Need for Speed: Shift
Tags: need, Shift, speed
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September 8th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I am predominantly a simracer rather than an arcade racer, so I am reviewing this from the biased perspective of someone who typically likes Forza2, RacePro and Gran Turismo. I have never played any of the NFS games. But I have played and enjoyed the Burnout games. So I DO like arcade racers now and then too.
Pros:
- The presentation is hip and energetic with pulsing sound effects and visuals.
- The audio is cranked all the way up by default. So if you are using a driving seat with some kind of vibration system like an Aura Bass Shaker or Buttkicker, you will need to turn it down. Mine started getting pretty hot in a matter of a few minutes compared to games like Forza 2 and Race Pro- which would barely warm the units up.
- Cockpit view feels less claustrophobic than GT Prologue. Not sure why.
- Camera shake does definitely add to the realism and excitement.
- Money is earned pretty quickly so you can buy new cars- a lot less grinding compared to GTP. Also when you buy a car, you can later turn around and sell it for the same price as you bought it.
- The beginning of the game puts you through a trial race from which it provides you with a recommendation of the gameplay settings. This is a nice touch- especially for introducing newbies to the genre.
Cons:
- Although the presentation is more “hip” it is also much more cluttered. There is often too much graphics and too many statistics presented to you both in the HUD and after the race.
- Program is not entirely bug free. It froze on me twice. And on another occasion I was able to start racing BEFORE the green light!
- Load times are pretty long so I recommend installing it on your harddrive- which helps a little.
- Even in Pro mode (i.e. no traction control, stability, and abs) it felt easier to control than Forza 2, and definitely easier than Race Pro.
- The force feedback on the wheel appears weaker than Forza 2. I was surprised it was already set at 10/10 by default.
- Cars do not appear to be visually as pleasing as Forza 2 or as accurate as GT Prologue. For example, the rear airfoil in the Audi TT does not raise automatically at greater than 75mph- which it does in GTP.
- Quick Race mode gives you a limited set of cars to start with. Although you earn cash pretty quickly and you can buy them.
- Cars are pretty aggressive on occasion, forcing you off the track on purpose. But at the same time, sometimes you see it do some really weird turns (that are not a result of a spinout) and decelerations that seem to indicate the AI decided to revert to following its rail.
On the whole NFS is simracing from a NFS perspective. It’s a good effort for the NFS franchise. They presumably want to try and keep their existing customers (who tend to prefer a more arcade-style experience) but at the same time take a small nibble at the simracing piece of the pie currently dominated by Forza, Gran Turismo, and others.
Hardcore Simracers will probably be better off sticking to the Forza and Gran Turismo series. Forza3’s new ability to wind back time so you can redo a portion of the race will likely be the top feature in the game- allowing you to practice a corner over and over.
I think casual games will still find this game enjoyable for the excitement-drenched visual and audio experience. I find that even though I am a semi-hardcore simracer, this title does grow on you after a while.
Addendum:
I recently played the demo version of Forza 3. Here’s a quick comparison against NFSS:
F3’s driving physics definitely does feel more accurate. E.g. on the Audi R8 about 70% of the power is supposed to be in the rear wheels and 30% in the front. In F3, it feels right. If you do too sharp a turn and hit the gas too hard, you will oversteer. In NFSS however, the R8 feels like a front wheel drive vehicle- in a hard corner, I can usually turn the wheel in the direction I want to go and just floor the gas, and eventually the car will straighten out. Your car almost never oversteers. I do admit though that NFSS’ version of the R8 physics does make it more fun sometimes- you can whip your wheel around on a hard corner and just floor the gas- gives you a heroic feeling when taking an insane corner- which admittedly is not a good way to drive on a real race track.
The steering vibration in F3 is much stronger, and it really adds to the illusion of weight of the car. So if you through a serious of left/right turns quickly, the wheel will pull very hard in both directions and it really gives you the sensation that your car’s weight is being flung from side to side.
NFSS’ gas pedal feels a lot less “analog” than F3. NFSS’ response tends to feel like it’s a 1 or 0. F3 feels about right. You step on the gas gradually and you can feel and hear the gradual build up of power.
F3’s cockpit is closer in view so you can see the dials more clearly. However the rendering of the cockpit is not as detailed as NFSS- and certainly much less detailed than Gran Turismo Prologue. Also with the closer cockpit view in F3, half of the rear-view mirror is truncated.
Even though I tend to prefer realistic racing sims, I find I really missed the camera shake in NFSS. It really does add a lot to the experience. When I play F3, it just feels rather tranquil by comparison.
