NFS

The new NFS game is on the cards. I’m not sure when they’re going to release, but soon seems like a good bet. The game has been changed dramatically from what we’ve got used to in NFS games. The story line and models(one of my favorite, if also the most disappointing parts) are out, leaving just pure, stunning, awesome racing. Or at least that’s the plan.

The game is going to be entirely racing based, and being produced by slightly mad studios you can expect good things from them. The screen shots already look perfect, and I can barely wait to get my hands on the game. The cars look amazingly good, and have a more professional look to them.

The game itself is said to focus more on just the playing experience, and not on many frills, while customization is rather extensive, as are the tuning options, giving drivers a much more comprehensive feel when driving.

The game itself is going to be more event based, so it’ll be more arcade style. The interesting things is that for the first time, NFS aims to have the game played from within the cockpit, which means a serious change. The cockpit experience has so been changed, allowing one to see much more than usual, dials, buttons etc. the coolest thing is the reaction from the drivers hands in the game, they grip harder and release etc.

The game will also feature normal pro. Nos, which means that opportunistic button punching is out of the question, you’ll have to plan better. But more importantly, Drift is back… hell yeah!

Anyone who’s read my blog so far, will know that I’m a fan of the NFS underground series, simply for the variations in racing styles it offers you, and the amazing mods you can pull off in the game. I mean it’s great fun… and that’s what makes a good game for me.

The latest title in the game seems to less inclined to be fun. The title is based along the lines of the fast and the furious with you playing and undercover cop. The game is based on a story, and the only reason you’re trying to get to the top of the cities racing circuit is to bust it.

The game play is standard NFS stuff, though apparently the Muscle cars are a pain in the ass, with handling being virtually beyond the average human. The tuners as usual are the most fun.

Upgrades have been simplified to a degree, where you can buy both ‘packages’ and individual components. You can also strap on visual mods, etc. and change the way your ride looks… a standard feature right now.

The game looks really good, and the soundtrack is done by some of the top artists right now. But even with Maggie Q throwing in the occasional appearance, intense police chases, which are stressed on in this game, and decent sound effects including radio chatter, nothing I’ve read so far would induce me to buy this game. Yes even the pirated one.

Sorry NFS but its just too bad a case of been there done that right now.

So another thing about gaming, that is interesting, is the fact of the only choice you have, to play or not to play. Once you’ve made that choice, there’s really not much free will you have left, assuming of course that you want to win the game.

First I’d like to qualify my statement. Okay, now I know there are games that let you make some very significant choices. As an RTS fan, I cannot but acknowledge that, of course the choice between training horsemen, pikemen or bowmen is very important, as is the choice between collecting gold, wood or food, or gems, or whatever it is the game requires you to do.

Even FPS games give you a choice, you can either go through the front door, or the sewers or the back door… or I don’t know, the roof maybe. Sports games give you choice too, the team you want to play with, how you want to play with it. I mean you can make someone like yourself become the star of the NBA. The only thing that you cant choose, and this is common to all games…

Is to loose. There is no game, at least none that I know of where if you pursue a strategy with any goal other than winning in mind that you can be successful. I mean I know what I’m arguing for is kind of stupid… to say that you want to play a game to loose it, is not exactly intelligent…

What I’m complaining about is the simple, singlemindedness with which we are required to pursue this goal. There are no hasty beatings of the retreat… no changes in strategy… to use analogy from the economic world, as a gamer the only goal you are allowed to have is that of profit maximization… even in economics one can try risk minimization, or underselling etc.

So I’m not saying I want to loose… just that sometimes we should be allowed to choose what it means to win. In Racing games a third place should be acceptable… the insistence on a win before the game allows us to proceed is kind of irritating.