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[SolidSnakex]

One of the biggest reasons that I'm sold on this year's game is that it doesn't focus on some crazy storyline or the latest in open world technology, but rather the pure driving experience. Rather than handling Shift internally, EA reached out to Slightly Mad Studios, the guys behind the GTR series on the PC (a critically acclaimed franchise to be sure). The results look to have paid off nicely.

While EA wasn't letting a lot of details about customization, online play or even how the career modes works get out, it did let me get my hands on six different cars across two tracks. Said cars included a Lotus Elise 111R, Shelby Terelingua, Audi RS4, Corvette Z06, Porsche 911 GT2 and a Pagani Zonda F, while the two tracks were Brands Hatch and a course simply titled London.

As I mentioned, the game is about the driving experience. While you can of course play in a handful of third-person views or from the bumper-cam, the game is designed with the cockpit view in mind (which I'm personally always a big fan of). When you're sitting at the starting line and waiting for the lights to drop, your car will jolt from side to side as you pump the gas. Your engine lets out a fierce bark every time you touch the pedal, and you can see your driver's fingers adjust their grip on the steering wheel.

Coming into contact with something solid takes this to the next level, however. The camera practically bounces off the steering wheel, the whole screen becomes blurred for a second or so and, if the crash is bad enough, it looks like you're even blinded with a flash of light for a split-second. It's dizzying and disorienting, but wholly awesome.

NFS Shift looks great right now, though I was playing the PC build (with an Xbox 360 controller) as opposed to the PS3 or 360 versions. Regardless, it looked great and ran silky-smooth, which is especially notable since the build I played was a few months old, putting it close to a year out from what the actual shipping code will be. As I mentioned, I can't wait to play the finished release later this year, but I'm sure I'll get a few more spins behind the wheel before then, so stay tuned. This is, thankfully, one the racers to watch this year.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/959/959079p1.html

 

[deadhorse32]

So it's GRID

 

[DaCocoBrova]

So it's GRID

But not as good I bet.

 

[squicken]

Yep, Codemasters has made PGR/NFS irrelevant this gen.

 

[Zezboob]

So it's GRID

Absolutely not.

In most of pics, the sky is blue.

 

[GCX]

Maybe it's just me but every year they say the same thing "this time it's all about pure racing, back to basics, etc, etc.." and in the end the game always ends up sucking and has some new stupid gimmick.

 

[Nirolak]

But not as good I bet.

Maybe it's just me but every year they say the same thing "this time it's all about pure racing, back to basics, etc, etc.." and in the end the game always ends up sucking and has some new stupid gimmick.

But this one is made by Blimey. Would you say the next Need For Speed would suck if it was made by Polyphony Digital? Blimey is basically their PC equivalent.

 

[lynux3]

Now this is what I've been looking forward to for a "next-gen" Need for Speed. Sorry Blackbox, but you just weren't cutting it.

 

[Dibbz]

But not as good I bet.

Since the guys behind GTR are handling this NFS I'm assuming cars will actually handle like cars, not like jelly on wheels Grid.

 

[Rapping Granny]

So it's GRID

Not enough brown to make it look like Grid.

 

[GitarooMan]

I hate that this is circuit racing (as far as I can tell from the screens), Need for Speed should be point to point races across varied scenery (forests, coastal, desert) etc. There are too few games with the point-to-point races.

 

[bumpkin]

So it's GRID

Does GRID do this:

The camera practically bounces off the steering wheel, the whole screen becomes blurred for a second or so and, if the crash is bad enough, it looks like you're even blinded with a flash of light for a split-second.

Or this:

Your engine lets out a fierce bark every time you touch the pedal, and you can see your driver's fingers adjust their grip on the steering wheel.

I'm not hating, just asking. I haven't played GRID.

 

[DaFish]

All I want is a racing game that looks like this and has actual racing/car physics... Is that too much to ask for?

oh and maybe decent online features.

 

[Xater]

But not as good I bet.

It will probably be alot better considering the devoloper behind this is the one who created GTR. The cars may actually handle like cars.

Excited for this.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

I never understood why GRiD got so much hate when it comes to the handling. I've played a ton of it on the PC and never had any issues with it. Admittedly, the PC version is far more configurable than the console version.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

NFS Nitro please.

 

[twinturbo2]

All I need is confirmation that Ferraris are back and I'll say that NFS is saved.

