Mo' Graphics

Cockpit

With previous games in the Need for Speed series I haven't had any bad experiences with the camera views available. Normally I play with the entire screen as my viewing area. This means I see the entire road with nothing blocking my view except a few gauges and a mini-map. Early on I was extremely eager to see the cockpits of the numerous Porsches present in Porsche Unleashed.

What I found was an extreme disappointment. I assume the cockpit was designed to look appealing without sacrificing too much framerate. Sadly if you play in this mode you will notice the featureless arms and unsightly steering wheel all the time. Personally, I would have preferred a more traditional cockpit, as the old saying goes: "if it isn't broke, don't fix it."

Double AHHHHH!

Location Setup

Cars

Over the years Porsche has released quite a few new car models. I've seen and know of quite a few, but I never thought there were this many! In the 911 series alone there are over ten present in the game. While I can't vouch for accuracy in looks, most do look rather nice. I've been aching to see the 928, but it isn't available yet. (Grr…more on that later.) Vehicles represented here both while racing and in the menu screen look great. In fact, on later models of the 911, you can actually see the speed-sensitive spoiler deploy!

Vehicle damage is rather entertaining to look at also. The cars in Porsche Unleashed can actually sustain minor dings and paint scratches. In addition, your car can sustain damage. There were numerous times when my car looked as if it had run through a trash compactor. Damage is not limited to the players' car. Computer opponents, as well as general traffic, will sustain damage.

One last thing that deserves attention is the tracks left by the cars. Aside from the black tire marks left from peeling out and turning there is nothing! I was a little disturbed when my car would travel in snow or on dirt and leave absolutely no marks.

Tweaking

Nice eh?

Tracks

Porsche Unleashed boasts some of the most impressive track graphics I have ever seen. There are active waterfalls and reflective water surfaces. On numerous occasions I found myself staring at the surrounding environment rather than the track itself. Another nice addition is that the tracks have multiple courses to follow. You don't have to drive the same line any more!

Sound Effects and Music

For most of the game I decided to run the music and sound effects at the same level. Aside from the roar of the engine and the music, one can also hear the squeal of tires quite well. Overall I was quite pleased with the sound effects, however I do wonder how accurately the police sirens are implemented. Do they really sound like that in Europe?

Like previous games in the Need for Speed series, Porsche Unleashed features music throughout the game. The menu music in particular is a bit hard to describe, I guess the best description would be jazzy with a bit of techno thrown in for good measure. The rest of the game has some pretty good stuff too. Most of it has the same techno-ish sound to it. I wasn't inclined to turn the music off so I guess that means they succeeded in making some good tunes!

911 gonna get a beatin'

Reverse Lights!

Controls

As is the tradition of NFS, the controls have pretty much stuck to what has worked for the previous four iterations. Keyboard driving is a charm in this game. Turning works spectacularly, I don't find myself correcting my steering too much. Shifting and speed controls are quite familiar with the arrows and the classic A/Z combo. I was a little disappointed in the ability to adjust the controls. You see, normally I use the number pad to drive. All the controls mapped nicely except for the "5" button. I'm uncertain why I wasn't able to map this key but no matter what I tried I couldn't get it to work. As a result I was forced to use the inverted T arrow set.

I also tried the Guillemot Force Feedback Wheel and it worked without a hitch. While this does not apply to all the controllers out there, we haven't experienced any problems with controllers or controls while playing the game.