The Ultimate 'Need for Speed' Franchise Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
4 min
The Ultimate 'Need for Speed' Franchise Quiz
Image: © 2015 Brian Stalter/"Need for Speed 2015 Original"/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/)

About This Quiz

High-performance cars and elevated adrenaline define this video-game franchise. How much do you know about "Need for Speed"? Take this quiz to find out.
A quote from an '80s action movie inspired the name of the "Need for Speed" series. Which movie was it?
"Top Gun"
"Running on Empty"
"Smokey and the Bandit Part 3"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Goose and Maverick say the line in tandem in "Top Gun."

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For which platform was the original game NOT released?
Nintendo
DOS
PlayStation
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Need for Speed" wasn't released for Nintendo, but it was released for the Sega Saturn in 1996.

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In which year was the first edition of "Need for Speed" released?
1994
2000
2002
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Need for Sped" was released in 1994. It is one of the most successful video game series of all time

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The "Underground" version introduced the game's fans to what?
urban warfare
train hopping
street racing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Need for Speed: Underground" introduced street racing to the series. In urban tradition, the cars were heavily stylized.

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What happened in knockout mode?
At the end of each lap, the player in last is kicked out of the race.
You crashed into your opponents to disable their vehicles.
The top two players face off in a game of chicken.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Your slow friend probably always got angry about getting kicked out of the race.

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In "Need for Speed: The Run," racers zoom across America in hopes of winning how much cash?
$10 million
$25 million
$50 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Twenty-five million dollars would definitely buy a few tanks of gasoline.

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On which console did the franchise first appear?
PlayStation
3DO
Atari
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

3DO was a Panasonic product.

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As a police officer, how did you "arrest" racers in "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2"?
You shot them.
You bumped them.
You deployed stop sticks.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You just bumped racers to arrest them. This technique was actually less intensive than in earlier versions.

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Which game began the trend of trading simulation for an arcade-style gaming experience?
"Need for Speed: World"
"Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2"
"Need for Speed: Nitro"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Hot Pursuit 2" also omitted the driver's-seat perspective.

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Roughly how many copies of the "Need for Speed" games have been sold worldwide?
90 million
120 million
150 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

About 150 millions copies have been sold. That means millions of people have crashed and burned and done it all over again.

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Until "Need for Speed: ProStreet," which version was the last in the series to feature cockpit view?
"Need for Speed: Underground"
"Need for Speed: High Stakes"
"Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Porsche Unleashed" was, for a while, also the end of the line for damage that reduced your car's performance.

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"Need for Speed: High Stakes/Road Challenge" introduced which feature?
car damage
off-road driving
shortcuts
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You had to earn money to pay off those smashed fenders.

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The Jaguar XKR is featured in multiple "Need for Speed" games. When was it last manufactured?
2006
1998
1983
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The XKR was last manufactured in 2006. It can do zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in about five seconds.

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Which version of the game was the first to feature the police?
"Need for Speed: High Stakes/Road Challenge"
"Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit"
"Need for Speed: Underground"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit," you could be chased by the police or flip sides and wear the badge.

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Drifting and dragging didn't appear until which edition of the game?
"Need for Speed: Underground"
"Need for Speed: High Stakes"
"Need for Speed: Most Wanted"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "Underground" drifting entailed sliding around the courses, nearly out of control.

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Staff members of which car magazine helped design the handling of cars in the first "Need for Speed"?
"Motor Trend"
"Car and Driver"
"Road & Track"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Staff members from "Road & Track" got involved in the making of the game. Game designers didn't get into this much detail for subsequent versions.

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For the second "Need for Speed," game designers tapped which resource to maximize car realism?
manufacturers
physicists
Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They went straight to the source to get things right.

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Which edition was the first to be released for PlayStation 3?
"Need for Speed: Carbon"
"Need for Speed: ProStreet"
"Need for Speed: Undercover"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Carbon" was also the first "NFS" released for the Nintendo Wii.

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In "Need for Speed: Most Wanted," the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 suffers from what?
poor acceleration
lack of options
low durability
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It has weak acceleration and lower-than-average handling.

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From how many vehicles can you choose in "Shift 2: Unleashed"?
about 140
about 80
about 50
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You can choose from about 140 vehicles, so you'll need a bigger garage.

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What concept did "Need for Speed: Underground 2" introduce to the franchise?
nitrous
free roaming
autonomous cars
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The freewheeling, open world was a significant shift from typical racing games.

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What reward do you receive if you max out your car's visual appearance in "Need for Speed: Underground 2"?
You unlock a secret course.
Your car's picture goes on the cover of a magazine.
You receive $100,000 extra cash.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mind you, it is only a fictional magazine.

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Which edition of the game was available as a multiplayer game on Facebook?
"Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit"
"Need for Speed: World"
"Need for Speed: Nitro"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Nitro" exposed many more people to the franchise.

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"Need for Speed: Most Wanted" has how many computer players on the blacklist?
15
20
10
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It only has 10 players on the blacklist, fewer than other editions of the game.

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What version was released only for mobile devices?
"Need for Speed: The Run"
"Need for Speed: No Limits"
"Need for Speed Rivals"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"No Limits" was optimized for mobile instead of being adapted from console versions.

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What is the top speed of the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor in "Need for Speed: World"?
184 miles per hour (296 kilometers per hour)
135 miles per hour
129 miles per hour
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Its top speed is 184 miles per hour, but with nitrous it goes nearly 200 miles per hour.

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The version that was released in 2000 featured which brand of automobile?
Porsche
Ferrari
Lamborghini
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You could unlock decades' worth of Porsche cars.

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Which actor plays the lead role in the 2014 film adaptation of "Need for Speed"?
Jeremy Renner
Aaron Paul
Gerard Butler
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You may know Aaron Paul as Jesse from "Breaking Bad."

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Which edition of the game sold the greatest number of copies?
"Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2"
"Need for Speed: ProStreet"
"Need for Speed: Most Wanted"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Most Wanted" sold to the tune of a whopping 16 million copies.

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As the game has evolved, courses have moved from various, real-world continents to what?
nameless cities
random country highways
the autobahn
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The urban appeal has attracted many players.

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You Got:
/30
© 2015 Brian Stalter/"Need for Speed 2015 Original"/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/)