EA today took the wraps off the next game in their Need for Speed franchise, Shift 2 Unleashed. As with the last entry in the series, Shift 2: Unleashed will be focused more on simulation than on arcadey action. The original Need for Speed: Shift was released in September 2009 and has sold through close to five million copies globally. Shift 2: Unleashed will release in Spring 2011.
No word yet on whether there are any Jedi involved, but why else would EA give it the subtitle of “Unleashed”?
Shift 2: Unleashed will introduce a feature called “the driver’s battle,” which EA bills as “an even more authentic and primal feeling of power and speed which elevates the fundamental competitive race into a struggle for supremacy against other drivers and even the track itself.” While it’s not entirely clear what that means, we do know that Shift 2: Unleashed will feature a first-person cockpit view.
Shift 2: Unleashed has undergone some upgrades from the original outing, including an all-new rendering engine with a massive graphics overhaul. It also has a “helmet camera” view that simulates the physical experience of driving at 200mph, night racing, and authentic degradation of tracks and cars. Shift 2: Unleashed also incorporates the next generation of Need for Speed Autolog, a network that connects friends for head-to-head races and compares player stats.
