Xbox 360 PS3

Many thought the NFS series was over after the horrendous Undercover, but EA has now announced *three* new games to be released this year. One of them is Need for Speed: Shift on Xbox 360, PC, PSP and Playstation 3, and one image was released.

EA press release:
Fifteen years; more than 40 countries; close to 100 million games sold. Need for Speed™ has helped to define automotive culture for millions of fans with its embrace of the car lifestyle and its cool rebellious attitude. Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) unveiled the details of what is in store for the franchise over the next 12 months, as the property expands to new platforms, new categories and new media.

Need for Speed is committed to providing unique and customized experiences for all types of racing fans by establishing three independent series; simulation, action and arcade racing. Each series will be developed by a highly-specialized team dedicated to delivering the ultimate racing experiences to car enthusiasts around the world – whether they be interested in adrenaline action, arcade fun or authentic simulation.

“We recognize racing videogame fans are very passionate and unique – they want customized gameplay experiences. Whether it’s more of a realistic driving game with accurate car physics or over-the-top cop chases, we are making different games for different audiences,” said Keith Munro, vice president of marketing, Need for Speed. “Each game provides a deep, engaging and rich racing experience. We’re giving players the option to choose the best racing title that suits their style of gameplay.”

Need for Speed SHIFT – Fall 2009
Shift into high gear! Designed to deliver a true driver’s experience that reflects contemporary motorsports, Need for Speed SHIFT is built by racers for racers. Need for Speed SHIFT delivers an authentic and immersive driving experience developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with executive producer Michael Mann at Black Box and senior vice president Patrick Soderlund at EA Games Europe. Slightly Mad Studios includes developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2. Need for Speed SHIFT replicates the true feeling of racing high-end performance cars like never before. Players are thrust into the heart of the action with immersive and exciting features including a stunningly realistic first-person cockpit view camera and an all-new crash mechanic, providing an unrivaled sensation of the speed and feeling of racing a car on the extreme edge of control.

Soderlund is also part of a racing team that recently competed in the 4th edition of the TOYO TIRES 24H Dubai 2009, the first major race event of the year. His team ranked #5 in the high-profile race. Soderlund and the SHIFT development team are committed to bringing the on-the-track experience to players across the world.

Need for Speed SHIFT will be released on PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) and PC in fall 2009.

Need for Speed NITRO (Working Title) – Fall 2009
Developed by EA Montreal, Need for Speed NITRO for Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ will have players of all skill levels hooked from the moment they get into the action, while arcade racing fans will be exhilarated by the deep and challenging gameplay. EA Montreal has already established a strong track record of developing for these platforms and will bring their unique creativity and innovation to the Need for Speed franchise.

Gamers can build up their boost as they drift and drag behind their opponents and use it strategically to change the course of the race, but watch out for the cops! Offering a fresh and unique visual style, the game features a variety of licensed cars which can be fully customized to let the game reflect the player’s taste and personality. This evolutionary take on arcade racing, bringing back the best features found in Need for Speed games, comes exclusively to the Nintendo platforms this fall.

Need for Speed World Online – Winter 2009 in North America, (Summer 2009 in Asia)
Co-developed by Black Box and EA Singapore, Need for Speed World Online takes the race into the largest open world in the history of Need for Speed – designed exclusively for the PC. Beginning in Asia, this Play 4 Free action racing game will give Need for Speed fans access to licensed cars, parts and multiple game modes. Players will prove their racing supremacy through the sophisticated online matchmaking features and fully customize their profile and their ride.

EA and Black Box will have more news about the Need for Speed franchise in the months ahead.

For more information on the Need for Speed franchise, please visit: www.needforspeed.com.

1 image

  • Need for Speed: Shift announced - 1 image
KORNdog
KORNdog
Commented on 2009-01-30 19:23:14
*sigh*

awesome...more mediocrity in the racing genre...as if we didnt have enough.

anyway, it looks like GRiD.....not a good sign.
In reply to
DDRMidian
DDRMidian
Commented on 2009-01-30 19:30:08 In reply to KORNdog
Posted by KORNdog
anyway, it looks like GRiD.....not a good sign.
You just sold this for me.

