A step up from previous games, and the new style of gameplay change has proven that this series is still alive!
This time Shift has its focus exclusively on the legal world of motor racing. Licensed circuits are plastered throughout this title, from Silverstone and Spa Francorchamps to Laguna Seca and Brands Hatch, while the cars are blended between a wish list of factory line production cars and stripped down, racing spec variants of these original models. Make no mistake, Need For Speed has gone legit, although not without retaining the staples of car modification and drift racing that gamers now expect from an Need For Speed title. Much like Codemasters Race Driver: GRID, Need For Speed Shift is a much more enjoyable experience when played from the cockpit view rather than the above and behind camera angle that most racers lend themselves to. In fact, viewed outside of the cockpit, Shift becomes a much blander racing experience, not bad but decidedly run of the-mill, and rather re - cycled. I think they should of left that out, and one view from the cock pit would of been much easier. This isn't necessarily a criticism though, as the gameplay when viewed from inside the car is nothing short of a landmark in the production of racing games, where Slightly Mad Studios inspired camera work has built the most adrenaline fuelled racing game I have ever drooled over! There are a number of nifty camera tricks that SMS uses to do this, such as employing motion blur at high speeds, shaking the camera up in accidents before disorienting the driver with a blurry, greyscale filter, lurching the camera angle forward under heavy breaking, and veering it to the right - left in the corners. The result is a thoroughly convincing depiction of pumped forces and high impact crashes that the racing game genre has rarely seen before. It is by far and away the most impressive element of the game, without which the other standout features would fail to shine. Of course, this all makes a lot of sense given SMS heritage. Its involvement with the critically acclaimed GTR series of PC games and the experience drawn form this is evident throughout Shift, although EA's production values mean that it's not quite the fully authentic sim that GTR2 was, 24 hour endurance races are hardly a game selling feature here. At the same time, SMS has not forgotten its roots. Endurance race events do feature in Shift, it's just that they're denoted by 10 laps of Spa for example, while regular races are usually between 1 and 3 laps long. Equally, the sense of progression throughout Shift is clearly where EA's associate producers have had a strong influence. Soon after starting a new career, gamers will come across the Driver Profile, which charts your performance on the track by dishing out points for either Aggression or Precision driving. The former includes trading paint with another driver or slip - streaming them down a straight for example, while the latter awards points for mastering the driving line through a turn or performing a clean overtaking manoeuvre. These points are then dished out via a combo meter during races, which then builds up your profile as a precise or aggressive driver accordingly and increases your Driver Level, while rewarding you with Badges for certain achievements. It's a lot like the sort of production sheen that was once added to a certain racing series by developer Criterion. EA's involvement with Burnout 3: Takedown was essentially what lifted an aspiring series of games into arguably the best arcade racer on previous-gen consoles and, as much as racing purists might scoff at how Shift's racing sim elements have been watered down in some areas, EA clearly knows what it's doing here. While the mesh between EA production and SMS development might not be quite as flush as it was with Criterion and Takedown, there's no denying the fact that this EA sheen does make Shift more accessible to a broader market of gamers, which is no bad thing (after all, this is a Need For Speed game).
Car customisation has been integrated into Shift in ways that aim to please both sim and arcade fans. Custom paint jobs can be applied to the cars you purchase, while a wide range of rims and body-kits for each model can spruce up their appearance and this will no doubt appeal to the typical Need For Speeder. Simulation fans will then enjoy the incredibly deep car setup options (which include downforce, gear ratios, tyre pressure, differential, and steering camber to name but a few), while racing liveries are available to doll factory line cars up like GT racers, and everything from drivetrain to cockpit upgrades can be made to increase performance. The all important nitrous injections haven't been forgotten either, although admittedly their effects are a lot more subtle than in previous NFS games. EA's influences extend beyond these more cosmetic areas and into the gameplay as well, with a range of race types that retain shades of previous games and the Burnout series. Shift's events extend far beyond standard, closed circuit races with timed events such as the Hot Lap and Time Attack competitions, as well as two different types of eliminator events, Driver Duels that set two cars against each other in single-lap gladiatorial battles, and the previously mentioned endurance races. Without a doubt though, the most refreshing change of pace comes from the drift competitions, which are played out in sanctioned events across world motor racing venues. Cars modified for high revs are used and must then be guided across a series of turns. Hitting the markers and extending the drift for as long as possible is the critical skill required to ratchet up the points, so the events are not too dissimilar to their illegitimate cousins from the Need For Speed: Underground games and their offshoots.
Beyond the impressive camera work, Shift's visuals are superb. There are a few bugs, and some crazy glitches that doesn't get the game into the nine mark, but all can be overlooked. However, it's hard to think of many more criticisms than these and there are many more good things to say about it that I haven't had the time to go into great depth about here. The AI is superbly dealt with and produces opponents that are not only very aggressive, but will also make believable mistakes when you're not interfering with their race. I often saw opponents getting into tangles ahead of us, which adds another layer of realism to the races beyond what most other racing games can muster. There's also the occasional voice-over from a member of your pit crew, who often does his best Murray Walker impression with a "Go, go, go!" at the start of a race before comically reminding you to have fun. Overall, though, this is a solid, Need For Speed title, and it's returned as a great title, and is right up there with Dirt 2 and Pure!
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Good Points: Great visuals, wonderful gameplay, good AI, great box art, solid campaign mode, super re - playability.
Bad Points: Annoying music, Some odd bugs and glitches, dissapointing selection of tracks.
8.5/10