EA, in conjunction with GGL and AutoTrader, announced the Need For Speed Shift Gaming Competition on December 4th. The Competition will run through March 7th and challenge the top video game racers in the world to compete in the ultimate driving competition. The Top 4 players will play in a live final at Black Box’s studio in Vancouver.

Why should you care? Well, if you’re a racing fanatic, there are $40,000 in prizes to be won and the grand prize winner will receive $30,000 for a car on AutoTrader.com! The top 4 finalists will receive a trip to Vancouver to compete!

If you’re interested, you should totally sign up. Need more info? Check out their website to learn more. Good Luck!

Hey guys!

Need for Speed Shift’s Community Podcast just went live – the 100 Million Special. In order to celebrate, the NFS team has invited Vehicle Styling Director Andy Blackmore to chat about his work on the game and his experiences with EA since he joined back in 1999. Check out the Podcast here. Other news: if you go to MyCokeReqards you can get a free code to unlock the Coke Zero Dodge Viper SRT10 for the game! Check out the NFS Facebook Page for more info. Curious about the game? Check out our review here.

Need for Speed Shift is out and we have a new walkthrough video highlighting Kent, England’s Brands Hatch. Brands Hatch was originally a dirt track for motorcycles but is now an extremely technical .7 km course with a mixture of high and low speed corners and some very deadly drops. The level is a pain in the butt, so check out the video.

For any readers heading over to California, be sure to go to the Irwindale Speedway on Saturday (Oct 17), since there will be a Need for Speed booth at the Formula D Round 7 Championship. Pro drift racers will compete to see who can post the best lap in the Royal Purple Need for Speed Shift Time Attack Challenge, so be sure to check them out. If you want to read our review of Need for Speed Shift, check it out here.

When I picked up my copy of Need for Speed: Shift, I didn’t know what to expect. The previous arcade-based racing games were entertaining, but this game seemed like something different. And I was right. Need for Speed: Shift is incredibly different from other entries in the series, but different in the best way possible. The game is not a straight up simulation racing game, but is instead a hybrid between arcade racing and simulation. You get to race around 18 different tracks using a variety of cars and varying levels of difficulty.

Let me first address the graphics. Shift has great graphics and the driving is very smooth. The arenas are very realistic and the colors and ads placed on the side of the track are very well designed. Overall, the graphics are first rate and definitely enhance the experience. The graphics themselves are on par with Gran Turismo, and I’m very pleased by the amount of visual detail that went into making this game.

As I mentioned before, Shift is VERY different from previous Need for Speed titles, since there is no real story. You’re just a racer going around racing. The simplicity of abandoning the premise actually elevates the game. There are still cut scenes, but they are usually before the round begins and show other racers driving around. As you play, you earn money to buy more upgrades and new cars so that you can continue racing. There are 72 cars to unlock, which means hours of repeated game play–though that is far fewer than its competitor, something to note. As you race around the track arrows mark the path you need to travel to earn precision points. As you earn precision points, you can also brutalize the other drivers by ramming into them and knocking them off the road, earning yourself some aggression points in the process. The game’s Driver Profile tracks the player’s evolution as a driver from one event to another through Career and Online Play. As you improve and unlock more and more cars and upgrades, you start to experience the Total Customization system. Shift allows you to totally customize almost every aspect of the car so that you are in full control. Choose your car and bring it to the track to see how it does against your opponents.

There are numerous modes to play in when you start the game: Driver Duel, Manufacture Races, Series, Endurance, Race, Drift, Time Attack, Hot Lap and Lap/Time Eliminator. These various modes are similar but change the game play enough so that the game doesn’t get boring. As you win more and more rounds, you collect some badges which help with your stats and highlight your achievement levels. This makes adds an arcade like aspect to the game which is one of the few places where the original Need for Speed Series shines through.

