Need for Speed: Nitro (Wii) Review

Need for Speed: Nitro from Electronic Arts is a generally good attempt at creating a racing experience on the Nintendo Wii that appeals to both the traditional and casual video game audiences. The game is technically proficient, with an excellent frame rate and sense of speed, and a competent visual and audio design. Sadly, some poorly implemented gameplay mechanics make the vehicles feel difficult to control, and the competitor and police AI is extremely limited. Some excellent inclusions such as the ability to play through career mode with up to four players help make the game much more family-friendly and certainly make it one that will appeal to many of the more casual Wii owners. Overall, the game is easy to recommend to those players looking for a family-friendly racing game, but players looking for a realistic racing experience should look elsewhere.

Need for Speed: Nitro features a surprisingly in-depth career mode that requires players to compete in a variety of challenges including drag racing, time attack and elimination races. The player’s performance is rated from one to five stars with stars used to open up extra tracks. Players also collect money throughout the game which is used to upgrade cars and buy new ones. There is a decent variety in the types of vehicles available to purchase, with the likes of the Volkswagen Kombi van sitting alongside the rather more impressive Nissan Skyline GTR and other more exotic sports cars, but when compared to some of the simulation racing games available on other systems, the selection of cars is rather anaemic.

Interestingly, the cars are not recreated as exact replicas, but feature a more stylised look which makes them look rather cartoonish. The game also features a mixed bag of racing tracks with designs which range from above-average to poor. Some of the tracks are just plain boring and the cityscapes and environments are often bland and generic.

The racing itself is a somewhat disappointing affair. There is a very heavy emphasis on sliding around corners and boosting with the nitro, which is fun for a while, but ultimately does little more than make the cars feel far too unrealistic. If the gameplay was wrapped around a futuristic racing game, then maybe the handling and racing style wouldn’t feel so foreign but, as it stands, there is little about the game that is embedded in reality. Another issue lies in the way that almost immediately after the start of a race, the other cars on the road spread out across a huge distance. Because there are very few moments when there is more than one other car on the screen at the same time, it never quite feels like there is a whole field of other racers competing in the same event. The competitor AI is also quite limited and it is extremely easy to pass by other cars. Police chases are also something that feel tacked on without any real thought put into the implementation. As a staple of the Need for Speed series, being chased by the police should feel integral to the game but, in this case, the police are more of an annoyance than a core part of the experience. The action is fast though, and the challenges are varied enough that the gameplay is kept reasonably fresh throughout.

A multitude of control options including Wii Wheel, Wii Remote and Nunchuck, and even the Gamecube controller ensures that there is a control scheme available to suit all players. The controls are reasonably tight, but the loose handling and floaty nature of the cars makes it difficult to ever feel 100 per cent in control of the car. It is a nice addition to allow players to select the control scheme that suits them and should be a standard feature across all Wii games.

Technically, the game is also a bit of a mixed bag. A brisk frame rate and a genuine sense of speed makes the game feel fast and smooth. Sadly, the same attention to detail has not been applied to the car models, and while it is usually easy to identify the cars, they rarely look exactly like their real-life counterparts. The environments are also lacking, with little variation in the buildings and other backgrounds and very little in the way of creativity when it comes to the way things are modelled. The game also suffers from the cursed Electronic Arts loading screen feature. Exiting out of most menus causes a brief loading screen to appear, something which soon gets frustrating and annoying. It is a problem inherent to most EA games and there really is no excuse or reason for this to continually occur across all EA games.

Artistically, the game is a little uninspired. While nothing is wrong with the art design, the strange mix of cartoony and realistic visuals is just not strong enough to carry the game. The same can be said about the audio design, with the sound effects and music doing just enough to entertain, but not to inspire. One thing to note is that the completely generic “rivals” are patronising at best and, at worst, borderline offensive. Every clichéd, prejudiced and downright insulting racial stereotype has been dragged out, run into the ground and then dragged through the mud in designing the rival racers in the game. The character design is really poor and runs a huge risk of offending almost everyone. This quote from the official blog is only the tip of the iceberg:

When you venture over to Madrid, you’ll meet a street racer named Luis, whose hot pink Audi R8 and flashy cape leads one to wonder if his street racing career is a cover for his true yearning, the life of a matador.

It is really disappointing to think that in this day and age, a company like Electronic Arts is incapable of designing characters that are original, positive and charming rather than generic, clichéd and offensive. If companies are not willing to invest some time and effort into developing characters that players can identify with, then they can hardly complain when players fail to feel any sort of connection to the games they produce.
Going some way to making up for the offensive character design, there is plenty of value for money in the overall package. Lots of different challenges, modes and unlockables, as well as a seriously in-depth car customisation mode really add an extended life to the game. Each of the modes can be played by up to four players at the same time, including the career mode, which is a nice touch and really emphasises the inclusive nature of the host console. Sadly, there is no online mode to add to the experience as this is something that would have been great considering the depth of the car customisation mode.

Overall, Need for Speed Nitro is a decent game which fails to excel because of some poor design choices, both technically and aesthetically. While it is a fun game to play with family or friends, there is not enough depth for it to be anything more than a simple distraction for most serious players.

Personal thoughts

Need for Speed Nitro is a difficult game to critique. On one hand, it is plagued by handling and balance issues, and on the other hand it is a fun racer that really benefits from an emphasis on multiplayer. I had the most fun with the game when I was playing through the career mode with friends and once I got familiar with the peculiar handling, I was sliding around corners and shaving seconds off my times.

The car customisation mode is another of the very big positives, and while I can appreciate the depth and freedom on offer, spending hours making small adjustments to the cars is just not my thing. For those who are willing to explore it though, there is definitely plenty to enjoy.

One thing I must mention is the ridiculous character designs. Why on earth anyone with half a brain would green light these pathetic racial stereotypes is beyond me. Some people may compare them to the character designs from a game like Punch Out, but the designs here lack even a tenth of the charm of those characters. If these characters were in the latest animated film, there would be some serious questions raised about their appropriateness. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on the way you look at it), this type of character design is par for the course for the video game industry and I doubt anyone will even raise an eyebrow.

All of these positives and negatives come together to make for a game that is equal parts fun and frustration. Too many times I found myself thinking, “if only they had done this better” or “maybe they should have done it this way” and that is just not good enough. Electronic Arts really had an opportunity to produce a unique experience on the Nintendo Wii and really tap into an unsatisfied niche, but instead of delivering the high quality experience they needed, they have again failed to capitalise on an obvious opportunity.