Gaming Need for Speed: Shift Review

No, it's just shitty by design.


After 27 very, very frustrating hours I have given up on this turd of a game. What a waste of money.

 

I’ve been playing NFS since the beginning, and this is my favorite edition yet…the cockpit cam is great, and the physics are amazing. This is my first NFS on a next-gen system, and I’m blown away by the realism (Outside of some of the exaggerated crashes, which are part of the fun in playing video games anyway...)

Also nice to see a good soundtrack, I was thrilled that they used Rootbeer’s “Under Control” – that’s definitely an awesome under-the-radar jam. Props to EA for improving their song selections as of late – all the games I’ve bought this year (Fight Night Round 4, NFS Shift, and NHL 10) have had pretty decent soundtracks.

 

i was a bit skeptical about this new game after hearing that it was gonna be another on-track racer......reading the review changed my mind.....i'll give it a shot now

i still want a good street racer, NFS MW was the last decent street racer i played

 

Wish there was some more customization options in Body Works. NFS series loosing it's customization options with the release of every new game. The only reason i played the game is because it has better visual options like body kits, spoilers, rims. The gameplay is almost same as GRID. For me this is no different than any other pro racing game. I m very much disappointed with this game! I 'll wait for gran Turismo for PSP.

 

Are you playing with a keyboard? I'm also almost on tier 3 (and have earned all the stars on all the invitationals so far while playing on medium) and I find the game a bit too easy and will be switching to hard soon. The AI drivers are, literally, absolute push overs on medium with their cars being almost too easily upended. Maybe you need to adjust your settings. And the drifting, while difficult in and of itself, isn't much of a hurdle as it's pretty easy to beat the AI's top score.

I do agree that the 'best' racing line is somewhat inaccurate. But this being the first racing game I've played with a racing line, I use it only as a guide which I think is the best way to use it.

Also the aggressive/precision balance is somewhat broken, but it's an obvious gimmick that's not at all distracting and can be safely ignored. It's all about the race, true?

The review presented here I thought was a bit too nickpicky. While the first few races are somewhat slow they certainly don't near going in slow motion. Plus you get to jump into the faster rides very early on due to invitationals, early tier unlocks, and the loads of cash you're provided. As far as there being no qualifying lap, I say thank goodness because I wouldn't want to waste my time what with the racing line telling you pretty much how to take every corner and the game being as easy as it is. And why is it frustrating to get to learn a new car after upgrading it. Wouldn't it be worse if the car drove more or less the same (which personally, is how it feels for me).

As far as the graphics go, the car models are definitely better looking here than in GRID. But with GRID's slick night driving, sharper textures, and more lively backgrounds overall I'd give the nod to GRID by a hair. And having played both the PC and console versions, I honestly don't see the a difference apart from higher resolution on PC (I play on XP for what it's worth). Also, I noted barely any jaggies at 2x or 4xAA and no difference between replay and in game visuals.

My only problems with the game are the bland menus & 'garage', and the lack of a custom soundtrack option. Overall though I find this game refreshing and addicting and even better than the all mighty GRID (...so far anyway). This really is a game racing fans need to try out for themselves because of the wildly different opinions I've come across. And don't take my word for it because while I disliked NFS:Undercover, Carbon, and Underground 2... I actually liked the original Juiced. Go figure.

Thank goodness there's a demo.

 

Sorry I have to disagree......................
Gameplay might be good (ish), but realism?? are you drinking from the fountain of madness??

There is no realism in the 'game', its an eye-candy 'game' not a sim at all.
I race rFactor, LFS, GTR2 and dabble on iRacing, and the 'game' doesn't compare to anything that is out there.

Granted its a 'arcade style racing game' but thats all it is.

NFS has followed a timeline which continues to hoard eye-candy drivers, and not someone who'd rather spend time racing.

Though I do not have the game, I 'played' on a friends copy for sometime and find it rediculously funny.

I for one was hoping for something better than Grid (never played it, never bought it, read reviews), but I am glad I saved my money for a few months of iRacing, something which I do not regret.

I am not knocking the game, because thats all it is, the idea of calling this game a 'sim' or realistic is total madness, as it is neither, nor will any NFS 'game' be anything but a 'game'

Everything is relative, this has a place in the gaming market, I just wish people would look far and wide to see that this 'game' is all about visual eye-candy, and not about racing.