137w ago - As a follow-up to the EA chat from last week, today SCEE Blog Manager James Gallagher has shared a Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit PS3 interview with Criterion Games.

To quote: I've been to some swanky venues and have taken part in some extravagant PR events in my time here at SCEE, so it's refreshing when a publisher keeps things simple.

That's exactly what EA did last week when it invited me and a few other bloggers and journalists to their Guildford offices with an undemanding itinerary: fizzy drinks, pizza and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

In-between drifting at 200MPH, taking down street racers with spike strips and crashing sports cars that I'll never afford, I grabbed an interview with the game's creative director, Craig Sullivan.

Why is Criterion making a Need for Speed game all of a sudden?

While we were making the last Burnout game, in every interview we would be asked: "so when are you guys going to make a Need for Speed game?" I've been a big fan of the series since the original in 1994; in fact, I'd say that game is the reason I decided to get into the games industry.

We'd reached a point where Criterion (Games)...

152w ago - Social Media Manager Jeff Rubenstein has posted up some highlights courtesy of Criterion Games of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit from E3 2010 today, as follows:

Our good friends Criterion are tasked with developing the next NFS title, Hot Pursuit, and it's already looking like a change for the best.

James chatted with the team - presumably over tea - to find out more about what the Burnout Paradise devs have planned in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

One of the games attracting the most attention at E3 was EA's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit; the first title in the series developed by the people behind Burnout, Criterion Games.

James Deverill and Doug McConkey of that team gave me a demonstration of the game and it's clear that they're looking to return to the roots of a series that has gone through many changes since it first arrived way back in 1994.

"I remember playing Need for Speed even before working in the games industry," said Deverill. "Three things stood out for me then: it had the coolest cars on the planet, it had amazing highways to drive them on and there were cops pursuing you. It's these three active ingredients, in particular, that we want to bring back with our game."

235w ago - Today, we're announcing the incredible new Carson Extreme Hotrod.

We'll be back in the New Year with all the details on this powerhouse racer, but for now we're keeping it under wraps.

We could tell you that it's the fastest car in Paradise City - a stripped down, ultra low, overpowered straight line monster.

We could talk about its roots in American Rat Rod culture and it's wildly exaggerated Hot Rod features, based on a '20s Roadster.

We could explain that we've rewired Burnout's vehicle dynamics system, so it handles more intuitively and drifts more realistically than any other car.

We could reveal that it's the first of a pack of 2 cars designed to re-imagine Burnout Boost. Which explains the blue exhaust flames.

We could do all that, but we don't want to give away too much. For now, all you really need to know is that this car will give you the ride of your life and in early 2009 you will NEED to own it.

The Carson Extreme Hotrod. Light the touch paper and hang on for dear life.

We'll be back with movies, screens, more info and interviews with the creators on this and the "other" boost car that will be available to buy as part of our Burnout™ Paradise Boost Specials Pack in 2009.

Just...

239w ago - Four new expansions are now listed on the "coming soon" section of the new Criterion Games Web site today.

While at the moment they're simply numbered packs 4-7, they will be unveiled, one by one, over the next four fridays, starting on October 31st.

The only other information available about these packs is that users can expect to see them arrive in Spring 2009. To quote:

Burnout Paradise Pack 4: We'll be unveiling the full content of our next downloadable pack on 31st Oct '08. Of course, we'll bring you all the detail here on www.criteriongames.com. You can expect this pack in Spring '09.

Burnout Paradise Pack 5: Will be announced on 7th November 2008. Check back to www.criteriongames.com on that day for all the detail. You can expect this pack in Spring '09.

Burnout Paradise Pack 6: Will be announced on 14th November 2008. Check back to www.criteriongames.com on that day for all the detail. You can expect this pack in Spring '09.

Burnout Paradise Pack 7: Will be announced on 21st November. Check back to www.criteriongames.com on that day for all the detail. You can expect this pack in Spring '09.

245w ago - We're finally able to announce that our latest free downloadable Burnout pack bikes will be out 18th of September!!!

It's tough to give specific dates on downloadable content, because we don't know for certain until the last minute. But hey, we're really excited about bringing bikes to Burnout, so we're going to take a chance and tell you that we're aiming for September 18 - that's this coming Thursday!

If you missed our earlier posts, here's what's coming:

- Pick from 2 motorcycles featuring male or female characters and start on a whole new progression to earn your Bike License.
- 38 new against-the-clock race events - Burning Ride and Midnight Ride.
- A brand new in-game 24 hr day / night cycle that impacts traffic density and available events. (It's fully customisable - you can make it day/night/change the clock speed - it's up to you.)
- Dynamic weather brings an all-new look to Paradise City
- And if that's not enough, we've got 70 more Freeburn Challenges too

Freeburn is Burnout's uninterrupted drop-in / drop-out online play. It's a cool collaborative experience, so it's all about hanging out with your friends, messing around in vehicles while racing, pulling tricks and crashing in a massive open world city.

If 350...