OXM: How are you guys taking the Need for Speed series forward with the Xbox 360 version?

Mike Upton: The Xbox 360 and the next generation of console is letting us enrich the gameworld in ways we’ve never been able to do before. The quality that we’re able to put into the cars themselves is like nothing we’ve seen before, but even more striking is the quality we’ve been able to put into the world around the cars. The atmosphere, the attention to detail, and the technology behind the lighting effects we’ve been able to add to the city of Rockport [the scene of the action in Need for Speed Most Wanted’s] really stand out on Xbox 360. All these things add a unique dimension the racing game experience in general, and particularly for Most Wanted.

What differences should we expect between the current-gen and Xbox 360 versions of Need for Speed most Wanted?

Mike Upton: The main difference is going to be in the overall quality of the presentation. We’re putting so much more detail into the car models and the gameworld on Xbox 360. You’re going to see a lot more things you can crash through, a lot more things you can bump into, a lot more cop cars in your rear view mirror, and a greater overall sense of reality to the cars, the environment and the storyline in general.

How much have you enjoyed adding that extra layer of detail?

Mike Upton: You have to imagine, the guys that work on Need for Speed and any of the other teams at EA are all extremely passionate about what they do. So when you get onto a new console and you can put a little more of that oomph, that energy into your product then we’re all extremely happy. We still love developing for the current-gen platforms, but I think that extra energy really stands out on Xbox 360.

How does Need for Speed Most Wanted differ from Need for Speed Underground 2?

Mike Upton: I like to say Most Wanted is a lot grittier. It’s also far more realistic. I’m a car enthusiast in real life and I’m much happier with the handling and physics of the cars in Most Wanted. That applies to the storyline, too – it’s far more realistic and far more engaging. The gameworld also feels more natural and believable and the gameplay experience in general is far more intense.

Was making the handling more realistic something you wanted to concentrate on with the next-gen version?

Mike Upton: Yeah, the way the cars handle and manage themselves on the road is considerably improved. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with our current-gen car handling, because we’ve always been very proud of the way the game handles. But we’ve gone to the next level with Most Wanted. Our car physics are so good that it’s an accurate representation of what it’s like to drive a Lamborghini Gallardo, but if I take a GTI and stick all of the performance parts in the game into it the physics will react to that too. It won’t necessarily handle exactly the same as some of the supercars, but it could match them on top speed for instance. So even though we’re adding new types of cars we’re still keeping that core Need for Speed experience of upgrading and developing your car to the best it can be.

As you just pointed out, Most Wanted offers plenty of real high-end supercars as well as Underground’s usual tuning car line-up. Why did you shake up the car selection so much?

Mike Upton: We have five different classes of car. Those different classes aren’t based on any thing other than the peak performance of the car, so it’s not like we’re saying these are your tuner cars, these are your muscle cars, and these are your supercars. But it’s nice for us to stick those real dream cars into Need for Speed because the series was always about that before Underground, and it’s fun!

So when you boot up Most Wanted you’ll have a staggering choice of cars with which to begin your game. You can start off with a GTI or a Chevy Cobalt [affordable US boy racer] but to offer the entire spectrum of the automotive experience we felt we had to go all the way up to the Lamborghini Gallardo, the McLaren SLR, and the BMW M3 GTR. Whether you’re pulling something of the local showroom lot or importing something from Italy, there’s an incredible array of cars in Most Wanted. We’re confident that whatever kind of car you’re into, Most Wanted will have something to keep you happy.

How does the customisation in Most Wanted work and how have you improved on it since Underground 2?

Mike Upton: In particular you’ll find that the components, the accessories and the bolt-ons are all specific to the type of car you’re applying them to. In Underground 2 some of the parts were more generic, like you could apply many of the bodykits to any car, but in Most Wanted we’ve gone into far more detail about modelling bodykits and other accessories specifically for each individual car. So the amount of detail we’ve added to the whole customisation element is intense.

One of the things we’re most excited about in Most Wanted is the fact that the cops are back. Tell us more about how they work and what they do…

Mike Upton: Well, the game is called Most Wanted because that’s what it’s all about – being the most notorious, being the most wanted. And when you’re the most wanted, the cops are out to get you! We’ve put so much energy into the cops, how they track you down, how they strategise and coordinate themselves during a chase. It’s real fun to get your Heat rating up to the higher levels, because when you do that the cops get a hell of a lot more aggressive. They’re equipped with everything from a standard black-and-white patrol car all the way up to a Corvette C6 pursuit vehicle. Then you’ll get the helicopters buzzing you overhead, the Rhino SUV vehicles trying to take you out, and spike strips waiting to pop your tyres. It’s so fun that we’ve found the guys in the office are totally addicted to it. Everyone keeps comparing their best times, or telling stories about how they evaded a spectacular takedown, and just from that energy and excitement we know we’ve done a great job.

What plans do you have for Xbox Live?

Mike Upton: The online experience in Most Wanted is going to be awesome. We’re going to have up to four players racing online with a high level of tracks and cars available. We’ve smoothed out the whole online process, too. We learned a lot from our experiences with Underground 2, and we’ve made it much easier to get racing online. Our game rooms are much improved – you’ll be able to get into a race quickly, have a great time, then get back out and all your friends will still be there. Then you can get straight back in again!

How have you found Xbox Live on the Xbox 360?

Mike Upton: I think Microsoft has done a great job with Live on Xbox 360. The things they are giving to us as game developers are exactly what we want, and that means we can give the gamers exactly what they want. We’ve noticed it’s a much smoother online experience than before, and the work Microsoft has done on what we call the ‘low-level’ online features – friends lists, matchmaking and so on – allows us to concentrate on creating a richer gameplay experience.

Will Most Wanted players be able to create their own groups and clubs?

Mike Upton: That’s not something we’ve put directly into the game, but Xbox Live does a good job of allowing people to create their own clans and groups.

Are you planning to use the Xbox Live Marketplace to provide downloadable content?

Mike Upton: That’s going to be extremely limited with Need for Speed Most Wanted. We haven’t focussed heavily on that with this game, but it’s definitely something we’re looking forward to with the next Need for Speed game. We want to keep Most Wanted pretty much complete straight out of the box, but downloadable content is definitely part of Need for Speed’s future.

Finally, what does the Xbox 360 bring to the future of the Need for Speed series?

Mike Upton: We’re all extremely excited about the future of Need for Speed on Xbox 360. We’re already talking about all the things we’d love to get into the next game in the series, and it’s really exciting knowing that we can do some of the things we’ve always wanted to do in the past. The stuff you’re seeing in Most Wanted is really the tip of the iceberg. As magnificent as it is, and with all the energy that’s gone into it, Most Wanted is just the beginning. The kinds of things we’re going to do with Need for Speed down the line are unbelievable and we can’t wait to get started!

A Beta version of Final Fantasy XI for Xbox 360 will be distributed in a limited edition bundle for the console’s Japanese launch on Dec. 10. The bundle includes the 20GB hard drive, a wireless controller, remote control, headset, HD and LAN cables, and one month of Xbox Live Gold. The game was originally released for the PC and PS2 a few years ago, but Square Enix is attempting to broaden their platform support. Seems like a logical move given the development community’s recent grumblings over the PS3 architecture and the fact that this series has been on the 360-friendly PC for a while. The bundle can be yours for ¥39,795 (about $350).