Still the best racing sim

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I'm rediscovering this beauty again as I just purchased a racing wheel. Well over a year old, this is still the most fun to play of all the racing sims. At the time it came out, it strained older computer systems. Now anyone with a recent computer should be able to play it (people with high-performance systems may want to reload this gem again and play it with all the settings maxed out - very nice!)

As many of the other reviewers have attested, the physics of the cars are so completely different that it's the first time I can say I feel like I really am driving different cars. All the other games claim this, but they all felt the same to me. It really is a challenge to master the handling, braking, and performance issues, especially in "Evolution" mode where you have to start with the older, slower, poorly handling porsches and work your way up to the later models by winning race after race.

The details have been juiced up so the damage reflects on your vehicles, right down to headlights getting knocked out. The headlights "twinkle" during night driving and the sun gets in your eyes during the day. You can customize the trim, colors, racing stripes, add a racing number, and even specify whether you want the top up or down on the convertibles. Damage is still unrealistic (for obvious reasons - one plow into a retaining wall at 150mph and game over!) Yes, Need For Speed fans, you can flip your porsches (we weren't able to in earlier versions.) The replay camera angles are great and you can see yourself driving the cars. The sound of the engines in each of the cars are distinctive and unique too.

The tracks are great - what I've seen at least. They claim there's a total of 14 tracks, I don't think I've seen half of them yet. Not sure how to unlock them or the certain cars they block us from playing. Personally I don't want to have to race all the other cars just to unlock one particular model - they get one of the stars knocked off for this annoyance. The computer AI is a little easier now in beginner mode. It has to be cheating in the more advanced modes.

I'm not sure of this (yet) but according to the EARacing website, multiplayer is going out the door and we may not have a multiplayer option unless we pay to join the fee-based Motor City Online servers, grrrr. Racing's fun, but not for $10 a month in my opinion. If this happens, this will be a real disappointment. EA advertises additional downloads off the Internet. Turns out it's just 4 additional cars. While that's nice (especially the 959!), it certainly isn't an elaborate expansion of the game that you might infer. It would've been nice if they included some additional tracks too.

Even if we're stuck with single-player mode it's still a real treat to play. I hope EA considers making a "Ferrari Unleashed" or "Lamborghini Unleashed" in the near future. If you're looking for a gift for a racing nut or leadfoot friend - this won't disappoint. Hope my review helped!

The NFS Game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The stories of NFS Hot Pursuit II coming out, The NFS Underground, all cannot beat the magnificence of this sheer driving pleasure game.

There are no Yellow Ferraris, No Black Diablos, No White F1s, No Green Astons, No Blue Lotus' No petty Mercs and BMs....Only Porsche. This game, from its absolutely stunning high-end graphics in the game menus, not to mention the actual game, is simply a bliss to be in. From the 1950 Coupe Ferdinand, named after Dr Ferdinand Porsche, the Creator of Porsche, to the GT1s, GT2 Cup, GT3, 959s (Only 200 in the world), 928 GTS, The 550 A Spyder (James Dean became immortal after he died in this car), and not to mention all those Carreras, the Moby Dick, and 911s. There are 81 different Porsches and not counting the bonus cars which you download.

You have 3 Different Types of Games to play, the Evolution, which is the heart of Porsche Unleashed, and the Factory Driver, whereby you undertake little missions to qualify as a Authentic Porsche Factory Driver, (There is a Rolf who first is introduced, reminicense of Dean's personal Porsche Mechanic, Rolf Wutherich) and normal Original NFS Games featuring some of the Factory Cars to play Quick Races and Knockout Rounds.

The Evolution. This is a game that is to have you on your Racing Wheels for a very longtime. Starting from 1950, moving from the Classic Era, to Golden, to the Final Modern Era, you have to win the Tournaments to make your way up in the Timeline, you will earn money, sell cars, collect cars, paint them, tune their gears, adjust tire pressure, shock level, shock travel, the toe-ins, brake balances, and most importantly, the Downforce. You get to choose your own Rim style for your Porsche, buy Slicks, or Rain tires, open up the boot, the door, look inside the car, take it for a Testdrive in the infamous Autobahn, go to Corsica, the Cote D'Azur, Pyrenees, the Alps, Normandie, and so on. After you finish each tournament, you get to play the Club races, which offer a wide range of every kind of prize money, and every kind of difficulty.

