Xbox 2 Dated? EA Confirms Titles
SPOnG reports that EA has sent them a letter detailing the next game in
the Need for Speed franchise, titled Need For Speed: Most Wanted. The
game will apparently be very similar to the Underground series, but
this time around will include cops, and police chases, similar to those
found in the previous games.
What's really interesting about this is that, according to SPOnG, EA
has listed the following platforms for release: PS2, Gamecube, PC,
Xbox, and Xbox 2. The game is slated for a simultaneous release on all
platforms sometime between September and November 2005. Now, if SPOnG
is correct, this could mean several things.
The console might be officially called Xbox 2
It will release this falll
It will have EA's full support. (which is kind of a given anyway)
However, the point of interest for me personally is the part that
states that Burnout 4 will be a launch title for the Xbox 2.
http://www.racesimcentral.net/
SPOnG can today exclusively blow the lid on Electronic Arts' next
Need for Speed game, detailing the company's thinking on the leading
franchise update for the first time.
The series will ditch the Underground moniker, with the new game
carrying the title Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The document, leaked to
us last week, states that the multi-platform offering will ship across
the world in September.
Most Wanted will be available for Xbox 2, Xbox, PlayStation 2,
GameCube, PC, PSP and "Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS." A pleasant
added value news snippet details a "...simultaneous ship, with the
Xbox2 platform launching between September and November of 2005." As
to whether the machine will be called 'Xbox2' is unclear, though
the launch period, as dated by the world's leading third-party
publisher, can now be penned in.
The ten-page document SPOnG received details a game that is not really
too different from the Underground duo, with one key difference: Most
Wanted takes the series back to its roots, with police chases making up
the body of the gameplay.
The product sheet reads:
Outwit cops
Visual customisation to manage your 'heat meter'
Epic Hollywood-style police pursuits with up to 15 cop cars on screen
Skill-based cop evasion and upgradable evasion technology
Interactive environments conducive to eluding cops
There is also a rap-sheet system, in which a player's notoriety is
upped by performing more dangerous manoeuvres in the view of following
police.
Eight game modes are promised:
Multiple point races
Toll booth races
Speed trap photos
Outrun
Outrun best route
Circuit
Sprint
Knockout - Cost to state, pursuit milestones and headlines
Milestones
Four 'distinct regions' will be offered, along with real time
weather and an evolving environment. There will be no racing during the
nighttime, with all the action taking place between sun up and sunset.
Online play will be included with what is described as a 'similar
feature set to NFSU2' though this time, world-wide play will be
included with no conflict between the North American and European
versions.
Around 100 motors will be on offer. 'Asian import (tuners), ***s,
American muscle and Euro imports," as detailed by EA.
The game will take on the new black in videogame and movie aesthetics,
using a bleach bypass filter. The look of NFSMW will see a simple
colour palette with high contrast, with more silver and darker blacks,
all avoiding de-saturation. This new graphical twist will form part of
the key sales message for the game.
And that's about all for now. There is detailed marketing information
which simply isn't relevant so we'll leave all that (rather
embarrassing) stuff out.
Oh one more thing. Burnout 4 is slated for Xbox 2 launch, as mentioned
in the marketing considerations section from EA.
We'll post screens, hopefully of a higher quality than scans from our
hard-copy document, if and when they arise.