Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed

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Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Pioneer Productions, Electronic Arts Canada
Distributor: Tec Toy (BR), Electronic Arts Africa (ZA), Aral (TR)
Licensor: Acura, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ferrari, General Motors, Lamborghini, Mazda, Porsche, Toyota
Peripherals supported: Arcade Racer, Saturn Backup Memory, Mission Stick
Genre: Racing
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1996-06-25 $49.9549.95 T-5009H EU 1996-07-05 T-5009H-50 EAX02500315I DE 1996-07-05 T-5009H-50 EAX02500315I PT 199x UK 1996-07-05 £44.9944.99 T-5009H-50 EAX02500315I PL 1996 199zł199 AU 199x BR 1996-10 R$69.9969.99 193246
Non-Sega versions 3DO IBM PC PlayStation

Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed, is a racing game developed by Pioneer Productions and published by Electronic Arts for a number of consoles including the Sega Saturn.

In Japan, this game was significantly altered and released as Nissan Presents Over Drivin' GT-R.

Gameplay

The game is a racing game featuring many of the most desirable sports cars of its time. There are multiple selectable courses, which include open road courses where players race from point-to-point and circuits where players must complete a certain number of laps.

Using a standard control pad, the car is steered with and . It accelerates with and brakes with . The player can pull the handbrake with , which can be used to take tight corners. The transmission is downshifted with and upshifted with . The car starts in neutral but can be "downshifted" into reverse or upshifted into first gear. All of the cars in the game are equipped with manual transmissions, but game has an automatic mode where the computer automatically selects a gear. In this mode, the player must still shift into the forward gear from neutral at the start of the race or after recovering from a crash.

The game is compatible with the Arcade Racer and the Mission Stick for analogue control. With the Arcade Racer, accelerates, brakes, and pulls the handbrake. The paddles are used for shifting. With the Mission Stick, the car accelerates by moving the stick forward and brakes by moving the stick back. It upshifts with and downshifts with . The handbrake is used with .

With all controllers, the player can change the view with or toggle the HUD with . The car also has a horn that can be honked with .

Cars cannot take damage from crashes and bounce off objects rather than colliding with them.

A replay feature allows the player to view highlights after the race from multiple camera angles.

Modes

The game can be played in multiple modes:

• Time Trial: The player chooses a car and a course and races against the clock.
• Head to Head: The player faces a single opponent. If played against the computer, the player chooses the opponent's car.
• Single Race: A race against seven opponents. The player can choose the car that the computer-controlled racers drive.
• Tournament: A tournament where the player tries to place first on every track. The tracks can be played in any order. Each track is limited to a subset of cars with comparable performance. Placing first on all tracks unlocks an additional bonus course.

All of the modes except Time Trial can be played with a second player. The open road courses in the Head to Head mode include traffic that must be avoided by the player and police cars that pursue and try to ticket the player. Players are arrested after receiving two tickets.

Cars

Owing to the collaboration with Road & Track magazine, each car in the game (with the exception of the fictional hidden car, the Warrior) is presented with detailed specifications, history, audio commentaries, multiple pictures, and videos.

