NFS ProStreet Video Analysis | An In-depth Look

EA Blackbox has taken NFS ProStreet in a new direction - the right one. The recent NFS series have been sub par at best. While I enjoyed Most Wanted and Underground 2, but I can't say the same for Carbon.

A couple of trailers have been released. Here's what I like so far: 

1. The physics engine: The previous NFS games lacked an important element - the physics. Sure its an arcade racer but you need the rudimentary physics at the very least. No, I am not saying that turn NFS into Gran Turismo or Project Gotham Racing. What I am saying is that if I drive a car, it should feel like one and handle accordingly. I am sick of pulling off all those corners at excessively high speeds - it's plain dumb. While I don't know whether the cars handle realistically in ProStreet but I can sure say one thing - the crashes rock! Which brings me to my next point.

2. Realistic damage models: Now, the car makers won't like it, but I sure love crashing an expensive car (in videogames, that is)! EA has acquired rights to apply damage models to these licensed cars which means even more realistic damages. Gone are the days of minor scrapes and broken rearview mirrors. We're talking about body transformations that truly mimics what you'd expect if you drove a Mazda head long into a wall at 150 mph.

3. Sense of speed: The fast paced action packed races are back in NFS ProStreet. From what I saw, you really do feel like driving a fast sports car. I hope they feature motion blur this time.

4. A change of locale: What does NFS Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted and Carbon have in common? They are all about illegal racing in cities. While it rocked in Underground and Underground 2, but the midnight racing theme is getting a bit - um, I don't know - a bit boring. So kudos to EA for making the switch to daylight locations and not making me drive in a city all again.

5. Getting rid of those cheesy cut scenes they called a story line: They might have worked in Underground and Most Wanted but Carbon was a laugh off. I barely went through them - all I want is some good old fashioned racing. But the racing girls are hear to stay (thanks!) and EA hinted that there will be some sort of persuasion to keep players going for more.

6. Smoke effects: I just love what I saw - the burning of rubber and getting to see the smoke as it fills the air. This is a new feature in the NFS franchise. Hope they handle it properly and not blow it off.

Now that's not to say that I like everything in NFS ProStreet. I was a bit disappointed with what I saw in one trailer - the way that the cars drove off the cliffs - they seemed a bit too flimsy for my likings. Anyway, don't take my word for it. Head on to Gametrailers and see them yourself. Can't wait for NFS ProStreet to release this October.

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Grand Theft Auto IV delayed until spring 2008

Take-Two announced on Thursday that GTA4 for PS3 and Xbox 360 would be delayed until April 2008 at the earliest due to requiring additional development time. As a result, company shares (not to mention gamer hopes) dropped 13 percent on the news.

"Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

"We are very disappointed to reduce guidance after having previously reaffirmed it," added chief executive Ben Feder in a statement to investors.

The game, originally scheduled for release in October, will miss out on big holiday sales, likely dealing a blow to both Microsoft and Sony in the process as Grand Theft Auto IV was expected to be one of year's biggest selling games.

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Metal Gear Solid 4 Coming to Xbox 360

Rumor update : Is Metal Gear Solid 4 really coming to the Xbox 360?

Long time Play Station exclusive Metal Gear Solid might be headed for the Xbox 360. Although there were no announcement in E3 about MGS4 for the 360, but this rumor has re-surfaced once again now that an official source has written about it.

A reliable source has tipped off the Official Xbox Magazine that Metal Gear Solid 4 is indeed headed for the Xbox 360. The game will be ported by a separate team. That explains the fact why Hideo Kojima kept saying that he was "working on a Sony copy only".

Could it happen? Sure, there is a possibility. Right now, Konami has invested a lot in MGS4 and they would like to see greater returns on their investment. And that means making it available on most major gaming platforms. I think that they are considering it, but whether this rumor turns out to be true depends upon how Konami thinks Metal Gear Solid 4 sells on the PS3 alone.

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Get Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater today!

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No Gears of War for PS3

Epic Games confirm that Gears of War is not coming for PS3

Despite the rumors started by 1UP's podcast that Epic Games plans to port the Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War to the PS3, it is imperative that Epic has no such intentions.

Epic's Mark Rein recently contacted PSX Extreme to clarify the matter. In short? Complete nonsense.

"We've shot down this Gears of War on PS3 idea about a hundred times already - Microsoft is the publisher for Gears of War. Unless Microsoft wants to publish it on PS3, then it won't be published on PS3."

So there you have it folks. The Gears of War PS3 rumor has been squashed like a lifeless bug. Sorry Sony fans.

Get more rumor updates by subscribing to the Gamers World Bangladesh Blog Feed/Newsletter.

You might wish to buy Gears Of War on Xbox 360.

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Call of Duty gets Modern in Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare

I like the new direction in which Infinity Ward is taking in Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare. Don't take me wrong but the World War II theme was getting a bit repetitive, although I enjoyed Call of Duty 3 on my Xbox 360.

