leehW gnireetS 1T retsamtsurhT Martin's Need For Speed Page Thrustmaster T1 Steering Wheel
1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible
---

'The Need For Speed' by Electronic Arts Below are Need For Speed (DOS CD-ROM) replay files from my gaming activity for your downloading and viewing pleasure and to provide proof of my best runs. Further down you can find tables with my personal best times and fastest laps/speeds. Note that separate fastest lap and speed replays are only accessible from score table hotspots as I don't find them interesting enough to list explicitly. There also is various game info and notes toward the bottom as well as a section with external links. Use the link index below. The picture above used to be my 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 V8 Convertible before a moron running a red light while DUI totalled it in November 1998 leaving us with little comfort from his highly annoying shit insurance company, Omni Insurance based in Atlanta, GA. Still, I wish that car was included in the game along with the Alfa Romeo I got as a replacement!

[ Head-To-Head Replays | Time Trial Replays | Single Race Replays | My Best Times ]
[ Cheat Codes | Gears | Other NFS Sites | Various Notes ]
---

Head-To-Head Replays

  • Alpine, Segment 1, Diablo vs. Diablo (76K ZIP file - Jan 21, 1996)
    Some nice crashes at 0:46/1:34/2:26. Watch opponent crash in front of you and watch a cop chase too...
  • Alpine, Segment 1, Diablo vs. Diablo (72K ZIP file - Apr 6, 1996)
    Cool crash at 1:25. First Diablo crashes into cop and shoots into the air, second comes in underneath and crashes into cop for more chaos...
  • Alpine, Segment 1, Diablo vs. Diablo (62K ZIP file - Apr 7, 1996)
    My inofficial fastest speed, 195.4 mph. Check this out: After a neat double crash I turn around and head back to start (with steering reversed) and score a new fastest speed!
  • Alpine, Segment 1, Ferrari vs. Diablo (74K ZIP file - Jan 21, 1996)
    Cool crash at 2:33. Diablo ahead creates a multi-car mess and Ferrari bangs right into a flipped-over van, cars flying... Other crashes at 0:42/1:41
  • Alpine, Segment 1, Ferrari vs. Diablo (54K ZIP file - Apr 6, 1996)
    Cool crash at 2:10. Ferrari flips computer car over, Diablo behind slams straight into it and catapults it up into the air
  • Alpine, Segment 1, Viper vs. Corvette (83K ZIP file - Jan 21, 1996)
    Cool crash at 2:25. Spectacular head-on collision between Viper and a pickup truck spinning both high into the air... Other crashes at 1:19/2:05
  • Alpine, Segment 1, Warrior vs. Acura (49K ZIP file - Mar 5, 1996)
    Crashes at 0:45/1:05/1:28/1:45/2:58. Some high speed/high impact crashes with the Warrior... Great finish too...
  • City, Segment 1, Diablo vs. Diablo (73K ZIP file - Oct 16, 1996)
    Just for fun: a cool mass collision starting at 1:15 when I turn around in the tunnel. Best viewed in slow motion sky view and opponent view at time of crash.

---

Time Trial Replays

---

Single Race Replays

  • Lost Vegas, 4 Laps, Diablo vs. The Pack (50K ZIP file - Oct 16, 1996)
    Lots of mirrored driving in opposite direction and neat crashes into siderails and oncoming cars. If you haven't won all tracks in tournament mode, this replay also allows you to view secret the track even if it is not activated yet in your game.
  • Rally Track, 8 Laps, Porsche vs. The Pack (56K ZIP file - Mar 9, 1996)
    Alternate Rusty Springs track (see cheat codes). Computer cars don't seem to be affected by the sand - I am and finished last... but here's just for the fun of it...
  • Rusty Springs, 4 Laps, Ferrari vs. The Pack (58K ZIP file - Oct 14, 1996)
    A crash fest. Two high-speed crashes into the siderail in the first turn of laps 2 and 3 - the car really takes off... Then I race the 3 laps BACKWARDS for extra fun. Best viewed in sky view.
  • Rusty Springs, 8 Laps, Ferrari vs. The Pack (57K ZIP file - Oct 14, 1996)
    Another crash fest. Sky-rocketing siderail crashes in the first 4 laps. Then 4 laps backwards returning to lap one. Particularly cool crash at 6:15 where an up-close Porsche comes flying towards you... Best viewed in sky view and slow motion.

---

My Best Times, Laps and Speeds

NOTES: All open-road overall track times are from a consecutive three-segment run, they are not necessarily the sum of the three individual segment best times.
All scores were achieved with the Thrustmaster T1 steering wheel.

