Electronic Entertainment Expo - E3 2009

As everyone’s mind moves from E3 and looks towards the next big games show in Germany we wanted to close off the E3 story with some great news from the judges from the event. As you’ll have seen from all the coverage so far people are pretty impressed with both Nitro and SHIFT but both games had particularly good sessions with the judges.

Need for Speed Nitro was voted Best Racing Game for Wii & DS by the guys at IGN.com where they said: “Nitro didn't have much competition this E3, but rather than taking a "default" spot on our best of E3 it defined the category. Bringing an all new development team, engine, and visual style Nitro is 100% Wii, and it's the start of something great for EA and Nintendo's console. Blazing fast visuals (60 frames per second) mixed with some classic arcade drifting to create a package that's more Burnout than classic NFS. It may be alone in its category, but it would have topped the lot regardless.”

IGN.com were big fans of SHIFT as they crowned it the Best Racing Game for PS3 at E3. In their summary they said: “There was a lot of good competition on the racing front this year, but Need for Speed SHIFT outpaced everything else thanks to its incredible dashboard view. Your vision blurs, kicks and reels with smacks from other cars and the environment, and the engine feedback even while you're racing clean is top-notch. All other racers need to take note at how to handle a realistic driving perspective.”

After E3 the Nielsen group ran a survey to find out which games had impressed people enough for them to become ‘instant buys’ upon their release and both SHIFT and Nitro were in the top ten for the most interesting games at the show beating such games as Beatles Rock Band.

Fresh off a successful E3, Producer Jesse Abney sat down with EA.com to talk about the upcoming Need for Speed SHIFT, shipping this fall on PC, PLAYSTATION 3, PSP, and Xbox 360. Read on to learn more about one of the most ground-breaking entries in the legendary Need for Speed franchise.

Q: What’s the concept behind the game and how did it come about?
A: Need for Speed SHIFT is all about the true driver’s experience. The game 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. Players are rewarded for the way they drive--from moment to moment and from race to race whether you’re online or playing through your career.

Q: How does Need for Speed SHIFT differ from other titles in the franchise?
A: One of the features that Need for Speed SHIFT really delivers is the feeling of being behind the wheel. Yes, first person has been done before in other racing games but not to the level of sophistication that Slightly Mad Studios has created. Need for Speed SHIFT uses real-life forces and several mechanisms to communicate the feeling of actually driving a real race car. The player’s head is affected by G-forces that result from heavy breaking, accelerating and cornering. We’ve also added a depth-of-field effect the shifts the driver’s focus depending whether they are speeding up or slowing down. The subtle details are also very important to reinforce the tension and the emotions of racing. For example, the driver’s grip on the steering wheel changes depending on the situation you are in.

There is also an all-new crash dynamic that is a combination of exciting and disorienting screen effects and audio. When the player hits a static object or opponent car, they should feel somewhat hindered by the experience—I liken it to being shot at or a grenade going off in a modern first-person shooter.

Q: What are some of the premier cars we can expect to see in the game?
A: Need for Speed has a long tradition of featuring some of the world’s top cars. With nearly 70 cars available in Need for Speed SHIFT, there’s a ride to suit every player’s taste and driving style. Some of the premier cars in the game include the Lamborghini Reventón, the Bugatti Veyron, and our hero car, the BMW M3 GT2.

Q: What can you tell us about the hero car?
A: The BMW M3 GT2 is a one-of-a-kind race car that competes in American LeMans Series. Without a doubt this spectacular cover car is one of the fastest, most powerful cars ever to be featured in a Need for Speed game.

Q: What's the one thought/feeling about the game you want people to come away from E3 with?
A: Need for Speed SHIFT is the most intense and immersive racing game ever. From perfectly modeled cockpits to an ultra-realistic physics engine, players will feel every bump as they race around some of the world’s top tracks. Plus, our driver profile system analyzes a player’s driving style to create rivalries, trigger specific challenges and even unlock vehicles and customization options for an even more amazing racing experience.

At E3, Need for Speed SHIFT held a competition to win a brand new BMW M3. Mitchell Francis was the eventual winner but we wanted to show you some highlights of the competition.  Check out our video at NeedforSpeed.com...

Congratulations to Mitchell Francis, the winner of the Need for Speed SHIFT Hero Car Competition at E3.

Mitchell was at work when he got the call that he had made it to the finals of the Need for Speed SHIFT Hero Car competition. He just left work, came down to E3 and won! After he won he had to call work to tell his boss why he left and that he won. don't worry though, he still has his job.

We'll be posting complete coverage of the competition in the next few days so keep your eye on needforspeed.com.

This was my first time at E3 and I have to say I did enjoy myself.  There was a ton of work to be done and I didn't get the chance to leave the EA Booth and walk around the show until the last day.

