Need for Speed Shift: Exclusive Hands-On With Ferrari DLC

By Brian Ekberg, GameSpotPosted Feb 15, 2010 7:34 am PT

EA is bringing the Prancing Pony to Shift, and we've got an exclusive hands-on look.

EA isn't afraid to shake up its long-running Need for Speed series. After 2008's by-the-numbers sequel Need for Speed Undercover, the publisher followed with the pure arcade racer Need for Speed Nitro and the simulation-focused Need for Speed Shift. For the latter game, EA and developer Slightly Mad put drivers in the seat of some of the world's most challenging, high-performance cars and let them race it out on a variety of real-world, as well as fictional, tracks. The all-star lineup in Shift was missing one key marquee, however: Ferrari cars were conspicuously absent from the game's roster. That's an omission EA is looking to correct with its Ferrari-only downloadable content pack, which will be available tomorrow, February 16. The DLC will run you 800 Microsoft points and will include the following Ferrari models:

Check out the Prancing Pony in action!

- 1996 Ferrari F50 GT
- 2005 Ferrari F430 Spider
- 2005 Ferrari FXX
- 2005 Ferrari Superamerica
- 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
- 2006 Ferrari F430 Challenge (Online/Quick event only)
- 2006 Ferrari F430 GTC (Online/Quick event only)
- 2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
- 2008 Ferrari California
- 2008 Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider

All of the Ferrari models will be available to you upon purchase of the DLC, so you won't need to save your race winnings in order to afford the Prancing Pony of your dreams. In addition to the cars, the DLC will include an entirely new branch of Ferrari-themed events in Shift's Career mode. Once you enter Career mode, you can access the Ferrari events by pressing the left bumper (L1 on the PS3 controller) until you reach the Ferrari event hub. There are 46 Ferrari-specific events, and they run the gamut from straight-ahead race events to more elaborate challenges like elimination (where the car in last place is eliminated after a certain amount of time). There are also time-trial events like hot lap, where you have four laps to beat a posted time. The nice thing here is that if you beat the posted time on your first flying lap, the event ends and you can move on to the next challenge. Other event types include endurance races, mixed-track races, and a Ferrari-themed version of the Shift World Tour.

As with other series events in the Shift Career mode, you'll be earning stars for various accomplishments on the track. Accomplishing a podium finish might earn you stars, as well performing certain feats on the track, such as earning a certain number of points throughout the course of an entire race, sticking to the illuminated racing line for a certain percentage of the race, leading a race for a full lap, and on the like. Of course, how you drive your favorite Ferrari--as a carefully precise driver or with a pedal-to-the-metal aggressive style--will also be recorded by the game.

Hot off the line.

Ferraris aren't just limited to the Ferrari-only Career mode events. You can take most of the cars in the DLC to other career events, and you will likely see plenty of other Ferrari models on the grid with you. All of the Ferraris in the DLC--even the lower tier models like the Ferrari California--are formidable weapons on the track. Once you kick things up to the tier 4 and tier 5 rides, such as the F50 GT or F430 GTC, you'll have all the power you can handle under your fingertips. The F50 GT, in particular, is a fearsome ride, with tremendous straight-line speed and a huge rear wing that gives it some added downforce. You'll need every bit of that downforce when blasting through the tricky bends of Road America or navigating the tight turns of Shift's Tokyo track. As with the rest of the rides in Shift, all Ferrari interiors are modeled and can incur damage--often dramatically so. After all, there's nothing like finishing a race in a multimillion dollar car that's been completely sheared of its front bumper and hood. That's satisfaction, Ferrari-style.

The Ferrari DLC for Need for Speed Shift will be released for the Xbox 360 on February 16.

Editor's Note: In a previous version of this article, it was incorrectly stated that the Ferrari DLC pack would be coming to the PlayStation 3 version of Need for Speed: Shift. The DLC is exclusive to the Xbox 360 version of the game. GameSpot regrets the error.

73 Comments

  • JESSEAARON100

    Posted Feb 20, 2010 9:48 pm PT

    NFS for the 360 = FAIL

  • cometkd

    Posted Feb 20, 2010 1:56 pm PT

    wtf??????? r u f******** s*** me???? why not the ps3!!!????????

  • Mickael

    Posted Feb 20, 2010 12:35 am PT

    haha. I'm barely visit gamespot anymore. They are astonishingly slow with reviews and news. I've been warned about how offended they got with my last comment. The truth hurts. anyways I could really care less. thanks.