 

[Ranger X]

That GRID comment is a clear insult.

Really show that not only you don't know what you're talking about in matter dev teams potentiel, you also don't know what you're talking about in matter of racing.

Please go continue to play GRID.


.

 

[Pizza Luigi]

So, I would say: "looks great!!!", but I would like to be very cautious this time.

This looks obviously quite good, not as good as the smaller screens though, due to the oversaturated colors and the jaggies, but I just feel it's going to suck again

 

[Goldrusher]

I hate that this is circuit racing (as far as I can tell from the screens), Need for Speed should be point to point races across varied scenery (forests, coastal, desert) etc. There are too few games with the point-to-point races.

Exactly. It looks great, but it doesn't look like Need For Speed.

I too want long tracks in the countryside, along the coast, high mountain roads, a track through Tuscany, the Swiss Alps, tracks in Scotland, Spain, Australia, China, etc.
Not another bunch of city tracks and circuits. That's not Need For Speed.

It will likely, hopefully be a great game, but it's not a true NFS.

 

[Dead Man]

That GRID comment is a clear insult.

Really show that not only you don't know what you're talking about in matter dev teams potentiel, you also don't know what you're talking about in matter of racing.

Please go continue to play GRID.


.

Yeah, but Codemasters had a pretty good run up until Grid, so a developer history is not always a great indicator of what they will do when tasked with making guaranteed returns for a publisher.

I hope it will be great, I'm just not sold on the basis of what I have seen.

It looks great, but it doesn't look like Need For Speed.

I want long tracks in the countryside, along the coast, mountain roads, through Tuscany, the Swiss Alps, tracks in Scotland, in Australia, etc.
Not another bunch of city tracks and circuits. That's not Need For Speed.

But it looks great and will likely be a great game, but not a true NFS.

And this cannot be said enough. Get NFS back to it's roots for just one game and it would be awesome. Then you can go back to circuit racing with race cars, or tuner drifting, or whatever the hell you want.

 

[BikoBiko]

NFS Nitro please.

Yes, this needs more attention.

 

[Sysgen]

Yep, Codemasters has made PGR/NFS irrelevant this gen.

Ignorance on the PGR front.

 

[Fuzyfrog]

I hate that this is circuit racing (as far as I can tell from the screens), Need for Speed should be point to point races across varied scenery (forests, coastal, desert) etc. There are too few games with the point-to-point races.

This x 1000000000

I would buy NFS1 HD in a heartbeat.

 

[op_ivy]

looks on par, or slightly better than, pgr4, which is awesome. hopefully its 60fps rather then 30, but based on the blur and graphical fidelity i'm guessing its 30fps.

Coming into contact with something solid takes this to the next level, however. The camera practically bounces off the steering wheel, the whole screen becomes blurred for a second or so and, if the crash is bad enough, it looks like you're even blinded with a flash of light for a split-second. It's dizzying and disorienting, but wholly awesome.

sounds REALLY cool. aside from car performance and visual damage, this could be a good way to shake up drivers a bit to communicate accidents, but it could also dissuade some from pin-balling around corners and off of other cars. nice touch, cant wait to see it in action.


this game has the potential to be INCREDIBLE. cant wait to see some footage and to get some hands on

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

wow, they've really gone to town with photoshop's blur filters :lol

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

it does look good

Exactly. It looks great, but it doesn't look like Need For Speed.

I too want long tracks in the countryside, along the coast, high mountain roads, a track through Tuscany, the Swiss Alps, tracks in Scotland, Spain, Australia, China, etc.
Not another bunch of city tracks and circuits. That's not Need For Speed.

It will likely, hopefully be a great game, but it's not a true NFS.

I want this too

 

[op_ivy]

wow, they've really gone to town with photoshop's blur filters :lol

begging for the "shop.gif"?

 

[M3d10n]

Dithering is back, bitches!

(I know, they're using jittered sampling on the motion blur to avoid banding - clever, but need to see how it looks in motion)

 

[Insane Metal]

It looks really good. I hope it plays well to.

 

[minx]

hmmm, im actually interested in this

 

[Diablohead]

First NFS I will buy since underground 1, not saying much.

 

[Raide]

Blur Hype +10

Hopefully the reboot for the NFS franchise will do it good.