When you race, you can play from a third person perspective or play from the first person. The first person view from the car’s cockpit is one of the highlights of the game. The developers put a lot of detail into the cockpit experience and it definitely pays off. Crashing into a barrier causes the screen to go grey and blur as you, and the in game driver, breathe in sharply. The stress on remaining realistic is noticeable, especially when crashing into another car. When you crash into your opponent you leave scraps and paint on the other car, and the frame becomes proportionally more damaged as you progress. When you drive at high speeds, the car speeds up to an extremely realistic manner which, at times, can be quite the shock. Even though you’re using a controller and not a wheel, you’ll certainly think you’re really driving the car. Another strong point is the soundtrack. We’ve known the track list for a month or so, but they way it is used in the game are very effective. The soundtrack is going to keep players entertained throughout their replays.

While the game itself is almost a love letter to simulation racing, there are certain areas which stood out as somewhat underdeveloped. I was disappointed to find that there was solely an online multiplayer mode and that I would not be able to go head-to-head with my friends on the same console. While this removes split screen problems, it also means that the only way you’re going head-to-head with a friend is if you’re online. When you are speeding down the track at high speeds, the controls can become a bit insensitive, especially when used in conjunction with the direction arrows on the track. When speeding, it becomes hard to judge turns, so you need to be aware that the controller won’t respond as quickly. That, in conjunction with the Auto correct feature, can be a hassle when you’re trying to win a level but the controls lock up and you’re not going as fast as you want to because the directional arrows indicate you should slow down. That will leave you fairly frustrated when you miss first place by a hair because of it. When you’re happy, this game can be the greatest game in the world, but it can definitely sour if the controls get in your way. And after a while, the announcer gets a bit annoying since his monotonous British accent is the equivalent of Michael Sheen saying the same thing over and over again until it gets ridiculous. The emphasis on drifting can also get annoying, but overall the game is solid.

This game is easily one of the best racing games I’ve ever played but it also calls into question the future of Need for Speed. Will they continue to make arcade based Need for Speed after Nitro comes out on Wii this month? Or will they continue making simulation racers along the lines of Shift? It’s a very interesting question which will probably be answered over the next few months.

Blast Factor: This is a great racing game. There are a few flaws, but the attention to detail and the racing experience all negate the few problems you’ll have with it. As a complete about-face from previous entries, this game stands up to Gran Turismo and Forza and definitely holds its own. It doesn’t have as many cars and tracks but the gaming experience will keep you coming back for more.

This version of Need for Speed: Shift appears on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and retails for $59.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for review purposes.

Need for Speed Shift has come out and I gotta say, I’m incredibly excited to try out the game. The Need for Speed M3 Missions are over, and if you won, Congratulations! I know alot of people didn’t win, but if you’re on the fence about actually going to pick up the game, check out the new demo which just got posted on Xbox Live and the PSN. If you like it, let us know and comment below (and then go buy a copy)! Check back over the next week for our review of the game.

Electronic Arts today revealed that a demo for “Need For Speed: Shift” on Xbox 360 and PS3 is due out this Thursday, October 1.

In the demo PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers will be introduced to the game’s first-person crash mechanic, the beautiful cockpit view, and the all-new driver profile, a system that builds a unique persona based on the style and skill of the player, while racing around Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and the tight city circuit of London River in these 5 varied speed demons.

1. BMW M3 (E46)

1. 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10

3. 2006 Lotus Elise 111R

4. 2008 Nissan GT-R

5. 2006 Pagani Zonda F (unlockable)

PC gamers don’t fret. As we previously mentioned, a demo for you guys has been around for a week now. Check it out here and if you missed our hands-on impressions with the game, read ‘em here.

Hey everyone. It’s been a grueling week but you’re now at the end. The final mission is at hand and gives you one last shot to win a free copy of Need For Speed Shift. 33 winners will receive a copy of NFS, and one lucky winner will win an Xbox 360 console and racing wheel. The mission is incredibly simple and gives you a bit of free reign. You just have to twitter about why you need a copy of NFS. Tweet NeedforSpeed and begin the tweet with “I have the Need for Speed bc “¦..” Just remember to include your #NFS hashtag number for a shot at the prize. The last mission is valid until 11:59 PM PST, so you have a few hours. Don’t delay though, since alot of people will probably want to a free copy of the game! Congratulations to the past week’s winners and good luck to all of you! For more information, read the rules here.

