At EA3, the E3 preview event, I spent some time playing Need for Speed Nitro on the Wii. Some of you may know, but I am pretty bad at racing games. My favorite racing game is the older Burnout titles because it was good to crash into things. Something I do very well. I warned the guy at the Need for Speed Nitro demo that about my lack of skill with racing games and went for it.

The first thing you will notice is that Need for Speed Nitro is really about speed. The team wanted to make sure it felt “fast” and they accomplished that. The nitrous gives you a burst of speed for racing through the streets.

For those that do crash, the car will show various levels of damage. Glass will break, or steam will start coming out of the car. Pick up wrenches along the way to fix the damage.

There isn’t a story to follow in Need for Speed Nitro, instead the game has a variety of challenges. There is no online multiplayer but you can race against others locally.

What stands out about Need for Speed Nitro is the control scheme. The controls are easy to learn and even easier to remember. Racing can be done with a Wii-mote or using the Wii Wheel. I enjoyed playing Need for Speed Nitro and can’t wait to get another hands-on at E3.