Electronic Arts UK - Press News - Coming Soon Magazine

Need for Speed II

Available in March for PlayStation and Windows 95 CD

Need for Speed is back, and about to prove itself as the world's fastest driving game. Building on the success of the original Need for Speed, Electronic Arts launches the high velocity sequel featuring all new cars, a brand new game engine, new tracks, and 50% more speed.

The game features some of the most sought after cars in the world -super- cars and prototypes that will respond intuitively to the skill of a driver and severity of the track.

Electronic Arts has secured exclusive licenses for all cars to ensure total authenticity; from the vehicles' speed and handling, to their engine sound, performance physics and statistics. But this is more than a perfectly accurate simulation - this is a true white-knuckle racer.

The pace of the cars is alarming - with over 1500 mph's worth of speed between them. The who's who of fast cars include:

Ferrari F50
McLaren F1
Lotus Esprit V8
Italdesign Cala
Ford GT90
Lotus GT1
Ford Indigo
Isdera Commendatore 112i
Jaguar XJ220

This highly charged game has gone global, with all new international tracks from every corner of the earth. Vancouver, Hollywood, Northern & Southern Europe, the Himalayas and Australia are all included; each with its own combination of environments - jagged coastlines, barren tundra, urban sprawl, humid rain forests, crisp alpine vistas, thick jungle, as well as a host of villages, ruins, lakes, resorts, flatland, fantasy, desert and savanna.

The game is still recognisable as Need for Speed, but with its totally revamped engine, only the seasoned pro will notice the similarities. Split-screen play on both PlayStation and PC makes for a thrilling two player game, and with 50% more polygons and rapid art streaming, the driver really has the satisfying feeling of being on the open road in the car of their dreams.

Improved driving freedom means that cars can now stay from the road and cheat some of the hairpins - but drivers need to be careful - take the wrong short cut and they could be hurtling down a sheer drop.

The game also features a new lighting model with distance hazing to enhance realism. To add to the whole experience, 3-D objects are larger, the roads wider, and interactive objects react to being hit.

Need for Speed II also has:

- Four camera views (twice as many as any other racing title)
- Better looking cars (more realistic and detailed)
- More racing opponents (increased from 7 to 11)
- The addition of two different difficulty settings
- Players can now stay in their car when it crashes, rather than being thrown out to an external view

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Electronic Arts, headquartered in San Mateo, California, is a leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, EA posted revenues over $530 million for fiscal 1996. The Company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal computers and advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Electronic Arts markets its products worldwide under five brand names: EA SPORTS, Origin Systems Inc., Bullfrog Productions Ltd. and Jane's Combat Simulations. EA has subsidiaries in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Austin, Texas.

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