Need-For-Speed-Shift
Latest
Xperia Play makes itself more enticing for the holidays with four free EA games
EA is offering four big mobile titles for free for all the tens of people who own Sony's Xperia Play: Dead Space, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Need for Speed: Shift and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The offer runs through Jan. 15, 2012, meaning you still have time to throw the PlayStation Phone on your holiday wish list and snag these suckers for free. If it helps, think of it as getting four games with a handy smartphone case thrown in for free.
Slightly Mad Studios using WMD, crowd-funding for new racing game
Need for Speed: Shift developer Slightly Mad Studios is breaking out the big guns with a crowdsourced funding scheme titled World of Mass Development, or WMD (see what we did there?), which will take its first run with a new racing game, C.A.R.S. Through WMD, Slightly Mad will release C.A.R.S.' crowdfunded technology to subscribers, who can then help develop the game and reap a return on their investments once it launches. Slightly Mad will take 30 percent of the profits, with the rest divided among the community investors based on the amount of shares they own. Slightly Mad expects C.A.R.S. to take two years and $5 million to produce. With shares priced from $5-$100,000 for individuals, groups or companies, Slightly Mad expects a $10 share will return $35, $250 to return $875 and $100,000 will return $350,000 -- if the game makes $25 million in profit. Slightly Mad has a goal to sell 3 million copies of C.A.R.S., earn a profit of $52 million and receive a 90 percent on Metacritic. "Traditional development puts developers at the mercy of publishers," Slightly Mad said. "The development process offered by WMD shifts the focus back to creating great games that your target audience wants to play, whilst still offering the chance to get proper funding for development and testing."
Madden NFL 12, Need for Speed: Shift PSP bundle announced
We imagine anybody in the market for a PSP has already gone and tracked one down (or is simply waiting for the PlayStation Vita) but regardless EA and Sony have teamed up on a new bundle. As you may have gathered from the headline to this very post, the bundle comes with a copy of Madden NFL 12 and Need for Speed: Shift. It also throws in the requisite black PSP-3000 and a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, all for $159.99. Sony will release the bundle on August 30, the same day that Madden will be released on basically every platform in existence including the PSP. [Thanks, Rahul]
Weekend Sale Roundup: Origin and Direct2Drive
For a lot of people, Friday means pay-day, which means a weekend full of extravagant spending: a little boutique shopping, perhaps a night at da club, etc. If you're like us though, and the majority of your pay checks are followed by staying in rather than going out, fear not. Huge weekend sales mean you can still feel like a big spender without having to blow an entire check, all from the comfort of your own home. Origin's $5 PC offerings are back, along with a slew of fairly-recent console titles like Dead Space 2 and Portal 2 for 40 percent off. Both sales run until August 9, and every console game purchased comes with a complimentary PC copy of Need for Speed Shift. Direct2Drive, not to be left out of the fun, has both Bulletstorm and Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition marked down to $11.95 a piece. No sale expiration date is listed for either title, which could mean that both are ending right this very second, the thought of which instills a primal fear directly into the shopping cortex of your brain.
Need for Speed games discounted for Steam EA Week
Steam's EA Week continues with brutal discounts on three Need for Speed games. If you want a game for pocket change, you can get Need for Speed: Undercover for just $2.50! If you want to lay out a bit more (but still not very much), Need for: Speed Shift and Hot Pursuit are available for $6.80 and $14.99, respectively. These deals are only active through Wednesday at 7AM ET, when they'll be replaced by more cheap EA games. If you want these, haste is required!
Shift 2 Unleashed review: Pedal to the medal
It was a wise move for EA to subdue the Need For Speed in the title of its sequel to last year's first racing sim in the franchise, Need For Speed: Shift. That's not to say Shift 2 Unleashed is unworthy of the brand -- far from it -- but given how well received the last arcade-style NFS title, Hot Pursuit, was, there would surely be plenty of folks who'd think this was the sequel to that game. It's so very not that. The original Shift remains one of my favorite racing games of all time -- and one of my most-played titles ever, too. So, to say that I've had some pretty high expectations of its sequel would be an understatement. Since last year, I've wondered how EA and Slightly Mad Studios were going to improve on the most realistic feeling, visceral and downright fun console racing sim to date. The short answer: They made it more realistic. The long answer is after the break.%Gallery-119962%
T-Mobile G-Slate bundled apps tour (video)
The G-Slate from LG (aka Optimus Pad) was on display at T-Mobile's booth here at CTIA, so we spent a few minutes investigating the apps the carrier is bundling with the 8.9" Honeycomb tablet at launch, namely Need for Speed Shift, T-Mobile TV, and Zinio eReader. Interestingly, the same three apps are also pre-installed on T-Mobile's other dual-core LG device du jour, the tantalizing G2x. Check out the tour in our video after the break.
