rec.autos.simulators

First, though, before buying into the mob mentality, head over to the
Operation Sports site and check out their review of NFS-PU:

http://www.racesimcentral.net/

The long and short of it:  Their reviewer gave NFS-PU a 93, which
doesn't sound bad until you consider that they gave NFS3 a 94, and
NFS:HS a 96.  Looking at their ratings, I see they also gave GPL and
Viper Racing a 92 rating, but at least DTR qualified for a 98 (Jeff
Downey reviewed DTR, I believe, while somebody named "Joel" did the
review of NFS-PU).

At any rate, I find their rating for NFS-PU to be pretty lame -- NFS3
and NFS:HS were amusing diversions at best, but I've been TOTALLY
consumed by NFS-PU.  This game has captured my attention the same way
that Viper Racing, GPL, and DTR have in the past, whereas NFS3 and
NFS:HS never really held my attention for any length of time.

Then again, Jeff Downey (who reviewed DTR) did NOT review NFS-PU, so it
would be interesting to hear his opinion.  You out there, Jeff???

Also, has anybody seen a Randy Magruder review of NFS-PU?  I always
enjoy Randy's reviews, and I know he liked NFS3/NFS:HS, so I'd like to
hear what he has to say about NFS-PU as well.

-- JB

Sent via Deja.com http://www.racesimcentral.net/
Before you buy.

DK

To reiterate, what I said was:

"Their reviewer gave NFS-PU a 93, which doesn't sound bad until you
consider that they gave NFS3 a 94, and NFS:HS a 96.  Looking at their
ratings, I see they also gave GPL and Viper Racing a 92 rating, but at
least DTR qualified for a 98 (Jeff Downey reviewed DTR, I believe,
while somebody named "Joel" did the review of NFS-PU)."

Sure a 93 isn't bad at all -- until you consider that they gave higher
scores to what MOST of us here would consider to be inferior, ARCADE
racers.  It's kind of like saying that a National Honor Society student
should be happy getting a 93% after completing all the assignments and
earning the highest score on ALL the tests, even though the school
quarterback got a 96% simply because he, uh, finished most of his
assignments, showed up for a couple of tests, and led the school to
victory in the state finals . . .

Get my point?

-- JB

Sent via Deja.com http://www.racesimcentral.net/
Before you buy.

Stephen

The tracks I drove on where too easy, just going flat out all the
time, with the occasional slower turn which is always indicated with
a sign.

I like the sound/graphics/handling of the car, and I hope things (
tracks/AI) will be better once I reach the later years....

Remco

Maybe they have raised their standards. Just a thought.

Michael K. Grandy Sr

Proud Member of Precision Racing Professional Internet Race Team

Powered by ECCI
"ECCI - A proud sponsor of the 1998 NROS finals"
The CDS4000 was designed for stock car racing... and it delivers
NOTICE TO BULK E-MAILERS:

Member of Nass 2000 Pro Online Series

Member of OSCAR Freedom Cup Series

Member of the National Invitational Series
The NIS is sponsored by Thomas Enterprises

  Do you and your students all suffer from similarly-poor reading
  comprehension skills? <G> I didn't take exception to the fact that they
  gave NFS-PU a 93, which is a pretty decent score.  What I had a problem
  with is the fact that they rated NFS-PU (which definitely leans more
  towards "sim" than "arcade racer") LOWER than either NFS3 or NFS:HS
  (BOTH of which are blatant arcade racers, with no aspirations to be
  driving simulators, period).

  To reiterate, what I said was:

  "Their reviewer gave NFS-PU a 93, which doesn't sound bad until you
  consider that they gave NFS3 a 94, and NFS:HS a 96.  Looking at their
  ratings, I see they also gave GPL and Viper Racing a 92 rating, but at
  least DTR qualified for a 98 (Jeff Downey reviewed DTR, I believe,
  while somebody named "Joel" did the review of NFS-PU)."

  Sure a 93 isn't bad at all -- until you consider that they gave higher
  scores to what MOST of us here would consider to be inferior, ARCADE
  racers.  It's kind of like saying that a National Honor Society student
  should be happy getting a 93% after completing all the assignments and
  earning the highest score on ALL the tests, even though the school
  quarterback got a 96% simply because he, uh, finished most of his
  assignments, showed up for a couple of tests, and led the school to
  victory in the state finals . . .

  Get my point?

