Need for Speed

Need for Speed for PC is an online racing game, the twenty-second in the Need for Speed franchise and something of a reboot of the original game. The racing is a mix of rallying with drifting, awkward terrain and the need for durable cars and street racing where sleek aerodynamism is necessary: all of it is speedy, compelling and immersive.

About the Game

The game’s story arc is fairly simple: the player joins a small group of wannabe racers, each hankering to be the next big icon – each has their sights fixed on their particular hero. The heroes are based on real life street racing or rallying or car customisation champions: a little bit about each can be found below, as they are all wonderfully unique and colourful figures, deserving of a little fame for sheer shock value in some case!

The player races and bests one of these, Magnus Walker, incurring the wrath of Spike, the wannabe who wanted to beat Magnus himself. Spike is infuriated, and wants to get into the player’s face, but he is calmed down by Travis, another of the wannabes, who points out that a little fame for one of them is a little fame for all in the group.

Once the player has earned enough experience and points, the ultimate race is set up in which the player, the five wannabes and the five icons all race for supremacy. The team photo at the end of the race has everyone in it, including the player – who is wearing a mask for anonymity!

Who’s Who in the Street-Racing World?

Magnus Walker: The first icon bested by the player, Magnus Walker in real life is a British fashion designer and serious car collector, focussing primarily on Porsches. His fashion success (which is considerable, with the likes of Madonna, Bruce Willis and Alice Cooper all on the customer list) enabled him to get into car collecting to indulge his love of speed

Akira Nakai: Another Porsche fan, Akira Nakai tunes cars to get them into peak condition, and also customises Porsches into wide-bodied beasts for customers. He got his start tuning the iconic AE86, but switched his allegiance to Porsche as soon as he saw and worked on his first one. He runs a tuning and customisation company called ‘Rauh Welt Begriff’ or ‘Rough World Concept’ – and he cuts the pieces by eye: flawlessly

Risky Devil: Less a racer and more a five-man team, Risky Devil are an anonymous street-racing crew out of Los Angeles, with a slick website, witty bios thereon, and an even slicker set of beautiful wheels upon which they race

Ken Block: Born in Long Beach, California, Block is a highly successful professional rally driver who has been in the business since 2005. As well as rallying, he indulges in skateboarding, motocross and snowboarding too, being a man who must always be on the move, it seems, and in a hurry too!

Shinichi Morohoshi: A man brave enough to customise an already fairly unique Lamborghini Diablo probably doesn’t have too much that can scare him. However, being affiliated – to use a delicate term – with the Yakuza, the Japanese crime lords that are the equivalent of a combination of the mafia and the most vicious street gang you can imagine, must surely give anyone the occasional sleepless night? ‘I like flashy cars,’ he says, ‘I like dangerous people.’

Need for Speed for PC is available for purchase on Instant Gaming for a fraction of its retail price. You will receive an official key and be able to play the game in seconds. Play smart. Pay less.