The Volume 7 update for NFS Unbound has been released and it not only added a new drift mode but also added drag races to the game for the first time. Here you can see drag races in all the major NFS games that featured them, showing the history and evolution of the game mode in Need for Speed. Enjoy the show!
Timeline:
0:00 NFS Underground - Main Street with Eddie's Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R
1:02 NFS Underground - 14th & Vine Construction with Mazda RX-7
1:49 NFS Underground 2 - South Runway with Nissan 240SX
2:43 NFS Underground 2 - Bayview Bridge with Mazda RX-7
3:32 NFS Most Wanted - Riverside & Terrace with Razor's BMW M3 GTR
4:15 NFS Most Wanted - Seaside & Camden with Porsche Carrera GT
4:47 NFS ProStreet - 1/4 Mile Drag with Subaru Impreza
5:37 NFS ProStreet - 1/2 Mile Drag with Ford Mustang
6:23 NFS World - Gridlock with Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Drag Edition
7:10 NFS World - Neon Crossroads with Ford Mustang Drag Edition
7:52 NFS Shift 2 - Miyatomi Drag Trial with Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R
8:43 NFS Shift 2 - Portugal Standing Mile Drag with McLaren F1
9:42 Need for Speed 20 - Pedal To The Metal with Dodge Viper
11:12 Need for Speed 20 - Speed Tunnel with Porsche 911 RSR 2.8
12:34 NFS Payback - Crossing Guard with Volkswagen Beetle
13:21 NFS Payback - Residential Drag with Chevrolet Camaro
14:01 NFS Unbound - Class B Drag vs Waru with Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R
15:09 NFS Unbound - Class S+ Drag with ASAP Rocky's Mercedes 190E
Drag Races were first introduced as a major game mode in the original NFS Underground. In this mode you had to be at a certain rev to get a perfect start and then you had to shift at the right moments to get perfect shifts, with manual transmission being mandatory. Your car could get totaled by hitting traffic or heavy obstacles and by overheating the engine. Rather than having full control your car would automatically follow a certain lane in this mode and you could switch lane by pressing left or right during the race.
NFS Underground 2 and NFS Most Wanted kept Drag as a mode and it continued to work the same way.
NFS ProStreet introduced a tire warmup minigame before the start and you were now able to steer freely in Drag events, rather than automatically follow a lane.
NFS World brought back the traditional drag races with lanes.
In NFS Shift 2 you could steer freely but the cars would be separated by walls, so no drafting or blocking was possible.
In NFS 20 and NFS Payback you could steer freely in drag races like in normal races.
NFS Unbound added drag races with the recent Volume 7 update and it brought back the popular lane system, while also adding a tire warmup minigame like in ProStreet, which would now reward you with additional burst nitrous.
What are your thoughts about Drag Racing in Need for Speed? Is this a mode that you enjoy? Which version of Drag was your favorite? Feel free to share your views and anecdotes in the comments.