The Hunt for Speed

2011 Lexus LFA (Shift 2: Unleashed)

So, PSN is still down and SONY is scrambling on putting the network back together again for the summer. Playstation players are getting bored and tired of waiting. But, look on the bright side! Another exciting Shift 2: Unleashed DLC pack will be online as soon as PSN comes back. This time, it's all about Speedhunters, NFS's realtime magazine. They're bringing 12 new cars, 6 new tracks, and 2 new modes to the game. The one I'm most excited about is the Standing Mile. You guys remember ProStreet and the Speed Challenges we had to complete? That's all back, only this time you won't have to worry about any curves. It's all straight-line speed, which should be useful if you want your car to be seriously fast. The other mode coming is an NFS favorite: Drag Racing. The common, pedal-to-the-metal, hot rod race featuring massive superchargers and intense straight-line speed. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? The DLC will be available May 17 for Xbox 360 (800 MS Points) and whenever PSN comes back on the PS3 ($9.99). Check out the video below to see the action in store for next week.

DLC Madness!

Team Need For Speed Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0

The Legends have come to Shift 2 Unleashed as the first DLC for the game arrives today. Before our present day 911 GT3 RSRs, Matech Ford GT1s, and Nissan R35 GT1s, there was the 911 Carrera RSR 3.0, the Ford Mk. I GT40, and the Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R. Aw, yes, the true legends of the track have returned, and it's your job to master them in order to become a well-rounded racer. The Legends Pack includes a new career map with new events featuring 13 classic cars that you need to hone. Not mention you'll be driving on 5 new classic tracks from the 1950's to the 1980's. Oh, and did I mention that Team NFS drifter Matt Powers will be taking you on in his custom 911 Carrera RSR? If you want that car, you're gonna have to race him for it. The DLC comes out today for Xbox Live and Playstation Network, those PSN members will be getting it later due to the recent hacker shutdown.

Return of the Road Warrior

2011 BMW Z4 GT3

The BMW Z4 GT3 is back, and it's packing more motorsport thrust than it has before. BMW won't tell us the specs yet, but the last had a 4.0-liter 480 horsepower V8 engine, went from 0 to 60 in about 3.4 seconds, and hit 171 MPH. Team NFS took their Z4 GT3 all the way to a victory in the Dubai 24H race. In fact, you can even drive the car in Shift 2 Unleashed, if you beat Patrick Soderlund in it, that is.

2010 BMW Z4 GT3 Team Need For Speed (Shift 2 Unleashed)

But, as for now, the Z4 GT3 will go on sale to private racing companies for $454,000. So, if you own a private racing company, and want to get in on some FIA GT3 action, here's your chance.

Shift 2 Unleashed Car Profiles: Lexus LFA

2011 Lexus LFA

This is by far one of the best cars you will drive in this game. It's the most expensive Japanese production car ever created with a base price of $375,000 ($250,000 in the game). It's the fastest production car out of Japan with a top speed 202 MPH. Most importantly, it's a Toyota. Ever since it was unveiled, the Lexus LFA has proven to be all that and more. I've only driven the car in real life and in Gran Turismo 5 and both test drives were very good. So, because of Shift's unmanageable handling, of course you would think that this car would be terrible in this game. Hah! Think again!

'Ring Thrashing

I gave this car a proper thrashing at the Nürburgring and found it quite surprising how it handles corners so gracefully. It's looks you don't even have to think about it. You do have to be precise though, or else it will eat you alive. But, because the car was mainly built from lightweight Carbon Fiber and Aluminum, it's quite dainty (3263 lb.) and stable for an FR (front-engine rear drive) car. In a straight line, with the Launch Control engaged, it will do 0 to 60 in just 3.5 seconds and hit 202 MPH. The brakes on this car are phenomenal. After just thrashing it around the 'Ring, I wasn't really getting tired at all. They are that good.

Highway Speeding

After I had fun on the 'Ring, I took it home to Tokyo to have more fun. I also entered it in a few races. No one, not even the those Turbocharged ricers could keep up with me. Now I have to compare it to the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, since I have driven it and it is the LFA's closest rival. Both cars have the same amount of horsepower, the same top speed, the same number of cylinders, and the same number of car reviewer praises. The only thing that makes the LFA much better than the Gallardo is that it's more exciting. The Gallardo has the grip, the power, and the goods, but after driving it for a while, you'll get bored. As for the LFA, you can drive it for 11 hours and you'll never get tired. And, since it's a rear wheel drive car, you can pull some insane drift angles with it. It just goes to show; rear-wheel drive is more fun.

Sexy, isn't it?