Except not really, I doubt it'll match the awesomeness of GRiD, but it's being done by the GTR2 devs? At least it's a good start. Pretty screenshot at the very least.
In reply to
Isomac
Isomac
Commented on 2009-01-30 19:32:59
Hopefully that World Online comes to Europe too someday. Hmm I'll just wait and see if these NFS games are better than the recent ones have been. Looks good graphically and cockpit view is always a big plus.
In reply to
INDIGO
INDIGO
Commented on 2009-01-30 19:59:58
Nice looking cockpit.
In reply to
This message and account have been deleted at the user's request
Jato
Jato
Commented on 2009-01-30 20:24:59
After Carbon, Prostreet and Undercover...I've lost hope. This will turn out to be crap just like the others...
In reply to
GangStarr - Inhibited Sony Lover
GangStarr
Commented on 2009-01-30 20:42:11
there is no way the graphics will look like that when the game is released
In reply to
munkini
munkini
Commented on 2009-01-30 20:43:02
NFS is such a weak franchise and after the last one you have to say the only direction it can possibly go is up.

Might actually be decent but it sounds like they are just heading into GT/ Forza turf which are some big shoes to fill.
In reply to
ASURAshadow
ASURAshadow
Commented on 2009-01-30 20:47:53
I like what they're trying to do here and adding in the cockpit view was a neccessity (better late than never), but there's still one main problem. Why is it that every racing sim thinks they have to be restricted to closed circuit tracks?? I would kill for a racing game with realistic physics, but set on city and countryside tracks with traffic and maybe even cops. Will somebody please make this game?!?!
In reply to
INDIGO
INDIGO
Commented on 2009-01-30 20:50:26
That'd be nice. But considering most of these games (on consoles anyhow) can barely achieve 30fps with a grid of 8 cars, I don't see that happening.
In reply to
Manager - Shemale
Manager
Commented on 2009-01-30 20:59:53
In reply to
Jollipop
Jollipop
Commented on 2009-01-30 21:05:27
Dashboard is well modeled, looks pretty good visually.
In reply to
masteratt
masteratt
Commented on 2009-01-30 21:29:08
More like;
Need For Speed: Sh!t

Lol, sorry, that was too easy...¬_¬
In reply to
LEBATO - IS WRONG
LEBATO
Commented on 2009-01-30 23:07:33
lol, what the hell? First of all that shot is certainly doctored, and second, I have zero hype for the game, if ANY other developer had come up with the same announcement, I would be relatively hyped, but EA? Come on. Actually, if Codemasters had said it I wouldn't be remotely interested either.
In reply to
Lafiel
Lafiel
Commented on 2009-01-30 23:55:51
EA sure knows how to release nice Bullshots, but I won't expect anything from this game.
In reply to
rjcc
rjcc
Commented on 2009-01-31 00:34:25
#1 - looking like GRiD isn't a problem, gird, LOOKED great, it drove like shit. including a guy from GTR 2 / GT Legends is somewhat promising. I'm willing to wait until there's a demo. It just needs to be a good game, period, I wasn't turned off by the street them EA got lost in for the last few years on NFS, I avoided them because the games sucked. I'm willing to give it a shot at not sucking.
In reply to
FreeSwag
FreeSwag
Commented on 2009-01-31 00:39:17
Normally, I am the first guy in line spewing the anti-EA message. And I have had no love for the Need For Speed series since Hot Pursuit (best game in the franchise).

However, in recent years EA has really been hard at work turning their image around by releasing lots of quality software, instead of just more drivel.

Rock Band, Skate, Dead Space, Boom Blox, C&C: Red Alert 3, Mirror's Edge, Battlefield: Bad Company, Mercenaries 2, Fight Night: Round 3, Burnout: Paradise, etc., have all been releases under this new and improved EA regime. And even old and crusty classic franchises like Madden, which have long since stopped being good and were selling simply on their name alone, have made 180 degree turnaround. Madden 2009 stands as one of the best football games ever, on par even with NFL 2K5. So EA really has been turning things around in a big way.

