Electronic Arts developer Black Box has been hard at work re-inventing and re-thinking the Need for Speed franchise, and the result is a new title called Need for Speed: The Run. The Run has a number of surprises in store, but perhaps the most interesting is that the game is powered by the DICE-developed Frostbite 2 engine; and it becomes obvious once you know more about the title why this was an excellent decision.

The Run is actually a pretty simple concept which is driving across the U.S. faster than your competitors to win the game. Your progress is tracked in detail by EA’s Autolog, and reported to your friends who also have the game so that they, too, can keep track of and compare progress in the game.

Besides the riveting car racing and chases, the game offers a new component allowing you to get out of the car or be forced out of the car to take your racing on foot. The on-foot parts of the game present a new dimension and add a new element to a title that is a first for the franchise. With these out-of-the-car elements being added to the game it is easy to see why the selection of the Frostbite 2 engine was such a good decision, as it is able to deliver on both the racing and out-of-the-car fronts very well.