Australian 'Hyper' Magazine Reveals More NFSU2

The June edition of Australian gaming magazine, [b]'Hyper'[/b], contains a world exclusive interview with Need For Speed Franchise Executive Producer, [b]Chuck Osieja[/b]. While there is still much that can't be revealed, Chuck lets more than a few items outta the bag! Here's a wrap up of the article...

[b][i]Supported Platforms[/i][/b]: PS2, XBOX, GCN, PC

[b][i]Release Date[/i]: [/b]Fall 2004

[b][i]The Vision[/i]:[/b] To take Underground 2 to a whole new level in terms of the experience and how the player interacts with the world.

[b][i]Free Roam[/i]:[/b] NFSU2 is set in a metropolitan environment with a city core. Players need to go out and find their races in a huge interconnected world that can be driven from one end to the other. The world is made up of five distinct neighborhoods interconnected by intricate highways. You can drive to any place you can see on the map. Each neighborhood opens up as you progress through the game acquiring more cash and reputation.

[b][i]Find Your Race[/i]:[/b] You can drive from a circuit event to a drift event to a drag event without ever leaving the world. You can be racing a point to point race and drive right past an area whare a drift event is taking place. The world is alive and things are happening as you drive through it.

[b][i]In Game Tuning[/i]:[/b] You drive to all of the the tuner shops in the world. Find where they are by talking to other drivers. Shop inventories change dynamically and new parts arrive all the time so knowing where to find the best shops is a distinct advantage.

[b][i]Non-Linear Gameplay[/i]: [/b]The event system is designed such that you need only drive the events you like and still finish the game. If you love drifting and circuit, you can complete the game without ever running a drag race. Events are also designed such that you can go back and play any event over and over again.

[b][i]New Modes[/i]:[/b] There will be over seven different race modes in NFSU2, including all the modes from the original game. The new modes are not yet announced.

[b][i]Deep Tuning Options[/i]:[/b] While the performance packages idea is still available, a deeper set of performance tuning options is also available for those with a deeper understanding of things automotvie. The player can buy and tune individual performance parts: Gears, shocks, torque curves and much more. Also, you'll be able to save multiple set-ups and then load them before each race.

[b][i]Dynamic Environments[/i]:[/b] There will ba a range of lighting effects from evening light and sunset through to sunrise. Daylight racing does not seem to be an option. There will be dynamic weather effects that will change dramatically while you drive.

[b][i]No Police[/i]:[/b] There will be no police in NFSU2

[b][i]Car List[/i]:[/b] The car list is final, however the actual list cannot be released until negotiations between EA and certain manufacturers are complete. The majority of the list will still be hardcore tuner cars. EA state that they had to make some painful cuts from the NFSU car list to get the list done and that they'll be going back in time for a couple older models as well as into the future to include a couple cars they believe will be big on the scene in a year or so.

[b][i]Car Classes[/i]:[/b] Careful inspection of the mag article by eminent forumer UrQuattro has revealed that NFSU2 cars will indeed be divided up into various classes, as many people have wished for.

[b][i]Technology Enhancements[/i]:[/b] While Chuck's not giving away any secrets, he does say that there are a few new visual techniques added to crank up the sensation of speed.

[b][i]Online Experience[/i]: [/b]Chuck is stunned at the numbers pf people playing online. However he won't say anything about EA's plans for the online NFSU2 experience.

[b][i]Where To Next?[/i]:[/b] When Chuck is asked where he thinks the street racing sub-genre is headed, he draws heavy parallels between NFSU and the Gran Tursimo series. Sounds very promising that he can compare the two favourably, especially for lovers of intricate tuning options.

And that, as they say, is that!! Oh, there's a few screens in the article, many of the green 305Z we've already seen, however there's also a nice looking Lancer EVO8 in there!!

Finally, there'a more than a couple of snaps of these two cars with their trunks open, showing off huge, glowing sound systems!! w000t!! Can't wait for this one

GT3x24x7

[size=84][i][b]Source: Hyper Magazine Australia, Issue 128, June 2004[/b]
Thanks to MikeFarrar for the heads up too!! [/i][/size]