Game Review - by Jerimiah Pratt
Bow Down to the Racing Game of the Year. Well almost, haven't seen Viper Racing yet. Anyway Need for Speed III has some sweet features in its corner.

Storyline:
The Story, well what story, you're a race car driver, you drive fast. You can drive fast and dodge cops, or drive fast as cops. You have some major cars at your disposal. Mostly cars you'll never see in your driveway. Unless of course you have $500,000 lying around.

Features:
The Interface is one of the best I've seen. Instead of the usual confusing screen, everything is nicely laid out. And advanced custom options are easy to find and use. This is an another trade of EA, really cool, and innovative menu screens.

Graphics:
The Graphics, wicked need I say more? Well yes or my boss will get mad hehe. EA has always been known to bring graphics to a whole new level. Run this game at 800x600 and you'll be treated to slick reflections, smooth weather effects, and much more. Amazing lighting effects include police car sirens, headlights, street lights, on and on. The scenery is way too good. I found myself veering off the road, because I got caught up looking at it. Instead of the usual racing games 2d scenery motif. Need for Speed III, introduces a realistic 3D Racing environment.

Sound FX:
The Sound FX can make you melt. Where should I start? Tire Screeching, Police Sirens, Car Clashing, Police Radios, and tons more. The Musical Soundtrack can turn you mind to mush. The Intro knocks the walls down. Plus you have fully customizable audio options to your disposal. But the Techno, Dance Music is just plain sweet. Never can have enough Techno, wahoo.

The sound in this game is average. There is nothing special about it, the guns sound like guns. The only really good quality that is of mention is the fact then when some people get shot they yell out saying things like, " I need first aid" or "Somebody kill that Mad Man." You, the shooter, say things like, "Oh, that's gotta hurt." Other then the sayings, the sound is fair.

Gameplay:
The Gameplay, is an experience in its own right. Not only do you get to drive fast cars. But you can drive fast cars dodging police. The overall speeds of the cars are not super fast. But you still need cat like reflexes to race the computer. The computer is ruthless, evil, expert, whatever adjective you want to describe it. The controls are responsive enough on a gamepad. But I recommend a joystick or racing wheel for full control. Another noticeable gameplay quirk is the courses. Unlike NFSII, where you car came to a complete stop, if you ran off the road. That is not true in NFSIII. You have more space to drive, plus you can basically drive anywhere. Plus there are more hidden shortcuts to find.

Overall:
Overall, this is a serious contender for racing game of the year. Excellent graphics mixed with a killer soundtrack. Not forgetting the Gameplay, Need for Speed III has all the ingredients. Now it's time to get cooking.