Need For Speed II - 24 Years Later: An LGR Retrospective
video description
Date: 2022-04-14
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 10
xevious2501
First came the Test Drive series. and it was awesome for its time. The first time real sports cars were represented faithfully in a video game. be it arcade console or home computer. Thought the series only saw home computer distribution. the levels of gameplay and visual quality varied greatly on the platform of its use. The best representation often being that of the commodore amiga which was decades ahead of its peers. Test Drive saw the use of audio sampling from the actual cars as well as faithfully represented interior graphics. It remained a staple of the car racing genre for years until the arrival of the Need for Speed series. which say the introduction of 3d graphics. And even more faithful representations. Here we saw the use of 3d cars and far reaching environments. and Speed being the very factor of its graphics and gameplay, and yes it was incredibly fun. One (myself) could argue that the series prior the coming of the Fast and the Furious Neon Ricer inspired 'Need for speed Underground' was far better in that it catered to the celebration of the sports and supercars of their time, while underground took a quazi approach to celebrating the then movie inspired auto culture that were growing massively. The series went all ricer on its traditional demographic buyers, but in doing to it captured the heats of the younger generations just waiting to get their first japanese car and drop a big old turbo and nitros kit into them. For me though i respected the change in culture i missed the sophistication of the earlier games. But at that point something came along that changed racing titles all together, and i first saw it as an video demonstration and later playable demo. and it was everything the need for speed series was not. Realism. and that title. was GranTurismo. Here wasnt just a racing game. here was a car racing simulator. Here was attention to details. Here was true automotive suspension in a game. here was attention to torque horsepower weight transfer tire degrade. Everything Need for speed traded its furture for neon ricer arcade type action. At that point The need for speed series was dead to me. Test drive oddly enough resurfaced with TestDrive unlimited an open world driving experience. which mirrored what Need for speed couldve been had it not gone all ricer on us. And i really enjoyed to see the original racing series, the oldest of them all return. But GranTursimo became my favorite at least for a time. As it then took them too much time to truly upgrade the game. indeed the graphics improved from game to game, but it was the audio that remainded the same. and it was fustrating. The same old school tire screetch from the original title repeatedly used a near decade later. what were they thinking. but today such things are all worked out. but as always somethhing came along to uproot even Granturismo. VR computer titles. To be in the car too a driving sim to the ultimate level.
reply
First came the Test Drive series. and it was awesome for its time. The first time real sports cars were represented faithfully in a video game. be it arcade console or home computer. Thought the series only saw home computer distribution. the levels of gameplay and visual quality varied greatly on the platform of its use. The best representation often being that of the commodore amiga which was decades ahead of its peers. Test Drive saw the use of audio sampling from the actual cars as well as faithfully represented interior graphics. It remained a staple of the car racing genre for years until the arrival of the Need for Speed series. which say the introduction of 3d graphics. And even more faithful representations. Here we saw the use of 3d cars and far reaching environments. and Speed being the very factor of its graphics and gameplay, and yes it was incredibly fun. One (myself) could argue that the series prior the coming of the Fast and the Furious Neon Ricer inspired 'Need for speed Underground' was far better in that it catered to the celebration of the sports and supercars of their time, while underground took a quazi approach to celebrating the then movie inspired auto culture that were growing massively. The series went all ricer on its traditional demographic buyers, but in doing to it captured the heats of the younger generations just waiting to get their first japanese car and drop a big old turbo and nitros kit into them. For me though i respected the change in culture i missed the sophistication of the earlier games. But at that point something came along that changed racing titles all together, and i first saw it as an video demonstration and later playable demo. and it was everything the need for speed series was not. Realism. and that title. was GranTurismo. Here wasnt just a racing game. here was a car racing simulator. Here was attention to details. Here was true automotive suspension in a game. here was attention to torque horsepower weight transfer tire degrade. Everything Need for speed traded its furture for neon ricer arcade type action. At that point The need for speed series was dead to me. Test drive oddly enough resurfaced with TestDrive unlimited an open world driving experience. which mirrored what Need for speed couldve been had it not gone all ricer on us. And i really enjoyed to see the original racing series, the oldest of them all return. But GranTursimo became my favorite at least for a time. As it then took them too much time to truly upgrade the game. indeed the graphics improved from game to game, but it was the audio that remainded the same. and it was fustrating. The same old school tire screetch from the original title repeatedly used a near decade later. what were they thinking. but today such things are all worked out. but as always somethhing came along to uproot even Granturismo. VR computer titles. To be in the car too a driving sim to the ultimate level.
reply
GitKlar
2: 01 oh my god, that's amazing! Where and when did you pick that up? Getting the replicas was also a big thing for me, back in the day. Too bad, I was much better an NfS-gamer than a sensitive collector, as a kid.
