Need for Speed skids onto the Wii, but can it avoid a collision?
Format: Wii Dev: EA Montreal Pub: EA Out: 06/11/09 Players: 1-4
They still make Need for Speed games? It appears so. This franchise has not been on my radar since I was about fourteen years old. Hence it was interesting to cast my eye over the latest instalment for the Nintendo Wii, Need for Speed Nitro. An instalment dedicated to street racing, something which the game kindly reminds us is illegal and should not be imitated under any circumstances.
The last time I played a Need for Speed game it was on the PS1 with a conventional controller that had a wire and everything. So, I was curious as to the options that would be presented to me when playing with the innovative Wii Remote. Thankfully, there is a multitude of different ways to play this game. You can use the wheel (from Mario Kart Wii) if you like, the Wii Remote on its own, the Wii Remote with the Nunchuck, the classic controller or a Nintendo Gamecube controller. I blew the dust off my WaveBird and used that.
An ongoing staple of Need for Speed, you still get chased by the police. Great. There are thirty cars to choose from altogether, starting with garish models, like the VW Beetle and some horrible looking Renault. Eventually you’ll gain access to the likes of the Imprezas, Skylines, Lamborghinis, Porsches and so on. A selection of muscle cars, including Dodges and Chevrolets, is also present.
You begin with a modest budget that only affords you one of the aforementioned unimpressive models, but as you earn money by winning races and completing challenges you can of course upgrade to a better car. The vehicles are comprehensively customisable. Apart from changing the colour, you can add your own choice of graphics and graffiti.
When you’re doing well in a race the surroundings change to represent your colours and graphics. This is probably one of the coolest features in the game – but don’t get too excited. Graphically, it looks pretty good, considering it is a Wii game. This is mainly due to the fact that the developers have not overtly attempted to achieve a realistic look. It a stylistic choice that is somewhere between cartoon-like and realistic.
On the whole, you get what you expect from this Wii Need for Speed title: fast paced racing, nitrous oxide, police chases and all the other clichés attached to the franchise. Need for Speed Nitro doesn’t really do anything groundbreaking or exciting, but it is an achievement in itself and is one of the best racing games available for the Wii.
Andy King
Tags: driving, ea, need for speed, racing