	Toyota Supra Turbo
	The Toyota Supra Turbo uses a front-mounted DOHC 3.0 L straight-six engine with intercooled twin-turbochargers. This was the last generation of the original Supra, though the nameplate would be revived much later in 2019.
	Acura NSX
	The Acura NSX, known as the Honda NSX outside of North America, is a mid-engine car with a 3.0 L DOHC 90-degree V6. It was designed specifically to compete with Ferrari and features an all-aluminum body. Its engine can rev up to 8000 rpm, higher than any other piston engine in the game.
	Mazda RX-7
	The Mazda RX-7 uses a twin-turbocharged 1.3 L two-rotor Wankel rotary engine mounted in the front of the car. The Wankel is lightweight and high-revving (up to 8000 rpm).
	Porsche 911 Carrera
	The Porsche 911 Carrera has a naturally aspirated 3.6 L SOHC six-cylinder boxer engine mounted behind the rear axle. This model was the first to use a rear multi-link suspension and the last to use an air-cooled engine.
	Dodge Viper RT/10
	The Dodge Viper RT/10 has a front-mounted, naturally aspirated 8.0 L OHV V10 engine, the largest engine displacement for any production car in its class.
	Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
	The Corvette ZR-1 uses a naturally aspirated 5.7 L OHV V8 engine mounted behind the front axle. It is the first generation of the Corvette to use a transverse leaf spring for its front suspension, which acts as both a ride spring and an anti-roll bar.
	Lamborghini Diablo VT
	The Lamborghini Diablo VT is a mid-engine car with a 5.7 L DOHC V12 engine and all-wheel drive.
	Ferrari 512TR
	The Ferrari 512TR derives from the popular Ferrari Testarossa model (the star of Sega's arcade classic, OutRun). Only 512 vehicles were ever produced. It is a mid-engine car with an all-aluminum 4.9 L DOHC 12-cylinder engine. Typically for Ferrari, the engine is flat, with the cylinders horizontally opposed 180 degrees, but each piston shares a crankpin with the piston across from it like a V engine rather than each piston having its own crankpin like a boxer engine.
	Warrior PTO E/2
	The Warrior is a fictional secret car powered by jet fuel producing 845 bhp.

Views

The player can cycle through four different perspectives during the race with .

When using one of the first-person views, the camera automatically pivots to a third-person view after crashing or spinning around (such as from an excessive handbrake turn).

The In-Car Cam is not available in two-player split screen races.

In-Car Cam

Road Cam

Tail Cam

Heli Cam

Courses

The Saturn and PlayStation versions include an additional three courses over the original 3DO version. All courses (with the exception of the bonus course, Lost Vegas) can be played in the morning, mid-day, or evening.

City, Coastal, and Alpine are open road courses consisting of three segments each.

Rusty Springs, Autumn Valley, Vertigo Ridge, and Lost Vegas are circuits. The player can choose to race 4, 8, or 16 laps on Rusty Springs and Lost Vegas or 2, 6, or 12 laps on Autumn Valley and Vertigo Ridge.

	City
	In Tournament mode, the cars available are the Mazda RX-7, Acura NSX, and Toyota Supra Turbo.
	Coastal
	In Tournament mode, the cars available are the Porsche 911 Carrera, Dodge Viper RT/10, and Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1.
	Alpine
	In Tournament mode, the cars available are the Lamborghini Diablo VT and the Ferrari 512TR.
	Rusty Springs
	In Tournament mode, the cars available are the Mazda RX-7, Acura NSX, and Toyota Supra Turbo.
	Autumn Valley
	In Tournament mode, the cars available are the Porsche 911 Carrera, Dodge Viper RT/10, and Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1.
	Vertigo Ridge
	In Tournament mode, the cars available are the Lamborghini Diablo VT and the Ferrari 512TR.
	Lost Vegas
	This is a bonus course unlocked by winning all of the tracks above in Tournament mode.

History

Development

The Need for Speed was developed in part by Electronic Arts Canada, previously known as Distinctive Software. As a racing game attempting to simulate the feel of driving, it can therefore be seen as a spiritual successor to The Duel: Test Drive II (1990's Test Drive III: The Passion being developed by a different team for Accolade).

Versions

The Saturn version of The Need for Speed derives from the DOS version, which in turn was an enhanced port of the 3DO original. While outputting at a smaller resolution, the Saturn shares many of the new textures introduced in the PC version and retains most of the new gameplay options (and adds a two-player split-screen option too). It also runs much faster than its 3DO counterpart, partly due to the console's improved performance (being able to output a stable 30FPS versus the 3DO's wavering 15FPS), but also due to design changes in the PC game to make The Need for Speed feel faster.