Yeah, the missing dashcam-view in 3dfx-mode still gives me headaches, as well. I also used to play the game in software-mode - basically just because I didn't even know how to get the 3dfx-version running. But therefore, I was also used to have the dashcam included.
Nowadays, I'm playing the 3dfx-version, because I like the performance and the rest of the graphics better. But the missing dashcam really kills something. Especially, if that's your preferred view to play.
reply
2: 01 oh my god, that's amazing! Where and when did you pick that up? Getting the replicas was also a big thing for me, back in the day. Too bad, I was much better an NfS-gamer than a sensitive collector, as a kid.
Yeah, the missing dashcam-view in 3dfx-mode still gives me headaches, as well. I also used to play the game in software-mode - basically just because I didn't even know how to get the 3dfx-version running. But therefore, I was also used to have the dashcam included.
Nowadays, I'm playing the 3dfx-version, because I like the performance and the rest of the graphics better. But the missing dashcam really kills something. Especially, if that's your preferred view to play.
reply
Phraggers
nfs2se was my first racing game, and one of my first PC games, we didn't have a PC until 1998 when I was 12, but yeah I never thought it was goofy or strange since I had nothing to compare it to (excluding Super Monaco GP on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis, but I doubt that counts lol) and I can CLEARLY remember getting a voodoo. 2? 3? for Christmas 1999 and experiencing 3dfx version of nfs2se for the first time. Doesn't seem the same in your side-by-side comparison but on my family PC at that time, I must've been only in single digit FPS on software rendering, but with 3dfx it was smooth as silk.
reply
nfs2se was my first racing game, and one of my first PC games, we didn't have a PC until 1998 when I was 12, but yeah I never thought it was goofy or strange since I had nothing to compare it to (excluding Super Monaco GP on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis, but I doubt that counts lol) and I can CLEARLY remember getting a voodoo. 2? 3? for Christmas 1999 and experiencing 3dfx version of nfs2se for the first time. Doesn't seem the same in your side-by-side comparison but on my family PC at that time, I must've been only in single digit FPS on software rendering, but with 3dfx it was smooth as silk.
reply
Ortwin
Fun fact: I missunderstood -reverse- so it was enabled by default and I expirienced all tracks in reserve. So I was better to go all tracks backward instead of normal.
Mirrored tracks were always kinda very difficult and a pitty that signs with letters were mirrored too. That became quite annoying e. g. in Atlantica from NFS3.
I can't remember to change the colors of the car. I thought Nazca, GT90 and Indigo were only playable in their original colors. Maybe this was in the European Edition only.
Actually I messed up with the tuning to reach more than 500 kp/h with the FZR 2000.
reply
Fun fact: I missunderstood -reverse- so it was enabled by default and I expirienced all tracks in reserve. So I was better to go all tracks backward instead of normal.
Mirrored tracks were always kinda very difficult and a pitty that signs with letters were mirrored too. That became quite annoying e. g. in Atlantica from NFS3.
I can't remember to change the colors of the car. I thought Nazca, GT90 and Indigo were only playable in their original colors. Maybe this was in the European Edition only.