  -- JB

  > Um, I just read the review and it seemed *quite* positive. If I give a
  > student of mine a 93%, that supposed to reflect a pretty damned good
  paper.
  >
  > DK
  >


  > > Break out the rope and the beer, boys and girls -- sounds like we
  may
  > > be forming up a *** mob!
  > >
  >
  >

  Sent via Deja.com http://www.racesimcentral.net/
  Before you buy.

Have you played the Factory Driver game yet?
If not, quit playing that Evolution fluff -you're missing the main
part of the game. I only play Evolution to chill out when I get pissed
off at Factory Driver. <g>

Tim

As far as I'm concerned, more than a few OS reviewers have flipped the
Bozo bit already...  Ah well, it's all perception and opinions.  The
trick is finding a site that you feel reflects your attitude and
priorities-- personally, I can't say I've found a perfect site, but OS
certainly ain't it.

--mK

I'm here John, my opinions are below.

which doesn't sound bad until you consider that they gave NFS3 a
94, and NFS:HS a 96.  Looking at their ratings, I see they also
gave GPL and Viper Racing a 92 rating, but at least DTR
qualified for a 98 (Jeff Downey reviewed DTR, I believe, while
somebody named "Joel" did the review of NFS-PU).

One problem with the reviewing game is that you can't really
compare reviews to rank games.  Most of the time reviews are
written by different people with different ideas of what makes a
quality game.

A second problem lies in the fact that what may have once been a
cutting edge feature has later become less impressive, or
perhaps even mundane.

I'm not saying that is what happened here, but more than likely
that is the case.  Unless you have one guy doing all of the
reviews, it's like comparing apples to oranges.

 NFS3 and NFS:HS were amusing diversions at best, but I've been
TOTALLY consumed by NFS-PU.  This game has captured my attention
the same way that Viper Racing, GPL, and DTR have in the past,
whereas NFS3 and NFS:HS never really held my attention for any
length of time.

PU, so itwould be interesting to hear his opinion.  You out
there, Jeff???

Well, I think the latest version is indeed better than anything
we have seen from this series in the past.  Not that any of the
series has been terrible, I just see a definite improvement in
Porsche Unleashed.

Having said that, I'm not ready to climb the highest mountain
and proclaim the game to be the best racing game I've ever
seen.  Personally, I wouldn't rank it higher than GPL, DTR,
NASCAR 3, or Viper Racing.  Then again, what I look for in a
racing game may be totally different than what you or anyone
else is looking for.  All of my reviews are strictly my
opinion.  I don't approach a review from the position of what
will everyone else think about this game.

I guess the best thing to do is find a reviewer who you feel
thinks the way you do and go from there.  That is what I do in
my own buying decisions.  Other reviews might lend some insight
to the overall picture, but for me, I stay with the reviewers I
trust to think the same way I do.

In the end, the final decision on how "good or bad" a game rests
with the end user.  The only thing a review can do is help
influence your final decision.  At least that is the way I
approach the job.

To answer your question though, now that I'm off my soap box.  I
think NFS: PU is an entertaining arcade racer, with more sim
characteristics than past incarnations.  I find it enjoyable,
and well worth a purchase.  However, I don't see it holding my
attention for long periods of time like GPL has.  It's a nice
diversion for me, but that's about it.

-Jeff

* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!

VERY true -- I had not taken this into account.  At the time they were
reviewed, I'm sure NFS3 and NFS:HS were pretty much "cutting edge"
games.  I feel that NFS-PU breaks a lot of new ground for the NFS
family, even if it doesn't break any new ground for driving sims in
general, so given that, I guess a 93 is a pretty fair score.  Still, as
a simmer, I'd like to see companies rewareded when they move away from
arcade play and get daring enough to wade into the "true sim" realm. <G>

Again, a VERY good point -- can I retract the following statement about
the rating being "lame"? <G>

COOL!  Good to hear your opinion, too.  Not that Joel's opinion was bad
or invalid, mind you, but I'm familiar with your reviews and your
review criteria, so I'm always interested in your take on a subject.

Have you tried the Factory Driver mode yet?  For me, this was every bit
as immersive as GPL, DTR, and Viper Racing.

Ditto -- that's why I always look for reviews from you and Randy
Magruder in particular! <G>

Again, thanks for sharing your opinion -- and make sure you check out
the Factory Driver mode if you haven't already.  THAT is the meat of
this game, IMO.

TTYL!

-- JB

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.