Need for Speed on 3DO destroys the other 32-bit versions

[Trev]

So I was playing some Sega Saturn today, and I popped in Need for Speed. I already knew it was an awful port for a multitude of reasons, but I felt like checking it out for a little bit (it's been a while since I've played it last)

I was going through the races, and after a while it occured to me that I hadn't crashed. I was actually kinda dissapointed as I really like the crashes. The way the car flips and spins, I always thought they were terrific physics, especially for 1994! Besides being dissapointed though, I was also a bit confused ... why hadn't I crashed? Granted I have played a lot of Need for Speed, and am good at it. But not even 1 crash, especially in a port that I never play? Suddenly it occured to me ...

Need for Speed on the Saturn has no oncoming traffic! Other than the 8 other cars you are racing, there are no other vehicles! (in time trial there are no other vehicles period!) No wonder I wasn't crashing ...

In all these years I never noticed this. I now have yet another reason to dislike NFS on the Saturn (and Psx) It might be an ok game when taken on it's own, but as a port it is turrible!

[Anonymous]

No oncoming traffic? I had no idea.

[3DO Experience]

[Martin III]

I've always found it funny how the Saturn version of The Need For Speed, which is considered a quite solid and enjoyable racer among the Saturn community (see here for instance), is considered a butchered port in the 3DO community. I guess it just goes to show how awesome the 3DO version is!

[Trev]

I've always found it funny how the Saturn version of The Need For Speed, which is considered a quite solid and enjoyable racer among the Saturn community (see here for instance), is considered a butchered port in the 3DO community. I guess it just goes to show how awesome the 3DO version is!

It's true. Taken on it's own NFS on the Saturn is all right. If I hadn't played the heck out of the 3DO version I probably would have a fairly high opinion of the game. But it's tough to play this one when such a stronger version exists.

Saturn pros ...

-2 player mode
-3 new tracks (even though they don't fit the style of the original ones)

Saturn cons ...

-No X-Man
-Loading screens for the loading screens!
-New weak sountrack
-Graphics have been seriously degraded
-Control is no longer like a sim, instead it is arcade
-Oncoming traffic has been removed

The thing that really gets me about the last one, is that it removes a lot of the fun & challenge..

The original NFS tracks are fairly straightforward and realistic. By removing the oncoming cars, it's almost impossible to mess up. There are no wild curves to spin out on for instance. So as a result, you can pretty much just lay back and drvie all over the road w/o fear of crashing ...

I wouldn't even mind this neccesarily if the game had kept the sim control, as I could just cruise and check out the visuals (albeit far weaker in the Saturn version) but with the newer arcade style, I fly through the courses in no time at all.

I can only guess that big fans of the Sat & Psx ports of NFS never spent much time w/the 3DO original.

[nixzero]

You mentioned that the Saturn version is more arcadey, and the biggest way I noticed that was the 3DO version is a little slower (ie. more realistic), whereas the PSX and Saturn versions are a little faster (ie. arcade-like). Looking at YouTube videos, the PSX version does have traffic, but it seems lighter than the 3DO version. (possibly to balance the increased speed?)

In any case, I'm surprised the Saturn's graphics were degraded, I think the Saturn and 3DO both used quads instead of triangles, so they should have been able to use the same models...

Still it's no surprise that the 3DO had the best version considering it was developed for it. 3DO FTW!

[Austin]

I am going to have to try the Saturn version sometime. I much prefer arcade-style racing over sim stuff, so I might actually enjoy it more than the 3DO one.

With that said though, the 3DO game is most certainly excellent. I could do without the X Man and cheesy FMV, but even being as sim-focused as it is, it's still fun to play. It's sim-ish, but not to a Gran Turismo 3 level. It's a good balance.

[Trev]

I could do without the X Man

What!?!?!

You might think you could do without him, but trust me ... nobody can resist can resist the power of the X-Man!

[3DOKid]

The game needs x-man.

[Trev]

I thought of another thing I wanted to mention earlier, and that is an additional viewpoint the Saturn version has (maybe Psx too, but haven't played it recently) It has a 1st person option similar to Ridge Racer, with not even a hood visible ...

While it isn't neccesarily bad, I think it's totally pointless. Nevermind the fact that it gives me Ridge Racer vibes, it defeats the whole point of NFS having amazing cars! How can I appreciate the beauty of the cars when I can't even see them? One of the great things about the 3DO game is that you could realy appreciate the cars either with the 3rd person view or the incredibly detailed cockpit view (yes the Saturn has these too, but they don't look nearly as good) I think this new view, coupled with the increase in speed, rock soundtrack, etc ... really contributed to the game losing it's sim substance, turning it into a cheap arcade racer.

[3DOKid]

This was a big battle back in the day as recall. PS1 Ridge Racer was full screen, and 3DO Need for Speed 'hid' behind a cockpit. There is a cheat to make NFS 3DO full screen too. It was seen as a sign of weakness not to have the fullest of full screens.

