Put simply, the analog nub is implemented badly enough to drag the overall game down, especially when compared to the likes of Ridge Racer or even WipEout Pure, a series in which controls have always been a stickler. Rivals, like most of the Need for Speed series, straddles the line between those two categories, but in this case crosses the line on the issue of controls. The thrill-seekers, meanwhile, don't really care what the mode of transportation is, so long as the game excites them on some level, be it through speed, or decent AI, or weapons. The car lovers will often accept frustrating gameplay issues and tedium so long as the chassis is classy, much like Pro Evo fans accept its pinball effect in the face of the game's overall brilliance. Or more specifically, the sense of control.īy now, we all know that current advocates of the racing genre tend to fall into two camps - the car lovers, and the thrill-seekers.

The point is, Need for Speed Underground Rivals reminded me why learning to drive is bothersome: controls. Except, perhaps, in the arm-waving department. And irate fathers certainly don't match up to that blonde one from OutRun. Three hours later, cursing F-Zero under my breath, I realised that games really couldn't prepare you for the reality of gear sticks and clutches. 'Ronan,' he said in a voice nothing like Mario's, 'It's time you learned how to drive!' He entered at such speed that there may well have been nitrous leaving his rear end. Almost ten years ago, my dad came bursting into our living room like a deep-space marine in Berserk mode.

Nfs underground 1 car list