Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed

The Good
Excellent driving model, different cars feel different, the setup changes do make a difference, multi-pathed courses, factory driving mission-based challenges, plenty of tournaments to play, decent online play.

The Bad
Car's handling is slightly exaggerated, inability to create your own missions or tournaments, not enough difference in the parts, money too easy to come by, limited number of tracks, online play could be easier to configure, limited to only Porsches, lack of hot pursuit mode.

The Bottom Line
Porsche Unleashed is the best Need for Speed Up to date. With 80 different models of Porsches (most are minor variants though) from the 356 to the 200 996-style 911 Turbo, and plenty of different tracks, the sim provides many many races. Each of the cars handle differently, and the two modes, factory driver and evolution are a lot of fun making through. However, several problems prevent it from being a true classic. Lack of editor prevents true longevity, and the Porsche-only focus turns off other exoticar fans. Still, this is one of the best driving games on the market. Don't miss it if you like driving games.

The Good
Naturally, what led me to buy the game were the screenshots on the box, but it turns out the gameplay was very enjoyable too. There are two special modes, Evolution and Factory Driver, that allow the player to grow and be rewarded. A lot more games are picking up on this now to extend gameplay past the regular arcade mode.

In fact, the driving in NFSPU is more simulation than arcade compared to the previous NFS games. Some will scoff at that, but I enjoyed it. It made the Porsche driving experience more realistic, especially feeling the immense driving difference between a 356 and a 959. Old cars wobble and powerslide, and new cars growl with power. Each car is very customizable with engine/body parts and colors/decals.

The scenery on each of the ten or so tracks is nice, ranging from twisty forest paths to city speedways to snow-capped mountains. The driving controls make a fair amount of sense, and the gauge display is very customizable depending on how much or little you want on-screen.

The Bad
When you first play the evolution mode, it's a great challenge, but after a few plays, you realize you can just buy and sell used cars for profit, and keep racing races you easily run, to earn money, and it starts becoming trivial. Some of the factory driver missions take a huge amount of practice, and it can be frustrating trying to do the same spin over and over until the game decides you did it right.

The menus cannot be controlled with the arrow keys, and so you're caught shifting between mouse and keyboard when you pause the game mid-race.

There are a whole ton of 356 and 911 models in the game, but some are entirely missing from the game, like the 928, 924, and 968. Some of the missing cars are downloadable from the EA web/ftp site, but you can't drive them in factory or evolution mode.

The Bottom Line
Porsche fans will naturally eat this game up, as it covers 50 years of Porsche history in pictures, videos, and of course in the game itself. Even though it's in the Need For Speed series, and the newer cars can get quite fast, the game is more about driving than speed, and learning to appreciate the handling of each car... even the cheap little 914. Even after four years, you can still find this game new in the $10 bargain bins, which is a testament to its long-lasting playability and enjoyment.

The Good
The vehicle amount is quite big, 80 cars without downloadable cars, but there are more when you got to the official website at the time of release. I enjoyed the track layout and missions add to the replay value. The music was very usual for EA, mix of funky songs in between but then it drops from good to absolutely terrible, that I got stretched like wire when I hear a bad song here. Thankfully you can manage the playlist in the option menu The tracks are based around Europe, France and Germany. There are also five circuits around Monte Carlo (though all five circuits are in night). Each track has its own time of day too, but it is static. There are details here and there which range from rain to animated people. For example in Normandie you can see a old woman sitting on a chair, and a man cleanning the junk on the floor. Engines sound well, horns sound like they should, background noises like rain, animals etc. There are extras like slides, videos and showcases for each car.

The Bad
Tracks are very limited, lack of custom tournaments, driver models are limited, and have about four models each. Some Factory Driver missions are nearly hard to beat. The AI seems to have catchup but it annoys me alot. Sometimes the vehicles spin out of control, so you lose the pack very often and you will keep an eye for the damage meter.

The Bottom Line
It is the best of the series, it is simulation like but looks arcadey. Get it in any way you can and enjoy it. Trust me.

