<s>
Need	B-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
:	I-Application
High	I-Application
Stakes	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1999	O
racing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
EA	O
Canada	O
and	O
EA	O
Seattle	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
fourth	O
game	O
in	O
the	B-Application
Need	I-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
series	O
and	O
a	O
follow-up	O
to	O
Need	B-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Hot	I-Application
Pursuit	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
High	O
Stakes	O
also	O
marked	O
the	O
return	O
of	O
the	O
Porsche	O
licence	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
absent	O
from	O
racing	O
games	O
since	O
Porsche	B-Device
Challenge	I-Device
in	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
occasionally	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
Gran	B-Application
Turismo	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
generally	O
praised	O
its	O
graphics	O
,	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
and	O
realistic	O
elements	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
its	O
inconsistent	O
frame	O
rate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
version	O
was	O
awarded	O
Racing	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
by	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Need	B-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
:	I-Application
High	I-Application
Stakes	I-Application
is	O
a	O
racing	O
game	O
where	O
players	O
race	O
exotic	O
cars	O
on	O
various	O
tracks	O
set	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
allows	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
players	O
to	O
race	O
against	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
opponents	O
or	O
compete	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
via	O
split-screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Options	O
include	O
the	O
car	O
and	O
track	O
selection	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
number	O
and	O
skill	O
level	O
of	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
opponents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
there	O
are	O
two	O
players	O
,	O
both	O
can	O
team	O
up	O
as	O
pursuits	O
attempting	O
to	O
stop	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
racers	O
or	O
play	O
as	O
racers	O
evading	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
pursuits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
this	O
mode	O
is	O
optional	O
and	O
can	O
only	O
be	O
played	O
by	O
two	O
players	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
race	O
,	O
best-of-three	O
,	O
or	O
best-of-five	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
winning	O
player	O
gets	O
the	O
losing	O
player	O
's	O
car	O
transferred	O
to	O
their	O
memory	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
version	O
features	O
a	O
Career	O
mode	O
that	O
organizes	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
pre-set	O
events	O
into	O
tiers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
tier	O
consists	O
of	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
Tournament	O
or	O
Knockout	O
events	O
and	O
may	O
include	O
a	O
High	O
Stakes	O
race	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
bet	O
their	O
car	O
against	O
a	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
opponent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
version	O
also	O
includes	O
an	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
from	O
two	O
different	O
computers	O
to	O
play	O
together	O
via	O
modem	B-Application
or	O
serial	B-Protocol
link	I-Protocol
,	O
or	O
up	O
to	O
eight	O
players	O
to	O
race	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
over	O
a	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
or	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
High	O
Stakes	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
EA	O
Canada	O
as	O
a	O
follow-up	O
to	O
Need	B-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Hot	I-Application
Pursuit	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
marked	O
the	O
return	O
of	O
the	O
Porsche	O
licence	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
absent	O
from	O
racing	O
games	O
since	O
Porsche	B-Device
Challenge	I-Device
in	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
High	O
Stakes	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
March	O
24	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Europe	O
as	O
Need	B-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
:	I-Application
Road	I-Application
Challenge	I-Application
on	O
April	O
2	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
Over	B-Application
Drivin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
IV	I-Application
on	O
June	O
17	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
version	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
EA	O
Seattle	O
,	O
a	O
studio	O
based	O
in	O
Bellevue	O
,	O
Washington	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
supports	O
both	O
3D	O
acceleration	O
and	O
software	O
rendering	O
,	O
and	O
features	O
several	O
graphical	O
improvements	O
over	O
its	O
PlayStation	B-Device
counterpart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
cars	O
are	O
rendered	O
with	O
a	O
higher	O
number	O
of	O
polygons	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
enhancements	O
include	O
detailed	O
3D	O
dashboards	B-Protocol
that	O
light	O
up	O
during	O
night	O
time	O
driving	O
and	O
individual	O
headlight	O
output	O
with	O
both	O
high	O
and	O
low	O
beams	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
version	O
also	O
includes	O
nine	O
extra	O
tracks	O
from	O
Hot	O
Pursuit	O
and	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
alternatively	O
listen	O
to	O
an	O
audio	O
CD	O
of	O
their	O
choice	O
during	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
additional	O
cars	O
were	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
download	O
via	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
and	O
Need	B-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
stated	O
that	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
fundamentally	O
similar	O
to	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
it	O
adds	O
enough	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
to	O
attract	O
Need	B-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
fans	O
and	O
newcomers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
less	O
positive	O
review	O
,	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
editor	O
Ed	O
Lomas	O
felt	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
better	O
racing	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
but	O
acknowledged	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
still	O
has	O
a	O
charm	O
that	O
can	O
appeal	O
to	O
racing	O
enthusiasts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
occasionally	O
compared	O
to	O
Gran	B-Application
Turismo	I-Application
because	O
it	O
features	O
more	O
realistic	O
gameplay	O
than	O
it	O
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
Official	O
U.S.	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Magazine	O
,	O
editor	O
Kraig	O
Kujawa	O
observed	O
that	O
the	O
issue	O
can	O
be	O
severe	O
in	O
the	O
Hot	O
Pursuit	O
mode	O
,	O
but	O
considered	O
it	O
a	O
minor	O
issue	O
because	O
his	O
experience	O
with	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
smoother	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameRevolution	O
editor	O
Sean	O
Johnson	O
highlighted	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
stating	O
that	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
opponents	O
swerve	O
in	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
direction	O
if	O
the	O
player	O
attempts	O
to	O
overtake	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critical	O
reception	O
for	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
version	O
was	O
generally	O
very	O
positive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
also	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
Glide	B-Operating_System
and	O
Direct3D-powered	O
graphics	O
,	O
noting	O
their	O
reflective	O
environmental	O
mapping	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
German	O
market	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
received	O
a	O
Gold	O
award	O
from	O
the	O
Verband	O
der	O
Unterhaltungssoftware	O
Deutschland	O
(	O
VUD	O
)	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
July	O
1999	O
,	O
indicating	O
sales	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
100,000	O
units	O
across	O
Germany	O
,	O
Austria	O
and	O
Switzerland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
version	O
won	O
in	O
the	O
Racing	O
category	O
at	O
the	O
1999	O
CNET	O
Gamecenter	O
Awards	O
and	O
was	O
awarded	O
Racing	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
at	O
the	O
2000	O
Premier	O
Awards	O
by	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
Racing	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
at	O
the	O
2000	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Awards	O
by	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Strategy	O
Plus	O
,	O
but	O
lost	O
to	O
Dirt	B-Application
Track	I-Application
Racing	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Best	O
&	O
Worst	O
of	O
1999	O
Awards	O
by	O
GameSpot	O
,	O
High	O
Stakes	O
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
Driving	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
,	O
losing	O
to	O
NASCAR	B-Application
Racing	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
1999	O
Awards	O
by	O
PC	O
PowerPlay	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
runner-up	O
in	O
the	O
Best	O
Driving/Racing	O
category	O
,	O
but	O
lost	O
to	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
