Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed will be coming very soon in March, but we still have some bits of info regarding this “sim racing” game from EA that tries very hard to be like GT5. Developed by Slightly Mad Studios for EA, ‘Shift 2’ will be getting a similar Autolog system that we’ve seen in Hot Pursuit, but it’ll be renamed into ‘Need for Speed DNA’.

The UI and skin will look very familiar to gamers, but it’ll have some new features added to spice ‘challenge’ even further. The new ‘DNA’ will not only provide track times for unique events, but also segregate data based on quick race tracks, race types and automotive disciplines. This essentially means that Autolog will be more than just a system that throws down your friend’s times regardless of how, or when, they set them during their career.

Slightly Mad also revealed that a rewards scheme would be introduced, with players of Hot Pursuit being awarded the Pagani Cinque Roadster racer and Lamborghini Reventon police car in Shift 2 when they log in.

IGN has also reported that there’s a new ‘helmet-cam’ view in ‘Shift 2’. It literally puts you into the head of the racer. More than just in in-car camera, the helmet cam will move with the head of the driver, being drawn from side to side as the car takes corners and the driver is hit by G’s. As the car comes up to higher speeds, the edges of the screen will become blurred to simulate the tunnel-vision effect that drivers suffer when racing. Sounds pretty cool for me. Have I given you enough reasons to get a wheel for ‘Shift 2’?