Anyone who consider themselves racing fan should check out this game.
- Lots of races
- Great number of real cars
- Visuals and sounds are impressive
- You can be a cop
- Fun multiplayer
Negative
- Later races are too long and require too much precision
High Stakes is one of the best racing games for the Playstation, simply because it does what many people should expect from a racing game. The racing is addictive; the amount of cars, races and trophies is excellent and most people will get the most out of it.
If you're looking for a nice ride, High Stakes offers a lot of them. From Porsche to Ferrari to Lamborghini, you will definitely find one which you will like. You need to buy cars with the money won in races. I can't really give a detailed review because I no longer have the game but it will have to do. Some special events require a particular car but most events are open. You'll earn trophies if you place in the first 3 places. Generally you'll start last and most of the time there is a big gap between the first and the last. But it's easy to reach up. Weather conditions vary here. It rains in some races. One event I remember which was a Ferrari 550 Maranello was at sunset. Last events in the game are tough and long, mostly because you need to make no mistakes to achieve victory.
The multiplayer options are interesting. You can race against your someone else and sometimes the cops will chase you. This also happens in single player events but the game advices you if the cops will get in the way. The cops will talk with each other when chasing you. Most events have to be unlocked first, but it's worth unlocking them. The best thing about this is that you can be a cop yourself in the multiplayer, you and your friend chasing the computer AI. The AI depends on the type of event, but most of the time the AI isn't aggressive but is competitive. Best times and laps are recorded. There are some which are automatically there, giving reason to replay races.
Soundtrack is mostly nothing special but it's good for a racing game, sound effects, such as engine sounds, crashes and other things are great. The EA Trax appears at the bottom of the screen, but you can change it by pausing the game, so the soundtrack changes always when you pause. The graphics are some of the best around. Outstanding cars models and level design, great looking menus. Every single thing looks top-notch.
Need for Speed 4 is even better than its predecessor. This NFS installment is one of the best in the series and the best version of NFS on the PS1. The game is rarely flawed, but who cares about some minor problems when you have some of the most solid driving around, lots of events and fantastic graphics and sound. Even though the Playstation has been long dead, there are some racing games which are better than some racing games released today, some don't thing that a next-gen racing game can be better than others from past-gen.
Graphics = 8.6
Terrific cars models and absolutely gorgeous environments.
Sound = 8.1
The soundtrack in races changes every time you pause but the soundtrack is good. Sound effects are better.
Presentation = 8.3
I don't think there are cutscenes (if there are tell me), but the production values rock and the menus are slick.
Gameplay = 9.0
A lot of races in many parts of the world, many available cars and competition. Multiplayer is addictively fun. AI varies on the race event. Nice car damage.
Camera / Controls = 8.5
Multi camera views will mostly please anyone, and the controls are completely tight and responsive.
Modes = 8.4
Great amount of modes which will keep you busy for quite a while. As said I loved the multiplayer mode.
Difficulty = Medium
Later events can be frustrating but overall the game's difficulty is fair.
OVERALL = 8.5 / 10
As a PS1 game as it is, High Stakes is highly recommendable. Problems almost non-existence leaving a game fulfilled with joy, the sense of speed is not lacking, variety isn't either, so every racing game should take a glimpse at this game, better late than never.