They were intentional and ruthless in trimming down the car list for every game, making sure it never became the bloated, 700-car mess that is the Forza menu. The team fought hard to avoid the paradox of choice, where overwhelming options prevent satisfaction with a decision. The music, far from being a mere afterthought, was central to the experience.Ĭars, significantly, would never be mere commodities. Hip-hop, hard rock, and metal tracks from real artists brought life to the world, with EA even bringing in big-name artists like Jamiroquai to promote the game. EA ditched blended-in background music-a hallmark of games like Forza and Gran Turismo-in favor of stuff you’d actually listen to while driving. Expressive soundtracks of new music became a staple of the series.
The game reflects that.”Įvery aspect of the series is centered around building and maintaining that connection.
And that’s because there’s a strange connection between humans and motor vehicles, I think, and one that’s very personal. “Because it’s weird to think about this collection of engineering bits and bolts having a soul, but we talk about it all the time. In a slightly more nuanced way than how it always was, either that vehicle is aspirational and says something about me or my connection to that vehicle says something about me,” says Matt Webster, who as vice president and general manager of Criterion Games oversees the development of new NFS titles. “The way we think about it now, Need For Speed is self-expression. Underground’s focus on customization, driving culture, and accessibility became hallmarks of the series. That single title accounts for nearly 10 percent of the sales of the entire 24-game Need For Speed franchise and stands as the first true culture-defining hit of the street-racing genre. It became one of the best-selling games on PlayStation 2 and launched the series on its path to becoming one of the all-time most successful franchises. Around seven million copies were sold in the game’s first six months, with total sales eventually reaching 15 million. With the release of Underground, Need For Speed went from an enthusiast favorite to a cultural phenomenon.
All it took was a willing driver and a place where they could drive fast, consequence-free. It was a statement that the love of cars didn’t require six-figure investments or private racetracks. Not satisfied with making supercars feel accessible to players, Need For Speed set out to prove that the car you already owned could be a hero. It’s about the experience, not just about who’s the fastest around the track,” said Lemke, who shepherded the series through 2007’s ProStreet. Which were real cars, car culture, car passion. “Our goal was with each iteration to create a different story, a different experience for players while retaining the core tenets of the franchise. And though its tie-in with Road & Track ended after the original game, the missions and attitudes of the two brands moved in the same direction. Sequels included blockbuster hits like Need For Speed III: Hot Pursuit Need For Speed: Underground and Need For Speed: Most Wanted. After its well-received release on the niche 3DO platform, The Need For Speed was ported to MS-DOS, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Microsoft Windows.
The game grew to encompass more than just Road & Track. EA used the feedback to instill the digital cars with the personalities and qualities that defined their metal-and-leather counterparts. Editors were required to put in a minimum number of hours on beta versions of the game. Road & Track sent photography assets, testing data, and detailed drive impressions on cars such as the Porsche 911 and Lamborghini Diablo to EA.