Need For Speed: Nitro

EA publishes so many franchises that spawn new versions on a yearly basis, and Need For Speed is one of them. Developed by EA Montreal, Need For Speed: Nitro is the latest instalment in the series and fans of it should know what to expect.

Racing games don’t come in many guises. Need For Speed games tend to focus on the more underground aspects of the racing culture and have always offered gamers the opportunity to customise their “rides” to suit their own tastes. I have fond memories of playing Need For Speed: Underground on my Gamecube, many years ago. There wasn’t much in the way of game modes, just the usual street races, drag racing, and all the time spent making my car look the way I wanted it to look. So how have things changed (if any) since then?

First of all, the game lets you play using a variety of control methods. Gamers can choose to play using just the Wii Remote (tilting it left and right to steer), the Wii Remote/Nunchuk, the Wii Wheel, the Classic Controller, or a Gamecube controller. So as far as choice, there’s plenty to suit any kind of gamer’s preference. There’s also a Steering Assist function which is optional.

The main game sees you doing the usual “working your way up from the bottom”, with less than impressive vehicles to start with. As you progress, you’ll have the chance to buy higher-performance vehicles and customise them. The work you can do in the Garage is quite impressive, allowing you to be creative when designing the look of your ride. There are special Collectable Cars that you can unlock; which cannot be altered, but are definitely worth using.

By staying in the lead, you’ll tag the surrounding environment with your customised graffiti. The more spots you make yours, the more Style Points you’ll earn. Rack up enough Style Points, or beat the lap record and you’ll earn some stars. The better you do in races, the more stars you’ll be awarded with; allowing you to unlock new cities, new events, new cars to purchase, and new ways to customise them.

Scattered on every track are wrenches that you can pick up. These will instantly repair any damage your vehicle has taken. Picking up Police Badges will reduce your heat level, and if you have an opponent that’s just ahead of you, the badge will transfer the heat onto them so the police won’t bother you. Your cars will come equipped with nitro, which gets replenished by driving fast, drafting behind other racers, and drifting corners.

Within the Career mode, there are three cups (bronze, silver, and gold) that utilise different classes of vehicles; each held in a different city. Each of these cities contain events that you can take part in; ranging from circuit races, drag races, drift challenges, to elimination races. Speed Traps events allow you to drive a collectible car as a “test drive”, with the aim of passing through three checkpoints around the track as fast as you can, with the total speed being your final score.
Good performances are awarded with stars, and the more you have, the better your reputation. Each city has a Grand Prix which you will have to unlock with the right number of stars, and conquer if you are to come out on top. Each Grand Prix contains five races; at the end of each one, points are awarded to the first six places.

The game structure is fairly simple, which is the ultimate cause for repetitive gameplay. Each cup re-uses the same tracks; with the only difference being the skill of the other racers. By the time you unlock the silver cup, it does become more challenging, and gold being pretty difficult. Getting use to the tracks is only half of it; you’ll need to perform well in order to unlock the better cars, otherwise you won’t stand a chance.

Need For Speed games have always been arcade in style, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I think that’s part of its appeal. As its name suggests, the emphasis in Need For Speed: Nitro is speed; and it does a good job of replicating that on-screen. When you use your nitro, you can almost feel the back of your head being pushed into the imaginary head-rest. That’s partly down to the sound design; which does an awesome job of complimenting the motion blur that you see in front of you.

The game supports up to four players, so you and your friends can take part in the Career Mode, as well as the usual quick races within Arcade Mode. Personally, I use the Wii Remote housed in the Wii Wheel to play and I think it does an excellent job of immersing you in the world of underground racing. This franchise hasn’t changed much over the last few years, and this Nintendo-exclusive instalment has the Wii’s motion-controls to thank.

As far as extras that you can unlock, there’s just the introduction videos that you get before entering a new city; which isn’t much. There’s also the vehicles themselves, which of course, are much more rewarding.

The  visuals in-game are quite nice, with the city environments looking sharp and detailed, with little to no drops in frame rate. It’s a shame that the cut-sequences are quite cartoony as it breaks away from the realism of the in-game graphics. A very pointless contrast to an otherwise adult-theme.

There’s no online modes; which for this particular game wouldn’t have made it any better. The tracks are relatively short, with many sections blocked off, so if you were to play against people online, I doubt it would be any fun.

Overall, if you are looking for a decent Need For Speed game, this is probably one of the best around at the moment. It gets repetitive after a while, but if you have the patience and determination, I have no doubt this game will prove to be a challenge. Especially when you have the police to deal with too. They can get pretty aggressive and those badges definitely come in handy. Definitely more enjoyable than Colin McRae: DiRT 2, which I reviewed not too long ago.

+ Choice of steering method
+ Gets difficult towards silver/gold cup
+ Huge range of vehicles
+ Visuals/sound design

- Same tracks being re-used causes it to become repetitive
- Could do with more variation in events

Score - 6/10