Need for Speed is not dead afterall

Blade_Runner

Skilled
Given the upheaval surrounding Black Box, many gamers have been pondering the fate of the Electronic Arts' subsidiary's signature series. Today, EA announced that one of the partially shuttered Canadian operation's franchises, Need for Speed, will continue to be developed.

Indeed, not only will the street-racing series carry on, it will be expanded and split into three different franchises.

Need for Speed Shift, is a hardcore racing simulation in the works for the PC, PSP, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. It is being developed by a hybrid team of internal and external developers in the UK, including Black Box executive producer Michael Mann and EA Games Europe senior vice president--and Digital Illusions CE co-founder--Patrick Soderlund. The outside help comes from Slightly Mad Studios, which was co-founded earlier this month by former GT Legends developer Ian Bell.

Need for Speed Nitro
(working title), an arcade racer being crafted by the Boogie-makers at EA Montreal. Set for release exclusively on the Wii and DS, the game will sport a "unique visual style" and, like Need for Speed Shift, will sport many real-world automotive licenses. Also like Shift, it will ship out in North American this fall.

Need for Speed World Online
is a PC only, free-to-play title set to launch in Asia this coming summer. A North American release is scheduled for "winter 2009," which could potentially mean an early 2010 release.
Source
 
NFS Shift sounds good on paper. Any kind of involvement on the part of Ian Bell can only mean better things than the sheer trash the franchise has been churning out post NFS5.
 
I believe blade is trying to say is that NFS is now a zombified franchise :p. I only hope they execute it well- atleast against their previous titles. Or else its best if one keeps the title dead for a while and revive it once they have a really convincing racing game.
 
^^I kinda believed re-branding was in place for the franchise since this one has already fallen from everyone's grace. Ian Bell's involvement is certainly a good thing but imho they should do away with the NFS moniker.
 
Everything aside, they need to get the handling of cars right. Grid showed us that you can have a much closer to real handling while still being arcade. NFS should learn something from them.
 
More details here.

And from the makers of GT Legends and GTR 2, presenting NFS: Shift :D.

shiftbrandreleasejan23jue4.jpg
 
Need for Speed: Shift will be made by Slightly Mad Studios of GT Legends and GTR 2 fame, with help from EA Black Box producer Michael Mann and EA Games Europe bigwig Patrick Soderlund.

Shift focuses on simulation racing - not just the realistic movement of cars, but also driver behaviour. This, EA marketing boss Keith Munro told Eurogamer, is what will set the game apart. Also, less baggy jeans and hip-hop.

"The urban underground was a manifestation of style in some past Need for Speed games for sure, but Shift focuses less on these style cues and more on mirroring the driver experience, that athleticism of being in a wickedly-intense race, and what it really feels like to be behind the wheel," Munro told us.

A flashy 3D HUD that mimics driver head movement, inertia and G-force will help achieve this. There's a cockpit view that lets players freely look around using the right thumbstick, too.

Munro reckons serious car enthusiasts will "love" Shift, and that mainstream racers will also get on board. He's quite excited.

"Need for Speed Shift is amazing and I think it will blow people away," said Munro. "The tech behind that game, the details that only a team with such racing pedigree could accomplish, and the ability to make you feel the intensity of a race is unprecedented. I can't wait for our fans to begin experiencing it!"

And, he added: "Regarding any new Need for Speed girls I can't comment, but I'll definitely mark down one enthusiastic vote for Josie Maran." Steady on.

(Update: An EA spokesperson has been in touch to comment on the response to the first screenshot. "That is an untouched screenshot captured from gameplay footage," we're told.)

Revamped NFS series launches this year News // None /// Eurogamer - Games Reviews, News and More

Need for Speed: Shift Screenshots & Images /// Eurogamer - Games Reviews, News and More
 
Is that NFS shift screen shot :O :O.I have lost hopes on EA and more over what the fun in copying the game play from GT Legends and GTR2 :mad:.I hope it doesnt become NFS $h!t end of the day :p coz i had lot of hopes on NFS UC but it was crap to the core :mad:
 
Blade_Runner said:
I am calling bullshot on that one........

it looks amazingly similar to a game i played although cant remember which one, either grid or PGR3? blade could u help me out on that one
 
Rave said:
it looks amazingly similar to a game i played although cant remember which one, either grid or PGR3? blade could u help me out on that one
Yea it has a good amount of resemblance to the PGR franchise. And i am sure they are gunning for the both GRID and PGR since both these games have achieved a considerable amount of success.
 
.these guys are on a roll..:rofl:
i think they've planned something like lets release a bunch of games so either this or ..this or the 3rd one should work..trying their luck:p

anyways lets hope all of the games ..are good .
bring back MFS MW and Porsche Unleashed style racing !!:mad:
.. IMO those were the best two games when it comes to sheer fun and pleasure driving ..lets hope they make something having similar gameplay..and high detailed graphics , with day time racing:hap2:
.( only night time driving sucks )
 
Blade_Runner said:
I am calling bullshot on that one........
I don't think so because the visual effects in Grid already look almost as good.

If you mean the massive amounts of supersampling, then yeah it's a bullshot.
This particular shot must have been rendered at 4 times the resolution and then downsized to 1280x720.

If one were to render a screenshot of Grid at some insane resolution and then downsize it to 1280x720, I am sure it would look just as good.
 
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