Kombo’s Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don’t waste your time. This is why we’ve split our reviews into four sections: What the Game’s About, What’s Hot, What’s Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game’s About
Ever popular, the Need for Speed franchise has shown up on just about any console, handheld, or mobile device known to man. Known more traditionally for intense arcade action, Need for Speed: Nitro follows suit. The game helps to fill gap in the Wii’s library where arcade street racers are hardly abundant.
What’s Hot
For starters, NFS: Nitro is very accessible. You can pop the game in and within a few short moments you’re going to be very comfortable with the controls and how they interface with the gameplay. You’re given a wide range of control options, so whatever you find most comfortable for you is at your disposal. This allows beginners and veterans to play alongside one another without newcomers needing to adapt to any sort of unique control scheme. Simply put, if you have a preferred way of playing racers, it’s available to you here.
Sense of speed is always important in arcade racers, and NFS: Nitro definitely delivers in that regard. As you progress through the career mode and start unlocking faster and better cars, the game really begins to deliver a blistering pace in races. Reminiscent of the early Burnout games, you always feel like you’re in control, but just barely, as you zip through streets avoiding police cars, picking up power-ups, and trying to race the most effective line possible.
The visuals are also worthy of praise. Rather than focusing on high poly counts or complicated texturing, EA Montreal put the focus on art direction and style. The game has a bright color palette and some nifty effects that add to the arcade feel of the game quite nicely. Upon first glance, it’s obvious that NFS: Nitro is about speed, over the top drifting, and style over physics and depth. Nobody giving this game a go should be in the least confused about what they’re getting into.
The progression award system is a nice touch as well. Much like other Need for Speed games, you will earn stars based on your performance in individual events. This should be a familiar reward system for fans of the series, and as always, it gives you a reason to replay completed events to try and earn higher ratings.
What’s Not
The biggest and most disappointing problem with Need for Speed: Nitro is the mind boggling fact that the game only employs a single camera angle. At no point in the game is the player given the option to change their view. Anybody with any experience playing any type of racer can see how this could be an issue to many gamers. For as long as 3D racers have been around, so have multiple viewing angles. It’s simply inexcusable that NFS: Nitro does not allow for this option.
Despite the fast pace and the nice progression system, the game ultimately begins to feel a little stale after a short while. It never becomes a chore to play through, but it does begin to feel very vanilla due to a general lack of race modes that are integrated into the career mode or multiplayer. Each time you move from one location to the next you’re greeted with the same set of race events as you just finished. It’s not exactly the freshest looking carrot at the end of the stick. This here is what ultimately will bog down the experience for most, and it’s a shame because it seemingly wouldn’t have taken much foresight and planning to mix this up and provide a more varied experience.
Final Word
As far as arcade racers on the Wii go, Need for Speed: Nitro isn’t a bad experience. In fact, the game does many things better than its admittedly slim competition, but the strange decision to include only one camera angle and the repetitive nature of the career mode hold the game back from being something special. If you’re looking for a fun diversion, this game will definitely deliver, but Wii owners will probably still be left hungering for a more varied and deep experience. Given the positives that NFS: Nitro does offer, it’s possible that we’re seeing a good first step into something bigger and better, however.
