Immersive Multimedia

TITLE: IMMERSIVE MULTIMEDIA IN ENTERTAINMENT : NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND ( 2009 )

NAME: NUR IZZATY SAHAR IC.NO : 920310-12-5960

introduction

Need for Speed Shift, Need For Speed World Online, Need For Speed Nitro (2009) This article contains information about an unreleased video game, and may change substantially as more information becomes available. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details. Main articles: Need for Speed: World Online, Need for Speed: Nitro, and Need for Speed: Shift On January 30, 2009, EA marketing manager Kevin Munro announced that the Need for Speed franchise is being divided into three separate branches, each targeting its own audience: Need for Speed: World Online is a Play 4 Free game in development exclusively for Windows-based PCs; Need for Speed: Nitro is in development for Wii and Nintendo DS, featuring arcade gameplay and targets a casual audience; Need for Speed: Shift is the hardcore game with simulation-like gameplay in development for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and Windows-based PCs, and possibly for the PlayStation 2. All titles are set for release in Europe and North America in late 2009. A fourth title is under development as well by EA Black Box. This title will keep the underground street-racing trend of previous titles. This will give gamers a total of four new Need for Speed titles in the near future targeting different parts of the market.

Development The Need for Speed series was originally developed by Distinctive Software, a video game studio based in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to Electronic Arts' purchase of the company in 1991, it had already created popular racing games such as Stunts and Test Drive II: The Duel. After the purchase was made, the company was renamed Electronic Arts (EA) Canada. The company capitalized on its experience in the domain when it began developing the Need For Speed series in late 1992. EA Canada continued to develop and expand the Need For Speed franchise up to 2002, when another Vancouver-based gaming company, named Black Box, was contracted to continue the series with the title Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. Black Box Games was acquired by Electronic Arts shortly before the game's publication and the company was renamed Electronic Arts (EA) Black Box and became a subsidiary of EA Canada. Since its renaming, EA Black Box has been the series primary developer. When V-Rally was released in 1997, it was developed by the European based company, Eden Studios, and had nothing in common with the preceding Need for Speed games. EA however, bought the rights to title of the game and produced it in North America as Need for Speed: V-Rally. Eden Studios would develop V-Rally 2 in Europe, while EA would publish it in North America under the Need for Speed title. V-Rally 2 however, followed the same formula as the other Need for Speed titles.[11] In 1999, EA announced plans to make a spin-off of the Need for Speed series with

the release of Motor City Online. The game however, was later confirmed that it would be included into the Need for Speed franchise and the spin-off series was never produced.

How 2 play

Shift into the down low. The Need For Speed series is known for its exotic cars, extreme speed, and often-breathtaking international locations. EA has always been ready and willing to tamper with the details of this potent elixir, varying upgrades, limiting vehicles, intensifying traffic, altering physics, and increasing or decreasing police presence from game to game. The latest incarnation of the series, Need for Speed: Underground, marks a complete revamp of the main ingredients and the result is a solid and unique arcade racer.

Single, Two-Player and even online racing modes (on the PC and PS2, at least) are available, but the main feature of NFS: Underground is the "Underground' mode itself. You don't have to delve deeper than your first race to see what's different about this game. Underground is basically an illegal street racer career mode consisting of a whopping 111 race events, including Circuit races, point-to-point Sprints, Knock-Out, Drag races, and Drift competitions. You begin the game with a small choice of upgradeable tuner cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Dodge Neon, and Peugeot 206 GTI. Though your chosen vehicle begins as basically a dud, you are offered a bevy of upgrades to customize and personalize your ride making it as unique as possible. Unfortunately, most of the upgrades are cosmetic " different headlamps, neons for the underside, a different type of hood, vinyl patterns, decals, etc. There are performance upgrades available, but these are offered in an assortment of packages and are not a mix and match affair. While they do add speed and alter handling, don't expect the level of customization displayed in Need For Speed Motor City or Gran Turismo. Another unfortunate aspect of the customizations is that they are unlockable as well as available for purchase. You can't add a particular feature to your car just because you can afford it - you'll have to unlock it first, and you will be unlocking far more vinyl patterns than anything else. This puts a sad and confining limitation on customization; if you've earned the cash to purchase an upgrade, you should be able to just buy it. No one down at Kragen's is going to talk you out of a new exhaust pipe for you car if you have the cash to pay for it. Thankfully, as a consolation prize, you can switch vehicles at almost any point in the game and most of your upgrades will carry over. You won't have to start again from scratch. NFS: Underground is an arcade-style racer, complete with huge red arrows set up in front of buildings indicating the direction you should be heading and a reset feature which kicks in immediately if you happen to miss a turn and plunge beyond the designated track. The learning curve has less of a bend than an iron rail, so this is definitely ready for any newbie to jump on and

