Need for Speed (NFS) is a series of racing video games published by Electronic Arts (EA). The game has come a long way (spanning almost two decades) and with the upcoming Need for Speed: Most Wanted, (to be released on October 30, 2012, for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC) it seems only fit to backtrack several years and dive briefly into a few facts about each installment in the franchise.
If you haven't already, be sure to brush up on the First Generation and Second Generation of the franchise.
Now, time to change gears and speed on over to the third generation of Need for Speed:
Third Generation
Need for Speed: Shift (2009)
Shift is definitely geared towards the hardcore gamer-style audience and players can appreciate the much more realistic car handling. There are over 60 cars available which are divided into 4 tiers: Average cars, performance cars, supercars, and hypercars. The in-car view returns for the first time since Porsche Unleashed and is highly detailed. For example, during a crash, it affects the player's visuals resulting in a temporary blur on screen-which only adds to the gaming experience.
Need for Speed: Nitro (2009)
The only game to date in the franchise to not be made for the PC; instead it was designed for the Nintendo DS and Wii. The game places emphasis on speed and excitement, rather than realism or vehicle tuning and the Wii version lets up to four racers compete in a drag race.
Need for Speed: World (2010)
Focus much more on illegal street racing, tuning and police chases, which you may remember in Most Wanted and Carbon. Classic MMO elements are also added to the mix, such as special abilities. The map has redesigned graphics and contains new locations to make travel between two cities easier.
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
Gameplay is set in the fictional Seacrest County, where players can compete in several types of races. Players can be a cop or racer and features full career mode for both roles. Hot Pursuit is the highest-rated game in Need for Speed history; According to EA, the game has sold more than 8.5 million copies on all platforms combined.
Shift 2: Unleashed (2011)
Unleashed features three new primary additions: an in-helmet camera, night-time racing and the Autolog feature introduced in its predecessor, Hot Pursuit. There are more than 140 licensed vehicles available for racing and tuning. During the month of April 2012, the game was made available for download to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Need for Speed: The Run (2011)
The first game in Need for Speed history to allow players to travel on foot in quick time events. The Limited Edition of the game features three exclusive cars: the Lamborghini Aventador, Porsche 911 Carrera S, and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. IGN gave the game a 6.5 out of 10, "Okay" rating, stating "All this awesome racing action gets somewhat lost amid the nonexistent story, the dumb/scripted AI, the lack of options, and the overall shortness of the game. The Run is not a marathon racing game, it's a quick and dirty drag race."
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012)
During E3 2012, fans were able to view an official live demo of the game on stage by Creative Director Craig Sullivan. It is an upcoming 2012 installment in the series and there is a lot of hope that this game will be more of a success than The Run.
There a question if Most Wanted will be a lot like Burnout, especially when Producer Matt Webster stated that the game is "everything we know about open-world driving, just piling it together. All the best sh-- about Burnout and everything we did in Hot Pursuit, we're smashing them together.
The game will be made available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, PlayStation Vita and iOS and will be released on October 30, 2012 in North America and November 2 in Europe.