Electronic Arts' Need for Speed franchise has always let players get behind the wheel of the most exotic and desirable modern-day cars. With the upcoming release of Motor City Online, however, the franchise will veer sharply from its successful formula in two distinct ways. First, as the name suggests, the game will be played predominantly online. You'll be able to race against other human players, buy and trade parts and cars, and even scour the local newspaper for club events or hot deals. Adding a community aspect to the game is certainly a welcome addition to the series. The game's massive library of vehicles from the golden age of American car culture is the second major departure from the series. Motor City Online will feature more than 50 classics like the Mustang, Corvette, and Thunderbird, all of which can be upgraded into all-out muscle cars.

To prevent confusion with the company's strictly offline series of racing games, Electronic Arts has dropped the "Need for Speed" moniker from Motor City Online. Regardless, when the game releases later this year, fans of the franchise will easily recognize Motor City Online's look and feel as true to the Need for Speed series. We sat down with Motor City Online producer Michael Waite to talk about the game's features, like the new graphics technology, updated physics engine, and economy system, in more detail.

An out of control '63 Corvette Stingray slams into a Ford Mustang

GameSpot: What's involved in creating a persona in Motor City Online? Will players be able to be instantly behind the wheel of a car after starting up the game for the first time?

Michael Waite: We tried to make Motor City Online very accessible to users. As players enter the world of Motor City, they begin by picking a shard and creating a unique persona. To help introduce the player, they are initially pointed toward the newbie tracks on EZ Street, which can only be accessed by level-one and level-two players. Similar to all of the tracks in the arcade action [mode], the newbie tracks will contain no economy or car ownership...just choose a track and a car and race! Hard-core gamers, of course, can bypass this easier area and go straight to the deeper sim world gameplay with full economy and car construction.

GS: How does Motor City Online's economy system work? How much money will players initially start with, and how will they be able to earn more money?

MW: The game's real-life economy is one of the coolest aspects of this game. Motor City Online's big economy innovation is the inclusion of system-supported auctions, where players can bid on and purchase cars and parts. This way, the value of goods and services is determined by supply and demand...just like in the real world. Players can also buy, sell, and swap with each other in order to improve their status and income. Initially, each racer will be given a certain amount of Motor City "cash." From there, it's up to each person to determine how they'll earn more winnings--racers can earn money through weekly salaries, pro racing purses, street racing wagers, and prize winnings and through items or services that are sold to other players.

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GS: The idea of racing for pink slips is certainly daunting. Will players be able to renege if they lose a drag race?

MW: Nope. Racing for pink slips is definitely something to be seriously considered prior to accepting a challenge from or challenging another racer. When a pink slip wager is chosen, which is a user-selected option, a loss for any reason results in a loss of the vehicle's pink slip. However, we do warn players profusely before letting them finalize the bet. After that, it's completely up to the racers to determine whether or not they're willing to take such a risk for the reward.