The Need For Speed

for Panasonic 3DO

Condition: 9/10

Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed is a 1994 racing video game, released on the 3DO and ported to MS-DOS, Windows, PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It is the first installment released in the Need for Speed series. The premise of the game involves racing in sport cars, including several exotic models and Japanese imports.

The game was noted for its realism and audio and video commentaries. Electronic Arts teamed up with automotive magazine Road & Track to match vehicle behavior, including the mimicking of the sounds made by the vehicles’ gear control levers. The game also contained precise vehicle data with spoken commentary, several “magazine style” images of each car interior and exterior and short video clips highlighting the vehicles set to music.

The Need For Speed was later released in Japan as Over Drivin’, with two versions with Nissan as the sponsor and the lineup of cars changed to popular Nissan models. The PS1 version was released as Over Drivin’ Skyline Memorial whilst the Saturn version was released as Over Drivin’ GT-R.

There are a total of six courses in the game (three in the 3DO version): City, Coastal, Alpine, Rusty Springs, Autumn Valley and Vertigo. Each is a distinctive environment. City, Coastal and Alpine have three sections each, while the others are circuit races.