In the end, I did get to walk around and check out what everyone else was showing. First place I hit was the Microsoft Booth; it was pretty nice and they were showing a bunch of games.  I will admit it..I am a geek!  So with that in mind the first game I checked out at the Microsoft booth was the new Star Wars: The Clone Wars game for Xbox 360.  I'm a fan of the animated TV series so naturally I was hoping it would be a good game.  It was pretty sweet.  Totally built for co-op.  I am definitely going to pick it up when it comes out.  I also checked out Split Second and thought it was alright.  It's a really cool concept but I got bored with it pretty quickly.  I really wanted to check out the new motion sensor stuff but the lineup was WAY too long and I didn't have the time to wait.

I next hit the Ubisoft booth and immediately decided that they set up there booth pretty well.  It had a nice flow to it.  I watched some people play the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for Wii.  It's a lot like Super Smash Bros but with turtles.  I'm not sure whether I liked it or not.  I watch some Shaun White snowboarding being played on the balance board.  I have been snowboarding for 15+ years so I was really hoping it would be good.  Unfortunately, it didn't look good and I noticed that people were getting frustrated when they tried to play.  Too bad really.

Right beside the Ubisoft booth was this great big Mech.  Very cool although I'm not sure what game it was for.

After wondering around for a while I came to the Warner Bro. booth where they were showing the new Batman game.  Huge line up to play it but I spoke with a few people about it and everyone I talked to said it was an awesome game.  I'll have to check it out when it comes out.

I wondered around for a while longer in the south hall but played a bunch of game.  One of which was Silent Hill for Wii.  Was not impressed!  Was slow, frustrating, and I keep dying because I couldn't figure out how to turn off the flashlight.  Hopefully they improve it before it ships.

Next, I moved onto the west hall where the Nintendo, Sony and Activision booths were.  On the way there I stopped by the other NFS Shift booth in the corridor between the two halls and chatted with a couple of our booth ladies.  I'll post the videos on needforspeed.com soon!

First booth I checked out in the west hall was the Sony booth.  That booth was REALLY nice.  I liked how they set up all the game in little "room" on the side and keep the man space open.  I played the new Rachet and Klink game for a bit, was fun but a little easy.  I still love the huge amount of weapons in those games.  I really wanted to try God of War 3 but again, a HUGE line up to play and I didn't have the time.  It did look good though, that's for sure.

Next booth I hit up was the Nintendo booth.  In my opinion, it was by far the nicest booth (other than EA's of course...lol) at the show.  It was nice and wide open, tons of games to check out, nice music playing and it was right under the main air conditioning duct for that hall so it was cool.  I must have just chilled there for half an hour or so.  One game highlight from the Nintendo booth was the New Super Mario Brothers game for Wii.  4-player Mario co-op game!  I'll be picking that up for sure!  It was super fun to play.

Remember when I said I got to meet Mario in one of my previous blogs?  Well, I got to me the REAL Mario!  Check it out:

Next I moved onto the Activision booth.  I was pretty cool.  I played Blue for a bit and thought it was ok.  It didn't blow me way except for when I got taken out in a race.  It's an interesting take on a vehicle combat racing game, but I found it a bit frantic and it got a bit boring after a while.  I watched the trailer for Ultimate Alliance 2, I can't wait for that to come out.  It looks awesome!  Venom kicking everyone's @#$ all over the place.  next I went and looked at the new Tony Hawk game.  Well, I hope they can improve it before it ships.  It's a very cool concept but it looked like everyone was having troubles playing it.  I also watched a live on-stage demo of DJ Hero...that looks super cool if you're into that sort of thing.

That was it for my exploring.  I had to get back to the EA Booth to get ready for the Need for Speed Hero Car Competition.  However, when I did get back to the booth I saw that NFS SHIFT got a nomination!!  Woo-hoo!

So there you have it.  I hope that you guys enjoyed my NFSDrew@E3 blogs.  I have a ton more to say but I don't want to make you read on for any longer.  If you want to read more, I'll be posting on the Need for Speed forums all next week.  Before I left for E3 and reached out to our community to see what they wanted me to cover while at E3.  I had a great big list and tried to cover as much of it as I could.  Watch the Need for Speed forums for more blogs on E3 and Need for Speed.

- NFSDrew

On the night of June 3rd, NOS Energy Drink and Need for Speed threw an invite only VIP party in the NOS Energy Drink Gamer's Lounge.  It was really good times!  We had people playing Need for Speed SHIFT, dancing with the NOS girls, and DJ's spinnin' really good music.  The people who won the NFSDrew NOS / NFS Party Twitter give away came down and so did some guys from 360Junkies.com and analoghype.com.

It was a fun night. Check out the video montage of the party below:

When the Need for Speed Shift team joined forces with NOS Energy Drink, good time were sure to follow.   Highlights of the evening included Need for Speed shift gaming stations, an open bar with Vodka and NOS coctails, and a dance-0ff for a free NOS t-shirt.

We would like to especailly thank the guys from 360Junkies and AnalogHype for coming out.  We also hope that all the winners from NFSDrew's twitter give away had a good time as well.

