I am the first to admit that I have a strange taste in racing games, as up until testing the Need for Speed series my favorites in this category have been Ubi Soft's POD (due to its incredibly gorgeous surrealistic tracks) and - to a lesser extent - Interplay's Whiplash 3D (due to the creatively swirling track design). A 3Dfx graphics accelerator card is highly recommended for this special edition of this game. Required: 90 Mhz Pentium CPU, 16 MB RAM, 10 MB hard disk space (plus space for saved games), 4X CD-ROM drive, a 1 MB PCI video card capable of displaying 65,535 colors, a sound card, a keyboard, a mouse, and Windows 95.
Moreover, there is still some room for improvement in the graphics, as for example in the replays the wheels on the cars do not turn and when viewed at some angles the cars look distorted. However, one inexplicable limitation is that if you use 3Dfx support you cannot view the race using the Heads-Up Display via the In-Car Cam given that the manual claims that this is the most realistic view, this omission seems inexcusable. Seeing rain and mud splatter the windshield while racing is another really nice visual feature. Moving objects in the background such as planes and windmills add to the fun.
The tracks and the cars are beautiful and detailed, and the physics of the action is realistically portrayed (I love watching a car spin out or flip over, for example). The 3Dfx graphics in this game are super, rivaling the very best in any racing game. To add to the depth of the game, you can get tons of information (including a video and slide show) on each of the cars included. You can control volume and sound quality and graphics detail, and you can load and save tournaments and replays. The interface and menus are very well designed (unlike in some other racing games where one seems to face an endless stream of poorly-organized loosely-connected menus) and are very attractive to look at.
Full support is available for joysticks (including the force-feedback variety), game pads, and steering wheels and/or pedals while you can control the responsiveness in each case, it is generally just right at the default level. The artificial intelligence of computer opponents is superb, as they are always trying to cut you off or sneak around you in interesting places. The gameplay here continues to be among the most exciting and fast-paced of any computer racing game.
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