Actually I messed up with the tuning to reach more than 500 kp/h with the FZR 2000.
reply
Striking
9 years ago. I got this game when it was delivered from my mom job and, I just couldn-t wait to play it, but when I played it. It just goes faster, and then it crashes when I tried to run it on my moms old pc (because of the 3DFX) over and over again, but after a few weeks go by, and I got my own computer, the game worked without crashing every couple of few minutes, but the problem is the game ran in software mode. But at least I finally get to play it for the first time. Thanks for sharing this memory-s
reply
9 years ago. I got this game when it was delivered from my mom job and, I just couldn-t wait to play it, but when I played it. It just goes faster, and then it crashes when I tried to run it on my moms old pc (because of the 3DFX) over and over again, but after a few weeks go by, and I got my own computer, the game worked without crashing every couple of few minutes, but the problem is the game ran in software mode. But at least I finally get to play it for the first time. Thanks for sharing this memory-s
reply
Louis'
As a Need for Speed fan it was the Playstation version that I first got into Need for Speed in general I do mods for Need for Speed III, Need for Speed High Stakes, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2, & Need for Speed: Most Wanted as well including police cars for those games. The Ferrari F50 also appears in Need for Speed High Stakes, Hot Pursuit 2, and Rivals, while the F1 also appears in Hot Pursuit 2, ProStreet, & other titles as well.
reply
As a Need for Speed fan it was the Playstation version that I first got into Need for Speed in general I do mods for Need for Speed III, Need for Speed High Stakes, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2, & Need for Speed: Most Wanted as well including police cars for those games. The Ferrari F50 also appears in Need for Speed High Stakes, Hot Pursuit 2, and Rivals, while the F1 also appears in Hot Pursuit 2, ProStreet, & other titles as well.
reply
Sakura
My first racing game that introduced me more deeply to video games and racing games specially.
And yes, that soundtrack, THAT MAGNIFICENT SOUNDTRACK I remember all time; cars, showcases, tracks, races, traffic, etc, etc, etc, for me, the NFS more interesting, through of its curious (and little bad) details.
Some day this NFS (and all classics) should comeback, they deserve be remembered and, again, THAT EXCELLENT SOUNDTRACK!
reply
My first racing game that introduced me more deeply to video games and racing games specially.
And yes, that soundtrack, THAT MAGNIFICENT SOUNDTRACK I remember all time; cars, showcases, tracks, races, traffic, etc, etc, etc, for me, the NFS more interesting, through of its curious (and little bad) details.
Some day this NFS (and all classics) should comeback, they deserve be remembered and, again, THAT EXCELLENT SOUNDTRACK!
reply
Nick
My Dad never let me play this as a kid, because I always cracked the shits and was worried I would break one of his controllers. He had it on PS1 though. This, Need For Speed Payback and Nitro are the only games I have not played in this series. The two Need For Speeds that give me immense nostalgia is -The Need For Speed- and -High Stakes- The menu for -Need For Speed II- reminds me of -Motorhead- for some reason.
reply
My Dad never let me play this as a kid, because I always cracked the shits and was worried I would break one of his controllers. He had it on PS1 though. This, Need For Speed Payback and Nitro are the only games I have not played in this series. The two Need For Speeds that give me immense nostalgia is -The Need For Speed- and -High Stakes- The menu for -Need For Speed II- reminds me of -Motorhead- for some reason.
reply
Shawn
5: 55 - I don't know why, but seeing you bounce the mouse cursor in-time with the music made me LOL.
I feel like LGR would've enjoyed Carmageddon. The physics was even more bonkers than NFS2, and the vehicle damage model was hilarious. Plus there were bonuses for ridiculous driving, including the Cunning Stunt Bonus, or as I called it back then, the Stunning Cunt Bonus.
reply
5: 55 - I don't know why, but seeing you bounce the mouse cursor in-time with the music made me LOL.
I feel like LGR would've enjoyed Carmageddon. The physics was even more bonkers than NFS2, and the vehicle damage model was hilarious. Plus there were bonuses for ridiculous driving, including the Cunning Stunt Bonus, or as I called it back then, the Stunning Cunt Bonus.
reply
David
I never understood why i played this game so much. I played games for fantasy, so if i'd play something sport related (which i wouldn't, it had to be nba jam; if it was a racing game, it would be rock n roll racing or crash team racing (or whatever. Never understood why i loved this -realistic- racing game, but now i remember how it actually was.
reply
I never understood why i played this game so much. I played games for fantasy, so if i'd play something sport related (which i wouldn't, it had to be nba jam; if it was a racing game, it would be rock n roll racing or crash team racing (or whatever. Never understood why i loved this -realistic- racing game, but now i remember how it actually was.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
