Need For Speed series races for home in a trio of new games @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on January 31, 2009

News: Apparently, rumors of Need For Speed's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Electronic Arts has announced that they are working on a trio of new Need For Speed games.

Need For Speed: Shift will challenge the Gran Turismos and Forzas of the world with a real world racer that according to EA is "built by racers for racers." It will be released on the PC, PlayStation 3, PSP and Xbox 360 this Fall.

Arcade racing game fans will also get a chance to feel the Need For Speed when Need For Speed: Nitro is released for the DS and Wii this Fall. EA promises an evolution of the Need For Speed series with Nitro incorporating the best elements of the series.

Finally, EA will be launching a free open world racing game for the PC dubbed Need For Speed World Online. The game will first launch in Asia this Summer, with an American release to follow in the Fall.

More details on all of these games can be found below...

Need For Speed: Shift
Shift into high gear! Designed to deliver a true driver's experience that reflects contemporary motorsports, Need for Speed: Shift is built by racers for racers. Need for Speed: Shift delivers an authentic and immersive driving experience developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with executive producer Michael Mann at Black Box and senior vice president Patrick Soderlund at EA Games Europe. Slightly Mad Studios includes developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2. Need for Speed: Shift replicates the true feeling of racing high-end performance cars like never before. Players are thrust into the heart of the action with immersive and exciting features including a stunningly realistic first-person cockpit view camera and an all-new crash mechanic, providing an unrivaled sensation of the speed and feeling of racing a car on the extreme edge of control.

Need For Speed: Nitro
Developed by EA Montreal, Need for Speed: Nitro for Wii and Nintendo DS will have players of all skill levels hooked from the moment they get into the action, while arcade racing fans will be exhilarated by the deep and challenging gameplay. EA Montreal has already established a strong track record of developing for these platforms and will bring their unique creativity and innovation to the Need for Speed franchise.

Gamers can build up their boost as they drift and drag behind their opponents and use it strategically to change the course of the race, but watch out for the cops! Offering a fresh and unique visual style, the game features a variety of licensed cars which can be fully customized to let the game reflect the player's taste and personality. This evolutionary take on arcade racing, bringing back the best features found in Need for Speed games, comes exclusively to the Nintendo platforms this fall.

Need For Speed World Online
Co-developed by Black Box and EA Singapore, Need for Speed World Online takes the race into the largest open world in the history of Need for Speed Ц designed exclusively for the PC. Beginning in Asia, this Play 4 Free action racing game will give Need for Speed fans access to licensed cars, parts and multiple game modes. Players will prove their racing supremacy through the sophisticated online matchmaking features and fully customize their profile and their ride.

EA's press release cryptically ends "EA and Black Box will have more news about the Need for Speed franchise in the months ahead", even though EA Black Box has little to do with Shift or Nitro. Well, Eurogamer did some digging and found out that EA Black Box is working on another Need For Speed that EA calls "an action game."