While a lot of stands at E3 rely on booth babes and loud noise to attract people we decided to go another route and held a competition where the best SHIFT driver could leave the show in the driving seat of their very own BMW M3. Unsurprisingly this was very popular with 100's of people taking part in the competition over the past couple of days.

This afternoon the pressure builds as we pick the gamers with the best four times to race again using the BMW M3 GT2 around Autopolis; all four of them knowing only three people are between them and one of BMW's finest cars.

For more details on this competition, visit needforspeed.com.

Day 1 Results

Day 2 Results

Part 1
Greetings again from E3. Today I got to meet Mario and Sonic! Man, I know this is a bit immature of me but I've always wanted to meet Mario. Not so much Sonic but Mario; I tried to tell him to give up on the Princess but he wouldn't listen to me.

Anyways, I spend most of the morning at the EA Booth watching people play Need for Speed SHIFT and Need for Speed Nitro. I love watching people play the game as it really seems like people are enjoying playing them. I was chatting with Jesse earlier and he told me that yesterday he had to (very politely) kick a guy off one of the demo machines because he had been playing for half an hour.

There a couple other things going on here that I can't tell you about until tomorrow but it's been exciting and tomorrow you'll understand why. Today I plan on venturing out onto the E3 floor and finally start checking out some of the other booths here at E3.

I'll let you know how my journey goes later on today...

Part 2
My attempt to leave the EA Booth got as far as half way to the West Wing.  After I took a quick break for lunch I was walking over to the West wing to check out the Sony and Activisions booths.  I really want to go check out Blur and see if I could get my hands on God of War 2.  Unfortunately it wasn't to be...as I walked by our second Need for Speed booth in the corridor between the south and west I saw an opportunity to sit down and chat with a couple of our other NFS Booth Ladies.

Not being one to pass up an opportunity when it presents itself, I took the time to sit down and chat with them.  Kindall and Tanya were realy ncie and fun to chat to.  I asked them if they would be willing to talk to the camera a it for all you Need for Speed fans and they were happy to do it.  You'll see those videos on needforspeed.com in the next couple days, we still have the interview with Jo-Jo to show you.

After a bit, Kindall and Tanya had to get back to the booth considering that they were working, I then went onto with my original purpose to visit the booths in the west hall.  I GOT INTERCEPTED!  A fellow co-worker of mine says "DUDE!  We've been looking for you.  We need you to go back to the booth and get some footage of the [can't tell you yet] so we can [can't tell you yet]."  Being the good guy that I am, of course I went back and took the footage.

It doesn't help that the footage I got was for something very cool that we're going to tell you about tomorrow.

Until then...cheers!

- NFSDrew

During another hectic day I ran into SHIFT's Lead Designer, Andy Tutor and managed to pull him away from the stand floor for a few seconds for a quick interview. It's very brief but you can tell Andy's having a good time.

Visit needforspeed.com to watch the video.

Jesse has been super busy all day but he took the time out to talk to us about Need for Speed at E3.  Visit NeedforSpeed.com to watch the video.

NFSDrew\'s Video Blog

Part 1

This is the first time I've been to E3 and I have to say it is AWESOME! It's completely crazy. When the doors opened that was a horde of people rushing in to get in.

The first thing I wanted to check out was how people we reacting to SHIFT and Nitro. So far the reactions have been really good. Most people are blown away by SHIFT and were super excited to finally get their hands on it. Everyone who played Nitro had a great fun and were pretty hesitant to move on to the next game.

Overall, the first couple hours have been pretty cool. I'm now I'm going to go give away some VIP passes to the NOS Energy Drink / Need for Speed VIP party on Wednesday night.

Part 2

Wow, what are awesome day.  I didn't really get the chance to venture outside of the EA Booth but I enjoyed myself none the less.

Since my last blog I've been pretty busy.  For most of the day I wanted to get some coverage of people enjoying NFS SHIFT and NFS Nitro.  Most of the people who came over and played the game really loved it and went as far to say that it rivals Gran Turismo.

I also finally got some time to sit down with a couple of our lovely booth ladies Jo Jo Chen and Ellen Deng.  You're be able to watch those interviews on needforspeed.com tomorrow.  And don't worry, I'm not in-frame.

When I got the few free moments I did have during the day, I tried out Brutal Legend.  That game is going to be epic!  I only played it for ten minutes but it was enough time to decide that I am absolutely going to buy it when it comes out.

I don't know if you've heard, but NOS Energy Drink and Need for Speed are hosting a invite only VIP party tomorrow night starting at 8pm.  I have a few extra passes for this party and today I tried to give them away through twitter.  What I did was send out tweets detailing where I was on the show floor and the first person to find me won the passes.  Only one person found me today and I didn't make it hard.  If you want a chance to get passes follow @NFSDrew on twitter and watch my tweets tomorrow.

That's about all for today.  Tomorrow is going to be a super busy day so I'm going to sign off for today and head back to my hotel.

-NFSDrew