Shift 2 Unleashed: Need for Speed

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit may have only just hit store shelves, but publisher EA is already hard at work on the next instalment in the series. Shift 2 Unleashed comes from the same team that brought us 2009's original Need for Speed: Shift. The Need for Speed name will be a more subdued feature of the box art, but this game signifies EA splitting its uber-successful racing franchise into distinct arcade and sim categories, with Shift 2 squarely aiming its sights on the Forza and Gran Turismo series. Has it got what it takes to compete with such heavyweight critical and commercial successes? We went hands-on with the game to find out. Our guide for the demo session was DICE's Marcus Nilsson, Shift 2 Unleashed's executive producer and the man who's overseeing the whole project. DICE may now be best known for the Battlefield series, but at one time it was also the force behind Microsoft's critically acclaimed driving series Rallisport Challenge. Eagle-eyed fans will have also spotted the Swedish studio's involvement in a number of other EA games recently, including Medal of Honor and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Nilsson's role here is to lead London's Slightly Mad Studios through development of the game, under the watchful eye of Electronic Arts senior VP Patrick Soderlund.