This time Call of Duty 4 is set in a fictional modern-day conflict. Gone are the clashes between the Allied and the Nazis. Rather Modern Warfare is about thwarting "The Four Horsemen", a regime of the Middle Eastern dictator and his pal Russia.

Call of Duty 4 is an impressive graphical feat - even better than that of gears of War. Infinity Ward has spent the past two years improving its technology to create a far prettier game. You will see beams of sunlight breaking in through the cracks, dust particles in the air and the smoke trail from a rocket launcher as you take on an M1A1 Abrams tank, to name a few. The characters have full self-shadowing and a high level of detail. Get close to a soldier and you will see realistic looking flesh, read the time on his watch and might even see him sweat!

Infinity Ward has taken great pains to put you in the heat of modern warfare - there are explosions everywhere, enemies around every corner, helicopters spinning out of control and crashing - and all these happens at 60 frames per second! I'm sure it will be a hell-of-an-experience.

You also get to pilot an M1A1 Abrams tank the Ac130 Gunship. Now, I think that the AC130 is the ultimate air-to-ground combat vehicle, with the 25mm Equalizer Gatling Gun, the 40mm L60 Bofors Canon and the 105mm M102 Howitzer, you will lay waste to anything that comes in your path.

While I could go on and on about Call of Duty 4's impressive feats, I applaud Infinity  Ward's decision to ditch the World War II setting. Can't wait to get my hands on Call of Duty 4 when it releases this fall!

Image courtesy of ign.com

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Manhunt 2 gets "Adults Only" Rating

Earlier today, the British Board of Film Classification gave Manhunt 2 a thumbs down, banning it from sale in the UK due to its "unremitting bleakness" and "casual sadism." Now it appears the Entertainment Software Rating Board is ready to hand down its own most restrictive rating to the latest controversial offering from Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games.

A Take-Two representative told GameSpot today that the ESRB has issued an initial rating of AO for Adults Only to Manhunt 2. While not an outright ban, the rating would severely limit a game's sales potential, as most major American retailers have chosen not to carry games rated AO.


As for the reason this is only an "initial" rating, when the ESRB rates a game, it notifies the publisher 30 days prior to publicly releasing its decision. This gives publishers unhappy with ratings the chance to either modify their games and resubmit them for a second assessment, or go before the ESRB's appeals board to challenge it directly.

"We believe the process of rating video games is to help people make informed entertainment choices and not to limit them," a Take-Two representative said. "Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2."

While Take-Two doesn't agree with the idea of an AO-rated Manhunt 2, one parent watchdog group believes it's only appropriate. Earlier today, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood demanded that the ESRB give Manhunt 2 an AO rating, saying that "harmful effects of ultra-violent video games on children will be magnified by playing them on the interactive Nintendo Wii system."

The group's announcement contained a statement from Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston, who explained, "The content of Manhunt 2 and the unique physical interaction with the Wii control combine to take [the game's simulation] a level closer to reality--we can expect that the effects of this experience will be even greater."

The group directed like-minded individuals to contact ESRB president Patricia Vance with their concerns, and Vance today issued her response.

"We have received the letter from CCFC and, while we might take issue with some of the statements made within, we sincerely appreciate their expressed concerns," Vance said. "Our ratings are intended to provide guidance that allows parents to choose games they deem suitable for their children, and that is a responsibility we take extremely seriously."

Manhunt 2 is currently slated for a July 10 release on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii.

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NFS heads to a new direction : PROSTREET

EA Blackbox is at it again. After the release of Carbon, EA has announced that another NFS series is in the works, dubbed NFS : ProStreet. With ProStreet, EA has decided to drop out its stereotypical "control the city by taking on the top dogs" setting for a more real-life experience of street racing today. Gone are the arcade type underground racings, replace by more realistic races, cars that hadnle as it should and close quarter day light courses. "We’re trying to reflect what we see the culture doing. The culture is really moving away from that bling, the neon, the fast and the furious thing; the cars that ride on trailers but don’t actually ever ride on the track.", said Black Box producer John Dyle in an interview with Gameinformer.

But the wide array of cars, and, ofcourse, the hot girls are here to stay. And so is the widely popular "Autosculpt" feature. Although there will be no "cheesy" cutscenes as in the previous games, but, EA has promised that there will be some sort of motivation to keep players pushing forward.

The main highlight of the game is the car damage system and physics. Cars now crash more realistically and with visible damages, including flipping them, rolling them and totaling them.

Sadly for gamers, the police is out of the scene in NFS Prostreet. "This year that consequence is really driven by damage. This game is about your ability to build and drive fantastically powerful cars and that’s where we wanted to keep our focus."

I'm pretty excited about NFS ProsStreet. I think the pull away from night-time arcade type racings is going to pay off. Lets just wait and see.

For more images, visit: http://www.ea.com/nfs/prostreet/media.jsp?locale=us

For the full interview with EA Blackbox producer John Dyle, head on to: http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200706/N07.0601.1611.06445.htm

For the officila trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=19790&type=mov

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