The Need for Speed

The Need for Speed launched a franchise that is still running, and the original is a very different beast from the arcade blockbusters that followed. First appearing on the 3DO in 1994 and reaching the PC in 1995, it was built by Electronic Arts (originally under the Pioneer Productions/EA banner) with a deliberately simulation-minded approach to driving. The pitch was aspirational: get behind the wheel of a small stable of exotic cars, each meticulously modelled, and drive them on open point-to-point roads.

What set it apart at the time was the reverence for the machinery. The game came packed with magazine-style information, photos and even video on each car, treating the vehicles as the stars. The tracks were long, scenic road courses rather than closed circuits, running through countryside, cities and coastlines, and the standout feature was traffic and police: you shared the road with civilian cars and could be pursued and pulled over by patrol cars, a hook that would become a series signature.

The handling aimed for weight and consequence rather than instant gratification, which makes it feel more measured than later entries. Judged today the PC version shows its age in visuals and controls, but its DNA is unmistakable, and the police-chase idea it introduced went on to define the whole brand. It's an essential piece of racing-game history and the moment a household name was born.