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PlayStation Plus in April: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier beta, free Shank 2, Shift 2 Unleashed
PlayStation Plus subscribers have a lot to look forward to in April. Starting on April 3, both Shank 2 and Shift 2 Unleashed will be available as free downloads for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Other free games for April include the PSOne Classic Silent Hill, PSN Minis Canabalt, Farm Frenzy 2 and Mystic Garden, and PSN title Frogger Returns.In addition to these free games, PlayStation Plus subscribers will get early access to the closed beta for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, which kicks off sometime this month -- no date yet, says the PlayStation Blog. Finally, discounts: House of the Dead 4, Disney Universe and GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City will all be on sale this month at reduced prices.
EA's mobile Daily Deals, 'cause mom will probably get you socks again
EA is keeping up its tradition of doing totally original, never-done-before things with a holiday sale on its mobile games -- wait, we meant "totally predictable, done every year" things. Whatever -- free stuff! EA is offering daily deals on its iOS and Android titles now through Jan. 2, including some free downloads and major discounts. Today, The Sims Medieval and Shift 2 Unleashed are free for iOS devices, and FIFA 10 is $0.99 for Android. Hit the source link for EA's holiday Daily Deals, which will be updated (we assume) every day.
Shift 2: Unleashed 'Legends' and 'Speedhunters' DLC will be free on PC
We here at Joystiq never play the console superiority game; play on the platform you like, man. Oh, but when it comes to Shift 2 Unleashed, it would appear the PC is the superior platform -- at least, in a getting things for free kind of way. EA has announced that the Legends and Speedhunters packs, both $10 pieces of DLC on consoles, will be released free of charge on the PC. Beginning June 30, PC players can download both packs for free from EA's new digital distribution hub, Origin.com. Race on past the break for a video primer for the free DLC and a breakdown of what you'll get.
Shift 2: Unleashed DLC is for the 'Speedhunters'
Previous DLC for Shift 2: Unleashed offered up some classic cars and tracks for cash, but this next pack is all about a balance between the two: old muscle cars and expensive modern roadsters. For $9.99 on PSN and 800 MS Points ($10) on Xbox Live, you'll get two new branches, each featuring nine events with mandatory manual gear transmission use: Drag and Standing Mile. Drag is all about judging time over a quarter mile, while Standing Mile is a competition based on the top speed players can achieve over a mile strip. Race past the break for a list of cars and tracks, as well as a new trailer.
Shift 2 'Legends' DLC brings some classic cars out of the garage
Are the newfangled autocontraptions in Shift 2 Unleashed a little too modern for you? Not a fan of all the vehicular bells and whistles fastened to your 21st Century whips? EA has announced a DLC pack that should give you the sweet, nostalgic release you crave. On April 24, the game will receive 14 retro cars and five equally retro tracks -- most of which hail from the 1960s and '70s. You can pick up the new rides and venues for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Check out the full list of new-old content included in the "Legends" pack after the jump -- and while you're back there, why not check out the DLC's announcement trailer?
Zumba Fitness overtakes Crysis 2 for top UK sales spot
Zumba Fitness and Crysis 2 both moved significantly less product last week in the UK. With only 500 copies separating the two the prior week, the 57 percent drop by Crysis 2 and the 47 percent decline by Zumba Fitness meant the latter took the lead. It seems that "winning" the sales chart last week was all about having the lowest decline in sales, as almost every game in the top six saw a 40-something percent drop (Chart-Track speculates it was the UK's warm weather). This led to Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars forcing itself to maintain third place, while Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters climbed up two spots into fourth and Shift 2: Unleashed decelerated into fifth. Tecmo-Koei's Dynasty Warriors 7 was the only new entry in the Top 40, button-mashing itself all the way up to tenth place. Observe the UK top ten after the break.
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%
Shift 2 featurette pits two pros in an Autolog showdown
Having already proven his absolute comprehension of the sweet science of Shift 2: Unleashed, pro racer Tommy Milner now faces an even greater challenge: besting Irish driver Darren McNamara using the game's Autolog feature. Can he preserve his honor? For America?
