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
Peripherals supported: Arcade Racer Joystick, Saturn Backup Memory, Mission Stick
Genre: Racing
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1996-08 $49.9549.95 T-5009H EU 1996-07-05 T-5009H-50 PL 1996 199zł199 BR 1996-10 R$69.9969.99 193246
Non-Sega versions 3DO IBM PC PlayStation
ESRB ELSPA USK Tectoy

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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

Cars

	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.
	Toyota Supra Turbo
	The Toyota Supra Turbo
	Acura NSX
	The Acura NSX is an Acura-badged version of the Honda NSX, renamed for North American consumers.
	Mazda RX-7
	The Mazda RX-7
	Porsche 911 Carrera
	The Porsche 911 Carrera
	Dodge Viper RT/10
	The Dodge Viper RT/10
	Corvette ZR-1
	The Corvette ZR-1
	Lamborghini Diablo VT
	The Lamborghini Diablo VT
	Warrior PTO E/2
	The Warrior is a fictional secret car powered by jet fuel.

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. Unlike all other versions, gages in the cockpit view do not function at all on the Saturn, with these details being relegated to a much larger HUD. 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 adaption 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. Cruicially the PlayStation port is the only version to include in-game music, 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.

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 CD Consoles (FR) 77 Consoles News (FR) 89 Consoles + (FR) 90 №56, p158 Computer & Video Games (UK) 60 68 Fun Generation (DE) 90 Joypad (FR) 93 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 90 Player One (FR) 96 Sega Power (UK) 80 №82 Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) 75

	83
Based on 11 reviews

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
Based on 24 reviews

Road & Track Presents The Need for Speed

Saturn, US
Cover
Manual

Saturn, EU
Cover
Disc

Saturn, ZA/KE/LS/MZ/NA/BW/SZ/ZW
Cover
Disc

Saturn, BR

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	663,031,152		CD-ROM (EU)	T-5009H-50 V1.000
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	663,031,152		CD-ROM (US)	T-5009H V1.000