• 1-2 Players.
• Multi Tap 1-4 Players.
• Analog Control.
• Vibration Function.

Product Description ------------------- The next installment in the ever-popular Need for Speed racing series straps virtual racing fans into Porsche's fine line of automobiles for a fast-paced open-road experience. Featuring 70 past and present Porsche models, from the classic 356 Roadster to the engineering marvel 2000 911 Turbo, racers stretch the boundaries to unleash the potential of these incredible vehicles. The tracks are as varied as the car selection. Traffic-heavy city streets provide a white-knuckle race against tough competitors, including the bumper- tailing . Peaceful country roads allow for a brisk Sunday drive. From the Highlands in Scotland to industrial Japan, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed offers open and closed circuit racetracks set in five different countries. For multiplayer action, this game features split-screen racing for up to four players (via multitap support). .com ---- It's obvious that the developers of Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed put a lot of research into their creation. There's enough information about the legendary series of Porsche automobiles to satisfy any car aficionado, and this game contains tons of models--from late 1940s cars to recent 2000 models--from this marquee brand. Despite concerns that the presence of a single car brand would result in a lack of variety among racing options, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed does offer an impressive a of diversity. Not all Porches are created alike, and the old 356 handles much differently than a newer 911. Thus, there is much potential in this all-Porsche offering. Unfortunately, while this game has received strong critical accl in its PC incarnation, the PlayStation conversion contains some problems. For example, the track graphics are a bit muddy, and the cars appear fuzzier in this game. Worse still, the physics model for driving is way off. Surprisingly, older titles in the Need for Speed series look and play better than this. Unless you are a Porsche nut, steer clear of this one. --T. Byrl Baker Pros: * Great collection of Porche facts and memorabilia * Models tons of Porches, from 1948 models to modern supercars Cons:* Bland graphics, especially on the tracks * Edges of the tracks are ill defined Review ------ It's been a few years since Sony released its one-note wonder, Porsche Challenge, to the masses. For Porsche fans it was a notable title, as it gave gamers a chance to drive Porsche's brand-new Boxster and, unfortunately, only the Boxster. Despite the fact that Porsche Challenge looked good (though it had some serious pop-up) and played reasonably well, it proved to be an aberration and was never graced with a sequel. Well, Porsche fans, languish no longer. Electronic Arts has secured the Porsche license and created what it hopes will be the ultimate Porsche racing game for the PlayStation. Fitting neatly into the Need for Speed series, NFS: Porsche Unleashed is an extension of the NFS brand, focusing solely on the Porsche legend. As with any driving game before it, Porsche Unleashed puts you in the position of trying to drive faster and with more skill than your competitors, with the intent of being the first to cross the finish line. Unfortunately, for every game that gets it right, there are five more that simply do not. Porsche Unleashed, sadly, falls into the latter category. It's not as if developer Eden didn't try. The team had a rich legacy of cars and car data to work with, which is seen in the ample number of options available. There is an evolution mode, which lets you start off with a new or used Porsche, similar to Gran Turismo's advancement process, where you buy a car and attempt to earn money via high-place finishes in competition races. Compete for cash and prizes, and when you accumulate enough money, you'll be able to compete in a circuit race. Eventually you'll hopefully attain and fine-tune your ultimate Porsche and receive the resulting awards and trophies. There is the prerequisite quick race for gamers who don't want to go through the hoopla required in evolution mode. In quick-race mode, you can select from a number of different minigame-style races: capture the , chase (a high-speed version of tag), race (the most straightforward mode), and time battle. Then there's a tournament mode, where you make your way through Porsche's various historical eras. Win each tournament, and you'll advance to a higher class. There is also a weekend race option, which lets you take your Porsche and race against older, classic models that you wouldn't normally find in a generic racing game. Porsche factory-driver mode emulates Gran Turismo's license mode. In this section you start as a rookie who must accomplish different tasks and missions to progress through the ranks of professional Porsche test-drivers. Along the way your coworkers encourage you as you attempt to hone your skills. Ultimately, your goal is to become the hot accredited Porsche factory driver. The tests are reasonable, with a fair learning curve. There is, of course, the mandatory split-screen two-player mode, which is handled as well as can be expected, but the game is still amazingly drab, despite Porsche's rich heritage. The controls are typical fare, with digital and analog control supported. In the game's front end menus, the car models look great, easily as nice as Gran Turismo's, but in actual gameplay, they all look a little flat. To be fair, there are a variety of car models available, some with their tops down and sporting polygonal drivers, but the graphics fall short of expectations. While the game moves at a smooth frame rate, it is a grainy affair that doesn't look like a fifth-generation PlayStation game. Graphical oddities, such as not having headlights on night courses (though the competition has working headlights) and ill-advised light-sourcing in all the wrong places, make for a graphical presentation that pales against the efforts of other popular racing games. Track design is especially weak, with lack of distinction being the game's worst enemy. Porsche Unleashed possesses one of the worst collision-detection routines ever seen in a racing game, and the soft control is hampered by the fact that your car can stick to almost anything in the game, making racing more of an obstacle course than anything else. At some odd moments you will find yourself completely stuck on a fence or a tree or rolling the car because of a sharp turn and a steep embankment. While stuff like this is all well and good in a game like Destruction Derby, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone enjoying this sort of behavior here. The sound effects are presumably sampled from real Porsche cars, but they often sound unclear. Conversely, the music is a wicked blend of lounge tunes and more modern, funky beats. Thankfully, the game steers away from the harsh Gen-X th metal/techno trend heard in recent racing games. Perhaps the game's saving grace is its awesome array of Porsche memorabilia, doled out in equal as of FMV and actual drivable Porsches. For the Porsche fanatic, Porsche Unleashed is a worthy investment. It's just a real shame it didn't come on more powerful hardware, as the PlayStation's guts simply don't do justice to the game. But while you're waiting for a sequel, consider yourself cautioned to rent before buying this well-intentioned but utterly flawed driving game.--James Mielke--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot Review