Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998)

by EA Canada, EA Seattle, Electronic Arts
Genres:Racing
Themes:Action
Game modes:Single player, Multiplayer
Story:Drive some of the most exotic cars in illegal street race on many different tracks, while trying not to be caught by police!
user avatarAdded by @Iceblue
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Stories about this game (19)
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user avatar@GenoCLuser avatar@GenoCL
January 29, 2025
Oh yeah this is the best NFS game back then and still is today, to the point many fans consider the remaster the best NFS by modern standards. Playing as a cop or escaping from the cops was peak fun.
user avatar@Rothmans956user avatar@Rothmans956
January 30, 2025
My first ever videogame, I still remember the day my father brang it home and how mesmerized it left me. All the hours we shared driving through Hometown, Atlantica and Empire City are a treasure will always live in our hearts, and revive them will be a big present for the father and the son who grew up with it.
user avatar@Maximus0451user avatar@Maximus0451
January 30, 2025
One of my first games ever. It has a R129 SL and my parents' have the same gen SL. NFS is what got me into cars also. The soundtrack is amazing, with lots of drum and bass tracks and I still listen to the soundtrack to this day.
user avatar@Eisenkrautuser avatar@Eisenkraut
January 31, 2025
"Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit" and "Need for Speed (6): Hot Pursuit 2" are, in my opinion, the best and defining Need for Speeds of the pre-Underground era. Instead of the city-centric tuning-car fantasy of the later games, the early NfSs titles were all about racing with sports cars in exotic places, being chased by the police - or chasing others as the police. As a result, is has a very different vibe, with a focus on more rural but very beautiful environments. There is a certain world-building "vibe" that got lost in the search for coolness/edgyness of the later titles. The Home-Town map, which I played for endless hours in split-scree-coop has to this day shaped my perception of rural America.
user avatar@Warmaster9user avatar@Warmaster9
February 01, 2025
Playing this game with other people at a few times and the chaos that occured was unforgettable and when playing by myself against the CPU drivers can be annoying at times but humourest when they bug out. This is one of the few racing games that I enjoy and I would love to own it again
user avatar@mroosauser avatar@mroosa
February 01, 2025
I had been a fan of the NFS series since we got our copy of the original NFS SE, but NFS III: Hot Pursuit is when the series hit its stride. One of the first games we had that supported full hardware 3D rendering, coupled with an amazing soundtrack was just the tip on the iceberg for this arcade racer. The exotic cars, simple progression system, fantastic locations with alternate routes made for hours of entertainment, and of course the re-introduction of the Police, best in the series until NFS: Most Wanted. Post launch there was also a big modding scene, using custom utilities to browse and modify the game files at will. This will always be the nest NFS had to offer in its long line of titles.
user avatar@zenmonk9003user avatar@zenmonk9003
February 02, 2025
NFS III was the first game I saw using a 3DFX card and I was blown away by the graphics. I picked the game up and it was amazing but unfortunately I did not have a 3DFX card and had to use the Software Renderer until I was able to get an ATI Rage card that did little for the game. The game was awesome though and I love it to this day. NFS III was an amazing Arcade Racer that was a blast to play, escaping the police at breakneck speeds. So much fun.
user avatar@Gnatratuser avatar@Gnatrat
February 02, 2025
Before I purchased this game, I played the demo A LOT. The only car available in the demo was a Corvette, and the only environment was a mountain road. The "reflections" on the car looked very good for PC games at the time. Your car was equipped with a police scanner, so you would hear when the police first spotted you and called it in. I must have heard the phrases "half mile past the cable car house" and "at the hairpins" a ridiculous number of times because they have stuck with me to this day. The opening intro is my favorite of all the NFS games that I've played. The version on this page is the console version. The PC version includes more shots that were renedered by the game engine. You can find the PC intro on YouTube. I liked this game so much that I purchased copies as gifts for friends.
Primeiro jogo de carro que eu joguei, joguei na locadora porque eu não tinha console em casa, bons tempos, aqueles cenários lindos que fazia a gente imaginar morando ali.
user avatar@Mortarahuser avatar@Mortarah
February 07, 2025
This was THE racing game of my childhood. My brother and I played it again and again well into the 2000s. The different racetracks, exotic cars, and the soundtrack were amazing, but being able to not only escape the police but be part of a chase as one was mindblowing. Such a treasured title deserves to be brought back.
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