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Need for Speed II for PlayStation 1
Need for Speed II for PlayStation 1 puts you behind the wheel of supercars and concept cars on wide, fictional circuits. A McLaren F1, Ferrari F50 or Ford GT90 calls for a different approach to braking and turning. You drive past mountain slopes, through coastal areas and along roads with substantial changes in elevation. A fast lap matters, but so does identifying where you can overtake safely without running off the track at the next corner.
You can choose a single race or complete a series in which results count towards the final standings. The circuits combine long straights with hairpins and unexpected narrow sections. Automatic transmission lets you concentrate on the road; changing gear manually adds another task. You can also adjust car settings, including gearing and aerodynamic balance. This lets you approach a familiar track again with a different balance between speed and control.
You can race alone against computer-controlled opponents or with two players simultaneously on a split screen. Each player needs a controller; no Multitap is required. A standard PlayStation controller is enough, and a memory card lets you save game data. This is the original console version of Need for Speed II, without the additional content of the PC Special Edition. Police chases are not part of these races: your focus is on cars, circuits and positions.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Need for Speed II for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Need for Speed II
Electronic Arts released Need for Speed II for PlayStation and PC in 1997. EA Canada developed the PlayStation version as part of a series that began with The Need for Speed. That first game paired expensive road cars with an almost magazine-like presentation. The sequel retained the interest in unusual cars but placed greater emphasis on an international collection of fictional circuits. This gave the second instalment its own character within the series' early years.
The vehicle selection mixed production sports cars with designs primarily known as concept cars. The Ferrari F50 and McLaren F1 appeared alongside the Ford GT90 and Italdesign Calà, for example. This made the garage a small collection of 1990s automotive imagination. Meanwhile, the surrounding scenery primarily served the racing: wide corners, dramatic slopes and recognisable landmarks were designed to emphasise speed and differences between circuits, rather than reproduce an existing racing calendar exactly.
Need for Speed II arrived long before Underground turned the series towards street culture and extensive visual customisation. It also sits between the original The Need for Speed and the renewed emphasis on police in Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. The PC later received a Special Edition with extra content; that expansion is not part of this PlayStation release. On PS1, this remains a standalone racing game about exotic cars, local competition and learning a relatively compact collection of tracks.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
The Need for Speed on PlayStation shares the focus on expensive road cars and learning how they handle. It also features longer stretches of road and a role for the police. Need for Speed II places more emphasis on closed, fictional circuits and leaves those chases out. Your attention therefore shifts from a long drive through traffic to repeated laps in which you can take the same corners with increasing precision.
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit also builds races around exotic sports cars and striking scenery, but brings the police firmly back into the picture. During pursuits you must account for more than the other racers. Need for Speed II keeps that race structure simpler and focuses on the track and car. On PlayStation, the absence of police pressure is a particularly clear difference in the rhythm of its races.
Ridge Racer Type 4 shares the fast circuit racing and fictional settings, but uses invented car brands with a pronounced division between grip and drift. Its Grand Prix is also tied to a team and conversations with the manager. Need for Speed II presents real supercars and concept cars without that team story. The choice is between comparing recognisable automotive engineering and Namco's focus on a distinctive, stylised approach to cornering.
Gran Turismo also lets you compare cars and alter settings on PlayStation. However, it turns this into a much longer journey involving licences, used cars and a garage built with prize money. Need for Speed II gets you to the striking supercars and a manageable selection of circuits more quickly. You spend less time organising a career and more time immediately repeating races in different cars.
Like Need for Speed II, Colin McRae Rally revolves around braking points, corners and learning to read the road. Its rally stages are timed runs along narrow routes, however, with a co-driver's instructions and changing surfaces. Need for Speed II puts several cars together on wide circuits. You compete directly for positions and look for overtaking opportunities rather than primarily aiming to complete your own stage as consistently as possible.
