Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed
by Electronic Arts

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Product Summary

• PC Gamer [with CD] (1-year)

Video Game Reviews of Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed

Customer Review: The NFS Game.
Summary: 5 Stars

There are no Yellow Ferraris, No Black Diablos, No White F1s, No Green Astons, No Blue Lotus' No petty Mercs and BMs....Only Porsche. This game, from its absolutely stunning high-end graphics in the game menus, not to mention the actual game, is simply a bliss to be in. From the 1950 Coupe Ferdinand, named after Dr Ferdinand Porsche, the Creator of Porsche, to the GT1s, GT2 Cup, GT3, 959s (Only 200 in the world), 928 GTS, The 550 A Spyder (James Dean became immortal after he died in this car), and not to mention all those Carreras, the Moby Dick, and 911s. There are 81 different Porsches and not counting the bonus cars which you download.

You have 3 Different Types of Games to play, the Evolution, which is the heart of Porsche Unleashed, and the Factory Driver, whereby you undertake little missions to qualify as a Authentic Porsche Factory Driver, (There is a Rolf who first is introduced, reminicense of Dean's personal Porsche Mechanic, Rolf Wutherich) and normal Original NFS Games featuring some of the Factory Cars to play Quick Races and Knockout Rounds.

The Evolution. This is a game that is to have you on your Racing Wheels for a very longtime. Starting from 1950, moving from the Classic Era, to Golden, to the Final Modern Era, you have to win the Tournaments to make your way up in the Timeline, you will earn money, sell cars, collect cars, paint them, tune their gears, adjust tire pressure, shock level, shock travel, the toe-ins, brake balances, and most importantly, the Downforce. You get to choose your own Rim style for your Porsche, buy Slicks, or Rain tires, open up the boot, the door, look inside the car, take it for a Testdrive in the infamous Autobahn, go to Corsica, the Cote D'Azur, Pyrenees, the Alps, Normandie, and so on. After you finish each tournament, you get to play the Club races, which offer a wide range of every kind of prize money, and every kind of difficulty.

The most important aspect of the Porsche Game is that the Porsches get very hard to control as you advance. Some cars, like the 944s will be easier than the Carrera 2.7 RS Models, or the 911 Turbos. You will have to take in consideration every little information you can find. You will have to practice to be able to qualify for the next round. After a while you would be familiar with words like 'loose' 'tail happy' 'toe-ins' 'add more rear down pressure' 'buy the low-speed gear box' 'add the whaletail' etc...After this game, literally, you'll know more about Porsche the cars and their History a lot more than anyone else. Although not every single car that was made production is available, such as the 912s, featuring 81 cars in a game is not bad don't you think?

I wasn't much of a Porsche lover, but after this game, every time I see a Porsche, I can tell exactly what model that car is or what year it was made. For example, the difference between the Carrera 2 and the Carrera 4. Its obvious to a lot of people that the Carrera 2 came before the Carrera 4, but intruth, Carrera 4 is an All-Wheel Drive and Carrera 2 only drives on the front 2 wheels....its these little information that will make you interested in Porsche a lot more. Driving the infamous "Little Bastard" driven by James Dean, will give a much different perspective of Porsche and James Dean both...and driving the GT1 or the Moby Dick 935, will let you be able to feel the power of the speed which goes over 280kms an hour.

If you have 2 Million pictures of the Ferrari, met the Ferrari President, dream of owning the Enzo, know all about Ferrari and their 356GTs, Maranellos, F50s, love your Lambos, seen the Murcielagos, know what the VT stands for in the Diablos, Know the first name of Lamborghini, what happenend to the company, IT DOESN'T MATTER. Even if you hate Porsche so much you'd like to scratch a reallife car when you see one, this game....this game has to be played.

With Force Feedback ofcourse.

Description of Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed

Focusing on just one company limits vehicle-selection type, but the game offers variety by reaching into Porsche's past. With Porsches ranging from the 356 Coupe Ferdinand (1950) to the state-of-the-art 991 Porsche Turbo (2000), car aficionados will have plenty of luxury joy-ride choices. Diverse game modes and a crisp physics model complete yet another winning driving experience from Electronic Arts.

One of the most exciting new modes is called Evolution, where drivers purchase an early-model Porsche and compete in races to earn money so they can acquire upgrades, repair damage, and tweak performance. The contrast in both look and feel, from the antique models to present-day roadsters, is captured magnificently by the graphics engine and physics model. Each vehicle handles differently and offers a unique driving challenge.

Graphics are simply breathtaking, though not a significant enhancement over last year's impressive version. Realistic weather effects, rolling hills, and animated scenery all add to Porsche Unleashed's near visual perfection. Over a dozen tracks take you through grassland villages, autumn forests, and mountain roads. A wealth of Porsche historical information makes Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed a well-rounded package that should excite those looking to sample the open road in dozens of exotic sports cars. --Doug Radcliffe

Pros:

• Striking landscape graphics make each track a feast for the eyes
• Focus on Porsche delivers a large and quite interesting historical section
• Addictive Evolution mode spans the early years of Porsche to the present day
• Still the best arcade racing game on the market

• Not a significant enhancement over its predecessor
• Omits some gameplay modes included in earlier versions of Need for Speed

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