Need for Speed: Shift

I can't for the life of me figure out why someone who (in general) likes driving games would not like this game!

Pros:

- The graphics are eye popping and run smoothly throughout on both my PS3s (80GB fat and a 120GB slim).
- The sound is top notch, especially on 5.1 (or better?) systems.
- Driving can be challenging or easy and is highly configurable to let you decide which is best for you.
- There are a ton of different cars to master that all drive differently (as it should be).
- You can upgrade each car with engine, suspension, braking and other technical improvements.
- You can customize the visual aspects of each car if you're into that kind of thing.
- You can be either a precision or aggression style of driver and you earn points for both along the way
- There are many different racing styles represented (standard, manufacturer events, drift for example)

Cons:

- At release, there were some bugs but they have been addressed now as far as I can tell.
- This game melds elements of arcade and simulation racing which may put off hard core fans these genres.

The Need for Speed series is a tale of two franchises really and that is why the widely differing reviews I think. If you are a fan of NFS: Hot Pursuit and other "cops and robbers" racing games, then you will likely not like this game because there isn't a cop in sight. You are racing on tracks and other closed courses and not in city streets with other civilian cars running around. If you need to see flashing red lights in your rear view mirror, or just have to run down a mother and her baby carriage then look elsewhere.

What this game is a pretty simple I think. It provides you with all the best elements of actually racing in environments designed for racing, plus the ability to tweak your ride to a reasonable level. This is where simulation meets arcade to me because while games like Gran Turismo allow you to tinker until your knuckles bleed, NFS: Shift dumbs all that down a bit so you can just concentrate on driving and having fun.

Bottom line is this; If you want an all out utterly realistic simulation, this ain't it. If you want chase epic scenes, running from the cops and driving crazy fast amongst the general population, this ain't it. But if you want to just have fun while driving nice cars on actual race courses with limited tweaking -- then this is the ticket. If you can accept what this game brings to bear, you will enjoy it.

I purchased the game after going off the IGN review (9.0 out of 10). I would not rate it that high personally. The game takes getting used to. I admit to liking the NFSU games, but knew this one was different and closer to a GT racing sim than the earlier titles. Anyway, I think that the game performs well in some areas, not so in others. The load times are ridiculous. The same questions come up on each time you start the game. With the HD in place there should not be such long load times between races and saving. There is no menu option that I see to quit mid-race. Hopefully the cars will be more stable and easier to control at high speeds as you advance through the tiers. The BMW M3 on tier 2 is way too loose even after all upgrades. I probably need to do more tuning but it's hard to keep on the courses. I suppose this is to lend to the more realistic simulation but it's frustrating at times. Drift mode is an adventure; I've never been great at drift racing but the initial impression here is that it's almost prohibitive in it's difficulty. I haven't found the right balance of throttle and brake yet. It seems overly sensitive compared to the previous titles. While it shouldn't be totally easy, it takes a lot of getting used to and I find it annoying at times.

The courses are pretty awesome although many have already been done in the GT series. The graphics are very good. I have not noticed the high speed blurring as mentioned in other reviews, maybe because my car tops out at 150 or so. We'll see when we get into the high end cars if it is noticable.

I typically don't do the online racing because of the issues with rewarding aggressive/dirty tactics in all online play so I can't speak to that experience yet.

I think it is a disservice to gamers that EA did not make it compatible with the racing wheels out there. How does anybody make a driving sim that doesn't work with a wheel controller?

In spite of it's flaws (maybe they are my flaws, not the game?), I am enjoying the game so far. I am giving it a 7.5 after limited game play. Maybe when my skills improve I will look at it differently. Not a bad effort.

I'll start by admitting I have a temper and little patience for frustration. I tend to get upset, turn a game off, then move on. It takes something special to make me do more than swear at a game before angrily pressing the power button. That said, I actually rage-smashed a Driving Force Pro over this game.

First, the good things: A lot of people are complaining at the blend of arcade and sim. This game is much closer to sim than people are giving it credit for. Just because you don't have to fight the car to keep it on the track (real cars aren't that insanely difficult to drive) doesn't immediately disqualify the game as a sim. The presentation is amazing. Cornering at racing speeds should feel intense and dangerous, and NFSShift conveys this excellently. It may seem artificial and a little too over the top at times, but the sensation of speed is completely unequaled. I literally cannot play GT5P or be excited for Forza 3 (based on its demo) any more because of NFS Shift. That feeling of "barely-in-control" flying down a course just isn't present at all in those other games. If rated on presentation and immersion alone, I'd give NFS Shift a 6/5 if I could. The Forza demo feels like pushing toy cars around a toy track compared to this.

The real problem is the AI. Like many racing games, Shift suffers from crap AI. To its credit, it doesn't crutch on the "rubber-band" mechanic nearly as much as other racers do, but the blatant "unfairness" of the game is maddening at times. The AI is given emotions, it reacts to you as well as the other AI, and sometimes the effect is pretty stunning. As racers jostle with each other, the whole pack gets a little more aggressive, trying to cut other drivers off or even force them off the track. If you tailgate an opponent it wears on them, causing them to take turns faster and faster and risk wiping out in the process. Really well done. But for all of the "human" qualities they gave the AI, it seems the developers also just let the AI cheat to compensate for these quirks or fallacies.

Simply, no matter what you are driving, or what the AI is driving, the "main competitors" (usually the two best AI drivers/cars) will be faster than you. They'll corner better than you. They'll accelerate faster than you. They'll recover from race-losing errors (such as flying off track and head-first into a wall) and still do better than you. It isn't too terrible or noticeable in most of the "normal" races because you generally aren't required to place 1st all the time in order to advance and doing really, really well can still net you that number 1 position, and most events and series only require a podium finish. The problem is a large segment of the game (including its "boss fights" at the end of each tier) is dedicated to 1v1, win or lose, do or die "car battles". A lot of these will force you to choose between one of two pre-configured vehicles. No matter which you choose, you have to fight for your life to stay ahead of the AI. Even worse are the boss fights, where you *are* allowed to bring in your preferred, fully tuned car, and watch it get blown entirely the heck away by whatever the AI is driving. It doesn't matter if every bit of math and tuning is on your side, the AI *will* beat you off the line. It *will* beat you in straightaways. It *will* pull corners faster than you can. Your only real hope is to get lucky and be able to lurch into a leading position either through some risky, "too-fast" turns, knock it off track by slamming into him instead of braking for a corner, or just barely pull ahead and then try your best to box the AI out until the race ends.

It's supposed to be challenging, but all it is is frustrating. Fun isn't even on the same map as these races. I'm all for a game being difficult if it is still fun, if there's some semblance of fairness, but knowing your vehicle and tuning mean so little in so much of the game, and it really only comes down to luck, is a significant disappointment.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 122 reviews  3.6 out of 5 stars