Need for Speed: High Stakes

Need for Speed: High Stakes, known as Need for Speed: Road Challenge in Europe and South America, is a 1999 racing video game released by EA for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows.

Need for Speed: High Stakes
Cover art featuring a Porsche 911 Turbo and a Ferrari 550 Maranello
Developer(s)EA Canada (PS)
EA Seattle (PC)
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Producer(s)Hanno Lemke
Programmer(s)Daniel Teh (PS1)
Sam Deasy (PC)
Composer(s)Rom Di Prisco
Saki Kaskas
Crispin Hands
SeriesNeed for Speed
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: March 1, 1999
  • EU: March, 1999
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: June 1, 1999
  • EU: 1999
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The career system of this entry consists of two modes: "Tournament", straightforward series of races with certain cars; and "Special Event", similar to Tournament, but with various conditions such as with night driving or with a fully upgraded car. Completing races earns the player credits which are used to buy new cars for new events and to upgrade old cars to make events a little easier. Completing races also unlocks the tracks for single race purposes, and completing Tournament events unlocks the Special Event events. Beating all events of Tournament or Special Events will unlock one of two secret cars to purchase; the player also gets a free sample at the same time.

The PC version is somewhat different, starting with having everything under a clear "Career Mode". All events are split into "tiers", a selection of 1 to 5 individual competitions. Usually, one of those competitions is a "High Stakes" race, where the player bets their current car.

In High Stakes, two racers bet their cars on a duel; the winner of the race keeps their car and gains the loser's. The player or players must own more than one car to participate in a High Stakes race.

In addition to the "Classic" mode, which plays similarly to the previous Hot Pursuit, High Stakes introduces "Getaway" and "Time Trap" modes. In Getaway, the speeder must evade the police or the police must catch the speeder within the time limit. If the speeder has not been arrested when time is up, the player has the option to quit to the Race Results menu or to continue play for as long as possible. In Time Trap, the speeder must complete a race or the police must arrest all racers (ten in the PS version) within the time limit. The police can set up spike strips and road blocks, and even call for backup.

Reception

In the German market, Need for Speed: High Stakes' PlayStation version received a "Gold" award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) by the end of July 1999,[23] indicating sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[24]

Need for Speed: High Stakes received positive reviews from critics upon release, mostly for the new features such as vehicle damage, vehicle customization and the new career mode, as well as for its exciting police chases.[25] Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation version 84.38% and 86/100,[1][3] and GameRankings gave the PC version 83.08%.[2] In Japan, Famitsu gave the PS version a score of 30 out of 40.[7] In the UK, Official UK PlayStation Magazine gave the same version eight out of ten'.[19] However, Official UK PlayStation Magazine also said that (like its previous installment) it could not compete with other racing titles such as Gran Turismo and R4: Ridge Racer Type 4.

Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "High Stakes has taken the impressive gains of Hot Pursuit and added more than enough new features and modes to attract series fans and newcomers alike. If you like fast cars – or just running from the cops – you'll love this game."[17]

Buck DeFore reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Greater than the sum of its parts, High Stakes has fun where it counts – in spades."[18]

High Stakes was named the best racing game of 1999 by CNET Gamecenter.[26] It was a runner-up for Computer Games Strategy Plus's prize in this category, which ultimately went to Dirt Track Racing. The editors wrote, "Graphically, it has few peers. And the High Stakes mode really made it more than just another pretty face."[27]

References
  1. "Need for Speed: High Stakes for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  2. "Need for Speed: High Stakes for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  3. "Need for Speed: High Stakes for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  4. Wigmore, Glenn. "Need for Speed: High Stakes (PC) – Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  5. The Jaded Critic. "Need for Speed: High Stakes (PS) – Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  6. "Need for Speed: High Stakes (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. 1999.
  7. "プレイステーション – オーバードライビンIV". Famitsu. 915: 20. June 30, 2006.
  8. McNamara, Andy; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (April 15, 1999). "Need for Speed: High Stakes (PS)". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 20, 2000. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  9. "REVIEW for Need for Speed: High Stakes (PS)". GameFan. March 29, 1999.
  10. Air Hendrix (1999). "Need for Speed High Stakes Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 13, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  11. Chick, Tom (July 31, 1999). "Need for Speed: High Stakes Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on August 11, 2004. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  12. Johnson, Sean (April 1999). "Need for Speed: High Stakes Review (PS)". Game Revolution. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  13. Gerstmann, Jeff (March 31, 1999). "Need for Speed: High Stakes Review (PS)". GameSpot. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  14. Chin, Elliott (July 9, 1999). "Need for Speed: High Stakes Review (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  15. Perry, Douglass C. (March 24, 1999). "Need for Speed 4: High Stakes [sic] (PS)". IGN. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  16. Lopez, Vincent (June 29, 1999). "Need for Speed 4: High Stakes [sic] (PC)". IGN. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  17. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 54. Imagine Media. June 1999. p. 91.
  18. DeFore, Buck (September 1999). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 2 no. 1. Imagine Media. p. 93.
  19. "Need for Speed: Road Challenge". Official UK PlayStation Magazine. Future Publishing (46). June 1999.
  20. "Need for Speed: High Stakes". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. 1999.
  21. Mahood, Andy (September 1999). "Need for Speed: High Stakes". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  22. Bottorff, James (1999). "High Stakes passes with flying colors". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  23. "VUD – Sales-Awards Juli '99" (Press release) (in German). Paderborn: Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. August 12, 1999. Archived from the original on June 23, 2000. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  24. Horn, Andre (January 14, 2004). "VUD-Gold-Awards 2003". GamePro Germany (in German). Archived from the original on July 18, 2018.
  25. https://web.archive.org/web/20121014093234/http://archive.arstechnica.com/etc/games/3q99/nfs-hs/nfshs-1.html
  26. The Gamecenter Staff (January 21, 2000). "The Gamecenter Awards for 1999!". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on June 6, 2000. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  27. Staff (March 6, 2000). "The Computer Games Awards; The Best Games of 1999". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on March 24, 2005.
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