Great idea, good graphics (sub-par, but still good), and a broken driving model.

User Rating: 4 | Need for Speed: Shift PC
By m14a3l | Review Date:
Earlier this year, when i heard that NFS is moving to a GRID-like type of racing arcade/sim, I was thrilled, and I was waiting for the release. When I finally got my hands on Shift, I entered my first race, and not to my surprise, the car handled like a brick in the toilet. I thought initially that this is due to my controller configuration, so I borrowed a steering wheel from a friend of mine, but the car STILL handled that way. I tried tuning the car so that it would be more stable in a straight line, and yet it still was uncontrollable. You can go with the mind-blowing 100 mph, and you still need to be slow as hell in the turns (10 mph) in order to keep the car from sliding. I personally own an RX-8 and I have gone to several tracks to drive it, and trust me, it is a lot more responsive, stable, and... fragile :D

So, the good stuff (so that this is not a complete rant):
1. Graphics are good enough for a 2009 game
2. the "QUIT" option in the menu has the biggest font size (I even felt the temptation to quit the game before I even started it :D)
3. Cars are more than enough, and their tuning options are almost complete
And now, moving to the bad stuff:
1. It does not matter if the damage is set to off, cosmetic, or full, the car's handling does not deteriorate as I expected it. It should have been at least the way GRID handled damage
2. No matter what you try and do, the car will fly off the track in turns if you try and take them faster than 10mph
3. AI is too darn difficult. Maybe if the car were drivable, the verdict would be different

Overall, I forced myself to play the game so that I can get used to it, but it is FUBAR. If you're a die hard NFS fan, this is NOT Need for Speed as it was in the years before, even though you might like it. If you are not the NFS fanatic, simply avoid this game and get GRID. It has better graphics, cars that can actually stay on the tarmac, and a proper damage model. And if you still want to play and arcade racer, stick to the old and glorious NFS games.

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