 

[Router]

DAY 1.

 

[Always-honest]

looks really unique and unlike anything i've ever seen.
except for maybe, just maybe.... GRID

 

[Nolan.]

Well there is the obvious pun there if it turns out rubbish. I think i've given up with the Nfs series for now. I was really hoping for more than just good things from the last.

 

[H_Prestige]

Why can't they just make a NFS like the older games? What was wrong with them?

 

[Baron Doggystyle von Woof]

Why can't they just make a NFS like the older games? What was wrong with them?

true. Give us cops damnit! I wanna escape from 4/5 cop cars like a gangstaaahh

 

[Flavius]

Yep, Codemasters has made PGR/NFS irrelevant this gen.

Yep. Because once you've played one racing game, you've played them all.

 

[Mohonky]

If the game looks anything like those screens; best looking next gen racer.

I only wish Bizarre were working on another PGR

 

[Guled]

so when people said that having one NFS game a year was ridiculous, why did they decide to put out 3 a year. This franchise has really been run into the ground

 

[VictimOfGrief]

EA you have turned the NFS series into a bad joke.

 

[boyshine]

looks really unique and unlike anything i've ever seen.
except for maybe, just maybe.... GRID

Mhm. Looks like a mix between Grid and PGR.

But Need For Speed Nitro is the game I'm really curious about. Hopefully they'll pull back the curtain on that one soon.

 

[Always-honest]

Mhm. Looks like a mix between Grid and PGR.

But Need For Speed Nitro is the game I'm really curious about. Hopefully they'll pull back the curtain on that one soon.

indeed. dunno.. they dissapointed last times..

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

info from a german gaming mag:

- over 70 cars
- car tuning, bodykits
- very immersive sfx
- very detailed cockpits, driver is fully animated, legs, feet work the pedals
- 16 cars on tracks
- very good ai
- motion blur kicks in at around 125mph
- career mode

 

[rudii]

if the cars feel and control anything like gtr, gtr2 or gt legends then this game will be unbelievable

 

[Ranger X]

Yeah, but Codemasters had a pretty good run up until Grid, so a developer history is not always a great indicator of what they will do when tasked with making guaranteed returns for a publisher.

I hope it will be great, I'm just not sold on the basis of what I have seen.


And this cannot be said enough. Get NFS back to it's roots for just one game and it would be awesome. Then you can go back to circuit racing with race cars, or tuner drifting, or whatever the hell you want.

I'm not sure what you mean. My fav console sim racer is TOCA3 and I think Codemaster at least HAD great potential. Dirt and GRID really are like their worse game.

Anyways, my comment was that you don't compare GTR/GTR2 to GRID. Seriously. GRID can only dream of reaching the level of simulation GTR and GTR2 already achieved YEARS earlier.

Now this new NFS is made by the same guys that made GTR and GTR2, this game cannot be as bad a GRID, seriously. Or else I will never have witnessed such drop in quality from any dev ever in the history of gaming so far.

.

 

[twinturbo2]

Is Blimey!/SMS still working on Ferrari Project?

If so, EA needs to pick it up, rework it a bit, and release it as Need for Speed: Ferrari Unleashed.

 

[Saiyu]

I'm excited but:

Across all the vehicles the handling's a neat mesh of arcade and simulation; Brands Hatch was one of the two courses on display and it's opening corner, Paddock Hill bend, is a viciously dipping right hander that can be taken flat chat in each of the cars we drove, a method that would result in an intimate encounter with the tyre wall if attempted in a game such as Race Pro. Nevertheless, there's a satisfying weight to each of the cars and the handling model still proves demanding when placed in relief with Need for Speed's typical approach

Really? I mean it's not like I'm expecting iracing on a console but a Zonda F flat through Paddock Hill....I just hope there's some depth to the game.

Is Blimey!/SMS still working on Ferrari Project?

"Using an engine that's a slight variation on the one that powered the studio's mysterious Ferrari project (and unfortunately Slightly Mad Studios weren't forthcoming on how Shift affects that particular title)"

 

[twinturbo2]

"Using an engine that's a slight variation on the one that powered the studio's mysterious Ferrari project (and unfortunately Slightly Mad Studios weren't forthcoming on how Shift affects that particular title)"

I'm rooting for EA to pick it up and make NFS Ferrari Unleashed out of it.