Need for Speed: Shift Game Review (PC)

The Need for Speed series has been a staple of the racing genre for the past fifteen years, spanning three console generations. Need for Speed: Shift attempts to bring the series back to a simulation style, leaving the police chases and high flying acrobatics for later installments of the series. In development for the past two years, can this installment turn the corner, and bring a breath of fresh air to this aging series?
 

Gameplay

Need for Speed: Shift sits in a strange gray area between arcade and simulation. It offers driving assists that opens itself to fans of the series that may not be used to a simulation style of racer. With all these assists off simulation fans may still find the game feeling a bit too arcade like. In its attempts to bridge the gap between the arcade driving fan, and the simulation drivers it will not satisfy either sect. However, those who are not hardcore to either extreme, drivers will find the driving model handles well. It offers enough lead way to bring in new drivers, while offering just enough realism to give a taste of the real car.

The damage model for cars also shows this compromise between arcade and simulation. While cars can take damage, the damage model for the most part is cosmetic. The only system that is really affected by damage is steering, and that is only to some degree with full damage on. It is strange to see a car flip several times, and then drive off like nothing happened in this “simulation” racer.

The single player game will mostly take place in career mode. Events are spread across eighteen tracks, with five tiers of competition to work through. The events are very diverse without the same event repeating on the same track twice. Perhaps the most frustrating of these events is the duel, in which you face a single AI controlled car for a single lap, in three rounds. In the first round, you maybe following the computer car, and your goal is to pass it, beating it to the finish line or get ahead by more than ten seconds. The second round, the positions are reversed, but the objective the same pull ahead by ten seconds, or get to the finish line first. The third round is only played if the previous two end in a tie starts with both cars side by side. These matches feel more like they rely on the computer to make a mistake than driver skill on player's part. Another frustrating event is drifting, but for a different reason. With no explanation in game of how to properly drift a car you will be forced to replay the first few events several times while trying to figure it out, or have previous knowledge from another game.

Progression through the career mode's tiers is fueled by stars, earning roughly half of the stars on a tier unlocks the next tier for competition. Stars are awarded by placing in the top three, as well as special objectives such as leading an entire lap, or knocking a number of opponents off the track. While it is simple to get enough to move on to the next level, obtaining all the stars will keep you busy for some time as you try to shave a few more seconds off a lap time for that last star.

Along side the career tier system is another form of progression, driver profile leveling. In this system, every action taken on the track earns points toward either precision, or aggression. Earning enough points in these two combined levels up the player, with the type of driver dictated by which holds the most points. This leads to the first few levels switching back and forth between the two styles while you become accustomed to the game. With fifty levels, it may seem that it would take quite some time to reach maximum level. But, with every action from bumping a car to holding the racing line earning points, long races granting several thousand points each is not out of the question. Where the system breaks down slightly, is that it is unable to tell if you were the aggressor when awarding points. Several times I had a car ram me, yet I earned aggressive points for the action even though I took no aggressive action. While this is a minor compliant, those who wish to run a very clean profile may find it marred by their opponents more than their own driving.

Taking the race on-line is where the gameplay really shines. Shift offers two major modes for on line racing, the first being the normal quick race. It plays exactly like the name implies, but it is the second mode that is the most intriguing. The Duel race is like that from the single player, but far more fun when competing against a player. Racing in Duel places you at the bottom of a ladder system, with each victory rising you one rung up. However, a single loss brings you back down to the bottom, giving a somewhat King of the Hill feel to being high up in the ranks. This greatly intensives the sense of competition between players, knowing that a single bump could send you from being the top dog, to chasing the pack.

Shift simply begs the player to play from the in car camera. Each car's interior is reproduced in loving detail, with each cockpit upgrade giving more and more gages and instruments to judge your car's performance. The driver's animations are also very detailed, with each action performed by the driver as you make them. This gives a real sense of control when playing in car, it doesn't just feel like you're along for the ride.

The sense of speed is amazing, both in and out of car. Out of car, subtle camera movements help convey that you really are moving at over 200MPH. Once again though, it is in car that makes it really shine. From the driver's movements, to the slight shimming of the car. It gives a sense of speed that is unparalleled. The simple slight blurring of the dashboard for example after roughly 150 MPH helps truly convey what a mere number on a speedometer could only hope to.
 

Graphics

Something new the series beings in the graphical area are the crash effects. When you make contact with the wall, or a car hard enough your vision blurs, or you lose the ability to see color for a few seconds. It is just as if you really took a blow to the head. After a few moments, you recover. Like other things I have talked about, it simply must be experienced in car to fully appreciate it. It adds a bit of a disorientation following a large crash, adding greatly to the game's sense of realism.
 

Sound

If you are looking for a killer soundtrack, prepare to be disappointed. Shift's biggest change in audio is what is chose to leave out. After some ambiance music on the menus, which is largely forgettable, rolling out on the track turns off the music letting you enjoy the roaring of engines and squealing of tires. It is just you, and your car. This is a perfect example of how sound should be in racers.

The sound effects for Shift are perfectly mixed, and when combined with the visual presentation offer one of the closest experiences to actual racing you will be likely to find for quite sometime. The driver once again makes an appearance taking a sharp intake of breath moments before a large crash, or giving out a pained cry when tumbling end over end in a metal crunching death tumble.
 

Value

While attempting to bridge between sim and arcade race fans, Need for Speed: Shift never quite makes it to either camp. It will not bring new fans into the genre, but for drivers who are looking for their next track, Shift more than delivers. Its on line component will surly keep many of gamer up late at night, trying to reach the top of the ladder.
 

Final Verdict

Pro:

• Breathtaking in the audio and visual presentation.
• Offers an incredible sense of speed.
• Opens itself to all race fans.

Con:

• Career mode, and profile leveling are a bit short.
• Some of the events could have stood a bit more explanation.
• With all the driver aids off, it never quite makes it to a simulation feel it was going for.
   

Overall Score: 8.5/10

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