Electronic Arts Announces the Highly Anticipated Release of Need for Speed
18 June 1999
Electronic Arts Announces the Highly Anticipated Release of Need for Speed: High Stakes for the PC
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--June 17, 1999--by Offering a Unique Gaming Experience Full of Real
World Racing Consequences, Risks and Rewards
Electronic Arts(TM) , the world's largest interactive entertainment software company, today announced that it has begun shipping Need For Speed(TM): High Stakes, the fourth PC iteration in the award-winning Need For Speed (NFS) racing series.
This highly anticipated PC game follows the release of its PlayStation(R) counterpart of the same name, which shipped earlier this year. Need For Speed: High Stakes, like its predecessors, retains the NFS heritage by delivering an overall action-packed, adrenaline pumping racing experience to PC gamers with an array of challenging gameplay features, including several exclusive components made possible by recent PC technological advances.
"We were determined to raise the bar with this title and we've definitely achieved that," says Mark Madland, NFS PC producer at Electronic Arts. " Need For Speed: High Stakes promises to deliver the ultimate PC racing experience as it offers gamers real consequences, risks and rewards for their actions. Players involved in collisions will suffer car damage, players who lose a race risk losing their prized cars and players who win a race stand to take possession of an opponent's vehicle."
Need For Speed: High Stakes offers new and unique gameplay features specifically designed for the PC version of the game, as well as folding in key features from its PlayStation counterpart. Players can race in and against an exclusive group of the world's most coveted sport and supercars. Each of the cars feature distinctive driving characteristics, visible animated drivers, full 3-D dashboards and car interiors that illuminate and can be viewed from left, right and back. Adding to the game's realism is the polygonal vehicle damage. When involved in collisions, all of the cars now take on significant damage that directly affects the appearance and performance. For instance, collisions with opponents and/or environmental objects will result in such things as broken headlight(s), problematic engine sounds (i.e. skipping, revving), smashed up bumpers, hood damage and shattered glass.
Additional gameplay features include:
-- A total of eighteen licensed vehicles. Thirteen licensed sport
and supercars from the world's most coveted car manufacturers:
Porsche(R) 911(R) Turbo, BMW(TM) M5(TM), BMW Z3(TM), Mercedes(TM)
CLK(TM) GTR, Mercedes SLK(TM) 230, Chevrolet(TM) Corvette(TM),
Chevrolet Camaro(TM), Ferrari(TM) F50, Ferrari 550 Maranello(TM),
Jaguar(TM) XKR(TM), Lamborghini(TM) Diablo SV(TM), McLaren F1
GTR(TM) and Pontiac(TM) Firebird(TM) T/A(TM). There will also be
five cars available in the Hot Pursuit mode, including Chevrolet
Camaro, BMW M5, Chevrolet Corvette C5, Porsche 911 Turbo and
Lamborghini Diablo SV, each outfitted with local police car
trimmings. Additionally, NFS fans can also obtain free
downloadable cars via the product web site as they become
available.
-- Eighteen open road tracks inspired by areas around the world,
including the eight courses from NFS III: Hot Pursuit for the PC.
-- Four new gameplay modes:
1. Career Play - a progressive series of 30 tournaments,
Knockout and High Stakes races in which players will compete
for virtual "money" that can be used for car purchases,
repairs and upgrades. The ultimate challenge in the
tournament structure pits a single human racer in an intense
head-to-head duel against an Artificial Intelligence (AI)
opponent where they must bet one of their highly prized
cars. Helping to build the emotion and intensity, each of
the cars wagered are those that the player has spent
time/effort earning and customizing in previous races. The
winner takes possession of the loser's car human racer wins
AI car or AI opponent takes possession of human racer car.
2. Single Player Arcade - a multi-layered mode that will offer
five distinct gameplay modes to help raise the stakes and
consequences of true competition. These include Knockout,
Tournament and three intense "Hot Pursuit" modes: "Classic,"
"Get Away" and "Time Trap."
3. Split-Screen Arcade - two-player support for all Single
Player Arcade modes.
4. Multi-player - an array of features including an online
racing service that will be in public Beta testing. This
online racing component helps to optimize racing via the
Internet and offers matchmaking services for NFS owners and
game servers. Players to log on at www.EARacing.com.
-- Polygonal car damage caused by opponents or the environment (i.e.
trees, walls, signs) that affects car performance and appearance.