The LFA is a well-rounded supercar with a passion for perfection. If it wasn't so ridiculously expensive, it would've been the supercar of the century. But, since Lexus put in 10 good years perfecting this car, they call it their masterpiece, and only want the true and fortunate driving around in one of these. So if you're true and fortunate, and have about $400,000 to spare, you can hurry up and get a real one. Or, you can just buy Shift 2 Unleashed for $60.00, get this car, and start having fun in it in no time. Your choice.

P.S: I'd go for the second one ;-)

Shift 2 Unleashed: Review

2010 BMW 135i Coupe

So, once again, Need For Speed has decided to get under Gran Turismo's nose with their own realistic sim game. This time, they say it's the most realistic racing game ever created. You will be able to feel the tension as a you drive at 200 MPH through a narrow straight. You will feel the terror as you navigate your way through the dark while racing against other aggressive drivers. You'll sit at the edge of your seat as you battle for first place against another racer. These are just the many descriptions people have told me about the game, so, of course, I had to experience this for myself. And guess what? I did, and more!

2010 Audi R8 4.2 FSI Quattro

I played the first Shift when it came out about two years ago and I didn't really like it as much as I thought I would. The handling was no where close to realistic and the physics were a bit deformed. But, a majority of NFS fans loved it, so they brought it back. And, I'm happy to report that this game has greatly improved. The handling is still slightly drifty, but you'll be able to find grip through corners. The physics have greatly improved as well. The cars are more stable at high speeds and you'll be able to control them more. The damage models are more refined for each car which makes them better to look at. For the first time ever, wheels and bumpers will fall off instead of having your car smushed up into a cube. They've even put in the automatic features that were absent in the last game. At long last, you can see the hydraulic spoiler rise up off your Bugatti Veyron at 200 MPH. You'll be able to the airbrake flaps rise as you brake into a corner in your Pagani Huayra. I don't know about you, but that looks absolutely awesome!

2011 Lamborghini Reventon Interceptor

As for gameplay, this game is much more exciting than the old Shift. For once, you'll stand at the edge of your seat as you race for first place. The eerie journey music from 30 Seconds to Mars and Switchfoot that have been accompanied with the game also provide another level of excitement. The drivers you race against aren't your boring Gran Turismo AI that just find the racing line and drive fast. These drivers are aggressive. If they find an opening, they will take it. If you block them, they'll fight you until they leave you in the dust. You're gonna need skill, aggression, and speed if you're gonna stay in first. Speaking of speed, there are 140 cars in this game that each will deliver enough speed for every event in the game, from the beginner's level all the way to the Works Championship, and even the FIA GT1 Championship. Each car has been styled almost flawlessly by the guys at Slightly Mad Studios, from the Alfa Romeo 8C to the VW Golf Mk. I GTI. They've even included some hot pursuit cars like this Lamborghini Reventon Cop Car, the Pagani Zonda Cinque HP Roadster, and, get this, the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept Study. You can even customize the 918 to look like an open top GT car. In fact, you can convert almost every car into a Works GT car if you have enough money and enough parts. You can customize everything in the car, including engine swapping your car's engine with a much more powerful car. For example, I was customizing my Audi R8 and I found out that I can swap my 420 horsepower 4.2-liter FSI V8 engine with a 500 horsepower 5.2-liter FSI V10 engine from the Audi R8 LMS. That's pretty sick, but Forza ricers have been doing this for years now.

Bugatti vs. Gumpert: a Race of the Hypers

As for online play, I am pleased to report that Autolog has been brought back for more online fun. Autolog helped make Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit one of the best online games of last year, so, of course you would expect NFS to make it better for Shift 2, and they did. Since you can tune your cars in this game, this will be key when trying to beat your friends time records or drift scores. Then again, it's all in the fingers and wrists so make sure you drive well. As far as sharing goes, you can now share screenshots taken from the game. You can even share iconic replays of one of your best races. You can also compare profiles to see who has more badges. I mean, there's nothing in this game that you can't share with friends. Sharing is caring, right?

Lexus LFA Race

When I review racing games, I try to compare them to driving in real life. I always ask myself this question: will this game help me become a better driver? My answer: yes, somewhat. There is a lot of realism to go with this game that will help you realize how dangerous racing can be if you're not careful. As far as driving goes, this game can help you become a better driver, that is if you don't mess around with it. In some ways it can't though. The handling is still too drifty and on some long curves where you're supposed to grip the racing line, you instead slide the whole way, which can get quite irritating. But, nevertheless, there is more grip in this game than in its predecessor which makes it very good.

LFA vs. Gallardo: V10 Supercar Duel

So, comparing this to Gran Turismo 5 or Forza Motorsport 3, I think Shift still has a lot of ground to cover if it wants to compete with them. But, this game has shown some potential and it definitely has taken some sips of reality. So, I'm giving this game 4.5 stars out of 5 because it's real, it's exciting, and it's much better than the last one. Well done, NFS!

