Nfs Motor City Preview

Speeding Down The Information Superhighway.

No, it isn't a scene from American Graffiti. It's the latest and most ambitious creation in the Need for Speed series and it's definitely the prettiest pup in the litter.

By the time Need for Speed: Motor City rolls onto the shelves, it will be sporting a completely new game engine, incredible graphics, enhanced physics and will offer the widest selection of classic cars in any racing game to date. But it is the revolutionary multiplayer mode that is the real star here. Electronic Arts aspires to create an online world, a virtual racing community with as much depth as massively multiplayer fantasy games like Everquest or Ultima Online.

Online gamers will be able to meet, chat and race in twelve different districts of Motor City, a unique virtual city-world with distinct racing areas, an active economy, and a sanctioned racing circuit (complete with its own soon-to-be-coveted Motor City Cup).

The cars you'll be racing will be yours, not a carbon copy of the next guy's. Motor City will feature over 30 licensed cars from the 30's to the early 70's with more to be downloadable after ship date. All of these machines are fully upgradable and thousands of auto parts, both licensed and generic, will be available for sale or trade. From transmission to fuzzy dice, the cars will be what you make them. Even paintjobs are completely customizable, not just an Earl Schieb $99 special. Every car has the potential to be a true work of art.

Another unique feature will be the Motor City Gazette, a virtual town newspaper. Players will be able to buy, sell and trade cars and parts (even paintjobs), learn where the cops hang out and find out who got busted for speeding or reckless driving the night before.

Maybe you just want to race and don't have time for multiplayer, or perhaps you want to hone your driving skills without humiliating yourself in public. Never fear, EA has thought of you, too. Need for Speed: Motor City also has a variety of different game modes allowing for offline jump-on play.

The enterprising folks at EA seem to have thought of everything. If all that brainwork pays off, Motor City should prove to be the best in the Need for Speed series and will be vying for best racing sim of the year. Of course, we'll have to wait until Fall for a test drive, but that will give racing sim fanatics a chance to say good-bye to their loved ones.

Greasers rejoice! Motor City is due out in Fall 2000 for the PC.