Media

Need For Speed Nitro Still Stylin’

By Mike Fahey on July 10, 2009 at 4:00 AM

The Nintendo Wii entry in EA’s reboot of the Need for Speed series continues to impress with sharp, stylish visuals. The DS version? Not so much. See if you can spot the difference!

Sure it isn’t a hyper-realistic racer that lets you see your own reflection in the rear-view mirror. That’s not really what the Wii is all about, now is it? Need for Speed Nitro looks like it could be a hell of a lot of fun, and that trumps realistic vehicle physics and design any day in my book… mainly because I suck horribly at realistic driving games.

As for the DS version… yeah, not a big fan of DS racing titles that don’t end with the word “kart”.










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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • fallen1
    July 10, 2009 at 4:27 PM
    Wow, the Wii game looks nice. Wow, the DS game looks...WTF?
  • Bastard11
    July 10, 2009 at 11:10 AM
    ...is it just me?

    Bastard11

  • Bastard11
    July 10, 2009 at 11:08 AM
    ...

    Bastard11

  • Bastard11
    July 10, 2009 at 11:02 AM
    This game is looking really nice.. but I still can't help but think I'm looking at a Hot Wheels game every time I see a screenshot.

    Bastard11

  • Alamosh: Quick! Get the lantern!
    July 10, 2009 at 9:55 AM
    @DaiMacculate: Definitely. Hot Pursuit 2 was one of the best racing experiences on the GameCube, specially on multiplayer.
  • Project_J187
    July 10, 2009 at 9:02 AM
    That actually looks really nice on the Wii. Visuals pop and are definitely the best they will be with cel shading. Before reading that this was the Wii version I thought it could be the free online version.

    Project_J187

  • Ueziel
    July 10, 2009 at 8:41 AM
    @(Zombie) Goldwings: Oh haha. It looks fine from normal viewing distance and at the right screen size.
  • sereal
    July 10, 2009 at 8:29 AM
    @DaiMacculate: I thought underground1&2 was good as far as driving goes. It's just not super realistic which is good, and it's not super wacky either. It's a good versus game :P

    sereal

  • kadjin
    July 10, 2009 at 7:04 AM
    @njd09: Aye, there be sarcasm in them comments!

    kadjin

  • SurprisedFace
    July 10, 2009 at 6:55 AM
    @njd09: You do realize SM64 DS looked better than SM64 right?

    SurprisedFace

  • enKrypt
    July 10, 2009 at 6:45 AM
    I kind of like the stylized look that they are going for, but there is something not quite right about it. With the tooned look they are using, there is too much reflection on the cars, it's like they are trying to fight between tooned and realistic.

    enKrypt

  • jakster4u
    July 10, 2009 at 6:18 AM
    They all look the same! lol

    jakster4u

  • njd09
    July 10, 2009 at 6:04 AM
    @landonkun: They are. The DS can't even handle N64 graphics, hence why SM64 wasn't just ported, it was remade for the DS. The DS is like between the SNES and the N64.

    njd09

  • bigman88zz
    July 10, 2009 at 5:51 AM
    @subnet6: "It felt awkward at first but once you get used to it, you could play the game one handed." I'm really resisting the urge to make a joke here.
  • HELLSRIDER is doing stuff
    July 10, 2009 at 5:44 AM
    It is pretty impresive, looks quite nice, but is it enjoyable? I need some more gameplay.
  • FishstickAvenger
    July 10, 2009 at 5:40 AM
    Okay, can they PLEASE give a little more screenshot attention to the other cars besides the Audi R8, Mustang, GT-R, Ford GT, and Challenger? These are a little better than the nintendo power preview that only showed those cars, but seriously...

    FishstickAvenger

  • dafunkk12
    July 10, 2009 at 5:28 AM
    Is that the Lamborghini Reventon I see? Hot.
  • Han
    July 10, 2009 at 5:03 AM
    @excel_excel: I had Prostreet for the DS and the graphics were a lot better than that though im sure it willl look better in motion

    Han

  • mutedia
    July 10, 2009 at 5:02 AM
    this reminds me of that ubisoft racing game they had a while ago with excessive nitro.. can'T remember the name just now

    mutedia

  • DaiMacculate
    July 10, 2009 at 5:01 AM
    Graphics look decent, not sure what people are complaining about; they're making multiple NFS games for the "big" consoles as well, you'll get your eye candy fix soon enough. I remain more concerned about gameplay; the last NFS I really enjoyed was Hot Pursuit 2 on the Gamecube :P
  • logikil
    July 10, 2009 at 4:56 AM
    By and large i dont care for the look of many 3d games on the DS. There are certainly exceptions to the rule, such as Mario Kart and Mario 64, but not much else.

    logikil

  • ttocs
    July 10, 2009 at 4:53 AM
    @excel_excel: Yeah, I didn't think of that. Now I'm curious to see what it would actually look like.
  • Mit
    July 10, 2009 at 4:53 AM
    @excel_excel: I have a feeling those screenshots are a tad doctored, or rendered on a PC. The resolution looks to be a bit better, either that or it has anti-aliasing.

