Unique rendition of a racing game that just needs some tweaks in order for it to live up to the high praise.
The recent tangents the NFS series as went into (namely ProStreet and Undercover) hasn't given gamers the real sense of what it means to really feel that sense of speed that the series was founded on. Now, with Shift..I believe it is back.
The first thing that you notice is the incredible sound quality that was incorporated into this game. Playing it late on some nights I've had to turn down the volume because it just hits you like a ton of bricks. The sound of the engines, the tires, the wind whipping past as you accelerate past 150+ mph, enhances that sense of speed.
One unique addition to this game is the innovative cockpit view while driving the car. If you drive on the edge of spinning out by trying to take a turn too fast, the view will change accordingly. If you slam on the brakes you'll see how the camera view will be pushed towards the dashboard of the car. Every bump in the road makes the view move slightly, and every turn forces you to keep up. However, for precision drivers, the use of the bumper camera allows you more vision of the road but the game was built to use this very cleverly devised angle.
Another high mark for the game is the insanely intense crashes. From just scraping the railing to being t-boned going nearly 200 mph, the screen will go black and while in color for several seconds as your driver tries to regain focus. Depending on the severity of the crash, the screen will actually go blurry and distorted as what I would suspect would happen in such a horrific accident. It makes for a tough time to regain where exactly you are on the track, but it is realistic.
NFS Shift does not incorporate any kind of storyline. You jump in a test car at the beginning of the game and do several practice laps which determines the degree of difficulty of the AI that you will compete against as well as what driving assists will be turned on or off. All of these settings can be adjusted, as these settings are just suggestions.
The career mode does leave more to be desired. It does feel like you're just doing the races to check them off and gain money and recognition, or stars. These stars are earned by obtaining profile points and completing the bonus objectives in each race. These objectives can range from completing a clean lap, spinning out opponents, beating a certain lap time, mastering corners, etc. Profile points are awarded for just about everything you do in the game while driving but are classified into two categories: Precision or Aggression.
As you build your own racing style and move up driver levels, your "emblem" of being a precise or aggressive driver will evolve but again, basically anything you do will earn you points. Draft behind an opponent, knock a racer off the track, stick to the racing line, brake when you're supposed to, and you'll earn points.
Another addition that I enjoyed was how you can also earn "badges" throughout the game. There are two kinds: minor and major badges. The small badges are just like small notches you can earn on your racing belt that include racing a certain amount of miles in a certain kind of car, drafting a certain number of opponents, mastering all corners at certain tracks, etc. Whereas the major badges are only earned as you progress through the minor badges' levels of bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels. It's just another accomplishment to strive outside of the normal achievements that are set for you for the regular Xbox.
The ultimate goal of the career mode is to get into the NFS World Tour (their version of the championship) which does get challenging because of the sheer amount of horsepower that you'll trying to keep under control, and I do mean you are trying to keep the car under control. The higher tier cars (tiers 4 and 5) include the iconic supercars like the Bugatti Veyron, F1 McLaren, etc. However, what is unique in this game is the ability to have certain lower tier cars upgrade to a "Works" version that basically turns your street tuned car into a legit racing machine. This way, you can have a Nissan GT-R R34 race against these other beasts on the road for the crown.
Each tier of cars has its own level of competition that includes several categories: Car Battles (two different manufacture cars driving against each other), Mixed Racing (includes drift competition, time trials, Lap Elimination, Time Elimination, Racing Series, Drift Series). Others include Manufacturer Competitions (the entire field of drivers have the same car), Country vs. Country (manufacture-specific cars can only enter these races). Also, as you progress through the game you will be given Invitational Events to compete in which include any number of these kinds of races but award a huge amount of money and let you drive several different tiers of cars to drive and access to different and legendary tracks around the world.
The game to me overall has an incredible sense of speed but does get to be challenging as you get into the higher tiers as competitors seem hell bent on just knocking you off the track. The handling of these higher tiered cars can be overcome with an in-depth tuning system and knowledge of the tracks, but still can be annoying to try and keep under control as you approach higher speeds.
Overall, despite some of the car-handling challenges, Need For Speed Shift took yet another unique step for the franchise. I believe it to be a good step in the right direction.