Need for Speed: Nitro
Encyclopedia
Need for Speed: Nitro is a 14th installment in the long-running racing
video game franchise Need for Speed
. It was published by Electronic Arts
for the Wii
and Nintendo DS
platforms, It is also the only game to date in the franchise to not be made for PC
. It was announced in January as part of a three-game announcement that includes Need for Speed: Shift
and Need for Speed: World. The game was developed by EA Montreal
whom have previous experience with Nintendo
titles, although the DS version was developed separately by Firebrand Games
' Florida studio. An improved version of the DS edition of the game, Need for Speed: Nitro-X, was released for DSiWare in November 2010.
Need for Speed: Nitro is an arcade style racing game that emphasizes speed and excitement over realism or vehicle tuning. The Wii version allows up to 4 players to race, with a maximum of 8 racers at once. Events feature different modes, namely circuits, elimination races, drift challenges, drag challenges and time attacks. Career mode allows players to compete in several cups and build up a roster of vehicles, while Arcade Mode lets players immediately jump into a race with customized difficulty and race conditions.
During races, cops will attempt to block and ram racers, causing damage that will reduce the players' top speed and amount of nitro available. The game features power-up icons in the race that immediately repair vehicle damage or increase your opponents heat level. During a race, players are awarded "style points" based on performing powerslides and drafting, and nitro is recharged over time.
The game has an aesthetic feature called "Own It"; while a player is in the lead, the surrounding landscape and buildings are textured with his car's colors, graffiti, and tags, all of which can be created with the game's new car customization system.. The "Own it" feature is a convenient way to indicate the race leader, and players get additional style points for staying in first.
The five cities in the game are Rio de Janeiro
, Cairo
, Madrid
, Singapore
, and Dubai
(and San Diego in the DS version). Each city has two full race circuits, 1 track for drag racing, and the game takes certain parts of a track for time trial and drift events. There are 32 classic and modern cars (33 on Nintendo DS) included in Nitro on Nintendo Wii. There are 3 classes of cars in the game. The "C" class refers to family cars and includes vehicles like the Renault 4
. The "B" class refers to performance vehicles such as the Ford Escort RS Cosworth
and the Nissan Skyline GT-R
. The last car class, "A", refers to supercars, such as the Ford GT
and the Nissan GT-R
. There are also 3 SUVs unannounced but officially available in this game, they are Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
("B" class), Hummer H2 SUT
and Ford Explorer Sport Trac Adrenalin
("C" class).
There are 35 racers with names in the Wii version of the game, with Jawad being the most competitive and the hardest to beat.
racing game. Need for Speed Nitro is also the first Need For Speed game that has traffic cars that can also be bought in career mode (with the exception of the Volkswagen Golf
traffic car).
A trailer was released on the Need for Speed website depicting four cartoon-like vehicles that are actually disproportionate real-life vehicles. The cars were a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
, a Nissan Skyline
, an Audi R8, and a Lamborghini Reventon
. The trailer also displayed the buildings in different vibrant colors and several disproportionate police vehicles (Shelby GT500's).
were considerably less impressed, awarding the game a score of 5 out of 10, stating that "[although] it might scream 'excitement' at the top of its tiny lungs...Need For Speed: Nitro's initially endearing zest quickly degenerates into repetitive strain." Despite this, Eurogamer praised the innovative use of the changing level appearance depending on the player's car. Official Nintendo Magazine gave a more positive review, rating it 80% and saying; "Need For Speed: Nitro doesn't do anything remarkable. It doesn't have a fancy gimmick that no other game has featured before, it doesn't have the sort of visuals that will blow you away, and it doesn't offer outstanding online multiplayer gameplay that will have you playing for years to come. It's simply fun to play, and in focusing on quality over quantity EA has managed to put together one of the best racing games on the Wii."
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
video game franchise Need for Speed
Need for Speed
Need for Speed is a series of racing video games published by Electronic Arts and developed by several studios including Canadian-based company EA Black Box and British-based Criterion Games...
. It was published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
platforms, It is also the only game to date in the franchise to not be made for PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. It was announced in January as part of a three-game announcement that includes Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Shift is the 13th installment of the long-running racing video game franchise Need for Speed; published by Electronic Arts. It was announced in December 2008 as part of a three-game announcement that includes Need for Speed: Nitro and Need for Speed: World...
and Need for Speed: World. The game was developed by EA Montreal
EA Montreal
EA Montreal is a video game development studio owned and operated by Electronic Arts. The studio is based in Montréal, Québec. It was inaugurated by EA on March 17, 2004. The studio was founded by Alain Tascan a former Ubisoft and BAM! Entertainment executive. It is one of a few examples where EA...
whom have previous experience with Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
titles, although the DS version was developed separately by Firebrand Games
Firebrand Games
Firebrand Games is a video game development company with studios in Glasgow, Scotland, Florida, USA, and Baton Rouge, USA. The team specialises in the production of racing games. Firebrand Games was founded and is run by Mark Greenshields who has been in the games industry his entire career...
' Florida studio. An improved version of the DS edition of the game, Need for Speed: Nitro-X, was released for DSiWare in November 2010.
Gameplay
During races, cops will attempt to block and ram racers, causing damage that will reduce the players' top speed and amount of nitro available. The game features power-up icons in the race that immediately repair vehicle damage or increase your opponents heat level. During a race, players are awarded "style points" based on performing powerslides and drafting, and nitro is recharged over time.
