The Saturn and PlayStation versions include an additional three tracks. The original 3DO version includes three point-to-point tracks, each divided into three stages subsequent ports feature both the point-to-point tracks and new closed circuits. The premise of The Need for Speed involves racing in sports cars, including several exotic models and Japanese imports. The player driving a Chevrolet Corvette on Coastal. It was also sold in Japan as Overdrivin' DX. It is the first installment released in the Need for Speed series, which has influenced several racing games. Video game publications praised the incorporation of realism into the gameplay and graphics, as well as the inclusion of full motion videos. The Need for Speed was a commercial success. The game also contained precise vehicle data with spoken commentary, several 'magazine-style' images of each car's interior and exterior and short video clips highlighting the vehicles set to music.

Electronic Arts collaborated with automotive magazine Road & Track to match vehicle behaviour, including the mimicking of the sounds made by the vehicles' gear control levers. The game was noted for its realism and audio and video commentaries. Checkpoints, traffic vehicles, and police pursuits commonly appear in the races. Subsequent ports of the game normally include an additional ninth car and have more tracks, including closed circuits.

The original 3DO version offers eight sports cars, including several exotic models and Japanese imports, and tasks the player with racing in three realistic point-to-point tracks either with or without a computer opponent. Another version of the game, The Need for Speed: Special Edition, was released in 1996 for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn platforms. Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed is a racing video game developed by EA Canada, originally known as Pioneer Productions, and published by Electronic Arts, released for the 3DO in 1994, and ported to MS-DOS in 1995.

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