Comment below if you won!

Mission 4 of the NFS Twitter Sweepstakes is here which means another chance to be a winner. For this mission, attempt to get a‚ celebrity‚ to retweet your #NFS tweet.‚ There will be 34 winners. 33 winners will get a Need For Speed SHIFT gift bag and one winner with the biggest celebrity retweet will get tickets to the Need For Speed soundtracks artist’s show. And‚ as always‚ don’t forget to insert the #NFS hashtag.

You can find the list of celebrities right here.

Happy Tweeting!

Check back for a new mission tomorrow, as you’re running out of time to be in the running for that BMW M3.

Let the second mission begin! Today’s mission is not as easy as yesterdays, but to compensate they are giving away 51 prizes! The first 51 to complete the mission get a Need for Speed Shift gift bag and one lucky winner will get a pair of concert tickets to a show by one of the artists on the NFS Shift soundtrack. Sound good? Ok, here’s what the mission entails:

Go on Google Maps Street View and find a BMW. Take a screenshot and tweet it toward NeedforSpeed with the #NFS hashtag. Simple, but harder than yesterdays. Get on it! For a better shot at finding a BMW…check a dealership.

For more rules and details, check them out here.

I’ve been dying to try out Need For Speed Shift, and now the M3 Missions Sweepstakes is definitely going to motivate me. The Need for Speed twitter account is currently being used to springboard a M3 Missions Sweepstake. Run from Monday the 21st at 3 P.M EST and going until the 25th at 2:59 A.M EST, there will be ongoing missions given out daily. The more missions you complete, the better your chances of winning a BMW M3, copies of Need for Speed Shift, an Xbox 360, wireless racing wheel, free EA games for a year among other cool prizes. Each person can get up to 5 entries (one per mission) and can try to score big. Normally giveaways are a waste of time but I think this one shows a lot of potential considering it’s giving away a lot of really awesome stuff. I’ll be trying my luck starting Monday. For more information follow Need for Speed Shift on Twitter or check the website doling out the missions here.‚  You should know that you need to be following their twitter account in order to be eligible.

The Need for Speed franchise nearly died, that is until SHIFT released this week. High review scores across the board have signaled a return to excellence, but until sales figures come in we’ll remain a tad skeptical.

However if you’re in the market to try before you buy, Electronic Arts released a Need for Speed: Shift demo for the PC version today.

In the demo you’ll traverse the world-famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and‚  city circuit of London River in a BMW M3 (E46), 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10, 2006 Lotus Elise 111R, and a 2008 Nissan GT-R, with a a fifth available, the sleek and stylish 2006 Pagani Zonda F, if you collect enough stars with the others.

Worry not Xbox 360 and PS3 racing fans, as Electronic Arts is promising a demo for you guys in early October.

Download the demo at NeedForSpeed.com

As a racing game fanatic, I need a good soundtrack playing when I’m racing down the tracks. So naturally, I’ll need some aggressive music playing (preferably rock but hip hop will do). Need for Speed: Shift has just announced it’s soundtrack and I’m pleased to see that I won’t need to be listening to my iPod when I race (at least not until the music gets old). The soundtrack features hits from some of my favorite bands like Kasabian, Kanye West and the Eagles of Death Metal. With Need for Speed: Shift coming out in less than a week, I’m sure you’re as excited as I am to find out what the tracks are. Check it out after the jump and be sure to comment about the choice of music.

We’ve just got some new images and a trailer for Need for Speed Shift, the upcoming racing simulation game. The trailer trailer is a sneak preview of the “Road America” track. The teaser trailer highlight s the hardcore sim approach of NFS: Shift. There will be a fantastic arrangement of cars available including cars from Audi, Renault, Bugatti, Volkswagon and, my personal favorite, the Aston Martin among others. Check out the trailer below, then look out our gallery of pictures.