  • ALPINE

    Segments
    SegmentBest TimeFastest Speed
    12:26.4 min.DiabloT.T.193.9 mph
    (195.4 mph)    		Diablo
    (Diablo)    		T.T.
    (H.H.)
    23:33.0 min.DiabloT.T.171.5 mphDiabloT.T.
    33:50.7 min.DiabloT.T.151.4 mphDiabloT.T.
    Overall
    RankBest TimeFastest Speed
    1.9:52.0 min.DiabloT.T.193.9 mphDiabloT.T.
    2.9:53.9 min.DiabloT.T.
    3.9:54.4 min.DiabloT.T.

  • CITY

    Segments
    SegmentBest TimeFastest Speed
    11:56.0 min.DiabloT.T.202.5 mphDiabloT.T.
    22:06.1 min.DiabloT.T.175.2 mphDiabloT.T.
    33:11.1 min.DiabloT.T.175.0 mphDiabloT.T.
    Overall
    RankBest TimeFastest Speed
    1.7:14.4 min.DiabloT.T.202.5 mphDiabloH.H.
    2.7:15.8 min.DiabloT.T.
    3.7:17.3 min.DiabloT.T.

  • COASTAL

    Segments
    SegmentBest TimeFastest Speed
    12:14.0 min.DiabloT.T.202.5 mphDiabloT.T.
    22:30.8 min.DiabloT.T.177.3 mphDiabloT.T.
    32:55.8 min.DiabloT.T.169.0 mphDiabloT.T.
    Overall
    RankBest TimeFastest Speed
    1.7:43.3 min.DiabloT.T.202.5 mphDiabloT.T.
    2.7:44.5 min.DiabloT.T.
    3.7:46.5 min.DiabloT.T.

  • AUTUMN VALLEY

    Fastest SpeedFastest Lap
    186.6 mphFerrariT.T.1:14.6 min.FerrariT.T.

    Best Times
    Rank2 Laps6 Laps12 Laps
    1.2:37.9 min.FerrariT.T.7:38.4 min.FerrariT.T.15:24.9 min.FerrariT.T.
    2.2:38.6 min.FerrariT.T.7:39.0 min.FerrariT.T.15:45.9 min.FerrariT.T.
    3.2:39.9 min.FerrariT.T.7:39.1 min.FerrariT.T.15:55.3 min.FerrariH.H.

  • LOST VEGAS

    Fastest SpeedFastest Lap
    231.9 mphDiabloT.T.55.5 sec.DiabloT.T.

    Best Times
    Rank4 Laps8 Laps16 Laps
    1.3:57.4 min.DiabloT.T.7:39.0 min.DiabloT.T.16:56.4 min.DiabloH.H.
    2.4:02.4 min.DiabloT.T.7:44.6 min.DiabloT.T.17:34.4 min.DiabloH.H.
    3.4:05.4 min.DiabloT.T.7:44.9 min.DiabloT.T.18:17.6 min.FerrariT.T.

  • RUSTY SPRINGS

    Fastest SpeedFastest Lap
    177.2 mphDiabloT.T.35.2 sec.FerrariT.T.

    Best Times
    Rank4 Laps8 Laps16 Laps
    1.2:31.1 min.FerrariT.T.4:53.4 min.FerrariT.T.9:43.3 min.FerrariT.T.
    2.2:31.6 min.FerrariT.T.4:54.7 min.FerrariT.T.9:50.9 min.FerrariT.T.
    3.2:31.7 min.FerrariT.T.4:55.9 min.FerrariT.T.9:57.2 min.DiabloT.T.

  • VERTIGO RIDGE

    Fastest SpeedFastest Lap
    151.1 mphViperT.T.1:30.5 min.SupraT.T.

    Best Times
    Rank2 Laps6 Laps12 Laps
    1.3:11.5 min.ViperT.T.9:19.3 min.SupraT.T.18:37.1 min.SupraT.T.
    2.3:12.2 min.ViperT.T.9:25.6 min.SupraT.T.19:11.3 min.SupraT.T.
    3.3:12.4 min.SupraT.T.9:29.0 min.SupraT.T.19:17.2 min.SupraT.T.

---

Cheat Codes

I know the following cheat codes for Need For Speed (may not work with NFSSE). Enter them in uppercase when prompted for your name. They will not affect your high scores.

  • EAC POWR
    Gives you the futuristic, high speed "Warrior PTO E/2"
  • EAC RALY
    Changes Rusty Springs to a desert sand rally track (you must select Rusty Springs for it to appear). Alternatively, all open-road tracks will be icey.
  • EAC WARP
    Is supposed to speed up game play

You can combine the codes e.g. EAC RALY POWR gives you the Warrior on sandy or icey track.

---

Shifting Gears

The following table illustrates at what approximate maximum speed to shift to the next higher gear for each car. An 'od' means 'overdrive', that is a 6th gear exists but actually makes the car go slightly slower than 5th.

