Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit is a racing video game released in 1998. It is the third major installment in the Need for Speed series, incorporating police pursuits as a major part of gameplay. Hot Pursuit remains focused in racing using exotic sports cars, but features races that primarily take place in locations within North America, including varied settings and climates. In addition, police AI is improved over its predecessor, utilizing several tactics to stop both the player and opponent. The game was released for PlayStation in March 1998 and later received an enhanced port for Microsoft Windows in September 1998. A sequel, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, was released in 2002 and a reboot, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, was released in 2010.

This article is about the 1998 video game. For the 2010 video game, see Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010 video game).
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
American Windows cover art featuring a Lamborghini Diablo SV being chased by a police car
Developer(s)EA Canada (PS)
EA Seattle (PC)
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Producer(s)Hanno Lemke
Programmer(s)
  • Brad Gour (PS1)
  • David Lucas (PS1)
  • Sam Deasy (PC)
Artist(s)
  • Scott Jackson (PS1)
  • Peter King (PS1)
  • Stefan Schwartz (PC)
  • Steve M. Suhy (PC)
Writer(s)Tony Whitney
Composer(s)
SeriesNeed for Speed
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation[1]
  • NA: March 25, 1998
  • EU: April 1998
Microsoft Windows
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Reception

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit was met with positive reviews and reached number 10 in the UK charts.[10] In the United States, Need for Speed III's computer version sold 276,000 copies during 1999 alone, at an average of $25.[11] In February 1999, Need for Speed III's computer version received a "Gold" sales award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD),[12] indicating sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[13]

Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Need for Speed III is an excellent racer for both novice and expert enthusiasts."[7]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "With leaves kicking up in your wake and police sirens screaming behind you, racing around these tracks is second only to the real thing."[8]

The game was heralded during its time for its intense action and beautiful graphics. John Misak of PC Gameworld wrote in his review: "This latest incarnation uses a radically enhanced graphics engine which reproduces the cars to the tiniest detail."[14] Edge praised the design of the game's tracks and challenging police pursuits, but criticized the weightlessness of some cars for "failing to convince the player of any realistic dynamics at work."[6]

Need for Speed III was a finalist for Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1998 "Racing Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Motocross Madness. The editors wrote that Need for Speed III offers "great looks, and excellent racing action."[15] PC Gamer US likewise nominated Need for Speed III as the best racing game of 1998, although it lost again to Motocross Madness. They wrote, "For pure arcade rush, it's hard to beat Electronic Arts' thrilling Need for Speed III".[16]

References
  1. "Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit Release Information for PlayStation". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  2. "NFS III Update". GameSpot. September 23, 1998. Archived from the original on June 22, 2000. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  3. "Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (PlayStation) reviews at". GameRankings. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  4. "Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (PC) reviews at". GameRankings. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  5. "Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (PlayStation) reviews at". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  6. "Need for Speed 3". Edge. No. 58. Future Publishing. May 1998. p. 96.
  7. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 43. Imagine Media. July 1998. p. 113.
  8. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 48. Imagine Media. December 1998. p. 138.
  9. Need For Speed 3 review, Official UK PlayStation Magazine, Future Publishing, June 1998, issue 33, page 108
  10. Gallup UK PlayStation sales chart, July 1998, published in Official UK PlayStation Magazine issue 34
  11. Rosano, Paul (February 13, 2000). "The Best Don't Always Sell". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018.
  12. "Erste Doppel-Platin Auszeichnungen durch den VUD" (Press release) (in German). Paderborn: Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. February 18, 1999. Archived from the original on March 12, 2000. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  13. "VUD Sales Awards: November 2002" (Press release) (in German). Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland. Archived from the original on January 10, 2003. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-03-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. Staff (February 11, 1999). "The Best of 1998". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 3, 2005.
  16. Staff (March 1999). "The Fifth Annual PC Gamer Awards". PC Gamer US. 6 (3): 64, 67, 70–73, 76–78, 84, 86, 87.
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