Need For Speed: High Stakes

by Sont Playstation Video Games

Product Features

• 1 or 2 Players
• Analog Control Compatible
• High Stakes Mode
• Hotter Hot Pursuit
• 19 Cars to Collect and Customize

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000038ABK
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: March 1, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,491 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: PlayStation | Edition: Standard

Editorial Review

The Need for Speed series is already established as one of the best racing game series on the PlayStation. Need for Speed: High Stakes continues the tradition in fine style by adding several new elements to the gameplay, and offering a wide variety of tracks and cars.

Where the previous game in the series had you running from the law, this one has you racing for pink slips. Sure, you can still play cops and robbers (this time even playing the role of John Q. Law), but the real fun in this game comes from racing to win so that you can buy a better car. Once equipped with faster wheels, you can hook up with a friend to race for titles in the two-player mode.

High Stakes boasts the best graphics in the series, but they come at a price: slowdown. All too frequently, we found ourselves hitting a wall or an opponent's vehicle because the game stuttered as we drove into a graphics-intensive portion of the track. Good visuals are nice, but they should never come at the expense of gameplay. Still, when else will you get a chance to blow away a buddy's shiny new McLaren F1 in your "lowly" Corvette? --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Fun tracks and a variety of high-performance vehicles
• Playing as the cops can be fun
• Excellent sound effects

Cons:

• Suffers from slowdown too often

Product Description

This is the game Need for Speed: High Stakes Used for the Playstation 1. This game may not come with the original case and instructions. We stand by our products and offer a 60 day guarantee. If a game does not work within 60 days from the time you receive it we will gladly exchange it for you.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Street racing the way it should be., December 11, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Need For Speed 4: High Stakes (Video Game)

The first Need for Speed, on the 3DO, was an impressive game, but somewhat limited. Throughout the series, EA has expanded the dimensions of the game until now, with the wonderous NFS: High Stakes.

Control in the game is superb. The earliest avaiable cars handle great, but lack the acceleration or top speed of the top-of-the-line cars earned throughout the game. This allows for players to advance their skills while having fun and does not give the game a sharp learning curve; anyone could pick up a controller and have a blast.

The graphics are stunning, especially at night during a thuderstorm. Lightning illuminates the sky and realistically flashes to show off the terrain around you; rain strikes the windshield in the first-person camera angle. The cars have a life-like appeal and suffer real-time damage, adding to the quality of the title. EA did not miss a thing with this title in the graphics department.

Music is more of the usual EA style, with a mix of rock and techno, keeping you aware of the track and focused upon the game. Also, the inclusion of different languages in the pursuit mode, along with the ability to play as police, adds more realism, something gamers are sure to appreciate.

EA has a gold mine with this game, and it is sure to please the racing fan, while being a great game for new-comers to the racing genre.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Gran Turismo?, December 5, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Need For Speed 4: High Stakes (Video Game)

YES! Even though this game doesn't have 8 million cars, it is better-in my opinion- than Gran Turismo. First off, this game has control, the main part of the game. In here, you don't spin out after turning. It has more modes of play: test drive-where you pick a car and drive around a course once; single race- think about it; Hot pursuit- the main attraction. You can be chased by the cops, or you can lay down the law as a cop. This mode is especially fun when you have two people,one as a cop and one as the felon;tournaments and special events- series' of races where you earn money to buy or upgrade cars, gain access to new tracks, and to unlock special edition cars; high stakes- you and a friend duke it out to see who looses their car and who wins it. Your car is permanently deleted from your memory card when you loose. This game also has wonderful graphics WHILE YOUR RACING.gran turismo only has good graphics during the replayshe soundtrack is also better. On NFS there are 20 songs that you can race to. You can even pick which one you would like to listen to. On gran turismo there are 3 songs. The car upgrades are also very cool. When you upgrade your wheels, they turn from crome to gold. Spoilers and the such are also added to the car, and engine upgrades add pinstripes to your ride. The tracks are international, and look very great.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and better than NFS3, April 28, 2002

By 

"palcerion" (Los Gatos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Need For Speed 4: High Stakes (Video Game)

Definately better than Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit. The car control is back into the much better form of Arcade racing which categorized the original Need For Speed which started the whole thing off. The tracks are interesting, taking from many aspects of racing strategies. Shortcuts are minimal, but fun to use and easy to find.

The development of the game requires the player to beat certain challenges in order to unlock more tracks. In addition, the hot pursuit mode requires you playing the cop to pull over the speeders before your time runs out to earn faster police cars. Something I enjoy is the choice of "Local Cops." It's an option under the track select. Depending on where the track is set (Germany, France, Great Brittain etc.) the cops will speak in that language. (Believe me, Electronic Arts makes fun of the British here). It adds to the realism and extras.

Playing as a cop you have the option of calling in for backup, setting a roadblock, or requesting a spike strip (or "stinger" in British). The radio between the HQ and your car is realistic and keeps you well up to date on what's going on in both modes of play.

The cars are your standard array of sports cars using everything from the Jaguar XK8 to the Porsche 911 Turbo, all the way to the McLaren F1 racecar (of the Mercedes GTR, whichever you like better).

The police have become smarter and the cars they drive are directly related to the track and the car you are driving. In America, the cop cars are the standard Caprice, the Corvette, and, of course, the Diablo. Foreign soil has the M5, the Porsche 911 and the Diablo. The cops will radio in for a faster car if they have trouble catching you and will set roadblocks (good ones this time) or lay spike strips to catch you.

What can I say? It's the next one out, and its pulling strong. No complaints.

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