Overall
Overall, this game is pretty good for a racing game of the PlayStation era, and it shows you why Need for Speed is such a respected racing series. This game is fun to play, but the old graphics take a little away from the joy of playing it when you've played newer games. The game performs as a slightly over average game.
Gameplay
Normal mode in this game has you completing cups to unlock new cars and proceed to the next cup. You race in scenic locations from all over the world. You drive lots of good and famous cars, including Ferrari's, among others. (Sorry, no Lamborghini's here.) Hot pursuit is only available in the traditional version, where you try to win the race, as well as not get caught by the cops. The game takes place in mostly open country.
There is an upgrade system, but it is very simple, and very underwhelming. There are three upgrade levels for each car (except the last two cars, in which there are only two upgrade levels available,) which are always the same for each car. The upgrade is signified on the car by cosmetic changes. No additional upgrades are available.
Graphics
This game features no special graphics for the time, and its textures are only average, but its models are very well designed. The textures look like they are for the Nintendo 64 because of their lack of detail. However, some of the sights are really pretty, like the stone arches, lighthouse, and more.
Sound
The music of Need for Speed: High Stakes is very defining of the era that the game was made in. However, the music is not very high quality, and some of the songs aren’t very pleasant to the ears. They can, however, become attached to you after playing the game after an extended period of time.
The sound effects aren’t quite as good as the ones in more modern games, but they stand out as being realistic. The menu sounds, as well, aren’t that bad. I could name some games in which the menu sound effects are the worst part of the games.
Also, the speaking during the Hot Pursuit modes is almost always very clear, so you have no trouble determining what the cops are doing or who they’re after.
Addictiveness
This game is pretty addictive, providing hours upon hours of great gameplay. The prospect of buying a new car, or of earning a new trophy, is always enticing. Some of the tracks are pretty good, too, making you want to race on it over and over again.
Depth
This game is pretty big, but it uses the backwards and night time versions of tracks that were common during the PlayStation era, and are still used occasionally today. There are lots of cups, and
Story
There is no storyline in this game. You race in continually harder cups, buying accompanying new cars each time.
Difficulty
This game starts at a good beginner level, but by the end it is extremely hard. If you need practice, you can run a trial race. The hot pursuit mode isn’t especially hard (you can set the level), but it is hard to get all the way to the end without getting a warning.
Overall
Overall, this game is pretty good for a racing game of the PlayStation era, and it shows you why Need for Speed is such a respected racing series. This game is fun to play, but the old graphics take a little away from the joy of playing it when you've played newer games. The game performs as a slightly over average game.
Gameplay
Normal mode in this game has you completing cups to unlock new cars and proceed to the next cup. You race in scenic locations from all over the world. You drive lots of good and famous cars, including Ferrari's, among others. (Sorry, no Lamborghini's here.) Hot pursuit is only available in the traditional version, where you try to win the race, as well as not get caught by the cops. The game takes place in mostly open country.
There is an upgrade system, but it is very simple, and very underwhelming. There are three upgrade levels for each car (except the last two cars, in which there are only two upgrade levels available,) which are always the same for each car. The upgrade is signified on the car by cosmetic changes. No additional upgrades are available.
Graphics
This game features no special graphics for the time, and its textures are only average, but its models are very well designed. The textures look like they are for the Nintendo 64 because of their lack of detail. However, some of the sights are really pretty, like the stone arches, lighthouse, and more.
Sound
The music of Need for Speed: High Stakes is very defining of the era that the game was made in. However, the music is not very high quality, and some of the songs aren’t very pleasant to the ears. They can, however, become attached to you after playing the game after an extended period of time.
The sound effects aren’t quite as good as the ones in more modern games, but they stand out as being realistic. The menu sounds, as well, aren’t that bad. I could name some games in which the menu sound effects are the worst part of the games.
Also, the speaking during the Hot Pursuit modes is almost always very clear, so you have no trouble determining what the cops are doing or who they’re after.
Addictiveness
This game is pretty addictive, providing hours upon hours of great gameplay. The prospect of buying a new car, or of earning a new trophy, is always enticing. Some of the tracks are pretty good, too, making you want to race on it over and over again.
Depth
This game is pretty big, but it uses the backwards and night time versions of tracks that were common during the PlayStation era, and are still used occasionally today. There are lots of cups, and
Story
There is no storyline in this game. You race in continually harder cups, buying accompanying new cars each time.
Difficulty
This game starts at a good beginner level, but by the end it is extremely hard. If you need practice, you can run a trial race. The hot pursuit mode isn’t especially hard (you can set the level), but it is hard to get all the way to the end without getting a warning.
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