Latest NFS News

As promised yesterday, earlier this evening, EA announced their next Need for Speed game for 2013: NFS Rivals is the name, and it's the first NFS game to appear on the next console generation (PS4 and Xbox One). Aside from those platforms, Rivals is also planned to appear on PS3, X360 and PC on November 19 of this year.
Below are the first moving images, a 35 second 'teaser' trailer:



The game uses EA's Frostbite 3 engine and is developed by the new studio Ghost Games (previously known as EA Gothenburg), in partnership with Criterion. One of the biggest surprises, probably, is the return of Ferrari after having been out of NFS games for a long time. In NFS Rivals, players can choose to be either cop or fugitive, and will be able to seamlessly flow from singleplayer into multiplayer gameplay thanks to a new feature called All-drive.
More information, screenshots and the ability to pre-order the game can be found at EA's new Need for Speed Rivals page.

Just a couple of hours ago, EA published the following screenshot from a (so far) unknown game on their Need For Speed Facebook page:


(click for full size)

along with the caption: Have no rules, show no mercy.

No further information was given, but it's very likely we're looking a a teaser for this year's edition of Need For Speed. More news is expected around this year's E3 in Los Angeles on June 11-13.

Update:
Today, May 22, yet another screenshot was posted, surprisingly featuring a brand we haven't seen in a Need for Speed game for quite some time. The Caption:
The Rivalry Begins. Learn More on May 23rd.


(click for full size)

Yesterday, EA announced not one, but THREE separate DLC packs for Criterion's NFS: Most Wanted. All three packs are available right now for X360 and PS3, and will appear for PC on March 12th. Each DLC pack features 5 new cars, each with their own events, milestones, etc.

Terminal Velocity is the only pack that actually expands Fairhaven city by adding the new International Airport region to the map. Next to the 4 'compact' cars such as the BMW 1M and the Alfa Romeo Mito, it contains the 2013 production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder as the new 'Most Wanted' car. It costs US$ 14,99 or 1200 MS points.

Need For Speed Heroes features 5 signature cars from previous NFS games such as Eddie's Skyline R34 GT-R from NFS Underground (2003) and the Lamborghini Diablo SV from the NFS3: Hot Pursuit (1998). The BMW M3 GTR from the original Most Wanted (2005) is the new Most Wanted (heh) car. The pack costs US$ 9,99 or 800 MS points.

Movie Legends offers 5 cars directly inspired by famous cars Chase movies, such as James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger) or the Firebird Trans-Am from Smokey And The Bandit. The Most Wanted car here is the 1967 "Eleanor" Shelby Mustang GT500. Available for US$ 9,99 or 800 MS points.

You can also buy all three sets together for US$ 24,99/2000 MS points in the so-called 'Deluxe Bundle'.

The first DLC pack for Criterion's NFS: Most Wanted has been announced yesterday. "Ultimate Speed" sounds like a fitting name if you look at the 5 new cars it will offer:
- McLaren F1 LM
- Lamborghini Aventador J
- Pagani Zonda R
- Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse
- Henessey Venom GT
On top of that, the DLC pack will contain 25 new races and speed runs, as well as over 70 new speed themed milestones.
The Ultimate Speed Pack will be available on December 18 on XBOX Live for 800 MS points, and on Playstation Network and Origin (PC) for $9.99.

Some two weeks after Criterion's Most Wanted hit the shops, EA has now released a single player demo for console players who are still wondering if they should give the game a try. Featured cars are the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Porsche 911 Carrera S, Audi R8 GT Spyder and Ford Focus RS500.
As of today, the demo should be available on both PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. If you're not tired of MW trailers yet, here's one EA made for the occasion:

According to our affiliate site NFS Planet and EA, Criterion is working on a patch for the PC version of Need For Speed: Most Wanted. Below is the list of fixes planned for this patch:

• Microsoft XBOX 360 and Logitech RumblePad2 controller no longer start vibrating after finishing a Speedlist, even when having the vibration mode off
• Certain button bindings are no longer being forgotten after restarting the game
• The game is now syncing properly again after Origin was switched between Online and Offline mode a few times
• The HUD no longer disappears when editing license plates under some circumstances
• Everyone who pre-ordered Need for Speed Most Wanted should now have access to the bonus content in-game
• The game no longer hangs on the loading screen whilst accepting an invite under some circumstances
• The game should now uninstall properly without leaving certain .dll files behind

No release date has been specified, yet

As of today, October 30, Criterion's NFS Most Wanted is officially available online or in the shops in North America. The release for Australia and Europe is planned for November 1 and 2 respectively (although some shops claim to offer the game before those dates - may be worth a look).
For that occasion, here's the official launch trailer, in case you hadn't seen it yet:



Meanwhile, the first reviews are rolling in. At the time of writing, NFS Most Wanted (X360/PS3 version) has scored an average of 85/100, based on 20 reviews so far:
NFS MW on Metacritic

Less than two weeks to go before Most Wanted 2012 comes out, here is the official TV ad as it just appeared on the internet. Just because I thought it was cool to see some real-life Need For Speed in action.

Sounds too good to be true..? Well, it's actually not an exaggeration: earlier this week it was announced that EA's new studio, EA Gothenburg, is looking for new staff to develop the next Need For Speed after Criterion's Most Wanted, scheduled to appear in 2013. This new Swedish studio started up in March of this year, and is focusing on developing future games powered by the Frostbite 2 engine. Just check out EA Gothenburg's site.

What especially caught my eye was the fact that they're looking for new Vehicle Artists. If you ever wanted an opportunity to show EA your skills as a car creator... you never know until you've tried, right?

I know I'm late with this (sorry for that), but in case you hadn't seen them yet, here are the latest two official NFS: Most Wanted trailers as released last week and this week. The first one focuses on Single Player mode, and gives us some more insight on the possible performance upgrades. The second, shorter trailer is all about escape tactics during a police chase.
With Criterion's Most Wanted being just over a month away from release(October 30th), these vids show the game in a nearly-finished state, and are always nice for a game of spot-the-new-cars.