Need for Speed has been one of the premier racing titles on Consoles for the last decade. But over the last few years the franchise has disappointed its fan-base with lacklustre attempts to cash in on the sudden craze of driving games in recent years. Even the use of mechanics from the ever popular Burnout series seems not to have helped.
The last time we had a decent NFS game before the current selection was Most Wanted, which at least was a good experience. But since then NFS has been nothing but a disappointment topped off with the confusing Undercover. So heading back to the roots of pure racing would seem a good idea and that is exactly what has been done with Need for Speed: Nitro.
Nitro is pretty much a toned down Shift. When I say toned down I mean everything has been lowered, from the obvious to the slightly surprising. The obvious being the graphics which are good for a Wii game but nothing when pure up against the powerhouse that is Shift. It’s one of my pet hates having a game on the Wii must mean that it will be for kids and no-one else. I say this due to the fact that the amazing realism that is shown in Shift has been dumped for a more arcadey look, with the cars featured looking and, feeling for that matter, like Micro Machines. They have massive wheels compared to the normal body of the car and that strange squatness that the old toys used to have.
The gameplay is the best that a Wii version of the series has offered period. The basics seem to be borrowed from the Guitar Hero franchise with each race giving you stars based on the position you finish in and a series of mini-challenges (beating a lap time, mastering a track and hitting a style score target). The more stars you earn the more new track that you unlock, with the game split into 5 regions there is plenty to do. You also earn cash which can then be spent on new rides to increase your garage collection and make you more of a contender on the streets.
There is also a complete customisation system in the game that is just great fun to play around with. You have all the normal style icons, like decals but with a great Wii twist. You see, if you wanted to place decal on your car all you need to do is select it and then press + or – to enlarge or shrink it to a correct size then use the point to place it on your car and attach with a tap of A. Simple. The real fun though is repainting your car. You see, once you select the colour you want you can actually paint your car using the Wiimote. It’s again simple but so affective.
The biggest down point for me was the fact that there are no online features. So after crafting your slick ride you can’t show it off online, only to a room full (well, up to 4) mates that have probably just sat there watching you make it in the first place. Having the ability to trade your custom rides would have been great or really having any online at all would have been better, but the multiplayer is solid. You start as you always do in a racing multiplayer pick the track and cars and then race. But the arcadey feel sits well here and it feels more like your down with the slot machines having a race-around.
Need for Speed: Nitro, has the power in it to be a great game for the Wii and if some of the ideas were expanded then it would be an excellent addition to any platform’s library. But the lack of Online is unusual for a racing game and the arcadey feel to it dampens down the experience. But if you are looking for a game that just lets you pick up and play without much hassle then you have a winner.
Nometet Says: 3.7 Stars
