Need for Speed II

Need for Speed II (or Over Drivin' II in Japan) is the second game in the Need for Speed series. It is the first game in the series to be independently developed by Electronic Arts. A Special Edition was later released exclusively on PC.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Instead of over-realistic physics like the previous game, this game adopts much more arcadey physics, which is much more fun and less frustrating to play.
 * 2) *You can change the physics between arcade and simulation. Special Edition also has a new wild option, which is arcadey with a bit leaning towards simulation.
 * 3) Utilizing the newest (at the time) 3dfx graphics, the PC version looks gorgeous by late 90s standards.
 * 4) *However, 3dfx mode comes with the sacrifice of a cockpit camera. You have to use DirectX mode with worse graphics if you want it back.
 * 5) This game features the single rarest car list in the whole franchise. Most of the cars are either concept cars that were never produced (Ford GT90, Lamborghini Italdesign Cala (which was supposed to be Gallardo for the 90s), BMW Italdesign Nazca C2), or made by very obscure companies (Isdera 112i). All of them come with very informative showcases and exclusive videos and changeable colors.
 * 6) *Specifically, all moving spoilers (like McLaren F1 and Ford GT90) function perfectly like real cars, which Black Box somehow ditched completely and was finally picked up later by Criterion.
 * 7) *In Special Edition, there are even more fictional bonus cars to unlock: Bomber BFS (a 60/70s Hot Rod), Tombstone (a 90s NASCAR), and FZR2000 (a futuristic hypercar that beats every other car in this game).
 * 8) Beautifully designed tracks located in places all around the globe. There are very few racing games in the world that let you drive in Norway, Mexico (SE only), or even the Himalayas in Nepal. Also, these tracks have well-designed corners and big jumps (from which you can jump off the track) that make this game even more fun.
 * 9) *The bonus track, Monolithic Studios, is located in a Hollywood studio with tons of movie references like Star Wars and Jurassic Park, which is extremely rewarding to unlock.
 * 10) Very artistic and immersing rock and techno soundtrack composed by tons of talented artists, which can interact with the track you select and driving speed. Romolo di Prisco's "Menu", the main menu theme, is extremely nostalgic to listen to even if you haven't played the game.
 * 11) *There are also specifically-composed short pieces of music for every car's showcase videos. In a word, this game is just filled with attention to detail.
 * 12) The game's menus look good. Seriously, since when did anyone make game menus look so goddamn cool?
 * 13) With cheat codes, you can drive virtually everything in this game, including traffic vehicles, a shopping cart, a crate, a log, and even a T-Rex. Some other cheat code functions include unlocking all the unlockables, slot car (a bit similar to the auto lane-changing system in Black Box games' drag mode), and a lot more.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The PC version won't run on a 64-bit computer, so you won't be able to play this game on modern Windows PCs without using the compatibility mode and some manual alterations.
 * 2) * Refer to PCGamingWiki for instructions.
 * 3) This game didn't age very well for being too monotonous.
 * 4) Physics tends to become unstable upon collisions because you might end up rolling infinitely (you can also do this to traffic cars and AI opponents). Plus you can't manually reset in this game, so you can only wait until it stops.
 * 5) There's no police; cop chases wouldn't truly become a series staple until the next game.