-- New audio technology option where players can insert and play an
audio CD of their choice in lieu of listening to the in-game
soundtrack.
Need For Speed: High Stakes stays true to the series' long withstanding tradition with authentically modeled cars, stunning special effects and graphics that capitalizes on the PC technology. Such touches include improved real-time lighting and reflective environmental mapping, license plates that can be customized, varying weather conditions with rain, fog and snow; oncoming traffic and day/night time driving with functional reverse, head and tail lights. Car enthusiasts will appreciate that each of the cars featured are created from exact manufacturer specifications, taking into account weight, torque, horsepower, top speed, acceleration and braking performance, engine type and handling. In addition, the game sports a comprehensive reference section that includes a slide show featuring photos of their real-life counterparts, interior panoramas and an audio history of the cars.
The game is optimized for use with the 3Dfx Voodoo3 family of cards using enhanced Glide(TM) programming and supports other major Direct3D(TM) accelerator cards. NFS drivers will get projected headlights (hi/low beam), stunning real world weather effects, dynamic level-of-detail scenery and photo-realistic 3-D dashboards. At a blazing 60 frames per second, players will experience an exhilarating, white-knuckle racing scenario with high graphic resolutions full of incredible car and environment details. Helping to convey accurate, real world sounds is the Creative Labs' Environmental Audio(TM) technology which helps produce realistic acoustic characteristics of the environments the player is racing through at any given moment, i.e. driving through a wooden covered bridge will result in a more muffled and quiet engine sound while engine sound reflections will vary when passing uneven canyon walls. Moreover, the game is available in software rendered format as well.
Developed by Electronic Arts Seattle and published worldwide by Electronic Arts, the game carries an "E" (Everyone) ESRB rating and MSRP of (U.S.) $49.95. More product information can be found on the official NFS product web site at http://www.needforspeed.com.
Electronic Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.2 billion for fiscal 1999. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under seven brand names: Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS(TM), Maxis(TM), ORIGIN(TM), Bullfrog(TM) Productions, Westwood Studios(TM) and Jane's(R) Combat Simulations. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com.
Minimum Requirements: Operating System: Windows 95/98; CPU Type & Speed: 200 MHz Pentium or compatible (Intel, Cyrix, AMD) or 166 MHz Pentium with graphics acceleration card; Hard Drive Space: 50MB free space for game plus space for save games (additional space required for DirectX installation); Memory: 32MB Ram; Graphics: High Color capable 2MB PCI or AGP video card with; DirectDraw compatible driver; CD-Rom Speed: 4x CD-ROM drive (600KB/second transfer rate) with Windows 95/98 CD-Rom driver; Other: DirectX 6.1 or higher; Keyboard; Mouse; 16-bit sound card with DirectSound compatible sound driver. Required for Multiplayer: 266 MHz processor or 233MHz processor with 3D card, 1 CD per computer; Network (2-8 players): IPX compliant network; Modem (2 player): Windows 95/98 supported 28800bps or faster modem. High speed serial port (16550 UART); Serial Play (2 player): Null modem cable; High speed serial port (16550 UART); Internet: Internet connection (28.8 or higher recommended) Recommended: CPU Type & Speed: 266 MHz or faster Pentium II processor, 350MB free space for game plus space for save games; Other: 3D graphics accelerator supporting Glide or Direct3D; Windows 95/98 supported game controller, including force feedback.
Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, ORIGIN, Maxis, Bullfrog, Westwood Studios and Need For Speed are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the U.S. and/or other countries. Jane's is a registered trademark of Jane's Information Group, Ltd. Ferrari, Ferrari F50 and Ferrari 550 Maranello are trademarks of Ferrari S.p.A. The word "Jaguar" and the characters XKR are trademarks of JAGUAR CART LTD, ENGLAND and are used under license. Chevrolet, Corvette, Camaro, Firebird, T/A and Pontiac are General Motors Trademarks used under license to Electronic Arts Inc. "Mercedes", "Mercedes Benz", "CLK" and "SLK" are trademarks of Daimler-Benz AG. Automobili Lamborghini and Diablo SV are trademarks of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A McLaren and McLaren F1 GTR are trademarks of McLaren Cars N.V. BMW, Z3, and M5 are trademarks of BMW AG. Licensed from Dr. Ing h.c.F. Porsche AG under certain Patents. Porsche and 911 are registered trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Glide is a registered trademark of 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. Environmental Audio is a trademark of Creative Technologies Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.