Ferrari 355 F1 Spider
Chevrolet Corvette (C5)
Lamborghini Countach
Italdesign Nazca C2 (PS version only)
Ferrari 550 Maranello
Lamborghini Diablo SV
Jaguar Sports XJR-15 (bonus car)
Mercedes CLK-GTR
Italdesign Scighera (PC version only)
Mercedes SL600 (PC version only)
Aston Martin DB7 (PC version only)
El Niño (bonus car)
'98 Indy 500 Pace Car (PC, Wal-Mart version)
Ford GT Falcon (PC, Australian version)
HSV VT GTS (PC, Australian version)
Key Features
On the surface, Need for Speed III is quite similar to its predecessor, Need for Speed II SE, in its overall scope. The current release has 13 licensed cars and 9 tracks (one is a bonus track), compared to 12 licensed cars and the same number of tracks in the earlier version. A key difference here is that in Need for Speed III you can download extra cars from the website, extending the gameplay.
Need for Speed III is a great game. It has an exhilarating sense of speed, clean and beautiful graphics, polished production values, and trackloads of unadulterated fun. In many ways, Need for Speed III has that same addictive quality I found in Quake II, Starcraft, and Heroes of Might and Magic. That's pretty celebrated company, but I don't think it's an unfounded categorization. Need for Speed III has that same "just one more turn or just one more deathmatch" quality that the other games have. And just like in those games, the action in Need for Speed III is so engrossing and rewarding that the next time you come up for air, you'll find that two hours have whizzed by.
The Pursuit mode really makes the game, pushing it far and above its predecessors. It takes place in either day or night, one of many choices the game offers. Visually, the nighttime aspects highlight a rack of graphic advances that prove EA's designers have learned - and mastered - the advanced stages of PlayStation programming. Realtime lighting enables you to light up the road as you corner turns and climb up hills, and the cops' lights can be seen slowly from far away to bright and annoying when they come close up. You know what is coming up, but only the area that your headlights hit are viewable, which adds a sweet extra challenge. What is especially enticing is when the pigs actually arrive: The whole screen fills with circling blue and red lights that creates a feeling of fear and desperation. You'll have to watch out for smart, double-teaming cops who lay down roadblocks and who know how to drive. In fact, they're so smart they actually learn your driving patterns and emulate them, pushing you to learn a variety of avoidance strategies.
On the surface, Need for Speed III is quite similar to its predecessor, Need for Speed II SE, in its overall scope. The current release has 13 licensed cars and 9 tracks (one is a bonus track), compared to 12 licensed cars and the same number of tracks in the earlier version. A key difference here is that in Need for Speed III you can download extra cars from the website, extending the gameplay.