'Need for Speed' becomes a little more social next week

Need for Speed's next Living Game update, dubbed "Showcase," arrives next week, and with it comes a handful of improvements both paint-level and a bit deeper. Taking screenshots has always been pretty easy in the game (click the right stick), but developer Ghost Games is going one step further and adding something that should've been in the game at the outset: A real photo mode with focus, depth of field and other effects that've become all the rage since Infamous: Second Son busted the feature wide open in 2014.

And should someone online see that snazzy snapshot and want the livery you've tinkered with since November, now there's sharing options for those as well. Oh, and if you want to keep your car looking fresh and clean as the moment you drove it out of the garage, just run through a gas station for some on-the-fly body work -- much like previous NfS games and Burnout: Paradise.

A handful of cars are getting new customization items as well, including the Ford Focus RS, Ford Mustang GT and Subaru Impreza WRX. Last but not least, there are custom options for your license plate now too. But sadly, based on the way Ghost describes it, it doesn't sound like text is up for changing like it was in the studio's previous effort, NfS: Rivals. There are, however, backgrounds and frames inspired by the cities of previous NfS entries. Not much of a consolation prize, but hey, it's better than nothing. The 100 percent free update launches February 3rd, in case the GIF up above didn't give it away.