Back in July we let you know that Need for Speed Nitro would be hitting store shelves for the Wii and Nintendo DS on November 16th. Today, EA has announced that the game’s development has gone smoother than expected and the game now has a release date of November 3rd.

If you’re a fan of the Need for Speed series and are looking for a hardcore racer, this most likely isn’t the game for you. However, if you’re a casual player looking for a fun racing game to play then you should definitely check out Need for Speed Nitro. I mean, it is for the Nintendo DS and Wii, after all.

via joystiq

Well, EA was today informed us that the game will be hitting store shelves on November 17th for the abovementioned consoles. According to the press release this game will offer “fun and intense competition for every type of gamer”.

With Need for Speed’s tarnished past perhaps the impending releases of Need for Speed Nitro, Shift and the Criterion developed title will help bring the franchise back to greatness.

via Joystiq

Need for Speed: Undercover was nothing short of a flop but EA hopes to regain the community’s loyalty to the brand with Need for Speed Shift and Need for Speed Nitro. However, if these games still don’t prove to be a success EA has a little secret up their sleeves; Criterion Games.

Yes, the guys behind the popular Burnout franchise will in fact get their hands on a new Need for Speed instead of merging the two franchises. There’s no word on when this Criterion developed Need for Speed will come out but lets hope they do a better job than previous developers because the franchise really needs it.

Read (Kotaku)

If you’re looking for a super realistic racing game, this isn’t the one. The game you’re looking for is Need for Speed: Shift. If, however you are looking for a casual racer for the Wii and/or Nintendo DS, Need for Speed: NITRO may be just for you.

All we have to go by at this point are some screenshots for both consoles and from the looks of it, they look like exactly what you’d expect from a Wii or DS title; lackluster visual. OK so the gameplay might be there but a racing game without bangin’ graphics just isn’t for me.

You can check out some more screenshots, including ones from the Nintendo DS version, thanks to Kotaku, here.

The last we heard of Need for Speed: Shift was back in March when it received a September 22nd release date Now, EA has released the above video showcasing actual edge-of-your-seat gameplay.

As you can see, EA is really stepping their game up for this one incorporating realistic physics, an amazingly detailed dashboard, and all sorts of other little tweaks that make it feel like you are actually sitting in the cockpit.

After Need for Speed: Undercover flopped, Shift may be exactly what the franchise needs.

EA has released word that the PS3 version will be getting an exclusive (for now) pair of DLC packs for EA’s Need for Speed: Undercover.

First up, the Challenge Series pack which EA is giving away for free and includes a bunch of new cars, 60 new story events featured in 2 new high speed game modes.

Next up is the premium Boss Car pack, priced at $5, which unlocks every boss car featured in the story mode available to the player.

This content won’t be exclusive to the PS3 forever with EA stating that the abovementioned DLC packs will be hitting the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Need for Speed: Undercover “soon”.

Read (Joystiq)

The Need for Speed series has gone down the drain in the last couple of years, with each installment lowering the standard more than its predecessor. Despite all this, and the recent layoffs at series developer Black Box, EA has not given up on the franchise and is going to push out three titles this year, with four titles in the development.

First up is NFS Shift, which is being billed as a “hardcore racing simulation”. It is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios, which was founded by veterans of SimBin and Blimey who are responsible for the GTR racing simulation series. Production is being overseen by Black Box executive producer Michael Mann and DICE co-founder Patrick Soderlund.

The second game will be an arcade racer dubbed NFS Nitro. It is being developed for Wii and DS by EA Montreal and is said to feature a more “mischievous” look. Both games are due out this fall.

Finally, the third game is NFS World Online, a free-to-play racing MMO that will launch this summer in Asia, before being released in North America in winter. Black Box and EA Shanghai are working on it.

Lastly, the fourth game is a “secret NFS game” that is in the works at Black Box.

The recent NFS titles have not sold as much as EA had expected, and the last two titles ProStreet and Undercover have not been liked well by critics either. More on this story as it develops.

Today EA showed off a new online mode in the upcoming Need for Speed: Undercover. The mode is appropriately named “cops and robbers” and consists of just that: two teams of four players which are split into the cops and the robbers. The rules are similar to the “cops and crooks” mode in Grand Theft Auto IV.The robbers attempt to deliver a package to a safe house, and the cops try to stop them. Watch the video for an example of the gameplay.

Anyways, Need for Speed: Undercover will be released for PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, along with other mobile devices on November 18th.

The game will focus on aspects of gameplay featured in Most Wanted, like car chases, and underground racing. You know, the fun stuff.