The most important aspect of the Porsche Game is that the Porsches get very hard to control as you advance. Some cars, like the 944s will be easier than the Carrera 2.7 RS Models, or the 911 Turbos. You will have to take in consideration every little information you can find. You will have to practice to be able to qualify for the next round. After a while you would be familiar with words like 'loose' 'tail happy' 'toe-ins' 'add more rear down pressure' 'buy the low-speed gear box' 'add the whaletail' etc...After this game, literally, you'll know more about Porsche the cars and their History a lot more than anyone else. Although not every single car that was made production is available, such as the 912s, featuring 81 cars in a game is not bad don't you think?

I wasn't much of a Porsche lover, but after this game, every time I see a Porsche, I can tell exactly what model that car is or what year it was made. For example, the difference between the Carrera 2 and the Carrera 4. Its obvious to a lot of people that the Carrera 2 came before the Carrera 4, but intruth, Carrera 4 is an All-Wheel Drive and Carrera 2 only drives on the front 2 wheels....its these little information that will make you interested in Porsche a lot more. Driving the infamous "Little Bastard" driven by James Dean, will give a much different perspective of Porsche and James Dean both...and driving the GT1 or the Moby Dick 935, will let you be able to feel the power of the speed which goes over 280kms an hour.

If you have 2 Million pictures of the Ferrari, met the Ferrari President, dream of owning the Enzo, know all about Ferrari and their 356GTs, Maranellos, F50s, love your Lambos, seen the Murcielagos, know what the VT stands for in the Diablos, Know the first name of Lamborghini, what happenend to the company, IT DOESN'T MATTER. Even if you hate Porsche so much you'd like to scratch a reallife car when you see one, this game....this game has to be played.

With Force Feedback ofcourse.

Kicks ass but can be taxing on your system

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: March 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Before you buy a game, you ask yourself a question: "Will this game run smoothly on my computer?" The specs developer gives you not always correct. Of course, you can run it on >350 Mhz, but can't experience the full potential of the game and get the real feeling of the car. On its webpage EA gives these specs as recommended configuration: 300mhz, 64 meg RAM and 8 meg video. In my opinion, these specs should be the required ones. Gamers, is there any fun running game below 800x600 resolution? Don't think so. My test system was self-built P3 600 Mhz, 192 meg RAM , and Matrox Millennium G400 Max w/ 32 meg, on base of Intel SE440BX-2 motherboard. Game runs very smoothly on 1024x768 resolution with full detail on. If you got system like this, go ahead, grab this game, and enjoy extreme graphics and "dare to unleash Porsche's potential". 3..2..1..GO!

Excellent Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: March 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Yes it does have issues with the geforce based video cards and lockups/crashes are mostly caused by other programs in memory. I had a problem with it crashing but when I used ctrl-alt-del to eliminate everything except explorer and systry the game runs fine. I love the career mode and the used car market. I found the best way to make money is to buy a used car,fix it up, run a race or two with it and sell it. Also, if you are still in the early to mid fifties, buy as many cabriolet's as possible in 75 the best ones (53-56 and the super,90 etc ) sell for between 60,000 - 110,000.

No way this game can get lower than 4

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have Need for speed high stakes that is NFS4 and it is the best i'd give it a rating of 5. Now they come out with a #5 which is defenatly going to be better they improved many things by far. When you first play a game like this and aren't use to the gameplay you probably end up last every time but after some experience you come out at the top. I remember when it was so hard to handle the cars but then when i got good at the handbrake i could outmaneauver anything. Believe me NFS series are always going to get better. The only thing that i can say thats bad about NFS is that they never have their online racing completley finished. I remember when i bought NFSHS and they never had the online beta working to anyone lower than cable and now it is still in beta form. I would also recommend NFSHS to everyone who hasn't played it. There are far over 1000 cars online that you can download and add includeing tracks. I would think it would be a great Multiplayer game. you and 3 other friends could play pursuit mode. 2 cops 2 bad guys great game.

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