The game has an aesthetic feature called "Own It"; while a player is in the lead, the surrounding landscape and buildings are textured with his car's colors, graffiti, and tags, all of which can be created with the game's new car customization system.. The "Own it" feature is a convenient way to indicate the race leader, and players get additional style points for staying in first.
The five cities in the game are Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
(and San Diego in the DS version). Each city has two full race circuits, 1 track for drag racing, and the game takes certain parts of a track for time trial and drift events. There are 32 classic and modern cars (33 on Nintendo DS) included in Nitro on Nintendo Wii. There are 3 classes of cars in the game. The "C" class refers to family cars and includes vehicles like the Renault 4
Renault 4
The Renault 4, also known as the 4L , is a hatchback economy car produced by the French automaker Renault between 1961 and 1992. It was the first front-wheel drive family car produced by Renault....
. The "B" class refers to performance vehicles such as the Ford Escort RS Cosworth
Ford Escort RS Cosworth
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth was a sports derivative of the Ford Escort. It was available from 1992-96 in very limited numbers.It was instantly recognisable due to its large "whale tail" rear spoiler...
and the Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
. The last car class, "A", refers to supercars, such as the Ford GT
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car. Ford Motor Company produced the Ford GT for the 2005 to 2006 model years. The designers drew inspiration from Ford's GT40 race cars of the 1960s.- Development :...
and the Nissan GT-R
Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:...
. There are also 3 SUVs unannounced but officially available in this game, they are Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
Porsche Cayenne
The Porsche Cayenne is a five seat mid-size luxury crossover manufactured by the German manufacturer Porsche since 2002, with North American sales beginning in 2003. Its platform was developed by Porsche and is shared with the Volkswagen Touareg and the Audi Q7. It is the first V8-engined vehicle...
("B" class), Hummer H2 SUT
Hummer H2
The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT that was marketed by General Motors under the Hummer brand. It is a large truck , while longer, heavier , and taller with room for six passengers , seven passengers in some models. The rearmost part of the H2 SUV was modified to a pickup truck bed for the 2005 H2 SUT...
and Ford Explorer Sport Trac Adrenalin
Ford Explorer Sport Trac
The Ford Explorer Sport Trac, also known just as the Ford Sport Trac, is a mid-size sport utility vehicle with a pickup truck bed that was sold mostly in North America. The Sport Trac was based on the Ford Ranger pickup and was built by the Ford Motor Company from 2000 to 2010. The pickup truck...
("C" class).
There are 35 racers with names in the Wii version of the game, with Jawad being the most competitive and the hardest to beat.
Development and marketing
In the new franchising model for the series adopted by EA, Nitro takes its place aiming at casual gamers rather than the hardcore fans of the series and is also Nintendo exclusive. As with previous titles in the Need for Speed series, Nitro features a large catalog of customizable licensed vehicles, as well as cops. It is distinguished by fast, arcade racing with an anime-like visual, akin to the also upcoming BlurBlur (video game)
Blur is an arcade racing video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Activision in North America and Europe...
racing game. Need for Speed Nitro is also the first Need For Speed game that has traffic cars that can also be bought in career mode (with the exception of the Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
traffic car).
A trailer was released on the Need for Speed website depicting four cartoon-like vehicles that are actually disproportionate real-life vehicles. The cars were a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
Dodge Charger (B-body)
The Dodge Charger was a mid-size automobile produced by Dodge. The 1966-1974 Chargers were based on the Chrysler B platform. The 1975-1978 Chargers were based on the Chrysler Cordoba.-Origin of the Charger:...
, a Nissan Skyline
Nissan Skyline
The first Skyline was introduced in April 1957, by the Prince Motor Company, and was marketed as a luxury car. It featured a 1.5 L GA-30 engine producing 44 kW @ 4400 rpm. It used a de Dion tube rear suspension and was capable of 140 km/h . The car weighed around 1300 kg...
, an Audi R8, and a Lamborghini Reventon
Lamborghini Reventón
The Lamborghini Reventón is a mid-engine sports car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is the most expensive Lamborghini road car to date, costing one million euros . Its top recorded speed was recorded in Dubai, UAE at...
. The trailer also displayed the buildings in different vibrant colors and several disproportionate police vehicles (Shelby GT500's).
Reception
Need for Speed: Nitro received mixed reviews upon release. Mark Bozon from IGN awarded the game an 8.0 out of 10 for the Wii version, stating that "Nitro is a blast despite its faults". Although 1Up enjoyed the title, they criticised the game for its shallow campaign, awarding the game a B-. EurogamerEurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
were considerably less impressed, awarding the game a score of 5 out of 10, stating that "[although] it might scream 'excitement' at the top of its tiny lungs...Need For Speed: Nitro's initially endearing zest quickly degenerates into repetitive strain." Despite this, Eurogamer praised the innovative use of the changing level appearance depending on the player's car. Official Nintendo Magazine gave a more positive review, rating it 80% and saying; "Need For Speed: Nitro doesn't do anything remarkable. It doesn't have a fancy gimmick that no other game has featured before, it doesn't have the sort of visuals that will blow you away, and it doesn't offer outstanding online multiplayer gameplay that will have you playing for years to come. It's simply fun to play, and in focusing on quality over quantity EA has managed to put together one of the best racing games on the Wii."