To GearDiabloFerrariSupraViperCorvetteMazdaAcuraPorsche
1st00000000
2nd6454405657404535
3rd9783648385698065
4th1321099011511710111395
5th167142116149153140143120
6thn/an/a152ododn/an/a146

---

Other NFS Sites

---

Various Notes

NFS III - Hot Pursuit
NFS III sports hot graphics, new cars and tracks (all are open-country roads albeit lap-based circuits) and the new hot pursuit mode where you have to outrun the cops or fill a ticket quota as the cops while dodging oncoming traffic. Single race, knockout and tournament are present as well as special effects like weather and night driving. Bonus tracks and cars are abundant and EA promises to make new cars available via download from their site. There are two difficulty levels and various assists. The AI can be tough with the other cars actively trying to bump you off the road which I find a little irritating especially since the computer cars seem to be able to do more damage to you than you can ever do to them. Gameplay is smooth and so far I haven't noticed any bugs that spoil the fun. NFS III is very playable and worthwhile, that great mix between simulation and action again. However, still being most impressed with the original The Need For Speed which just got every detail right and was straightforward and challenging at the same time, I have several complaints about NFS III (listed in order of personal importance):

  • The replays are graphically breathtaking but lack two key features: a fast forward/rewind button on the VCR so you can quickly go to a particular scene you want to view and also review it at different angles and speeds without going through all the laps again (I almost can't believe they didn't put that back in after it already was dropped in NFS II). Also, the display of speed, gear, lap number would be very helpful to evaluate the driving and give you an idea where you're at.
  • Best lap time is no longer an item to compete for. Neither do you get a lap time summary after a race nor do you get a highscore entry unless you beat the single best lap time which gets listed in a humble footnote. Since the replays don't give you lap times you can no longer provide proof of your time to friends either.
  • The cool crashes are history. Most of the obstacles and cars you crash into will just stop you dead in your tracks with the exception of certain landscape features that are still good for some 'salto mortales'. Most annoying is that if you crash into a car, the car will try to block your path. You can't push him out of the way so most of the time you have to use reverse.
  • The menu interface is questionable. Many things are less than obvious and features that should be accessible anywhere only are when backing out to the start menu. For example, to change the race mode (single, tournament etc.) you need to go all the way back to the selection of the number of players. Same to load a game. Since tournament doesn't allow the selection of a track, to view track records you need to reselect the number of players and select a race mode that doesn't shade out the track button.
  • Some of the laps are annoyingly long. While I considered 8 laps to be standard in TNFS, 4 laps are already stretching it at times (you can race 2, 4 or 8 laps in NFS III). In that regard, I really miss the segmented tracks from TNFS. Besides that they were the basic beach, mountain, city scenarios, none of that fancy, futuristic Aquatica etc. stuff.
  • Time Trial (along with Head On) were my favorites in TNFS. In NFS III it's still possible but has been reduced to a single race with the appropriate selection of opponents.
  • Hitting the brakes no longer illuminates the brake lights.
  • If it's a Win95/98 game, how come long files names aren't allowed for the replays?

Overall, NFS III seems an improvement over NFS II but inspite the advances in graphics and available features, I still think that TNFS was the overall most warm and fuzziest. Because of time constraints to both play the game and update this page, it is unlikely that I will post any best times or replays from NFS III here.

NFS II and NFS II SE
I had to pass on NFS II because I didn't run Win95 at the time. Now I do and I purchased NFS II SE. I am somewhat disappointed by it. While it is a solid and playable game, it just doesn't have the magic the original NFS did. I think they made some bad decisions by featuring only closed-circuit tracks, omitting fast-forward/rewind on the replay VCR and making the interface less friendly and car crashes less fun. I also dislike the fancy features on some of the tracks, like dividing walls, obstacles and ice. The tracks are either too straight and easy or so long and complex that it's no fun anymore to complete 8 laps. I can't relate to the fancy cars and there are so many of them that it takes forever to get a grip on each one or find the most suitable one for a track. Last but not least, high score tables are a confusing mess and mix different driving styles. They added so much variety that the game loses its focus.
Also, I'm done playing NFS on the regular basis needed to get good scores (though it does have a place in my personal hall of fame) and am not charmed enough with NFS II/II SE to play it feverishly and post the results on here. Thus, this page will remain rather static from now on and is not going to include any NFS II scores.

NFS SE
This page does not cover NFS SE. I have initially ordered it but didn't like the way it behaved on my computer and returned it. If anything on this page does not jive with NFS SE, I don't want to know about it.

--- [ Top | Up to Computers Page | Music | Travel | Miscellany ]
Go to Front PageGo to Site DirectoryGo to What's NewGo to Guest BookGo to Messages And AnnouncementsGo to About This Site

Last updated November 12, 2001 by Martin Mathis, e-mail lastbandit.com

Web Counter visitors since January 29, 1996 .