Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

About Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998) is Electronic Arts' exotic-car racer that made police chases a central part of the series, with knockout races, car tuning and a role-reversal cop mode on PC.

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit in Depth

Racing exotic sports cars mostly through North American locations, from desert canyons and country villages to snowy mountain ranges, many with secret shortcuts, it splits play into two categories. Standard racing pits the player against one or seven rivals in circuit races, knockouts and tournaments that unlock bonus cars and a track. Hot Pursuit puts police on the track, as the player races a single opponent through a patrolled course, and police AI is improved, using several tactics to stop both racers. On PC, a role-reversal variant lets the player drive a police sports car and stop all six racers before they finish, unlocking extra police cars when every track is completed in both roles.

Knockout runs seven two-lap races of eight drivers on random tracks, eliminating the last-placed driver each time until one remains, while Tournament holds four-lap races against eight opponents. Two-player split screen arrives, and the PC version supports network play over serial, modem, IPX and TCP/IP. Car tuning lets players adjust engine and gear ratios, brake balance and speed, suspension, aerodynamics and tyres with sliders, trading acceleration for top speed or setting up wider, drifting turns. Next Generation called it "an excellent racer for both novice and expert enthusiasts", though its two-player mode suffered from frame rate drops.

Making Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

EA Canada developed the PlayStation version and EA Seattle the Windows version, with Electronic Arts publishing both in 1998, reintroducing police pursuits that became a defining feature of the series. It was a critical success, praised for its graphics and customisation. Next Generation praised the PC version's "fine 3D-accelerated graphics, lightning-fast response to the controller, incredible weather effects, and impressively valued terrain", while Official UK PlayStation Magazine called it "one of the most playable racing games released in the past year" but felt it could not compete head to head with Gran Turismo.