Since its inception in 1994, Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed franchise has packed in a diverse and highly acclaimed batch of offerings spanning multiple platforms, combining adrenaline-fueled police chases, voluptuous female commentators, and intense, drift-centric street racing.
Although the developers have churned out some decidedly average efforts in recent years—in particular, product quality has fluctuated considerably since the turn of the millennium, cooking up the very best and worst the franchise has to offer—Need for Speed remains unequivocally one of the most prolific video game series to date, and continues to shift copies by the bucket load.
Fast-forward to 2009, and the venerable racer is gearing up for yet another fast-paced outing in the form of the visually stunning Need for Speed: Shift. Aimed specifically at the ‘hardcore’ market, Shift makes a concerted effort to provide a realistic driving simulation experience, as opposed to fluttering in the realms of arcade racing alongside its predecessors.
With this in mind, PSU decided to delve under the hood of this celebrated franchise to take a look at how the series has evolved from a visual standpoint over the past few years. Here, we dissect ProStreet, Undercover, and the forthcoming Shift for your viewing pleasure from a variety of different angles, all of which you can see below.
(Click to enlarge)
Nissan GT-R Close-ups
Drifting
Scenery
Side Cameras
Grill Shots