  • Gooshnads

    Posted Feb 19, 2010 7:25 am PT

    @Mickael

    haha it's awesome that you seem to base your life around trolling..

    ----
    Aside from that

    Nothing has really caught my interest for NFS... i dunno it just doesn't seem like it's as much fun as its glory days of Most Wanted and even older titles such as Hot Pursuit

  • Gearfofo

    Posted Feb 19, 2010 2:56 am PT

    I got so excited when i saw this, and then it said exclusive for Xbox360... what a let down nfs... i guess ill wait for GT5 whenever they decide to sell it

  • BrianEk GameSpot staff member

    Posted Feb 18, 2010 9:06 am PT

    @Jackc8 -- Yep, you're right. I added an Editor's Note at the end of the article. Hopefully that should clear up any confusion.

  • RGDT021

    Posted Feb 18, 2010 7:27 am PT

    No F40 = FAIL!

  • Jackc8

    Posted Feb 18, 2010 5:50 am PT

    @BrianEk - when a journalist reports information that later proves to be incorrect, it's customary to then issue something known as a "retraction". That's because people who already read the article probably aren't going to read it again, so they'll never know that the content has now been changed.

  • supermanrocs

    Posted Feb 18, 2010 3:22 am PT

    @ CaptainHerlock Calm down i don't know what all u have against tuning. Its just a game. I do watch top gear and I do watch the fast and the furious. So what? I like cars. dont get ur panties in a bunch because i suggested something that i want to see.

  • Joshua102888

    Posted Feb 18, 2010 12:30 am PT

    Looks good, still want GT5 though

  • BrianEk GameSpot staff member

    Posted Feb 17, 2010 5:04 pm PT

    @RotaryRX7 -- Yes this DLC is exclusively for Xbox 360. My mistake in the article and I've since corrected it.

  • RotaryRX7

    Posted Feb 17, 2010 1:35 pm PT

    According to NeedforSpeed.com, this is exclusive to the 360. Very conflicting messages going on....

  • SicklySunStorm

    Posted Feb 17, 2010 10:05 am PT

    @gstealer - you're so right. As much as Shift is a great racing game, it's eclipsed by Forza so much on 360 that it's price is dropping fast for such a quality title. I think also a lot of PS3 owners are waiting for GT5 which is fair enough.

    Any sensible person would indeed wait for it's price to drop if they're happy with other games that are around at the moment.

  • Mickael

    Posted Feb 17, 2010 9:40 am PT

    Are you guys illiterate? The article says it's for the PLAYSTATION 3 also. What pisses me off is that it says on the 16th of February for both and Sony still doesn't have it... because they wait till Thursday evenings to update. Not smart Sony. Not smart when a lot of people have both systems now, like I do.

  • gstealer

    Posted Feb 17, 2010 9:15 am PT

    If I was such of a racing fan...I would buy this game.
    But I suggest for most people to wait so the price goes down...Well, of course, if you wanna buy it then do it...But I'm gonna wait the price go down a little bit

  • SicklySunStorm

    Posted Feb 17, 2010 7:54 am PT

    woah - $10 for some cars is rather expensive.

    Unless you're a Tifosi member or otherwise get something going in the trouser joy department when looking at a black prancing horse (in which case I'd suggest you have several problems... see a psychiatrist!) I can't see anyone else who would pay $10 just for these 10 digital cars.

    Can you spell R-I-P O-F-F... ? ha ha

  • InquisitorCrox

    Posted Feb 17, 2010 7:39 am PT

    I ve been a NFS fan, before the series become a cop of "too fast too furious". One of the things a liked the most in this series, was the ability to drive one of the most exotic and fastest cars out there, in real road conditions (traffic)
    Since the series lost interest, the only thing that kept it afloat was the adrenaline cop chases. Personally i lost interest, cause i dont consider me a Vin Diesel and if i had the money to spend all that cash to upgrade a Mustang to top class, i would rather prefer to get a Corvette or Ferrari!
    Combining a ferrari, cop chases and traffic, is smth we havent seen since the hot pursuit days!

    Now addidnt some of a simulation flavor to the mix, could make it smth unique and wonderful!!
    Hopefully Ferrari will be a core element from now on, like the old times!! The next NFS better have a 459 driver-able on open roads (not just racing tracks)

  • x7team

    Posted Feb 17, 2010 6:57 am PT

    if ea games release this DLC for the pc or the ps3 this is going to be great.

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