play to their heart's content. In turn, the vehicles handle like arcade cars and, while they certainly are not weightless, in collision they do twist, flip and spin much more than they would in real life, even possessing a tendency to bounce back on the track. This makes it possible to crash and still finish the race in first place, which provides a nice chaos factor without tons of frustration. There is no damage modeling on the cars, which can be a bit disconcerting after an insane collision, but cars do not take operational damage, so you'll never have to worry about the engine exploding and you'll never have to coax your wounded vehicle to limp across a finish line. Drag racing and Drift competitions are what really set this game apart from its predecessors. Drag races pit the player against not one, but three other vehicles, your own shifting ability, oncoming civilian traffic and varying road hazards and jumps. Unlike Test Drive, it takes more than just shifting gears at the right moments; you will also have to change lanes to avoid whatever is thrown in front of you and opponent vehicles are about as friendly about letting you merge as commuters stuck in bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday. This manages to be frustrating and fun in equal parts and is a great addition to the game. The Drift challenges pit you and your ride against a short track with a myriad of turns and grades you on how well you can ride a curve without slowing down to a crawl or banking into a wall. This, like Drag racing, takes more than a little skill and a whole lot of patience and is definitely one of the high points of the game. Sprint and Circuit races are a weak spot for NFS: Underground. Unlike other NFS games which had players going up against as many as seven other vehicles, here there are a piddling three opponents and, aside from sheer opportunism, there is nothing remarkable about them. They are not particularly aggressive or considerably better drivers; they're just as likely to plow into unwary cross traffic as you are " and that can be a good thing. There just aren't enough of them.

Single, Two-Player and even online racing modes (on the PC and PS2, at least) are available, but the main feature of NFS: Underground is the "Underground' mode itself. You don't have to delve deeper than your first race to see what's different about this game. Underground is basically an illegal street racer career mode consisting of a whopping 111 race events, including Circuit races, point-to-point Sprints, Knock-Out, Drag races, and Drift competitions. You begin the game with a small choice of upgradeable tuner cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Dodge Neon, and Peugeot 206 GTI. Though your chosen vehicle begins as basically a dud, you are offered a bevy of upgrades to customize and personalize your ride making it as unique as possible. Unfortunately, most of the upgrades are cosmetic " different headlamps, neons for the underside, a different type of hood, vinyl patterns, decals, etc. There are performance upgrades available, but these are offered in an assortment of packages and are not a mix and match affair. While they do add speed and alter handling, don't expect the level of customization displayed in Need For Speed Motor City or Gran Turismo. Another unfortunate aspect of the customizations is that they are unlockable as well as available for purchase. You can't add a particular feature to your car just because you can afford it - you'll have to unlock it first, and you will be unlocking far more vinyl patterns than anything else. This puts a sad and confining limitation on customization; if you've earned the cash to purchase an upgrade, you

should be able to just buy it. No one down at Kragen's is going to talk you out of a new exhaust pipe for you car if you have the cash to pay for it. Thankfully, as a consolation prize, you can switch vehicles at almost any point in the game and most of your upgrades will carry over. You won't have to start again from scratch. NFS: Underground is an arcade-style racer, complete with huge red arrows set up in front of buildings indicating the direction you should be heading and a reset feature which kicks in immediately if you happen to miss a turn and plunge beyond the designated track. The learning curve has less of a bend than an iron rail, so this is definitely ready for any newbie to jump on and play to their heart's content. In turn, the vehicles handle like arcade cars and, while they certainly are not weightless, in collision they do twist, flip and spin much more than they would in real life, even possessing a tendency to bounce back on the track. This makes it possible to crash and still finish the race in first place, which provides a nice chaos factor without tons of frustration. There is no damage modeling on the cars, which can be a bit disconcerting after an insane collision, but cars do not take operational damage, so you'll never have to worry about the engine exploding and you'll never have to coax your wounded vehicle to limp across a finish line. Drag racing and Drift competitions are what really set this game apart from its predecessors. Drag races pit the player against not one, but three other vehicles, your own shifting ability, oncoming civilian traffic and varying road hazards and jumps. Unlike Test Drive, it takes more than just shifting gears at the right moments; you will also have to change lanes to avoid whatever is thrown in front of you and opponent vehicles are about as friendly about letting you merge as commuters stuck in bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday. This manages to be frustrating and fun in equal parts and is a great addition to the game. The Drift challenges pit you and your ride against a short track with a myriad of turns and grades you on how well you can ride a curve without slowing down to a crawl or banking into a wall. This, like Drag racing, takes more than a little skill and a whole lot of patience and is definitely one of the high points of the game. Sprint and Circuit races are a weak spot for NFS: Underground. Unlike other NFS games which had players going up against as many as seven other vehicles, here there are a piddling three opponents and, aside from sheer opportunism, there is nothing remarkable about them. They are not particularly aggressive or considerably better drivers; they're just as likely to plow into unwary cross traffic as you are " and that can be a good thing. There just aren't enough of them.

REFERENCES 1. ^ Rob Purchese (2009-01-30). "EA Black Box doing secret NFS game". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ea-black-box-doing-secret-nfs-game. Retrieved on 200901-31. 2. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (1999-03-31). "Need for Speed High Stakes Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/ps/driving/needforspeedhighstakes/review.html? om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review. Retrieved on 2008-08-09. 3. ^ a b "Need for Speed Underground Game Guide". IGN. http://guides.ign.com/guides/552528/page_2.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-09. 4. ^ Perry, Douglas (2004-11-12). "Need for Speed: Underground 2 Review". IGN. 2. http://ps2.ign.com/articles/566/566102p2.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-09. 5. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/ps2/nfs_underground 6. utopia magazine 2009 edition (February)