Whereas the horizon rotates slightly when going around corners in the 3DO version of the game, on the Saturn it remains fixed at all times in the segment tracks during race. However, it does rotate in the circuit tracks during race, and in all tracks during highlights and replays.

The first version of the Saturn game has a bug that can prevent the drawing of the gauges in the cockpit view and the track on the radar. That bug only manifests itself if the game is started with some adapter cartridges (such as the Action Replay, although not all versions will trigger the bug, or the All-in-one Pseudo Saturn Kai). There is a later revision of the game released at least in Japan that corrects this bug.

The Saturn version also allows users to select the time of day which is not seen in older versions.

While the PC version is generally considered to be the definitive version of the game, only high-end machines could utilise the game's top graphical settings in 1995. The PC version is also restricted to 8-bit colour, as opposed to the 16-bit or 32-bit colour depths found in the console ports.

The PlayStation adaptation improves on what is found on the Saturn, re-introducing some of the minor details lost in the Saturn conversion while adding new lighting effects. However its uncapped framerate means the game appears more "juddery" than its Saturn counterpart, as frame rates average between 30-35 FPS. Console additions would be re-introduced to the PC in the form of Road & Track Presents The Need For Speed SE in 1996.

Production credits

Saturn Version

EA Seattle

• Lead Programmer: Greg D'Esposito
• Programmers: James Hague, Gordon Ludlow
• Additional Programming: Shelby Hubick
• Lead Artist: Andy Fuller
• Artists: Sasha Runnels, Mike Cressy, Victor von Beck
• Audio Engineer: Robert Ridihalgh
• Testing: Gayle Johnson
• Development Director: Bronwyn Richardson

EA Canada

• Art Director: Scott Jackson
• Technical Director: Brad Gour
• Audio Director: Alistair Hirst
• Development Director: Brett Bradstock
• Game Design: Hanno Lemke, Scott Blackwood
• Producer: Hanno Lemke
• Associate Producer: Gregg Giles
• Assistant Producer: Scott Blackwood
• Production Assistant: Serena McCabe
• Product Manager: Peter Royea
• Package and Design: Dave Parmley

EA San Mateo

• Documentation: Jason Armatta
• Documentation Design & Layout: Corinne Mah
• Quality Assurance: Ollie Ongpin, Bryan Davis
• Art Direction: Nancy Waisanen

International Development

• Associate Producer: Marcus Lindblom
• English Voice Over: Michael Donovan
• German Voice Over: Egon Hoegen, Rolf-Dieter Busch, Martin Siebel
• Japanese Voice Over: Tor Furuya
• Japanese Staff: Takashi Mori, Takashi Yamaguchi, Satomi Ishii

Quality Assurance

• QA Coordinator: Rod Higo
• Lead QA Tester: Martin McQueen
• Backup QA Tester: Tim Lewinson
• Testers: Darren Sleno, Eric Bertram, Trevor Kerslake, Ryan Marshall, Andy Teal, Willie Loh, Randy Deluna

Original Version

• Lead Programmer: Wei Shoong Teh
• Senior Programmer: Brad Gour
• Programmers: Dave Lucas, Laurent Ancessi, Daniel Teh, Shelby Hubick, Funky Swadling, Michael Pohoreski, David Bullock
• Additional Programming: Jay MacDonald, Victoria Wong, D.M. Abrahams-Gessel
• Lead Artist/3D Modelling: Kent Maclagan
• Artists: Scott Jackson, Peter King, Robert Sculnick, Deja Stanisavljevic, Tom Graham
• Track Modeling: Sheila Allan
• 3D Modeling: Markus Tessmann
• Lead Audio: Alistair Hirst
• Music: Jeff Dyck, Saki Kaskas, Alistair Hirst
• Recording Engineers: Jeff Dyck, Edwin Dolinski
• Video Technician: Richard Mul
• Development Director: Brett Bradstock
• Technical Director: Brad Gour
• Art Design: Scott Jackson
• Producer/Designer: Hanno Lemke
• Asst. Producer/Designer: Scott Blackwood
• Production Assistant: Serena McCabe
• Product Manager: Peter Royea
• Package and Design: Dave Parmley

