Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

Overview

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is a 1998 racing video game developed for PlayStation by EA Canada and Microsoft Windows by EA Seattle, and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third major installment in the Need for Speed franchise, incorporating police pursuits as a major part of gameplay. Hot Pursuit remains focused on racing using exotic sports cars, but features races that primarily take place in locations within North America, including varied settings and climates. Police AI is improved over the first game, utilizing several tactics to stop both the player and opponent. The PlayStation version was released on March 25, 1998, while the Windows version was released on September 23, the same year.

With police pursuits reintegrated into the game, Hot Pursuit's gameplay now consists of two categories. The first encompasses standard racing, as it has been in its predecessors, The Need for Speed and Need for Speed II, in which the player is allowed to race against one (including split-screen races) or seven other racers in normal circuit racers, knockouts, or tournaments (which allow the player to unlock bonus vehicles and a bonus track). The second category is dubbed "Hot Pursuit", where police pursuits are included in races; the mode allows the player to select a standard sports car to race against a single opponent in a police-scattered track.

Two modes were introduced in the game. The two-player split-screen mode allows two players to race using the same computer. The "Knockout" mode consists of seven races with eight racers on randomly chosen tracks, in which conditions such as selected difficulty, weather, and so on that the player has chosen before starting the race-series will apply. Each race consists of two laps where the driver who finishes last will be eliminated from the race lineup. All other drivers advance to the next round and carry on with the battle until there is only one player left, who technically wins the knockout competition.

All four reviewers on Electronic Gaming Monthly hailed Need For Speed III as a strong comeback for the series after the disappointments of Need for Speed II, Need for Speed: V-Rally, and the PlayStation/Saturn revision of the original game, particularly commenting on the outstanding power-sliding and the variety of cars and play modes available. GameSpot likewise said that it was the first truly outstanding game in the Need for Speed series since the original 3DO release, citing its stunning graphical effects and effective customization, and contradicted Next Generation by remarking, "The two-player split-screen mode is one of the best two-player modes I have seen in a driving game."

Official trailer

Game intro. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Racing

Developer

EA Seattle, EA Canada

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Series

Need for Speed

Platforms

Windows, PlayStation

Age rating

ESRB E

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

Yes

Co op

No

Age ratings

ESRB

E

CLASS IND

12

Release dates

Playable today

Credits

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Developer

EA Seattle, EA Canada

Released

1998-03-25

Age rating

ESRB E

Region

US

Time to beat

about 7.9 hours