The Good
In terms of racing games, this one has it all. Don't be put off by the fact that the only cars featured in this game are Porsches. There are 80 cars in this game and each one is realistically modelled and has it's own distinctive feel. I've never driven a real Porsche so I don't know exactly how accurate the controls are, but this isn't meant to be a perfect simulation, it's meant to be fun and it delivers beautifully. Power slides, controlled skids, and 360's are made easy. It is also easy to completely lose control of your car if you're not careful making for some very exciting racing action. I don't remember the last time I got such a rush playing a computer game.

This game also delivers with depth of play. There are 3 race modes: Evolution, Factory Driver, and Quick Race. The Evolution mode takes you through the entire history of Porsche cars starting you in the year 1950 of the Classic Era. By winning tournaments and collecting prize money you are given the opportunity to buy new cars to race in the next event. You can also buy special parts for your cars to enhance their performance. The Factory Driver mode lets you play the role of one of the elite Porsche test-drivers. You will be presented with a series of challenges from running a simple obstacle course on the skid pad to getting your boss to the train station on time while weaving in and out of traffic. Quick Race is a good mode if all you want to do is burn some rubber and test the limits of these speed machines. The game also includes the Porsche Chronicles, an encyclopedia on the history of the various models, and 9 European road courses along with 5 closed track courses.

The thing that struck me the most the moment I started the game was the graphics. They are stunning. As you race through the valleys of Normandy you will be able to see the sun creeping out from behind the hills, and the hill's shadows cast down across the track. Mist rises from cascading waterfalls as you zoom by. You will see farmers sweeping the porches of their sleeping village homes and dock works carrying crates through the industrial zone. You have to see it to believe it. Replays are excellent.

Did I get it all? No, I forgot to mention the spectacular physics modelling and the incredible 3D models of the cars (even the interior of the car is modelled!). I could go on and on, but I think it's better if you see for yourself.

The Bad
About the only real complaint I have about this game is that not all the tracks are available to you right away. You have to unlock them by completing the eras in Evolution mode. This is a typical feature in a race game but I find it very annoying.

I also found the road courses to be rather short. In one of the faster modern cars they can usually be completed in 2-3 minutes. It would have been nice if they had included some kind endurance track.

If you are adamantly, militantly anti-Porsche and hate everything so much as related to the company you might not like this game.

The Bottom Line
Most of us will never have the money to afford a real Porsche; this is the next best thing.

The Good
Make no mistake, this game is a masterpiece. The graphics and sounds are simply stunning. The sceneary and the cars look perfect, as real as you're going to get on a PC these days. The handling of the cars is excellent, and each car is subtley different form the next. The controls are stunning, and with a decent wheel (force-feedback preferably) this game drives better than anything else out there. For the first time in a driving game, you really feel that you're behind the wheel of a fast car.

The game has two modes. The test driver mode gives you a chance to test drive a variety of Porche's on your way to becoming chief test driver, and there are some brilliant missions to undertake, like "deliver this car to the docks in 3 minutes, and don't damage it!", or the truly excellent "take this guy out for a drive and scare the crap out of him!"

The main game is very well thought, racing Porches through the ages. You start in 1950 (the classic era) with a few bucks in your pocket. Buy yourself an old 356, and enter the first race. Do well in that race and you'll earn money which you can use to repair and upgrade your car. As you progress you can buy other cars to drive in the later races. At the end of an age, you get the chance to win a special edition Porsche. For example, at the end of the classic era, you get several laps of Monaco in a 550 Spyder - win the race and you win the car.

The Bad
There's not much wrong with this game. It does need a pretty beefy PC to play. On my 500MHz system if I use the wheel, I have to turn off the rear-view mirror or it just gets way too jerky. Racing with the keyboard is OK, but the wheel is just so damn good.

The Bottom Line
Personally, I don't like Porsches. When I first heard of this game I grumbled and complained about it as only a Yorkshireman can. But I put aside my prejudices, and have not looked back. If you don't have this game, get it. If you don't have a wheel, get one. Put to two together, and you have perfection. Trust me.

This is without doubt, the finest arcade racer there is, bar none. It's not a simulation, so I don't have to compare it with Geoff Crammond's games, and I'm glad about that. I'd be afraid it might win.

The Good
The first Need For Speed was ironically the best in the series until the fifth version was published... Mainly because it had the feeling in it, and another good thing was the track design. You had enough difference so that you could drive for a long while without getting bored. Especially the segment tracks with traffic were very good.

