Developed by “EA Black Box” and released by EA Games in 2003, Need For Speed: Underground is a street-racing game in high-powered modern cars. It uses fairly spectacular 3D graphics and environments; has a nice control/feel to the cars, and is full of OTT flashy car racing FMV (which some might find unnecessary; I was kinda leaning in that direction).
Tag Archives: fast
OutRunners, Arcade
OutRunners is the 1993 sequel to the classic driving game, Out Run. It is specifically designed for two player head-to-head gameplay, which is why the game renders two screens – side by side – by default. For the purposes of this article, though, I’m showing just a single screen, because it looks better.
With enough machines, OutRunners could accommodate up to eight players racing against each other at the same time. An online version of the game was also released, allowing players to race each other over the internet, which was revolutionary for the time.
Road Rash, 3DO
Road Rash on the 3DO is a remake of the classic Megadrive/Genesis motorbike racing game. It first came out in 1994 through Electronic Arts and was developed by Monkey Do Productions in association with The EA Advanced Technology Group.
Chase HQ II, Megadrive/Genesis
The Megadrive/Genesis exclusive, Chase HQ II, was developed by ITL Co., Ltd. and published by Taito in 1992. It is an enhanced, multi-vehicle adaptation of the classic 1988 arcade game, with similar gameplay to its parent.
Zaxxon, Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 version of Sega‘s classic arcade game, Zaxxon, was programmed by Ronald J. Fortier and first released in 1984.
Chase HQ, PC Engine
The PC Engine version of Taito‘s classic car chase game, Chase HQ, is pretty decent. It was ported by Daiei Seisakusho for Taito , and is reasonably accurate, although it’s not quite as good as the arcade original itself. No surprises there, really, because the PC Engine (or the North American TurboGrafx-16 counterpart) is a small 8-bit console that was known for punching above its weight, but it wasn’t able to perform miracles.
Super Chase HQ, Super Nintendo
Super Chase HQ is an enhanced port of the classic Taito driving game, Chase HQ. It appeared in arcades first, under the title “Super Chase: Criminal Termination” and was ported to the Super Nintendo by Taito themselves and first released in 1993. Like its arcade counterpart it is a single-player only game.
Super Chase: Criminal Termination, Arcade
Super Chase: Criminal Termination was first released into arcades by Taito in 1993, followed soon after by a Super Nintendo version called “Super Chase HQ“. It is an enhanced sequel to the classic Chase HQ, and Special Criminal Investigation, and features viewpoints that change, depending on where you are in the game, and what vehicle you’re driving. In fact, this moving camera feature has been so well implemented by the developers that it really enhances the dynamism of the exciting car-chase gameplay.
Lucky & Wild, Arcade
Lucky & Wild is a one or two-player lightgun shooter from Namco that is incorporated into a driving game. Not only does each player hold a handgun in one hand, but they also have a steering wheel and two pedals (accelerate and brake) to contend with. That might sound like too much to handle, but it works well in the context of a car chase shoot ’em up. Which is what this game is. Imagine Chase HQ crossed with Operation Wolf, and you get Lucky & Wild.
Mechanized Attack, Arcade
Mechanized Attack is a manic, one or two-player lightgun shooter that was released into arcades by SNK in 1989.
On the face of it you could argue that Mechanized Attack is a clone of Taito‘s 1987 hit, Operation Wolf. You could also argue that it’s not a very good clone.
