EA's Need for Speed: Shift Introduces Driver Profile

Earlier in January, Electronic Arts announced their latest offering in the NFS series, Need for Speed: Shift which is set to release sometime in September 2009 the world over. Now EA has revealed a few details on its exclusive driver profile system to be introduced in Need for Speed: Shift.

The gameplay is aided by the development of a new type of Driver Profile System available for both single and multiplayer mode. The Driver Profile System takes into account a host of factors ranging from the driver’s personality which is determined by how aggressive a driver is on the track, how many races the driver is able to finish first and the number of profile points the player has managed to earn by taking out opponents, his cornering technique and overtaking skill. It also takes into account badges which attribute style and uniqueness to the driver profile.

The new system was unveiled at E3 2009 where the fans got a chance to try it out and the person with the highest number of points was awarded the new 2009 BMW M3 Coupe.

The karmic nature of this new system was explained by Patrick Soderlund, Senior VP of EA Games Europe when he stated, “The new driver profile feature in Need for Speed Shift gives players full control of how they progress through game. In Shift, how you drive is who you are behind the wheel.”

The new NFS: Shift will be available for the PS3, PSP, Xbox 360 and the PC. Players can expect a host of new features including a newer physics model, tuning options, head-physics and about 80 cars. A soundtrack has also been scored especially for the series.

The Xbox 360, PS3, and PC version of the game are currently in development with Slightly Mad Studios, while Patrick Soderlund and EA Black Box are also on board in a collaborative effort. EA’s Bright Light studio is in the process of developing the PSP version. Need for Speed Shift for PS3, PSP, Xbox 360 and PC will ship across Europe on September 17, 2009 and to North America on September 22, 2009, while prices of the game haven’t been mentioned yet.