History VideoGame / NeedForSpeedII

Released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation and UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows, ''II'' expanded on the car selection of the original with several contemporary concept cars, like the Ford Indigo and Ford [=GT90=]. The [=McLaren=] F1, then the world's fastest production car and still the fastest naturally-aspirated car, made its first franchise appearance in this game. The game abandoned open road courses for arcade circuits themed on countries from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. ''II'' also had a special edition release for the PC, which added seven new cars, a new track, a "wild" driving style, and 3Dfx Glide support.

JustForFun/TheOneWith very [[TheNineties 90s]] supercars and concepts racing around the world. And the most nostalgically charming menu music.

* MarathonLevel: Tournaments in the ''Special Edition'' of the game have you race on all of the tracks in the respective games (excluding the unlockable Monolith Studios) with four laps ''per race'', meaning on some of the later advanced tracks such as Mystic Peaks or Summit, this can take upwards of over ''ten minutes'', doubly so with Class C vehicles.

* MakeMeWannaShout: Enter "roadrage", and you will be able to send cars flying by honking your car's horn.

JustForFun/TheOneWith very [[TheNineties 90s]] supercars and concepts racing around the world. And has the most nostalgically charming menu music.

JustForFun/TheOneWith the most nostalgically charming menu music.

* AmusementPark: The game's secret track, Monolithic Studios.

* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: The game has an unlockable Hollywood track, with movie sets and dinosaurs. Indeed, a cheat code allowed you to turn your car ''into'' a dinosaur, as well as other silly things like a log.

* RareVehicles: In the most prominent case in the series, only ''half'' the non-bonus cars available in the ''Special Edition'' actually went into production. The Ford [=GT90=] and Indigo in particular are so rare that their showcase videos only depict them as computer-generated models, and the Isdera Commendatore does not even have a showcase video to speak of due to its sheer rarity.

JustForFun/TheOneWith the most nostalgically charming menu music.\\\

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith]] the most nostalgically charming menu music.\\\

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The one]] where ''NFS'' goes arcade-y... and on magic mushrooms.\\\

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The one]] where ''NFS'' goes arcade-y.\\\

[[JustForFun/TheOneWith The one]] where ''NFS'' goes arcade-y.

* PurposelyOverpowered: The FZR 2000 is a bonus car that is unlocked upon finishing first in Tournament Mode in the ''Special Edition'', and is by far the fastest car in the game; it has a higher top speed and has better acceleration than the [=F1=] and better handling than the Lotus Elise [=GT1=], and can pretty much make the rest of the game a complete cakewalk.

* NoobCave: Proving Grounds is, rather fittingly, the first track in the game and is a bean-shaped oval with heavily banked corners.

* RareVehicles: In the most prominent case in the series, only ''half'' the non-bonus cars available in the ''Special Edition'' actually went into production. The Ford [=GT90=] and Indigo in particular are so rare that their showcase videos only depict them as computer-generated models.

* ShiftingSandLand: ''Need for Speed II'' had [[LandDownUnder the Outback]].

* ImprobablyCoolCar: While in later games it would become commonplace to feature supercars whose production numbers were single-digit, ''Need for Speed II'' was perhaps even worse, with Ford [=GT90s=], Indigos, Mustang Mach [=IIIs=], Isdera Commendatores, Italdesign (BMW) Nazca C2's and (Lamborghini) Calas, all of which, for those who are confused, ''never went into production''!

* ImprobablyCoolCar: While in later games it would become commonplace to feature supercars whose production numbers were single-digit, ''Need for Speed II'' was perhaps even worse, with Ford [=GT90=]'s, Indigos, Mustang Mach III's, Italdesign (BMW) Nazca C2's and (Lamborghini) Calas, all of which, for those who are confused, ''never went into production!''

* RareVehicles: The game featured concept cars that never went into production, like the Ford [=GT90=], Indigo and Mustang Mach III, Lamborghini/Italdesign Calà, BMW/Italdesign Nazca C2, and the super-rare Isdera Commendatore 112i.

* UpdatedRerelease: The first two ''Need for Speed'' games both had "Special Editions" released roughly six months to a year after the originals. In the case for the Special Edition for ''Need for Speed II'', it had one new track, six new cars, the "Wild" mode, and support for 3D graphics cards.

* CoolCar: The intro sequence of the game shows a bunch of exotic cars racing along at fast speeds... except for the [=McLaren=] F1, which calmly strolls by a road past the screen, a bunch of fallen leaves flying in its wake. In the words of a [=YouTube=] commenter, the F1 is so alpha it doesn't even need to go fast to show off how awesome it is.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/need_for_speed_ii.jpg]]

* CoolCar: The intro sequence of the game shows a bunch of exotic cars racing along at fast speeds... except for the [=McLaren=] F1, which calmly strolls by a road past the screen, a bunch of fallen leaves flying in its wake. All in slow motion. In the words of a [=YouTube=] commenter, the F1 is so alpha it doesn't even need to go fast to show off how awesome it is.

''Need for Speed II'' is a {{racing game}} released in 1997. It is the second installment of the ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' series, released three years after [[VideoGame/TheNeedForSpeed first one]].

''Need for Speed II'' is a {{racing game}} released in 1997. It is a part of the ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' series, being the second installment.

Released for UsefulNotes/PlayStation and UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows, ''II'' expanded on the car selection of the original with several contemporary concept cars, like the Ford Indigo and Ford [=GT90=]. The [=McLaren=] F1, then the world's fastest production car and still the fastest naturally-aspirated car, made its first franchise appearance in this game. The game abandoned open road courses for arcade circuits themed on countries from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. ''II'' also had a special edition release for the PC, which added seven new cars, a new track, a "wild" driving style, and 3Dfx Glide support.

* CallBack: A track featured in the ''Spectial Edition'' is titled Last Resort. This is a reference to how the Coastal track of the original ''The Need for Speed'' had an area named "The Last Resort". It even has a color scheme similar to Coastal's map.
* CoolCar: The intro sequence of the game shows a bunch of exotic cars racing along at fast speeds... except for the [=McLaren=] F1, which calmly strolls by a road past the screen, a bunch of fallen leaves flying on its wake. All in slow motion. In the words of a [=YouTube=] commenter, the F1 is so alpha it doesn't even need to go fast to show off how awesome it is.
* DenserAndWackier: In comparison to the original ''The Need for Speed''. It starts with an intro video of two cars racing which then turns to light, and in the game itself, the music is more upbeat, most of the cars are {{Super Prototype}}s, and the tracks are more varied in design, from the racetrack Proving Grounds, the futuristic Outback, to the cross-country Mystic Peaks, to the point that one reviewer call it like "driving on magic mushrooms".