When I got my PS1, I was 8. This game came with it. Now, 6 years later, I still cherish it.
I own a total of 1 console. It's the 6-year old Playstation 1. It's this game that I use the most.
NFS3: Hot Pursuit is a game about pure and simple racing. It has a variety of tracks, 9 in all, not including a number of bonus ones, a variety of modes, and an awesome amount of content.
When you first start up the game, you'll have a few cars and four tracks availible. On them, you can stage a race against one or many opponents, through empty or rush hour streets, or try and outrun the police, or go into a tourney to unlock new tracks and cars. The amount of content in the game is quite amazing, being on a PS1, after all; each track has it's own informative guide, where a a voice tells you about hazards and interests, and each car has a entire Showroom menu, complete with the car's specs, history, and even a slideshow.
Graphics wise, the game shines, quite literally - the models are all very well detailed, with reflections and projections everywhere. The the textures aren't very pixelated, and you will only notice them when your standing still, which usually isn't happening. Each track is wonderfully decorated, and some even have quirks such as the blimp that circles around Atlantica, or the trains that rush overhead as you drive under a bridge, or the helicopters that lift off and land barely metres from where you're driving.
Driving in the dark or in bad weather is portrayed equally as well; you can't help but say "Wow" the first time you see lightning bolts paint the whole sky in an electric blue. One of the neatest effects I've seen is when you're racing from cops in the middle of the night, and their flashing lights shine on your car, the road, and everything nearby.
All this happens with barely any slowdown; I remember experiencing exactly none. And who cares, when you've got everything else to look at?
NFS3's soundtrack is one of the most engaging ever in a game. Each song is original, and there are many, many songs. Each track has a native song, and you can toggle between a rock style songs or techno and trance stuff. Sometimes I catch myself turning on the game just to listen to the awesomeness of, say, Rear Flutterblast #19. This all blends in nicely with skids, grass, scrapes, LOUD engines, and occasionally a farm hen or biplane in the background.
The gameplay isn't lacking either; every track is a neat challenge, from FAST blazes through futuristic cities, to sliding jumps down a greening mountain, each one is pure fun in a box. My 1:10;13 on Atlantica shows how much you get into refining every run.
Moving back to content, there are two gameplay modes: Arcade and Simulation. In simulation, the car reacts slower, slides more, is generally more like the real thing. What is neat are little touches like a whole bunch of options the allow you to change your tyres, tweak your suspension, etc..
This is one of the games that people say came from the era before product placement; when EA was a company that /made/ stuff. Nowadays, they get a giant sponsor, some licensed music that doesn't really fit, and fill the whole thing with product placement. (I mean, basing the entire NFSU2 interface around a mobile service provider was a little of the top, right?) I have a feeling that one day this game will die out; it seems to me that it is talked about less and less, and that is a shame. Those of you that own this game - keep it safe. :)
- Damo566