Super Street Fighter 4, NFS Shift now on XBL Games on Demand
Fans of downloadable convenience might like to know that Super Street Fighter 4 and Need for Speed Shift are now available via Xbox Live Games on Demand. SSF4 is available for $40, while Shift is a slightly more palatable $30. Oh, Operation Darkness -- the WWII strategy game with vampires and zombies -- is also available today for $40. You know, in case you were waiting for it.
Need for Speed: Shift 2, Black Box-developed NFS both hinted for 2011
A pair of LinkedIn profiles suggests that at least two Need for Speed titles will be released next year. According to the profile page of programmer Chris Mcclure, he was at NFS: Shift developer Sightly Mad Studios from August 2009 – February 2010 where he "worked on new open world technology but also worked on Need For Speed Shift too." Cleverly, Mcclure altered this statement today from "... but also worked on Need For Speed Shift 2" after his apparent reveal was spotted by superannuation (and preserved by Google's cache). The original Shift was released in September 2009, and if Mcclure is covering his tracks, then a sequel was likely underway as work on the first game wrapped, which would allow roughly the minimum development time necessary to release Shift 2 some time during the first quarter of 2011. Recall that in February, during an earnings call, EA dated a Need for Speed game for that period. COO John Schappert described the unnamed iteration as "another big driving simulation" (Conference Call Script [PDF]). "Need For Speed: Shift 2" would be a good fit for that description and time frame.
EA discounts more than a dozen iPhone games to $1 each
We can't imagine what kind of event would spur EA to slash the price on several of its big-name iPhone games -- oh, right. Regardless of motive, Touch Arcade informs us of the sale, which extends through tomorrow. Here are some highlights: Command & Conquer: Red Alert [iTunes link] FIFA 10 [iTunes link] Dragon's Lair [iTunes link] Need for Speed: Shift [iTunes link] SimCity [iTunes link] Battleship [iTunes link] The good news: lots of iPhone games are only $1. The bad news: none of those games is Mirror's Edge (which is still only available for iPad). [Thanks, Dali]
iPad apps: defining experiences from the first wave
There are now over 1,348 approved apps for the iPad. That's on top of the 150,000 iPad-compatible iPhone programs already available in the App Store. When Apple's tablet PC launches, just hours from now, it will have a software library greater than that of any handheld in history -- not counting the occasional UMPC. That said, the vast majority of even those 1,348 iPad apps are not original. They were designed for the iPhone, a device with a comparatively pokey processor and a tiny screen, and most have just been tweaked slightly, upped in price and given an "HD" suffix -- as if that somehow justified the increased cost. Besides, we've seen the amazing potential programs have on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and webOS when given access to a touchscreen, always-on data connection, GPS, cloud storage and WiFi -- but where are the apps that truly define iPad? What will take advantage of its extra headroom, new UI paradigms and multitouch real estate? Caught between netbook and smartphone, what does the iPad do that the iPhone cannot? After spending hours digging through the web and new iPad section of the App Store, we believe we have a number of reasonably compelling answers. Update: Now includes Wormhole Remote, TweetDeck, SkyGrid, Touchgrind HD, GoToMeeting, SplitBrowser, iDisplay, Geometry Wars and Drawing Pad.
Electronic Arts stable now live on the iPad
As with all of the other approved iPad apps, the full slate of Electronic Arts' iPad titles are now ready to go in the App Store. Mirror's Edge, Tetris and Scrabble are ready for download, as is Command and Conquer: Red Alert and Need for Speed Shift. Those last two are probably the most interesting -- playing an RTS on a larger touchscreen is something that a lot of people have wanted to try for a long time, and Command and Conquer will probably be the biggest budget title of that genre available at launch. Need for Speed Shift will probably be pretty predictable as an accelerometer racing game, but it is notable for the fact that it's selling at $14.99, significantly higher than even the other iPad titles we've seen so far. C&C and Mirror's Edge are both above $9.99, and Tetris is the only EA app to go below that point, at $7.99. So it looks like EA is starting out pretty aggressive on pricing for the iPad -- we'll have to see how sales go for them at those levels and what happens to those prices after launch.
European PSN releases for March 18
Though there's not much on the "new game front" in this week's European PSN update, there's plenty of new stuff for the games you already know and love. There's the release of Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening, new cars for Need For Speed: Shift, some LittleBigPlanet PSP love, the arrival of Patchwork Heroes and, of course, the Gaga-ization of the Rock Band Music Store. Check out the full list of releases after the jump! Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Need For Speed: Shift gets exotic DLC
Sure, Ferraris are fun and all, but they aren't exotic enough. EA's looking to increase Need For Speed: Shift's roster of wacky, expensive rides you'll probably never drive in real life through the Exotic Racing Series Pack. Available March 18 for 800 ($10) on Xbox Live and PSN, the Exotic Racing Series Pack parks seven new rides in your virtual garage: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione BMW M1 Procar GUMPERT apollo Honda NSX McLaren MP4-12C Maserati GranTurismo S Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss
PSA: Need for Speed: Shift 'Ferrari Racing Series' DLC now available
Those with a taste for fine racing games and fine automobiles take note: As we reported last week, the Ferrari Racing Series DLC for Need for Speed: Shift is now available from the Xbox Live Marketplace at a cost of 800 ($10). A quick refresher: The expansion reintroduces the Italian automaker's cars to the NFS franchise after seven years without 'em -- bringing with it 10 classic rides and a new series of race, hot lap, mixed track, time attack, race series, eliminator, endurance and world tour events. Basically, any real racing game fan will lap this up. And now, your handy-dandy Xbox Live Marketplace link.