Midnight Launch

Shift 2: Unleashed: Need For Speed

Forget Hot Pursuit. Forget Gran Turismo. Forget any arcade racing game you've played or you used to play. THIS IS REAL. You're in the Driver's Seat. It's time for you to make your way up. You've got one run. Make a mistake, and it will cost you big time. Shift 2: Unleashed is out. Go get your copy and see if you can survive racing at its realest. I'll review this game very soon.

Shift 2 meets Hot Pursuit

2011 Lamborghini Reventon SCPD Interceptor

Truthfully speaking, NFS Hot Pursuit was one of THE best games EA has ever produced, and Slightly Mad Studios has decided to honor that game with a couple of VIP Rewards for Shift 2: Unleashed. If you have the game saved on your EA Account on any platform, you will receive this exclusive Lamborghini Reventon with the SCPD livery for use in the game. It has all the performance data of the regular Reventon, just with a cop car livery. Who wouldn't want that? And, as an added bonus, EA will let you drive your first open top supercar in the game.

2011 Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster NFS Edition

This Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster was specially built by Pagani for NFS with custom paint and livery. Only one exists in the real world, and it's a hardtop. Feel honored that you'll get to drive the only drop top Zonda Cinque NFS Edition in the world. Also, EA will give you 1000 Experience Points and an extra $10,000 towards a new car. So, if you haven't pre-ordered Shift 2: Unleashed yet, but you have NFS Hot Pursuit, you might as well pre-order it now if you want to get your hands on these cars.

A Bugatti Veyron GT-1?

2011 Bugatti Veyron Works (Shift 2: Unleashed)

Just imagine how different motorsport would be if the earth's most powerful road car, the Bugatti Veyron, ever went into the FIA GT Racing field. Astons would never be able to catch it. Maserati and Ferrari would just give up after 5 minutes. Porsche would start making an unsuccessful competitor, and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, there are rules and regulations that the Veyron has to meet in order to become a full-fledged race car and it meets none of them. Bugatti had the opportunity to make the Veyron meet these requirements, but they decided not to take it, lest the car loses its title as the fastest car in the world. So, in the real world, the Veyron will always remain on public roads. But, in the Shift 2 world, Veyrons will have the freedom to be driven on public roads and full-scale race tracks whether they look standard or if they've been kitted out with this GT-1 works package. It will be quite interesting to see how many races you'll win with this car tuned to the max. You'll only experience this in Shift 2: Unleashed, coming in about 2 weeks.

Shifting to the Next Level

2011 Lexus LFA (Shift 2: Unleashed)

Need For Speed never fails to disappoint. Just recently, they unveiled a few of the 120 cars that you will be able to drive in their newest installment Shift 2: Unleashed. It's already just spectacular, not just because they've brought this Lexus LFA in. Everything about the game seems so real, but NFS still wants you to have fun with it. Anyway, some stats about the car: 552 horsepower 4.8-liter V10 engine, top speed = 202 MPH, 0 to 60 = 3.6 seconds. This car was deemed an exclusive to real world eyes due to its price of $375,000, but NFS wants you to try the car out for yourself. And since they've implied real world physics in the game, you'll be able to feel how Toyota carefully built this car. And, as always, NFS will allow you to customize this ridiculously-priced exotic car. Because, hey! Who wouldn't want their LFA to look like this?

2011 Lexus LFA GT (Shift 2: Unleashed)

Probably Paris Hilton, who by the way has one in real life. No, it's not pink. It's yellow. That's a good color. But anyway, no matter what color you choose, this is still an excellent racing machine. Prepare to enter the driver's seat as Shift 2 launches in three weeks from today.

NFS Goes Radical

2010 Radical SR3 RS (Shift 2: Unleashed)

Need For Speed has officially gone radical. When I say Radical, I mean they've introduced Radical into their line of cars in Shift 2: Unleashed. This Radical SR3 RS features a nerdy 1.3-liter Inline-4 engine producing 210 horsepower. But, since it's so light and nimble, 0 to 60 is done in just 3.8 seconds making this the quickest 4-cylinder car on earth. The top speed of this is about 150 MPH. Radical has been known for creating record breaking cars for the Nürburgring. In fact, this car's big brother, the SR8, set a time on the 'Ring of 6:48 making it the fastest street-legal production car on the 'Ring, right behind the race-ready Zonda R. It's nice to see a purebred racing machine hit the streets of NFS Shift. I'm surprised they aren't trying to make this into a Gran Turismo, because it looks like it's turning into that.