International Development

• Associate Producer: Foster Hall
• Assistant Producer: Yoko Ando
• English Voice Over: Michael Donovan
• German Voice Over: Egon Hoegen, Rolf-Dieter Busch, Martin Siebel
• Japanese Voice Over: Toru Furuya
• Japanese Staff: Takashi Mori, Takashi Yamaguchi, Satomi Ishii
• Q.A. Coordinator: Steve Livaia
• Quality Assurance Lead: Michael Mann
• Q.A. Back-Up Lead: Jeff Hutchinson
• Testers: Darren Sleno, Adam Mackay-Smith, Tim Lewinson, Gordon Thornton, Peter Saumur, Andrew Teal, Cary Chao, Shane Berezowski, Paul Breland, Ted Nugent, Martin McQueen
• Q.A. San Mateo: Ollie Ongpin

Road & Track

• Feature Editor: Douglas Kott
• Librarian: Otis D. Meyer
• Car Schematics: Bill Dobson
• Photography Provided by: Road & Track
• Additional Photography: Guy Spangenberg, Ron Perry
• Special Thanks: Lord British, V. Paul Lee, Chris Roberts, Andrew Scott, Elias (Leo) Soursos, Randy Mainwood, Lawrence Malley (Mazda Canada), Bruce Iggulden (Corvette Specialties Auto Group), W.A.M., Sharx Recreational Services, Frank Barchard, Iain Macanulty, Rick Friesen, Jay Page

Additional Credits

• Film Production: Cactus Production
• Director: James Head
• Director of Photography: Peter Woeste
• Executive Producer: Scott Kennedy
• Producer: Louise Valgardson
• Art Director: Ron Bignall
• Policeman: Michael St. John Smith
• Additional Video: Coast Mountain Post Production
• Additional Music: KoKo Productions, Jamie Bowers
• Additional Musicians:
  • Guitar: Scotty Hall, Bass: Rob Bailey, Mark Rogers
  • Cymbals and Hi-Hat: Chris Taylor, Darren Sleno
  • Vocals: Angela Somerville
  • Bass: Robin Steen
• Additional Audio Editing: Jennifer Lewis, Steve Royea, Crispin Hands

Source:

US manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Game Players (US) #0908: "Vol. 9 No. 8 August 1996" (1996-07-09)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #85: "August 1996" (1996-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) #10: "August 1996" (1996-07-20)
also published in:

• Computer & Video Games (UK) #177: "August 1996" (1996-07-11)

Print advert in Player One (FR) #66: "Juillet/Août 1996" (1996-0x-xx)
also published in:

• CD Consoles (FR) #19: "Juillet/Août 1996" (1996-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 576 KByte (HU) 94 CD Consoles (FR) PAL 80 Consoles News (FR) PAL 89 Consoles + (FR) 90 Computer & Video Games (UK) 50 Digitiser (UK) PAL 68 Fun Generation (DE) PAL 90 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 90 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 78 Joypad (FR) PAL 93 Kiber Zona (LT) 80 Level (TR) 75 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 59 Mega Force (FR) PAL 86 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 88 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 90 neXt Level (DE) PAL 80 Player One (FR) 96 Sega News (CZ) 81 Sega Power (UK) PAL 80 Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL 75 Total Saturn (UK) PAL 90 Ultra Player (FR) 83 Video Games (DE) PAL 73

	82
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Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed

Saturn, US
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Manual

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Saturn, DE
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Saturn, PT

Saturn, AU
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Saturn, ZA/KE/LS/MZ/NA/BW/SZ/ZW
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Saturn, TR
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Technical information

Main article: Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed/Technical information.