Game News :: Need for Speed: ProStreet -- Xbox Live Demo Hands-On

With the upcoming release of EA Canada's Need for Speed: ProStreet, is it any wonder that an Xbox Live demo of the game could be that far away? If you guessed "no," then award yourself 10 meaningless points, because you are correct! We took an early build of the two-event demo out for a spin recently to see how the folks at EA will be enticing racing fans to pick up ProStreet when the demo hits XBL later this month.



In true demo fashion, the downloadable ProStreet is merely a taste of what to expect from this revamped racing game. The demo features two events, a speed challenge on the Nevada Highway and a grip challenge on the A-43 interloop. Other race event types that will be part of the full game--such as drag racing and drift competitions--aren't found in the demo.

The grip race is the most straightforward of the events in the game, a two-lap dash against seven other opponents on a course that we've played several times before. The car available for the race is a Nissan GT-R Proto, a quick little number that handles the relatively simple turns of the speedy course well. Even at the toughest difficulty level (and there are three you can choose from for both events in the demo: casual, racer, and king), this race isn't much of a challenge. Instead it seems like a nice introduction to the more realistic car physics that ProStreet will be exhibiting. Unlike in the freewheeling speed challenge event (more on that in a bit), the cars feel tight and responsive in grip events. For racing newbs, ProStreet even uses a Forza-like color-coded racing line assist that shows you the ideal line around a corner, as well as when to use the gas and brakes.

While speed challenge races can take place on circuit tracks (like the Autobahn-inspired course featured in our last look at the game), the event in the ProStreet demo is a point-to-point track from the Nevada desert. Unlike grip races, however, speed challenge events feature long straights and more gentle curves. Don't mistake the tracks for easy, however; the tracks can be extremely narrow, with dangerous obstacles lining the road just waiting to give you a firsthand look at ProStreet's extensive damage modeling. As a speed challenge event, crossing the finish line first isn't necessarily your first goal; instead, you win the event by making sure your car has the highest top speed going through the various checkpoints on the course. The highest total speed at the end of the road is declared the winner. For the speed challenge, we drove the BMW M3 E92; at the start of the race, you get a firsthand look at the gorgeous smoke model as you spin the tires waiting to take off from the line.

While the M3 and the Nissan GT-R Proto are the only cars available in the demo to start with, EA will be unveiling the new 2009 Nissan GT-R in the demo. The car will be available (and will automatically replace the GT-R Proto) when you log on to Xbox Live via the demo on October 23, coinciding with the GT-R's unveiling at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Look forward to the new GT-R and the ProStreet demo later this month, ahead of the game's release on November 13.

Read More :: www.gamespot.com

Game News :: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Update

Big first-person shooters like BioShock and Halo 3 may already be gracing retail shelves, but there's plenty more shooter action coming before the end of 2007. Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is at the top of the list, and luckily you'll be able to play it on any next-gen platform--Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC--when it rolls out for duty in early November. Activision recently hosted an event with all three of those versions available for play, and although there wasn't a lot of new content on offer, we did manage to glean a few new details on the multiplayer, the forthcoming PC demo, and more.

Activision had all the content from the Xbox 360 multiplayer beta on offer, including the three maps that tens of thousands of gamers got very well acquainted with last month. It was also showing off a new map called Ambush, set in a Middle Eastern town with a number of bombed-out one- and two-story buildings, and a lot of rubble-strewn, uneven roadways in between. (Basically, think the Crash map without the downed helicopter in the middle.) More interestingly, IW studio head Grant Collier was on hand to talk about the game, and we pressed for new details on the expanded multiplayer ranking system that fans got a taste of in the beta. Collier wouldn't spill all the beans, but he confirmed the level cap will go up to 65 in the final game, and you'll unlock new abilities and weapon challenges as you move toward that last level. Mysteriously, Collier said that hitting 65 will open up a new "prestige mode" that will have its own level progression and other benefits--but he wouldn't say any more than that, so we'll likely have to wait till someone actually unlocks the prestige mode in the final game to find out what it's all about.

In light of Halo 3's release, we were also curious to know what kind of extended stat-tracking and player history COD4 will offer. The short answer is, the extent of available stats that players will be able to access is yet to be determined. But we got word from an Infinity Ward community lead that at least beneath the hood, the game is already keeping an eye on all those juicy numbers. It goes beyond simply looking at your favorite map or weapon; it will also keep track of much more specific data, such as the locations in a given map where you've scored specific kills. We'll find out closer to release how much of this data will be out there for competitive clans to sift through, but it's good to know that the data is at least being tracked, if there's a demand for it.

Diehard PC owners who were smarting at the Xbox exclusivity of the recent multiplayer beta will be glad to know that Infinity Ward will have a treat for them in the form of a playable single-player demo scheduled to hit the Web this Thursday. The demo will offer one level called The Bog, an explosive level which we've played extensively on the 360. This mission has you fighting through a Middle Eastern town beset with insurgents, as you try to free a trapped tank from a bog that it's become mired in. Since Call of Duty started out as a PC franchise, this demo is a nice little nod to the fan base that supported the series in the first place. (Collier says all three platforms will get their own unique features--so in light of the beta and demo, we'll see if anything materializes on the PlayStation 3.)

Lastly, Activision has officially announced that composer Harry Gregson-Williams will be providing the score for the game. This is something we found out a few weeks ago and were disappointed we couldn't reveal at that time, because Gregson-Williams' style is perfectly suited to the atmosphere of the game, from what we've heard so far. Anyone who's played the more recent Metal Gear Solid games will know that Gregson-Williams has the whole ominous techno-thriller thing down cold, and indeed his signature style was evident in the piece of music that played over the beta's title screen. We're looking forward to hearing his aural accompaniment to the globe-spanning single-player storyline in the final game.

There's not much more to say about Call of Duty 4 at this point, other than we want the darn thing to come out already. The single-player and multiplayer components each look like the most ambitious yet in this already acclaimed series--and when you put them together in one package, that's a whole lot of game. Keep your eyes here later this week for the PC single-player demo so you can get a taste of that campaign for yourself.

Read More ::www.gamespot.com