The holiday season just continues to wreck havoc on every gamer’s bank account. The string of potential hits continue this week with a fury of anticipated titles hitting store shelves!
What’s going to be on your gamer card?
Assassin’s Creed - The setting is 1191 A.D. The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You, Altair, intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. $59.99
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Enter the violent and chaotic journey of two men—a flawed mercenary and a medicated psychopath. The heat is on. $59.99
The folks at EA sure aren’t wasting any time with the media train for their next entry into the Need for Speed series. There’s a theme available in the Xbox Live Marketplace for Need for Speed: ProStreet. It’s available for 150 Microsoft Points. I grabbed an image from the actual XLM placement for effect. I wonder if any of these ladies are potential cover girls for the new game.
I feel the need…the need for some more speed. EA is hoping the rest of the world does too as they announce another entry into the Need for Speed franchise dubbed ‘Pro Street’. It’s slated to hit the Xbox 360 and other consoles this November so get ready to burn some more rubber.
“Need for Speed ProStreet accelerates street racing culture by providing the ultimate stage for the pursuit of street racing supremacy,” said Executive Producer, Larry LaPierre. “This is a game about building the ultimate performance-tuned battle machine, taking it to multi-disciplinary showdowns all over the world and pitting your skills and reputation against the very best street racers.”
I’ve really enjoyed the last few NFS titles so I’m ready to see more from this one. Will it change enough to warrant a purchase? Customizing? Online? These are the questions I want to know. Stand by for more.
Welcome to Episode #20, a special edition show before I head out to the Lost Planet Summit. Coming up in the show is what you’ve all been emailing about…a sit down with John Doyle, Online Producer for Need for Speed Carbon. He took some time out to chat with me about the Premium Unlockable Content (PULC) that has the community in a frenzy. You remember PULC don’t you?
A lot of good information and a look inside the strategy behind it was revealed. One note that I thought was pretty cool…John used to work for Microsoft Game Studios. So he’s definitely fit to speak on the Xbox Live Marketplace and all things Carbon/Xbox 360. So here we go…sit down and enjoy the show!
Format:
37:01, 16.9MB, mp3
Show files:
mp3 - Get the show in mp3!
iTunes - Subscribe to Unscripted 360 in iTunes
Show outline:
John Doyle - 11:20
Racing into stores today was EA’s next entry into the NFS franchise, Need for Speed Carbon. Along with the release came Premium Unlockable Content (PULC). PULC is content that already exists on retail disc and can be earned by playing through the game or paid to unlock the content early. I want to stress that you can unlock this content on your own without paying any points for it.
Below is what is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. You’ll be able to check weekly for more premium unlockable content exclusive to Need for Speed Carbon. $ amounts are listed instead of points but if anyone wants me to convert them just ask…or head to bigsteve’s point converter.
Collector’s Edition Upgrade - $10.00
1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 - $1.00
2004 Lamborghini Murcielago - $1.00
2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 - $1.00
Performance Drivetrain Bundle - $5.00
Performance Engine Boost Bundle - $5.00
Performance Handling Bundle - $5.00
Ultimate Performance Bundle - $5.00
Muscle Car Autosculpt Body Kit - $2.50
Tuner Car Autosculpt Body Kit - $2.50
Exotic Car Autosculpt Body Kit - $2.50
I know you all have opinions so let them be heard. Also, I haven’t played the game so if anyone does…give me some details about what you think. I’ll be addressing the issues of PULC on the next show and I’ll try to grab someone from EA to chime in as well on the subject.
Seems as though Xbox 360 owners got a pleasant surprise today. (thanks Paul J for the tip) As confirmed with Major Nelson, the Need for Speed Carbon demo is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Get your motor running and download now!
*Not available in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Sinagpore or Taiwan.
If you remember a week or so ago, I posted quite a few images of the cars you can expect to see in EA’s Need for Speed Carbon when it releases. Well gather your mufflers for another dose of Carbon as EA unloads 14 new shots of the official cars you’ll be blazing the tracks with. We like the cars…the cars that go vroom!
If you all remember, I posted about going to the EA Canada Community Day event for Need for Speed Carbon a few weeks back to preview their upcoming title. Although I had to pass on the trip, I did send someone on my behalf and he did a fantastic job with a preview of the game. It’s set to race onto the Xbox 360 in November so watch for it!
Before you head into the preview, be sure to check out all the screenshots of the game from the Community Day event that I posted to U360’s Flickr page.
Take a look at the final Need for Speed Carbon Logo. I don’t know but it just looks plain to me.
In light of my pending trip to EA Canada for this title, I thought it would only be right to ‘expose’ it the proper way.
Today EA unveiled the lead actress…
Redwood City, Calif. - July 11th, 2006 - Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that actress Emmanuelle Vaugier will star in Need for Speed(tm) Carbon this fall. Developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia, Need for Speed Carbon delivers the next generation of adrenaline-filled street racing and challenges players to face the ultimate test of driving skill on treacherous canyon roads.
An emerging young Hollywood talent, Vaugier has a recurring role on the CBS hit sitcom Two and a Half Men. She has also recently starred in the films Saw 2 and 40 Days and 40 Nights, and was selected to Maxim’s annual top 100 females list in May. In Need for Speed Carbon, Emmanuelle stars as Nikki, the ex-girlfriend of the hero who has returned to town to face his mysterious past.
“Being able to work in a videogame for the first time and working with the Need For Speed Carbon team at EA has been a great experience for me. This is a game that evolves the racing genre, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it”, Vaugier said. “Playing the role of Nikki allows me to take a completely fresh approach to acting and push the boundaries of the creative process.”
David Footman, who has worked on such Hollywood blockbuster films as The Day After Tomorrow, X-Men, X-Men 3, iRobot, and Fantastic Four, was the director for the green screen video shoot with Vaugier. The full motion video shoot in Need for Speed Carbon processes live actors to look computer generated while maintaining their performances and facial expressions.
