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''Need for Speed'', also known by its initials ''NFS'', is a racing video game franchise published by Electronic Arts and developed by several studios including EA Black Box, Criterion Games and Ghost Games. The series released its first title, ''The Need for Speed'' in 1994. The title comes from a famous quote from the 1986 film ''Top Gun''. All installments of the series consist of racing cars on various tracks, with several titles including police pursuits in races. Since ''Need for Speed: High Stakes'', the series has also integrated car body customization into gameplay. ''Need for Speed'' is the most successful racing video game series in the world, and one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. Over 150 million copies of games in the series have been sold to date. In June 2012, following Black Box's restructuring, British developer Criterion Games announced that it was in full control of the ''Need for Speed'' franchise. However, in August 2013, Swedish and British developers Ghost Games, Ghost Games UK and Criterion Games joined forces for the foreseeable future of the ''Need for Speed'' series. At the time, Ghost Games UK staff consisted of 80% of former Criterion Games employees.〔(【引用サイトリンク】first=David )〕 ==Gameplay== Almost all of the games in the ''NFS'' series employ the same fundamental rules and similar mechanics: the player controls a race car in a variety of races, the goal being to win the race. In the tournament/career mode, the player must win a series of races in order to unlock vehicles and tracks. Before each race, the player chooses a vehicle, and has the option of selecting either an automatic or manual transmission. All games in the series have some form of multiplayer mode allowing players to race one another via a split screen, a LAN or the Internet. Although the games share the same name, their tone and focus can vary significantly. For example, in some games the cars can suffer mechanical and visual damage, while in other games the cars cannot be damaged at all; in some games the software simulates real-car behavior (physics), while in others there are more forgiving physics. With the release of ''Need for Speed: Underground'', the series shifted from racing sports cars on scenic point-to-point tracks, to an import/tuner subculture, and street racing in an urban setting. To date, this theme has remained prevalent in most of the following games. ''Need for Speed: Shift'' and its sequel took a simulator approach to racing, featuring closed-circuit racing on real tracks like the Nürburgring and the Laguna Seca, and fictional street circuits in cities like London and Chicago. The car lists include a combination of exotics, sports cars, and tuners in addition to special race cars. Most of the games in the franchise include police pursuits in some form or other. In some of the games featuring police pursuit, the player can play as either the felon or the cop. The concepts of drifting and dragging were introduced in ''Need for Speed: Underground''. These new mechanics are included in the tournament/career mode aside from the regular street races. In drift races, the player must defeat other racers by totaling the most points, earned by the length and timing of the drift made by the player's vehicle.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Need for Speed Underground Game Guide )〕 In drag races, the player must finish first to win the race, though if the player crashes into an obstacle, the race ends.〔 The concept of car tuning evolved with each new game, from focusing mainly on the mechanics of the car to including how the car looks. Each game has car tuning which can set options for items like ABS, traction control), or downforce, or for upgrading parts like the engine or gearbox. Visual tuning of the player's car becomes important in tournament/career mode after the release of ''Need for Speed: Underground 2'', when the appearance is rated from zero to ten points. When a car attains a high enough visual rating, the vehicle is eligible to be on the cover of a fictional magazine. Like all racing games, the ''Need for Speed'' series features a list of cars, modeled and named after actual cars. Cars in the franchise are divided into four categories: exotic cars, muscle cars, tuners, and special vehicles.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Need for Speed: Carbon (Cars) )〕 Exotic cars feature high performance, expensive cars like the Lamborghini Murciélago, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford GT; muscle cars refer to the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and the Chevrolet Camaro; while tuner cars are cars like the Nissan Skyline and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The special vehicles are civilian and police cars that are available for use in some games, such as the Ford Crown Victoria in ''Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit'' and garbage trucks, fire engines and taxis in ''Need for Speed: Carbon''.〔 Originally the series took place in international settings, such as race tracks in Australia, Europe, and Africa. Beginning with ''Underground'', the series has taken place in fictional metropolitan cities. The first game featured traffic on "head to head" mode, while later games traffic can be toggled on and off, and starting with ''Underground'', traffic is a fixed obstacle.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Need for Speed」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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