    But yeah I was thinking the same thing.
  • Orionsaint
    July 10, 2009 at 4:52 AM
    The word Nitro and Need for Speed never be used in the same sentence again! Can we please get away from Street Racing? It's been ten years of that moronic crap! It single handedly set racing games back ten years.
  • ttocs
    July 10, 2009 at 4:52 AM
    Agreed Mike. The Wii title looks to be coming along nicely. Those graphics are impressive for the Wii. As for playing a racer like NFS on the DS, I just can't imagine it. The pacing would be way too fast, the graphics (as obvious in the images) wouldn't be that great because the DS wouldn't be able to handle all that on screen at once, and it would just frustrate the hell out of me. I might make the Wii a week one rental, but I'll be skipping on the DS version.
  • doughboyx
    July 10, 2009 at 4:52 AM
    I'm liking that key lime pie yogurt-colored car in the first screen. Yum.

    doughboyx

  • RockyRan
    July 10, 2009 at 4:51 AM
    @excel_excel: Do keep in mind though, those screens (like practically all publicity screenshots of Wii games) display the game rendered at a much higher resolution than the Wii is capable of. Try to imagine some nice jaggies on the cars and you can get a better picture of what it'll actually look like.

    RockyRan

  • Talryyn
    July 10, 2009 at 4:49 AM
    @Numanoid: That is ok, I remember my Atari Lynx games looking good, now I wonder how I ever played it. Although, they did look like the above for the most part.

    Talryyn

  • Andrew Testerman
    July 10, 2009 at 4:48 AM
    Hmmm. Reminds me of the Cruisin' games. But with a little bit of Burnout Paradise thrown it. Could be pretty fun!

    Andrew Testerman

  • Numanoid
    July 10, 2009 at 4:35 AM
    @excel_excel: Colin Mcrae 2.0 on GBA (remember it looking better tbh)
  • Rozzlit
    July 10, 2009 at 4:33 AM
    @subnet6: Ahhh the best way to play a game...

    Rozzlit

  • Billy Brown
    July 10, 2009 at 4:33 AM
    Lookin' good. The look of the screens kinda reminds me of burnout without the crazy crashing. I like the Burnout games a lot but I've been playing Need For Speed since I was a kid so it's always nice to see some promise from it as more than just a rehashing of the previous version.

    Billy Brown

  • Birdmustfeed
    July 10, 2009 at 4:31 AM
    lol. "One of these things is not like the other..."
  • subnet6
    July 10, 2009 at 4:30 AM
    @excel_excel: No. They had several different control schemes. One like Mario Kart. One with the nunchuck to steer (best) and what I call the "bizarre" one, which is just a Wii-mote, held in one hand traditionally (think pointed at the screen). You would tilt/rotate the wii mote to steer, with A being gas and B being brake/reverse. It felt awkward at first but once you get used to it, you could play the game one handed.
  • landonkun
    July 10, 2009 at 4:28 AM
    @emwurst: Haha, I love how you still said the "douchey" thing at the end of your post. I dunno though, those definitely look worse than PS1 graphics. Maybe just cause of the small resolution.

    landonkun

  • excel_excel
    July 10, 2009 at 4:28 AM
    @Numanoid: oh yeah the DS one doesn't look astounding.
  • Fatty Shcock
    July 10, 2009 at 4:27 AM
    @excel_excel:Oh, I admit, the Wii version looks good. The DS looks abysmal, even if the images here are blown up. It would be something that I would have to play for myself, but I am without my DS phat now. =(
  • Ninja Tree
    July 10, 2009 at 4:25 AM
    @Fatty Shcock: This is a DS Game though... looks not to bad.
  • SurprisedFace
    July 10, 2009 at 4:24 AM
    @MrGhandi: The graphics don't look bad at all in the other two. It's just the ugly textures in the desert one.

    SurprisedFace

  • Xmas in July
    July 10, 2009 at 4:21 AM
    @Fatty Shcock: The DS shots look terrible because they're blown up, rest assured, your DS screen is not that big, so you wont be able to notice the pixels.
  • Numanoid
    July 10, 2009 at 4:21 AM
    @excel_excel: I had a 3D racer on GBA that looked nearly as good as that, which is pretty bad.
  • njd09
    July 10, 2009 at 4:20 AM
    @kadjin: That's the DS version. Please tell me that you were being sarcastic.

    njd09

  • (Zombie) Goldwings
    July 10, 2009 at 4:20 AM
    @Ueziel: and a meter away from your computer monitor... There. NOW THAT LOOKS AWESOME!
  • nflsonic
    July 10, 2009 at 4:18 AM
    The car models look quite good on the Wii version. Can't really make out the DS version...
  • excel_excel
    July 10, 2009 at 4:17 AM
    @subnet6: Ah great, by bizarre control scheme, you don't mean like using the Nunchuck to accelrate do you?!
  • excel_excel
    July 10, 2009 at 4:17 AM
    @Fatty Shcock: ???? The DS screens are blown up. And the Wii ones looks very nice!
  • SilentSomno
    July 10, 2009 at 4:16 AM
    @Fatty Shcock: For me, a self admitted graphics whore, a game has to have some decent graphics otherwise it detracts from the whole immersive experience. Plus I just can't enjoy a game when my eyes feel like they are bleeding.