Slightly Mad Studios is currently without a project
Next week, Shift 2: Unleashed will race to retail, but the post-launch festivities at developer Slightly Mad Studios are a bit dampened by the news of layoffs. According to comments made by studio head Ian Bell to GI.biz (registration required), another project that was underway has been suddenly canceled, affecting several studio staff. "Essentially we were let down at the last minute by one publisher who we'd signed a deal with only for it to be canned before we even started. I can't say who," Bell said. He went on to say that he's still in talks with the publisher in question among others. As for the studio's next project, that's currently up in the air. Bell says Slightly Mad hasn't been able to "secure a deal for a new project... yet," though he adds that he's "optimistic about the future." Those affected by layoffs at Slightly Mad have somewhat of a silver lining: Ian Bell and Slightly Mad's other co-founder, Andy Garton, recently formed their own social/mobile studio, Gamagio. Currently, the two are attempting to raise capital for the new venture and, according to Bell, employing ex-Slightly Mad Studios devs.
Watch a pro driver play Shift 2 Unleashed
It's no secret that real professional race drivers play racing video games, sometimes even for training. EA has released a video of Dubai 24h winner Tommy Milner taking Shift 2 Unleashed, which hits March 29, through its paces in a Corvette C6.R GT1 at Leguna Seca. He's really, really good.
Shift 2: Unleashed gets exclusive Pagani Huayra, delayed a week in EU
EA says that Shift 2: Unleashed will be the first video game to feature the Pagani Huayra supercar, the Italian manufacturer's followup to the popular Zonda series that's due to arrive in the US later this year. You can see the $1 million, 700 horsepower set of wheels in the trailer after the break. EU folks will have to wait just a little bit to get behind the wheel. The game was originally announced for release in that region on March 24, but EA is now saying it'll be on shelves March 31. The North American date hasn't changed; it will be out on Tuesday, March 29, as planned.
Shift 2 Unleashed preview: Night rider
Back in November, EA showed us an early version of Shift 2 Unleashed, which touts Autolog implementation and a new immersive helmet cam designed to make what was one of the most lifelike racers even more, well, lifelike. At a San Francisco hotel earlier this week, I was given full access to the game's Career mode, a series of progressively difficult venues that combine traditional races with more specialized events -- muscle car races, retro events, and elimination and drift challenges are sprinkled throughout. Shift 2 Unleashed takes its predecessors shoes, shines 'em up and tries to pass them off as an entirely new pair. Yes, this is an evolution of the ideals present in Need for Speed: Shift, but it's obvious that Slightly Mad Studios was careful not to mix things up too much. Producer Jesse Abney describes it as "a refinement of the things we've done the year before," thus the game's biggest new features are Autolog implementation, deeper car customization, a new helmet camera system and the addition of nighttime driving. Night driving isn't going to redefine the sport, surely, but in Shift 2 Unleashed, it poses its own unique set of challenges. Since the damage models are more dynamic this time around, you can actually break your headlights and be stuck racing in pitch blackness -- believe it, because it happened to me when I was drafting too close to a racer who slammed on their brakes when I was flying through a track in Dubai. An intense, and unexpected, wave of panic and confusion ensued. "So this is nighttime driving?" I thought to myself. Abney also told me that cars can break axels and even damage engines to the point where a race cannot be finished, which wasn't possible in the first game.
