Need For Speed 4 High Stakes (1999) and Porsche Unleashed (2000)

**-Ldp | Irwan** Sun Dec 21, 2008 4:01 pm

# GameSpot Score 8.7 Editors' Choice
# Critic Score 8.4
# User Score 8.6

High Stakes (North America title), also known as Road Challenge (European and Brazilian title), was released in the summer of 1999.

High Stakes introduced several new types of gameplay: High Stakes, Getaway and Career. High Stakes is a racing mode in which the reward was the losing player's car. Getaway requires the player to outrun a pursuing police vehicle for a given time period. Career mode incorporates a monetary reward system that allowed a player to purchase vehicles and performance upgrades while earning cash by racing in a chronological set of tournaments. It is also the last game in the Need for Speed series for PC to feature the split-screen two player mode introduced in Need for Speed II.

Another innovation is the introduction of damage models. Vehicles which have been involved in accidents featured visibly crushed car bodies and suffered from performance penalties. After a race in Career mode, the player is given the option to purchase repairs. The mode also allows players, for the first time, to upgrade cars, although the feature simply consists of switching between three upgrade levels for each car.

The PlayStation version of the game, released some months before the PC version, features improved gameplay. Only all-new tracks were implemented without the additional rehashes from NFS III in the PC version. Additionally, the AI in the game was more advanced; the five AIs known as Nemesis, Bullit, Frost, Ranger, and Chump featured different driving characteristics (ie. Nemesis would hound the player until a slipup occurs, whilst Bullit exhibits a more aggressive style, occasionally ramming into the player's vehicle). Also, The Aston Martin DB7 was in the game at release while the PC version required that you would need to download it online to put it in the game. In the Playstation version, the Mclaren F1 GTR was based off the 1997 Long Tail while the PC version was based off the original 95/96 version.

Need For Speed 4 High Stakes (1999) and Porsche Unleashed (2000) Nfs_po10

Need For Speed 4 High Stakes (1999) and Porsche Unleashed (2000) Nfs_po10

# GameSpot Score 5.9 Editors' Choice
# Critic Score 7.5
# User Score 7.3

Porsche Unleashed (North America and Latin America title), Porsche 2000 (European title) or simply Porsche (in Germany) is different from the previous versions because it featured only Porsches and featured a wealth of information regarding them. The vehicle handling is considered the most realistic in any NFS game, and there is an in-depth catalogue of different Porsche parts that span throughout the years. The player had to win races in the Evolution career mode to unlock cars in chronological order from 1950 to 2000. Porsche Unleashed also featured a Factory Driver mode, where the player had to test Porsches with various stunts and move on with his career. The game is also the first in the series since the first NFS game to not feature a split screen mode. However, the game did contain a well constructed LAN multiplayer feature. In later years, it was released for the Game Boy Advance.

In terms of game construction, it is most often hailed as Need For Speed's best collaborated effort to bring forth one singular car brand and amplify and deepen the depth of knowledge both on history and motor functions. It features historical videos and many pictures of old photos of Porsche vehicles. The Evolution concept was a hit for many people, creating many new Porsche fans due to the game's high level of academia and depth of Porsche cars. The Factory Driver was also a different kind of unlocking, except to do with performing and excelling in certain slaloms, speed races, deliveries, etc. Many of the missions were considered to be really difficult. In addition, the graphics of the game were relatively impressive for the time the game was released.

Need For Speed 4 High Stakes (1999) and Porsche Unleashed (2000)

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Need For Speed 4 High Stakes (1999) and Porsche Unleashed (2000)