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Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed

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Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed
Developer(s)Eden Studios (PS)
EA Canada (PC)
Pocketeers (GBA)
Publisher(s)PlayStation & Microsoft Windows
Electronic Arts
Game Boy Advance
Designer(s)Sylvain Branchu
Programmer(s)Bertrand Felicite
Pierre-Arnaud Lambert
Sébastien Tixier
Brad Gour (PC)
Artist(s)Jean-Marie Nazaret
Robert Adams (PC)
Composer(s)Thomas Colin
Manuel Lauvernier
Saki Kaskas (PC)
SeriesNeed for Speed
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: February 29, 2000
  • EU: 2000
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: March 24, 2000
  • EU: 2000
Game Boy Advance
  • NA: March 15, 2004
  • EU: 2004
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, released as Need for Speed: Porsche 2000 in Europe, is a racing video game released in 2000. It is the fifth installment in the Need for Speed series. Unlike other NFS titles, Porsche Unleashed centers on racing Porsche sports cars, with models ranging from 1950 to 2000. Unlike the previous four Need for Speed games, Porsche Unleashed was not released in Japan.

Gameplay

A screenshot of the game (Windows version), depicting the exclusive use of Porsche cars on a track set on Corsica. The car displayed is a 930, in front of it is a factory mode 911 Carrera RS 2.7.

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed gives the player the opportunity to race Porsche cars throughout a range of tracks located in Europe. The cars were studied in detail in terms of driving mechanics in order to create a realistic simulation. The premise of the game remains largely the same compared to previous games in the series: driving and racing sports cars. However, the game only offers Porsches. The handling of the cars was improved, and the player can customize their cars drawing from an in-depth catalog of different Porsche as well as aftermarket parts. Although the game retains the police chases from Hot Pursuit and High Stakes, the feature is relatively minor and is only seen in the Factory Driver mode.

Need for Speed: Top Speed

An additional online-only conversion of Porsche Unleashed, dubbed Need for Speed: Top Speed, was released in response to both the release of MacGillivray Freeman's 2002 IMAX film, Top Speed, and the Porsche Cayenne. The game features three existing tracks from Porsche Unleashed and three Porsche vehicles: the 911 (996) Turbo, the 959 and the Cayenne Turbo.

Access to Need for Speed: Top Speed was bundled alongside the PC version of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2.[1]

40 Jahre 911 Bundle

The 40 Jahre 911 Bundle was released on November 13, 2003 and was only available in Germany. It was a special 40th anniversary edition for the Porsche 911.

The CD box is packed in a unique metal box with the game itself patched to version 3.4. Also included is the official soundtrack of the game, although no additional game features were included.

Reception

Sales

In the United States, Porsche Unleashed's computer version sold 74,795 units by the end of 2000. This accounted for $2.58 million in revenue.[2] Domestic sales rose to 340,000 copies, for revenues of $6.3 million, by August 2006. At the time, this led Edge to declare Porsche Unleashed the country's 52nd-best-selling computer game released since January 2000.[3]

In the German market, Porsche Unleashed debuted at #4 on Media Control's computer game sales rankings for March 2000. Securing fifth place the following month, it proceeded to remain in the top 20 through June, before dropping to 27th in July and 39th in August. Sales in the region totaled roughly 65,000 units by late 2000, a figure with which Electronic Arts was "not dissatisfied", according to PC Player's Udo Hoffman. However, he noted that the title had underperformed compared to its predecessors, and was part of a downturn in computer game sales that year.[4]

Critical reviews

Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed received mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 84.36%,[5] the PlayStation version 74.50% and 78/100[6][8] and the Game Boy Advance version 59.25% and 62/100[7][9] In the UK, Official UK PlayStation Magazine gave the PS version eight out of ten and liked its structure, but said that many of the 70 cars were indistinguishable, and criticised the lifespan. They described the handling as "arcadey", and warned people who didn't like Porsches to "steer well clear".[23]

PC Gamer US named Porsche Unleashed the best racing game of 2000.[25]

References

  1. ^ "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 for GameCube 2002 Ad Blurbs". MobyGames. Retrieved September 21, 2006.
  2. ^ Staff (April 2001). "Eyewitness; It's All in the Numbers". PC Gamer. 8 (4): 40, 41.
  3. ^ Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Hoffman, Udo (November 2000). "NachSpiel". PC Player (in German): 30.
  5. ^ a b "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed for Game Boy Advance". GameRankings. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed for PlayStation Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  10. ^ Nguyen, Cal. "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (PC) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Huey, Christian. "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (PS) - Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. 2000.
  13. ^ White, A.A. (April 2000). "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Review (PS)". Game Revolution. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  14. ^ Kasavin, Greg (April 10, 2000). "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Review (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  15. ^ Mielke, James (March 27, 2000). "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Review (PS)". GameSpot. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  16. ^ The D-Pad Destroyer (April 20, 2000). "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 20, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Crymes, Thomas (April 14, 2000). "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 15, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (April 11, 2000). "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (PS)". IGN. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  19. ^ Lopez, Vincent (March 31, 2000). "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (PC)". IGN. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  20. ^ Harris, Craig (March 29, 2004). "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (GBA)". IGN. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  21. ^ "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed". Nintendo Power. 175: 161. January 2004.
  22. ^ "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. 2000.
  23. ^ a b "Need for Speed: Porsche 2000". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (59). Future Publishing. June 2000.
  24. ^ Mahood, Andy (July 2000). "NFS [sic]: Porsche Unleashed". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved August 6, 2015. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "The Seventh Annual PC Gamer Awards". PC Gamer. Vol. 3, no. 8. Imagine Media. March 2001. ISSN 1080-4471.
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