In the arcade racing genre,Need for Speedis a franchise that has been consistently making a mark. Starting from linear racing to adding anopen worldfor the first time, to adding cop chases and vehicular combat, the series has come a long way.
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With the newest Need for Speed entries not being as good as the fans had hoped, it’s high time EA went back in time and picked up one of these six older entries that were loved by the fans and remade it to win back their fan’s hearts once again.
6Need for Speed 2 SE
The Classic Need for Speed Experience
It’s a shame that younger fans don’t know about the second entry of the Need for Speed franchise. Released in 1997, the game included not only some of the most popular supercars of the time, but also concept cars like Ford Indigo, Ford GT90 and even the entirely-imaginary FZR2000, which became one of the most memorable cars in Need for Speed.
There were multiple race modes from quick races to tournaments, a bunch of diverse tracks of varying difficulty, and gameplay physics that were arcade-perfect. A modern remake could add old classic cars to the game, revamp the graphics and physics while keeping the same tracks, and stick to the linear gameplay loop. No story mode is necessary and a multiplayer mode would make the remake a lot more fun.
5Need for Speed: The Run
Need for Speed: The Run
The Need for Speed franchise is known to be experimental at times and Need for Speed: The Run was one such title that deviated from the usual. Abandoning the whole open-world formula that the series had been following for six years, EA Black Boxfocused more on the story, quick-time action events, linear races and huge set-piece moments akin to the Uncharted series.
The story mostly fell flat, however, and the QTE wasn’t well received by the fans of the racing genre. What did stick were the set-piece moments in linear races and the driving mechanics that were unlike any players had seen in a Need for Speed game. A modern remake of The Run could slash back on the QTE and instead add more real-time set-piece moments in a linear story that’s better written and presents stakes that are higher than they were in the original.
4Need for Speed ProStreet
Burning Rubber and Totalled Cars
Yet another Need for Speed title that broke the norms and went with a more legal approach to racing inside closed circuits. The game cut back on arcade mechanics such as infinitely-refuelable nitrous and indestructible cars. In ProStreet, players had to be smart about when to use the 2-3 bottles of nitro they got in a single race and also had to make sure they didn’t damage the car as it would affect its performance and even get totaled.
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A remake could bring back ProStreet’s life-like take on racing events, and with a more fleshed-out physics engine, would be a critical hit if effectively executed. Plus, EA Black Box would finally get the chance to rectify their mistake and finally add the Mazda RX-7 Battle Machine, a car that had been massively hyped up before the game’s release, to the remake, something which they didn’t do in the original.
3Need for Speed Carbon
Togue Races on Risky Mountain Roads
Need for Speed Carbon was the spiritual successor to 2005’s Most Wanted, which is the best Need for Speed game ever, bringing back the beloved police chases while introducing new mechanics like canyon duels and crew-based racing. Its moody nighttime aesthetic and focus on tuner culture perfectly captured the mid-2000s street racing vibe.
A remake of Carbon could benefit from a more fleshed-out story, more meaningful crew customization and enhanced canyon duels that accurately capture the Japanese touge racing and drifting. Revisiting Palmont City with modern graphical capabilities would be a treat for both new and old fans alike.
2Need for Speed Underground 2
Heaven for Car Customization Fans
Need for Speed: Underground 2
Few racing games have captured the accuracy of street racing like Need for Speed Underground 2. Itsopen-world exploration, extensive car customization and a variety of different categories of races made it a defining entry in the franchise. Players could spend hours tweaking their cars with visual upgrades and performance mods, creating unique rides that truly felt like their own. This was the first entry in the Need for Speed series that had an open world, further building up the car customizations offered in the first Underground, both of which are major reasons why fans still discuss this game.
A remake of Underground 2 would almost feel like a dream come true. An expanded Bayview City with seamless online integration, new and even more in-depth car customization options on newer vehicles, and a vibrant, dynamic world filled with races, events and side activities would be the perfect love letter to the fans. Need for Speed (2015) tried to capture Underground 2’s spirit, but it dropped the ball in many areas, which is why fans now want an authentic remake.
1Need for Speed Most Wanted (2005)
The Best There Ever Was
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Every true fan of the franchise would want EA to remake 2005’s Need for Speed Most Wanted before any other title in this list. If only to relive the nostalgia of how good gaming was twenty years ago, or how players – who now have their own families and careers to look after – used to play this game in their childhood without a care in the world, only now to yearn to get a glimpse of that era bygone, a modern reproduction of a title that encapsulates not just good memories and bottled emotions, but countless hours of adrenaline-fueled races, milestone achievements and heart-pounding police chases would be the perfect, tear-jerker of a final act.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted was perfect in every way, and the remake should capture everything as it was; no need to change the story, update the cars or try to add anything new to the experience. Fans want an authentic remake that only updates the visuals and tweaks the game physics a bit and that would be more special than ten new Need for Speed games.
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