Widescreen Gaming Forum

OK, OK, I know a lot of people are sitting back saying, "This is just another EA NFS title, I need proof it's not going to be another disaster."

Let's look at the facts though. They're hiring one of the best teams in the biz at making SIM racing games, Slightly Mad Studios, formerly Blimey! Games, creators of GT Legends and GTR2. They are introducing via EA Europe's Patrick Soderlund's consulting input, new features never incorporated before in NFS titles such as full side to side cockpit view, G force affected driver, authentic gages that all work, dynamic AI interaction and adaptation, non scripted AI driving that doesn't repeat the exact same line, and authentic braking, AI mistakes, crashes, etc.

To top it off, the screenshots look amazingly well detailed and very realistic. Those whom are skeptical as to whether the final product will look the same, just look at screenshots of previous titles by this developer and you will find they are the same as those taken by end users post release. My only worry is whether Shift will be too hardcore a SIM to play on KB. I'm hoping the handling will be more like GRID than a hardcore SIM, or at least slectable like GRID where you can turn driver assist on or off.

Unfortunately there are only screenshots and a developer interview with Patrick Soderlund so far. I can't even post on the EA forum right now, as there seems to be some technical difficulty where the Reply and New Thread tabs don't show. There are no posts dated past Mar 6.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/46175.html

looks nice man. I've played every nfs game for those who don't remember it's a pretty long list.

The Need for Speed (1994)
Need for Speed II (1997)
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998)
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (2000)
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)
Need for Speed: Underground (2003)
Need for Speed: Underground 2 (2004)
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)
Need for Speed: Carbon (2006)
Need for Speed: ProStreet (2007)
Need for Speed: Undercover (2008)

I can't wait till the next installment. Porseche Unleashed, Underground 2, Carbon and Most Wanted have been the cream.

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I still visit occasionally.

I've only been getting them since NFS: Underground 2. I had a chance to buy Hot Pursuit and Underground1 cheap, but passed them up due to not liking the HP demo and U1 being too much like U2, with less variety.

I enjoyed U2 up through Undercover, except for Pro Street, and after playing through Undercover again recently I'm finding that is not all that great either, though better than PS IMO.

Where the last two titles are concerned though, some of my dislike for them is no doubt my outdated PC, though they do seem to lack optimization too. I hate the way the view is heavily restricted when changing directions and the way the camera zooms in and out with any change of speed.

I have to say this is the first time I am really excited a lot in anticipation of Shift, more so than any other NFS before. I can't help but think it's because the screenshots remind me of GRID so much. It wouldn't bother me at all if it gets touted as GRID copy, bring it on baby!

I just hope it won't be too hardcore SIM for me. A great feature of Shift is going to be full 180 degree cockpit view. The talk of G forces affecting the driver cam though has me wondering if they'll keep using that damn zooming in and out, hopefully not. I'm also hoping the blur can be disabled, I never use it in GRID, or ANY game for that matter.

Most Wanted has probably been my fave NFS, but GRID blows them all away IMO.

Where the last two titles are concerned though, some of my dislike for them is no doubt my outdated PC, though they do seem to lack optimization too.

The PC ports have been horribly optimised, even MW runs like ass for me :/

THe last one i really enjoyed was Hot Pursuit 2. Mostly for the inclusion of cops.

Underground 1 & 2 were alright, but i really hate the imense focus on how your super cool car looks - and it not making any differnce in how it handles. It pained me to think of how much better they could be if they put that effort into more practical aspects. It never helps that i always play racing games with bumper or dash cam.

I've been so let down by this series that i expect nothing but crap. News of a different developer is nice, but I'm not holding my breath.

FUEL is the next racing game I'm looking forward to. Made by Codemasters and it's a HUGE map. 120x120 km. Apperently takes 2 1/2 hours to drive from one far corner to the other. Free-roam, mountain, desert, city, prarie, snow, rain, tornadoes....

I came into the scene at Need for Speed: Road and Track Edition

Then I took a very long break from the series and didn't play another one until Need for Speed: Underground 2. I stopped playing that game, I got sick of people calling me "whack".
Need for Speed: Most Wanted was a very fun game, apart from the so-bad-they're-good cutscenes that is.
And then I stopped again because the control dynamics for Carbon and Pro-Street were horrid.

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[quote]Where the last two titles are concerned though, some of my dislike for them is no doubt my outdated PC, though they do seem to lack optimization too.

The PC ports have been horribly optimised, even MW runs like ass for me :/

I'd say poorly designed rather than poorly optimized. No amount of optimization will fix a game that mostly uses 2d surfaces for objects, those are a performance killer right there, especially with any amount of transparency.

After all those titles, it's about time EA realized they needed to split the different styles off. Though I won't believe the result is that good till I've seen it.

THe last one i really enjoyed was Hot Pursuit 2. Mostly for the inclusion of cops.

Underground 1 & 2 were alright, but i really hate the imense focus on how your super cool car looks - and it not making any differnce in how it handles. It pained me to think of how much better they could be if they put that effort into more practical aspects. It never helps that i always play racing games with bumper or dash cam.

I've been so let down by this series that i expect nothing but crap. News of a different developer is nice, but I'm not holding my breath.

FUEL is the next racing game I'm looking forward to. Made by Codemasters and it's a HUGE map. 120x120 km. Apperently takes 2 1/2 hours to drive from one far corner to the other. Free-roam, mountain, desert, city, prarie, snow, rain, tornadoes....

I loved Hot Pursuit 2, for me everything really went downhill from there...

I played 1,2,3,4, some of porsche so...5, 6 was HP2 Underground 1 and 2, and Most Wanted. I did the next one, Carbon and was so disappointed I haven't bothered. Car racing seemed to have lost its edge.

then I found burnout! :lol:

FUEL is the next racing game I'm looking forward to. Made by Codemasters and it's a HUGE map. 120x120 km. Apperently takes 2 1/2 hours to drive from one far corner to the other. Free-roam, mountain, desert, city, prarie, snow, rain, tornadoes....

Actually FUEL is being made by Asobo Studio in France, not Codemasters like DiRT and GRID were. Codies are just the publishers.

I know full well there are a LOT of skeptics despite what they say about Shift. Even long time NFS fans that are not liking their past few titles are skeptical just because EA is publishing it and it has the NFS moniker.

One of the reasons I am hopeful besides this being a new direction of authentic racing however is that I don't really think Blimey! Games (AKA Slightly Mad) will want to damage their reputation of having made great SIM titles like GT Legends and GTR2 by putting out crap, even if EA pays them a lot.

You don't get anywhere in the gaming biz by taking lots of money to cut your own throat, and changing your name won't fool those whom keep up and spread the news. Now had EA bought Slightly Mad like MS did Bungie, then I'd be worried.