Shift 2 Unleashed's Autolog, loyalty bonuses detailed
As you may already know, Shift 2 Unleashed will incorporate Autolog, the competition-between-friends system introduced by Criterion in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit; however, it's not just a quick port job. Autolog in Shift 2 Unleashed is far more robust and delivers loads more information to players. Also, the UI is more intuitive, which was the biggest issue this writer had with the offering in Hot Pursuit. The way it works is largely the same: at any time, you can press a button and be presented with your Autolog, which will list track times for your friends and recommend courses for you to take them down in -- that's old hat. Producer Jesse Abney says Autolog is now "Need for Speed DNA" -- it'll be in every Need for Speed game from here on out. Its feature set is now enhanced to not only provide track times for unique events, but will now also segregate data based on quick race tracks, race types, automotive disciplines and will even document times on individual segments of a particular track. So it's going beyond "hey this is the time your friend got on this race, now beat it" seen in Hot Pursuit. Finally, we were also told about a new loyalty incentive program for Need for Speed gamers. Those who played Hot Pursuit will gain access to two extra cars: the Pagani Cinque Roadster racer and Lamborghini Reventon police car. Racers will gain access to these cars when they log into Shift 2 using the same EA account they used in Hot Pursuit, following input of their Online Pass code.
Shift 2: Unleashed trailer previews exclusive 'limited edition' whips
You know that trio of sweet rides you get for pre-ordering the "limited edition" of Shift 2: Unleashed? If that's what you're after, then this trailer's gotcha covered. If not, how about some nocturnal racing? No? Well, aren't you hard to please!
Shift 2 Unleashed shifts to stores March 29
EA has clarified the "early 2011" release window for Shift 2 Unleashed by declaring that we'll be able to satisfy our need for speed (without the "Need for Speed") on March 29 in North America and March 24 in Europe. The trailer after the break reveals the EU date -- but if you'd like to see the other date at the end, check out YouTube. In addition to revealing the date for your next Autolog adventure, the new trailer features some driver's-seat footage that reminds us why we play racing games instead of racing cars in real life. That is, it's the constant fear of painful death. Just a quirk we have.
Shift 2 Unleashed 'Limited Edition' buyers get three fancy cars before the rest of us
Looking to drift around Shift 2 Unleashed's narrow apexes in a perfectly balanced Nissan Silvia Spec-R Aero (S15)? To leap from 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds with an over $300K Lamborghini Murciélago LP640? To ... uh ... commute in style in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV? You may want to pre-order the game, then, as EA announced this morning that all three cars will only be available at launch to folks who manage to snag the "Limited Edition" of Shift 2. Like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit before it, the initial shipments of Shift 2 Unleashed will be "Limited Edition" versions packing the three cars -- no extra money is required, just the need for speed in making a purchasing decision. The release says nothing about when the trio of liveries will become available to the rest of us normal folk, but it does characterize the bonus as "immediate" rather than "exclusive" access. That said, we're sure the Autolog system moving over from Hot Pursuit will make whatever period of exclusivity torture while friends toast our time trials. Blast you, friends who think ahead!%Gallery-111521%
Shift 2 Unleashed preview: The new look of racing sims
Now that the dust has started to settle around Gran Turismo 5, EA is pulling off the sheet on its Need for Speed: Shift sequel. Simply Shift 2 Unleashed -- no "Need for Speed" in the title -- the racer represents returning developer Slightly Mad Studios' continuing effort to make players feel like they're actually driving some of the world's most powerful cars. %Gallery-108443%
Shift 2 Unleashed loses 'Need for Speed' and adds Hot Pursuit's Autolog
What better day to announce a new entry in a long-standing franchise than the release date for what is, arguably, the best installment in the series to date. Today, on Need for Speed Hot Pursuit's big day, EA has stolen some of that thunder by announcing Shift 2 Unleashed, the sequel to last year's simulation-style installment. In doing so, EA has dropped the "Need for Speed" half of the title (though the debut trailer, found after the break, still puts the game squarely in the NFS series, even using Hot Pursuit's n-shaped logo). In its place is Autolog, the excellent, always-connected enhancement that Burnout-dev Criterion brought to Hot Pursuit. EA calls it the "next generation" of the stats-driven friendship killer -- though, with less than half a year between both iterations, let's say we're skeptical of that claim. The game is being built by racing veterans, and Shift developers, Slightly Mad Studios for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. This morning's press release says to expect the game in "spring 2011," which is pretty close to the previously reported Q1 2011 window. So, are you more of a Hot Pursuit or a Shift 2 kind of gamer?
