Release Date: 2005-03-14
Developer/Publisher: EA Games / EA Games
Genres: Racing
Platforms: PSP
He Good: Great blur and shake camera effects.; delivers a firm sense of speed.; good controls in all modes..
The Bad: Drift attack is dull.; ea pocket trax is a bad idea.; song names get in the way of the on-screen map..
Electronic Arts' Need for Speed line has produced a lot of great racing games over the years. The theme of the games has changed here and there, and recently, the Need for Speed name has been squarely attached to import tuner-style street racing games. The subset of the series, known as Need for Speed Underground, has done a good job of capturing the thrill of late-night illegal street races while including all of the parts and customization. Now, EA is bringing its nitro-powered racer to the Sony PSP and its stripped-down take on the series fits nicely onto the new handheld.
NFSU Rivals offers a stout variety of race types. The most obvious race--a multilap circuit race--is the cornerstone of the game. You can also engage in knockout races, where the last-place driver is eliminated after each lap until only one winner remains. Rally relay races put you on the same tracks, but you'll change cars between laps. Once you get away from lap completion as a goal, there will be four more types of events. Nitrous run challenges you to make your way around a track, crossing gates that add time to a constantly draining clock, and refilling your nitrous oxide tanks. The idea is to boost around the track, hitting as many gates as you can before time finally catches up with you. Street cross races take place on smaller, often indoor tracks that flex your technical abilities rather than just forcing you to drive as fast as possible. Drift attack is the weakest race type of the bunch, simply challenging you to lose traction in special drift zones and whip around poles for points. Drag racing, a popular mode in the previous games, returns here in all its camera-shaking and blur-effected glory, and it, along with nitrous run, is definitely one of the high points of the game.
He Good: Great blur and shake camera effects.; delivers a firm sense of speed.; good controls in all modes..