So while the cynical part of me which sees the Need For Speed name wants to fall back into the old habits of just assuming the game is going to be shit because it is a "Need For Speed", the part of me that has been watching EA change for the better over the last couple of years, says that if they say they are rebooting the franchise, that maybe, just maybe instead of hating on them outright, how about taking a wait and see approach and see if they can deliver on returning the Need For Speed franchise into a top tier product.

I think I will stick with the higher ground and give them the benefit of a doubt on this one. It's not like they have not earned it of late.
In reply to
broman
broman
Commented on 2009-01-31 01:00:49
THREE games announced? I'm sure there will be a lot of love and effort poured into each one then! (Sarcasm.)
In reply to
Stoffinator
Stoffinator
Commented on 2009-01-31 01:10:30
I thought they were canning this series after Undercover kind of...flopped?
In reply to
rjcc
rjcc
Commented on 2009-01-31 01:20:19
no, that was misunderstanding. they laid off a lot of people at black box, but they had two different teams working on NFS already, so there was plenty to go around.
In reply to
FreeSwag
FreeSwag
Commented on 2009-01-31 01:30:35 In reply to broman
Posted by broman
THREE games announced? I'm sure there will be a lot of love and effort poured into each one then! (Sarcasm.)
Three completely different games developed by three completely different teams, for three completely different markets. That still sounds a helluva whole lot better than one game shoehorned across every platform imaginable for every market under the sun.

But making one game fit everything, isn't that how they screwed up the last five Need For Speed titles?

Sounds to me like announcing three games instead of just one, is already a major step in the right direction.
In reply to
DrAQAS
DrAQAS
Commented on 2009-01-31 02:21:59
the last good need for speed was most wanted and that was the turning point in the franchise, they were out of ideas so they took the old ones and with some new graphics and cars it's a new game. they wanted to make new idea on pro street but it sucked the feeling of need for speed in pro street wasn't there. anyways I thing EA should let it go this game franchise is dead. I'd rather wast my time playing midnight club LA for the 13546843540 time rather then play this...

BTW does NFS Carbon has the world recored on the platform releasing? it was on the old gen and the "next" gen and the PSP NDS mobiles "and I guess GBA" which means milking, milking, and milking to the last drop...
In reply to
Nietzsche
Nietzsche
Commented on 2009-01-31 03:26:43
I agree with Freeswag on both his posts. 1. yes EA has done a quite impressive job of turning around the quality of their products. Skate and Dead Space were two of the best developed games in the last year, and they could just phone in Madden and still make a killing but they turned out the best Madden in a LONG while.
Also, I agree 100% that putting out a different game for each console style shows more signs of making sure each game is right for it's platform, and not a sloppy port fest like the past NFS games have been. I'm not sure what to think about NFS going the simulation route since Forza and Gran Turismo are soooo well done, but the more quality sims the better in my gearhead book.
Also, someone mentioned sim racing in real city streets and not all realistic courses and I also second that! great idea.
In reply to
bleachedsmiles
bleachedsmiles
Commented on 2009-01-31 04:18:26 In reply to KORNdog
Posted by KORNdog
*sigh*

awesome...more mediocrity in the racing genre...as if we didnt have enough.

anyway, it looks like GRiD.....not a good sign.
Grids the best looking racing games currently out..codemasters really have an impressive engine there..i look forward to see what they do with Dirt 2.

Visuals have never really been one of NFS problems (apart from carbon which looked terrible).. framerate and solid gameplay have. And i cant understand why this franchise still gets high enough sales that they churn them out yearly. Atleast going the "sim" root the cars might not nolonger feel like bricks when they turn.
In reply to
Baleur
Baleur
Commented on 2009-01-31 04:54:45 In reply to KORNdog
Posted by KORNdog
*sigh*

awesome...more mediocrity in the racing genre...as if we didnt have enough.

anyway, it looks like GRiD.....not a good sign.
You dont know what you are talking about if you compare NFS to Grid...
Grid was like a beacon of hope for arcade racers in comparison with NFShit
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