In an attempt to breathe new life into a franchise that many say has long since gone stale, EA is having the arcade racing gurus at Criterion Games take a whack at the next Need for Speed.
In an interview given to Kotaku, and reported on by ShackNews.com, EA’s COO John Riccitello said that there won’t be a new Burnout right now because Criterion is “…working on a revolutionary take on Need for Speed.”
No additional details were given, other than Riccitello’s assurance that Criterion’s project would not merge the two gameplay styles.
Personally I think this is a brilliant move. EA to me has lost its focus on what it wants NFS to be. This year, there will be several NFS games hitting consoles–ranging from the sim-ish NFS: Shift, to the “arcadey” NFS: Nitro. The last good NFS I played was Hot Pursuit 2. I had high hopes for NFS: Pro Street, but bizzarre gameplay mechanics (high-speed runs killed the game) left me dissappointed in the title. Burnout is my favorite racing series, and I’m very curious to see what direction they steer this franchise.
Kev, this is great news! It has been a long time since EA has put out a quality NFS game. I think that Criterion can give the NFS games a shiny new coat of paint, and hopefully revitalize the series. The last NFS game that I liked was NFS: Underground. I also love the Burnout series, though the only two that I own are Burnout: Takedown for the original XBOX, and Burnout Paradise. For anyone who doesn’t own Paradise, buy it. If you love this type of game, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. This game has really done DLC the right way, and with the upcoming Island expansion DLC, I’ll have more of Paradise City to love.