NFSS’ replay camera view is incredibly weak- there is really only 1 view. F3 has brilliant camera views. Just about every conceivable camera view is included. I have never seen so many views in a racing game. This is particular important if you are serious about analyzing your driving. And just as in Forza 2, you can toggle on/off detailed telemetry about your car.
However, still, the one feature that makes F3 the hands down winner, is the ability to rewind time so you can retake a corner. I found myself using this quite often and really appreciating it the more I use it- especially so that I don’t have to restart the race just because I spun out toward the end of the last lap. However, I can see that this can be such a powerful crutch that people will over use it… perhaps forgetting that in real life there are no undos when it comes to real car racing… But for now I am thankful the feature is there. It is such a great learning tool.
Rating: 4 / 5
September 8th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Before making a purchase, I always do my homework. As much as I hate Electronic Arts I must say, they have a winner with Need For Speed:Shift. This is the reason why it is being attacked up here.
Some reviews posted up here are not reviews but short narrow-minded paragraphs designed to scare people away from the product. It is called, “Fanboism” and is highly distasteful. Such “reviews” do not help the perspective buyer one bit.
I raced with Shift for a couple of weeks after installing it on my system before writing a review. This gave me time to earn some unlocks. It also gave me time to experience MORE of what Shift is all about.
The previous releases in the Need For Speed (NFS) series were all surreal arcade-style racing games. The physics were not that realistic. NFS:Shift however, leans heavily toward simulation.
Career
Shift is career driven. You start at the bottom and fight/race your way to the top. As you do, you earn money and points that unlock more vehicles, tracks and upgrades for vehicles that you own.
Profiles
You create a name for your profile when Shift starts up. Any progress made in your racing career will be saved under that name.
During a race, you earn points both in AGRESSION and PRECISION driving.
An aggressive driver is likely to block other drivers from passing them on the track or cause other drivers to spin out of control. Such behavior is risky and may cause the aggressive driver to spin out and lose valuable time as well.
The Racing Line
By default, there are green arrows on the race track. These arrows form what is called, the Racing Line. The Racing Line shows the shortest route around the track. If you keep your car on the arrows, you minimize the amount of time it will take you to complete a lap. Staying on those arrows maximizes precision points you earn during a race.
The arrows also change color with your cars speed. Red arrows mean you are going too fast and are going to turn wide, run off the track and most likely crash. If the arrows are yellow, you will most likely make the turn but your turn will be wider then it should be. Green means you are traveling at a speed optimal for cornering.
The Racing Line in Shift helps you to master the track and its brake points faster. It also helps you to become a better, more precise race car driver.
Earning Aggression and Precision points increases your Driver Level and unlocks more tracks, cars and upgrades for cars that you already own.
When you feel you have mastered the tracks, the Racing Line can be turned off in Options.
Stars
If you come in third place in a race, you earn one star. Coming in first earns you three stars. As star counts are built, you unlock new competitions and advance your career.
“Bonus stars are available for pulling off special objectives like racing clean or holding a drift long enough. You can even earn stars by racking up enough Profile points in a single race.”
Badges
As you hit minor milestones, you will be awarded badges. Racking up mileage on a car, mastering corners, winning consecutive races, or defeating rival drivers will earn you badges.
Minor badges add up to major badges as you continue to excel at racing.
Garages
Every driver starts with a two-car garage. You earn more garages as your Driver Level increases.
The cars you purchase with the money you win from racing can be upgraded, downgraded or sold. Aerodynamics, power train, wheels, tires, brakes, for example can all be upgraded and downgraded at will.
There are some cars that may be a bit too wimpy for your liking. I have upgraded the engine in only one car so far my career because I didn’t think it had enough horse power. Its acceleration was very poor (Nissan).
Cars can be painted any color or have decals assigned to them. This includes custom jobs.
You will race Front Wheel Drive, Rear Wheel Drive and All Wheel Drive vehicles in Shift. If you race enough, you will notice that each car has its own personality as they do in reality.
Race events include:
Race – This mode allows you to set up a race with up to 15 opponents. You can even set it to “0″ opponents and race by yourself.
Eliminator – race against others and the last one to complete a lap is eliminated. The race isn’t over until there is only one car left (maybe you?). There is also a time variation of this race where the last place holder is eliminated every 30 seconds.
The other events include; Drift, Driver Duel, Series, Endurance, Manufacture, Time Attack and Hot Lap.
AI Cars
The AI cars do not have glue on their tires. I’ve seen quite a few lose it on a corner and even spin out on straight-a-ways. They do seek revenge if you show aggression towards them though.