[Austin]

I just checked out a video of the Saturn version, and wow, it looks really good to me! I can definitely see where they dropped the simulation approach, because for one, as Trev mentioned, there's no oncoming traffic. This looks to be what gives it the arcadey feel, because you can really blaze through the courses now (I kind of like that). In the 3DO one, you really have to lay on the brakes at times in order to progress without crashing. The true perk to the Saturn version though (from what I can tell) is the smoother framerate. That's something that has always appealed to me in terms of how well games have aged (to me). Anyway.. The Saturn one doesn't look bad to me, but that's coming from a non-jaded perspective (I didn't really begin appreciating the 3DO version until a couple of years ago).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHy6NsT4sAI

[Trev]

Hmmm ... well, the Saturn version is faster no doubt about it, but I don't think it's neccesarily smoother. I think the jump in speed is just so high, that it might give the illusion of a smoother framerate. But maybe it is a little bit smoother. I mean, the elimination of oncoming traffic means far less new images constantly appearing on screen so it's probably much easier for the Saturn to hanlde it.

This topic is just begging for some Youtube vids Austin!

[Austin]

This topic is just begging for some Youtube vids Austin!

Meh.. Since I have the 3DO version again (no thanks to you!), I thought about doing a casual review on it. I don't know though. Haven't been terribly motivated to do those lately.

[Trev]

This topic is just begging for some Youtube vids Austin!

Meh.. Since I have the 3DO version again (no thanks to you!), I thought about doing a casual review on it. I don't know though. Haven't been terribly motivated to do those lately.

Why do you think I sent it to you, if not to see a casual review of it? After all, I could have sold it instead. Don't you know how much money scratched loose copies of common games fetch?

[Austin]

Don't pressure me, man.

[CasetheCorvetteman]

The Saturn version most certainly does have the traffic, there is a mode with 7 opponents and no traffic, and a mode with 1 opponent and normal traffic. This is the same on the PS1 version.

[a31chris]

ok I bumped it up to intermediate. Now we're having fun. It's a bit tougher. Tracks longer. The X-man is way more aggressive.

I am DYING to see the clip where he boasts he will 'live forever, digitally immortalized'.

[a31chris]

I wish my cousin still lived with me. He moved out a few months ago. He is a state away now. This is funner than I remember the PSX version being. But I wish he was here so I could play his more and see if it's just the difficulty needed adjusting or try to define what is different about the two. I guess I'll need to buy the Saturn version.

No X-man. Blech. Whatever.

[CasetheCorvetteman]

The 3DO version is better in almost every way, there are still reasons to play the Saturn version though, just not at 50Hz, because its not speed optimised.

[a31chris]

Playing on intermediate. This is interesting. Whatever algorithm they use to track how well you did seems to keep a rudimentary understanding somehow of how you won or lost. If you blow away the X-man his videos reflect that. If you barely beat him on a segment the videos seem to reflect that.

In one of them I was killing him until the last bit where I wiped out and he passed me and hit the finish line. His response was 'Nice moves etc etc. Most of them in oncoming traffic... ouch!' or somesuch. It REALLY gives the game a human touch instead of just a blind you win/lose video cut.

I think it was a stupid idea for them to take the X-MAN out of the other versions.

[CasetheCorvetteman]

Yeah, its great for a while, but you get too used to the same things over and over

[a31chris]

Its still cool. They could of just put in an option to disable it instead of getting rid of it entirely.

[CasetheCorvetteman]

Im pretty sure you can turn it off in the menu, i usually just hold A when the screen comes up.

[mattyg]

There's no question - I have the PS and Saturn versions too. They are very very different games. Simulator vs. Arcade

[CasetheCorvetteman]

There's no question - I have the PS and Saturn versions too. They are very very different games. Simulator vs. Arcade

Yes indeed, and the funny thing was back in the day when those other two came out, everyone i knew at the time raved about the PS1 version, then again when the Saturn version came out with better visuals than the PS1 but not PAL optimised, they all went with that as the best...

The best part is when any of them went back again to relive former glory, there was simply no room for anything less than the 3DO version... The feel of realism was beyond compare for its day...

[a31chris]

Finally jumped into pro mode last night. Got my ass handed to me on the city track. The EASY one. I got a ways to go. I did good for the first stretch but he was all over me. Damn that X-MAN!

[a31chris]

Going to play a round right now.

[a31chris]

Got beat again but did better. One little slip up and X-man is all over you. And a cop even chased me down. I couldn't get away from him.

[CasetheCorvetteman]

What car are you driving and what car are you giving him?

I recomend you take the Corvette, its a great handling car and easily the 3rd fastest of the group, its probably the easiest to drive.

Give him the NSX, i would consider it the worst of the group.

The Lamborghini is easily the fastest, but its a real handful to drive in traffic and not so easy to control at speed.

The Ferrari is the quickest car on the most tracks, its fastest on City 2 and 3, Coastal ( all ) and Alpine 1 and 2.

The Lamborghini is easily fastest for City 1 due to the extra 10mph top speed.

The Corvette is one of the quickest on Alpine 3 due to its good speed and great handling, but with alot of work, the Ferrari can match it on that segment.