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Need For Speed:High Stakes

Sony Playstation

1-2 players

Dual Shock and Analog Compatible

Well the beloved NFS series has finally reached number four.  This series has been around since the days of the 3DO and has always been succesful for some reason.  I guess those boys at EA know how to make a racing game eh?  Well yours truly owns all four of them and to say the least half of them are not that impressive.  I liked NFS2 just because of the track design.  The gameplay was totally sub-par.  I loved NFS3, it still has to be the cream of the crop.  Now we come to number four...what to say?

To be perfectly honest this game was a huge disappointment.  I mean coming off of NFS3 and Gran Turismo you would think that this game would raise the stakes in the genre.   This, sadly did not occur.  This game feels totally rushed, the controls are completely sloppy and non-responsive.  Cornering is a total joke and powersliding??? Don't even think about it!  This really urks me because NFS3 had great control.

Graphics are another thing I found wrong with this title.  They are grainy and dirty, it seems as though EA put alot of work into the detail of the tracks and cars and forgot about the fram rate and smoothness.  The game slows down terribly and suffers from severe frame rate loss.  Especially in two player mode, the game slows down so much it is like watching a slideshow.

Sound is the one place this game excels though.  The cars sound extremely realistic and the weather effects are quite nice.  I also like the selection of music, instead of straight ahead rock they used industrial/techno.  This suits the mood of the game nicely.  The screeching of the tires and the sounds of traffic and police chatter are incredible.

Overall this game is not a must have game.  It is a weekend renter...maybe.   I can not stress enough how disappointed I am with EA on this game.  I can see the rushed package when I see one, and this game was rushed!  I hope the next game doesn't disappoint me, but of course because EA has decided not to support the Dreamcast I guess the next NFS is still up in the air.  Oh well until next time this is ZT sayin see-ya!

Graphics--7.0

Sound--9.5

Control--6.5

Replay--6.0

OVERALL--7.0

This game is rushed and it shows, dont buy this game unless you have fifty bucks to throw away!