We’ve got some screens and a new trailer for those looking forward to the reboot of the Need for Speed franchise. Today’s update gives us four screens of the Nissan GT-R SpecV racer, which is based off of last year’s Japanese entry in the Supercar. That’s a slick looking vehicle there, whether it’s just sitting around or driving.I think I like it better in blue, myself.

We’ve also got a trailer for you that shows off the Laguna Seca raceway. As this game is a looker, the trailer is in HD for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to check that and see what Shift’s rendition of it looks like.

One last EA related note: through September 17th, EA’s store is running a promotion that will give you 20% off of all EA titles. If you happen to pre-order Need for Speed: Shift during that time period, you will also receive an unlock bonus for BMW’s E92 M3 GT2 racer, as long as you live in the U.S. or Canada anyways.

Need for Speed: Shift, the rebirth of a failing franchise, is due out in just over a month, but today we’ve got some of the most beautiful screenshots we’ve ever seen, and we’ve seen a LOT.

These images, showing off just one of the game’s many drivable vehicles, the Nissan Skyline 2000 GTR, are a testament to EA’s determination in shifting the franchise into high gear in terms of realism. Have a look.

Mega-publisher Electronic Arts released this teaser trailer for the game’s tie-in video series dubbed “Driver Experiences” today, with an obvious goal of loudly proclaiming to the world that Shift is not your mother’s NFS.

Developed by Slightly Mad studios, Shift promises the most realistic physics and gameplay, which is quite a lofty claim, but the studio is also working with seasoned race professionals including Vaughn Gittin Jr., Tommy, Milner, and others, to truly, and hopefully, solidify that claim.

Furthermore, beginning tomorrow, and lasting all day, Need For Speed Shift will take over Youtube’s front page (can’t imagine the bill for that one) and will be a hub for all the exclusive videos, new car reveals, and lots more. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see to see what EA really have up their sleeve!

EA is trying to reinvent the Need for Speed series, and one of their efforts in this process is Need for Speed: Shift. One way they are doing this is by introducing drifting to the series, which you can see explained in the trailer we have included for you. This should make Shift a more realistic driving experience, and allow you to do some pretty fancy things behind the virtual wheel. Once again, I’m impressed by EA’s recent willingness to listen to feedback and overhaul their established franchises.

World Champion drifter (and gamer!) Vaughn Gittin Jr. worked on this title alongside Slightly Mad Studios to make sure that drifting felt just right; the physics of the whole thing look like they are realistic, but Vaughn was there to also make sure the controls felt as close to realistic as is possible on a controller. Don’t be intimidated by the realism though, as there are amateur settings meant to help you become accustomed to the new system, as well as pro settings for those who want to challenge themselves.

We also wanted to let you know that for fans of the series, the Facebook and Twitter pages are now live, which means you can get your slow IV drip of Need for Speed: Shift updates hooked up. There have been a movement as of late to relay new information and media through these official social networking sites before anyone else gets to it, which is reason enough to bookmark them or follow them if you’re into a certain game. If that’s not enough for you, we’ve also got a ton of screens for you that you can peruse at your leisure.

Need For Speed is one of Electronic Arts’ most famed franchises, and rightly so, as for years and years, EA would deliver a new and exciting installment and fans ran for their wallets to seize up copies.

Fast forward to present day, and with lackluster sales and reviews surrounding Undercover most notably, the series was in dire need of a refresher.

Enter Need For Speed: Shift, the latest from developer Slightly Mad Studios. Hailing from London, this development studio, with members pieced together from the team responsible for GTR 1 and 2, is clearly up to the task, but with such high hopes placed upon their shoulders can they succeed?

Shift is going for broke for ultimate realism and immersion with a first-person cockpit camera view and an all new crash mechanic and you’d do well to take a look at these downright sexy screens and videos we’ve included to really get a sense of the whole “this is a brand new intellectual property” idea Electronic Arts is throwing our way. Check out the two trailers EA sent our way below, and let us know what you think.