    SilentSomno

  • excel_excel
    July 10, 2009 at 4:16 AM
    @FriedConsole: Ridge Racer DS, GRID, Trackmania DS, Race Driver: Create & Race were all enjoyable. Although there isn't a lot
  • njd09
    July 10, 2009 at 4:14 AM
    Mario Kart DS ends in a DS. I had to be an asshole about it, yes. UNLESS you're talking about Minna De Wai Wai Kokoto Kart, in which case you're perfectly fine.

    njd09

  • Life Between Naps
    July 10, 2009 at 4:14 AM
    @MrGhandi: Yah and even with that drawback these screens don't look that bad. I never really looked for graphics in my handhelds, just casual fun and this game seems to fit that bill nicely.
  • (Zombie) Goldwings
    July 10, 2009 at 4:14 AM
    Or have Mario before the word kart. Diddy Kong Racing should have fit the bill as well, but the one ported to the DS has RUINED the game that I had so much fond memories of. ;_;
  • emwurst
    July 10, 2009 at 4:13 AM
    @Fatty Shcock: But it's on a DS. What do you expect?

    emwurst

  • subnet6
    July 10, 2009 at 4:12 AM
    @excel_excel: I played the crap out of this at E3. It was really fun. And surprisingly, even the bizarre control scheme worked well.
  • mitch_93
    July 10, 2009 at 4:10 AM
    Man that wii version is pretty great. Just the Ds version not so much. Oh well its DS. Hopefully this won't be as bad as the other two.

    mitch_93

  • excel_excel
    July 10, 2009 at 4:10 AM
    @MrGhandi: Yeah thats true.
  • kadjin
    July 10, 2009 at 4:09 AM
    I don`t see any difference... :|

    kadjin

  • DarkTetsuya
    July 10, 2009 at 4:08 AM
    I'm just surprised it's getting both the Nissan 370Z *and* the million euro Lamborghini Reventon... hoping to find out what other cars are on the roster, though.
  • SilentSomno
    July 10, 2009 at 4:08 AM
    Is this game sponsored by Crayola or something? Don't look closely at the cars cause you might just burn your eyes out.

    SilentSomno

  • emwurst
    July 10, 2009 at 4:08 AM
    I was going to say something douchey about the graphics, but then I came to accept that these are DS graphics -- and considering they're on a 2x1.5 inch screen, it's relatively good. Anyway, here's the douchey thing I was going to say: Good to see developers are still supporting the PS1.

    emwurst

  • MrGhandi
    July 10, 2009 at 4:07 AM
    I don't know, that looks pretty good for a 3D DS game. It just looks bad in the screenshots because the image is scaled up beyond the DS 256x192 resolution.
  • FriedConsole
    July 10, 2009 at 4:07 AM
    With the exception of Mario Kart, racers on the DS always suck.

    FriedConsole

  • excel_excel
    July 10, 2009 at 4:06 AM
    Man I'm liking the look of the Wii version, veeery nice.
  • MugenXS
    July 10, 2009 at 4:06 AM
    @Ashurahori: it does, rest assured.
  • MugenXS
    July 10, 2009 at 4:06 AM
    I played the Wii version recently, and it's really fun. I even had the chance to give input and they took a few of my ideas :)
  • Ueziel
    July 10, 2009 at 4:06 AM
    They really need to learn to not blow up DS game screenshots. Yeesh. It looks fine at the right resolution though.
  • Ashurahori
    July 10, 2009 at 4:06 AM
    Hope this has got unrealistic and crazy vehicle physics.

    Ashurahori

  • Fatty Shcock
    July 10, 2009 at 4:05 AM
    Oh my god, those are horrible graphics. I know people complain about how games are meant for the game play, but come on, this is just pathetic.
  • TearsandScreams
    July 11, 2009 at 3:06 AM
    @excel_excel: Trackmania DS was amazing. You must be one of around seven people who have actually played it.
  • Kilos
    July 10, 2009 at 11:32 PM
    Did you see the article of the Hi-Def Mario Galaxy shots? The same thing was done here, you take the shots from the PC that can produce Hi-Def graphics, then let people know that its for the Wii. Its a scam.

    Kilos

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