After the first part, the quality has been going down rapidly, number three of the series hitting the rock bottom... So I had no real expectations for the fifth version, and I had even less after I heard it will be with only a Porsche license. I was expecting another game with rotten and boring gameplay.

I was wrong.

When I first drove NFS5, I was dumbfounded. The game looked good, it sounded good(the musics are awesome!!) and, most importantly the driveability is great! The game has many gaming modes and all of them are fun to play, especially the two campaigns.

Let's make a deeper look into the mechanics of the game: The graphics engine was rebuilt after number four, and it offers great graphics with a lot of detail and a good framerate. If you can play the game with best graphic options, you will be amazed. At least I was... The tracks are well designed and the sceneries look great. I was especially impressed by Normandie. The track is basically a road going through big fields. You can see to a very long distance, and it looks realistic.

The sounds are awesome. Different cars have different sounds and they sound realistic(you know, that unique sound that only Porsche's air-cooled rear engines have...). A special note on the musics: They are probably the best pieces of music in computer game world. They rise the feeling of driving into a completely new level. Especially the songs "Funky Phreakout" and "Rezidue" are absolute pearls that I listen to outside the game world.

As I mentioned, the driveability is probably the most important part of a game, and this game has it. The feeling is a successful mix between arcade and simulation. The slides are not the fastest way to go the corners, but it's damn sure the funniest. Especially with the older rear-engined 911's you have to learn the driveability. If you let the gas pedal rise, the rear end starts slipping, and it can only be corrected by pushing the pedal to the metal. Otherwise you are going to spin. The other cars are not as fun to drive as 911s, but the driving seems realistic and is still not as hard as a real car.

All this is bundled up with absolutely brilliant track and car designs. The tracks are generally fun to drive and still very challenging to master. They are really different from each other. The cars are even better, as they have very much difference, for example between the first 356 with 1100cc engine from VW Beetle and the fastest car in the game, the mighty 911 GT1.

Completing the nearly perfect design, there are the two campaign modes: The Evolution, where you compete in different cups and win money for new cars for 50 years(not literally). You can customize your cars(buy better parts for the engines, better tyres, gearboxes and more). In Factory driver you get to be a Porsche test driver and do some missions. The missions are different from one another but basically the main idea is to drive from point A into point B. It's still fun, though.

The Bad
The game would be perfect, but there are a few stupidities in it.

First of all, there are bugs in the otherwise great physics engine. Sometimes the car rolls in tight corners, which doesn't make any sense(although I've seen this happen in real life).

Another point, there's really not much to do outside the campaign modes. The single races are boring, the knockout races are not fun either and there's no real championship.

Finally, the skill level is not high enough. There should be more skill option, as currently I usually can win any race whenever I want to.

The Bottom Line
I'll admit it, the game has a few stupidities in it. But I don't really care. The game offers real entertainment for a long time. The overall design is good and the value for a car fanatic is more than just a game. After all, you get to see what the older porsches look like in virtual reality. All this is covered with excellent gameplay and even better music. Porsche Unleashed is the best published Need For Speed yet, and I think it will be for a long time.

The Good
I must say that when I started playing this game I thought I'd be over it in about an hour. But I got so hooked I went out and bought a Playstation style control.

The game has so much depth that after playing every night for a week I was only just over half way through it.

The graphics are great, they give a really good arcade feel but still look detailed enough to make you notice new things next to the track every time you race. The level of detail on each car is to the extreme. Every part of the car is noted, from the leather interior to the air intakes in front of the front and rear wheels.

For someone who isn't really into Porsche I would say that the addictive factor for this game is massive.

The Bad
180 reverse. If I am ever asked to do this again I will scream. As much as I love the game this one almost had me give up. Not to give everything away, but when you are asked to do a 180 in to reverse into 180 you will know what I mean.

I found the police car AI to be a let down. I don't really understand why they are there in career mode. The cops should try to pull you over or not be in the game at all. The spoil tactics used by the cops would have been less of a pain if the cops didn't have cars with about 100 more horses then yours.

The handling of some cars left me feeling about confused. If a Porsche is so high performance then how can you lose the back end doing 250KM round a long right hand sweeper? But as I've never driven that fast or a Porsche I can't compare the attempt at "realism".

Where's the Ferrari?

The Bottom Line
Best arcade game I've ever played.