Ferrari Racing Pack exclusive to Need for Speed: Shift on 360
After a seven year absence, the Ferrari brand is returning to Need for Speed, albeit in an anti-climatic comeback for true Ferrari fans like ourselves. First, the facts: On February 16, those who own Need for Speed: Shift on 360 will be able to get 10 cars from the venerable manufacturer for 800 points ($10) -- we've got the full list for you after the break. It's an okay list, but there are some glaring omissions. Where, for example, is the 2006 Ferrari X734 or the X744? Where's the 2008 Ferrari Sesquiderro? Where's the 1898 Ferrari X78 Horse or the 1962 Ferrari Old-Timey Ice Cream Truck? Should the fact that these are cars we made up in attempt at humorously masking our ignorance of all things automotive just eliminate them from consideration? Without so much as a second thought? PS3 owners, it may have seemed that you were being slighted, but you can count yourself lucky that you've been spared this travesty of justice. %Gallery-85024%
Video of games on the iPad, and what developers plan to do with them
Unfortunately, we weren't able to attend the event in San Francisco yesterday, but our good friends at Joystiq were, and they've brought back this video of Need for Speed: Shift [iTunes link] and a few other games running on the iPad. Not only can you see how the accelerometer works (exactly the same as the iPhone, basically), but you can see how the regular iPhone apps will upscale to full screen (via what looks like a small "button" in the corner) on the iPad. Of course, this video isn't ideal, but it actually looks better than I thought. Hopefully, of course, developers will actually put in the effort to recreate their apps for the iPad's bigger screen. That's exactly what the makers of Flight Control have said they plan to do; that game will be "re-imagined" to work on the iPad. They talk about not only making use of the bigger screen space, but actually going to the "next generation" of their games. It'll be very interesting to see, as the App Store evolves with the iPad, what kinds of markets emerge. Will we eventually have a set of games that works best on the iPhone, and a set that works better on the "big" screen?
Video: Apple iPad playing iPhone games
We told you about our experience with the just-announced Apple iPad yesterday; this morning, we'll show you, by way of the above video. You'll note that both Need for Speed Shift and NOVA are the same non-iPad versions available on the App Store today – the enhanced versions shown during the keynote are works-in-progress and weren't available to demo. On the down side, the versions we played included the "2X" upscale button; on the up side, they benefited from the larger screen and increased tilt sensitivity. While the above video isn't representative of what the iPad is capable of, it is representative of how we think many iPhone owners will use the device, since iPhone and iPad games won't be cross-compatible.
iPad plays all iPhone games and apps
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/iPad_plays_all_iPhone_games_and_apps'; We couldn't care less about our email, videos and music, all we wanted to know is if the newly announced iPad could play games. The answer? If you've been spending a fortune in $0.99 chunks on iPhone games, you've already got a big iPad library. The device, as just announced by Apple, plays all your iPhone apps unmodified, out of the box. That said, to take advantage of the system's full screen, devs will have to implement some modifications to their apps. We're not sure if we're happy or sad about this, as we were kind of hoping for a whole new gaming platform -- and we're not convinced a lot of games will translate well from the iPhone, even if they technically work. Oh well, Jobs is still talking, maybe he'll have something else for us. Update: The game Apple chose to feature at the iPad debut event was Gameloft's FPS N.O.V.A. It's kind of an odd choice though, right? It's a neat trick for a phone, but does it stack up on a larger screen? Additionally, EA showed off an updated Need for Speed: Shift (again, the iPhone version; hardly akin to the console iterations). Look for the iPad versions of both these games later this year.
Best of the Rest: Randy's Picks of 2009
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes If I had my way ... well, a lot of things would be different. When it came to video games, I'd make sure that everyone -- whether they own a Nintendo DS or not -- had a chance to play Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes. Now, I know, Might and Magic? Isn't that some long-dead RPG franchise that's probably best left in the ground? Well, yes -- but Clash of Heroes is about as far from any of the other games in the series as you can get. At its core, it's a puzzle game -- a combat puzzle game -- developed by Capybara, the same team behind PSN's wonderful Critter Crunch. Take that game's core mechanic, add a load of clever new ones and build a story-driven experience around it and you have one of the finest (not to mention most addicting) DS games ever.