Multiplayer
Yes, you can race against other people over the Internet.
Game Screen
The Game Screen has a mini map in the lower left-hand corner showing your position on the track in relation to other drivers.
Perspective views include; chase view of your car, cockpit view and hood view.
Tunnel vision blurring
When a driver is speeding down a straight-a-way, his mind is focus on what is on the road ahead of his car. The peripheral view will somewhat blur in this situation. This simulates tunnel vision. At slower speeds this effect does not occur of course.
G-Force
The cars have more detail in them then most other racing games presently on the market.
The cockpit view in Shift is quite impressive. The dashboards are accurately modeled and look quite realistic. The gauges work, the steering wheel turns with your action and you can see the arms of your virtual driver steering and shifting as well.
If you accelerate quickly in a real car, you will be pushed back into your seat. This is simulated within Shift. It’s a nice touch and adds to the realism.
The race tracks are quite detailed as well. Not just in texturing, but in terrain mesh as well. There are small bumps in the track (as you would expect). You will become air born briefly on some tracks, so watch your speed!
There are crowds in the stands, photographers with flashes and guys waving flags lined up sporadically along the banks of the tracks in strategic parts, too.
If you have a supported steering wheel with force feed back you will feel the bumps and dips in the track. You will even feel the steering wheel vibrate and hear the rumbling noise as your tires run over the red and white cornering markers.
When you drive over dirt, dust is kicked up. When you drive over grass, grass is kicked up and when your tires lose traction, they squeal and smoke.
During the race you can cycle through 4 different perspectives. Two of the most popular are; chase car view and cockpit view.
Screen Shot
When the race is over, the race is replayed. The VCR controls allow you to fast forward, rewind or pause the replay for a screen shot. You can even cycle through perspective views in this mode.
Controllers
I am using the Logitech G25 Steering Wheel with Shift. All functions this wheel has are supported by Shift, including the CLUTCH.
Recommendations for installing:
Make sure your system meets the minimum requirements!
Make sure you are running the latest Graphics driver for your video card before installing Shift. Many people fail miserably at doing this and when it comes time to install a new game, they get the dreaded Blue Screen of Death at runtime.
If you have sound difficulties during runtime, update the driver for your sound card.
After installing Shift, defrag your hard drive to maximize system performance then reboot to clean out main memory. When Windows is through loading, run Shift.
Final Words
Shift is receiving high marks in reviews all across the web, including Youtube.
There is more to Shift then even my review reveals. I am not going to write a book about it here. I just hope my review helps you make a more educated decision.
I’m out.
Have fun racing!
Rating: 4 / 5
September 8th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
After the previous, well…disastrous NFS releases, the franchise was in need for a breath of fresh air. Luckily the new developers seem to love racing and provided just that.
The first thing that you realize is that NFS-SHIFT is not just eye-candy (although I have rarely seen better looking cars on a PC): it is more of a simulation game than previous installments of the series. Metal gets bend, windshields get cracked, performance gets affected and crashes will leave you dazed.
I especially enjoyed the in-cockpit perspective (every model with its accurate interior and the helmet-mounted camera tilting back when accelerating and dipping when braking). Having said that I have to make clear that SHIFT is NOT strictly a driving-simulation game. A number of assists take care of whatever you cannot (or do not want) to handle. You can tweak them or let the initial test-lap to determine the optimal level of difficulty for you. All in all, this game is true to its arcade pedigree but is also makes more than an honest effort to accommodate simulation gamers.
There are 5 tiers of events with each tier consisting of a series of events (races, time trials, head to head, drifts, endurance and eliminator). Each event awards a number of stars, cash and points towards your overall driver rank. Precision, aggression and drafting get rewarded. As points get accumulated, new cars and items get unlocked.
The competition will adapt to your level of competence so any amount of experience with racing is welcome. On the minus side, this may be one of the shortest NFS carriers ever (hence the star withheld).
When it comes to the DRM front, it is a bad-news/good-news situation. The bad news is that, yes, this game comes bundled with SecuROM 7.xx. The good news however, is that (similarly to FALLOUT 3) it uses only a disk-check: it does not require neither OnLine Activation nor limit the number of installations. Personally, that is where I draw the line of barely acceptable. However, if you are boycotting SecuROM, you now can make an informed decision.
RECOMMENDED!
Rating: 4 / 5
September 8th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Everyone knows what SHIFT is: the NFS franchise’s attempt to create a more realistic driving game using all the current-gen bells and whistles. The game makes a great first impression, and is a visceral, addicting, immersive racer with a (thankfully) more sim-based approach to driving, but the more you play, the more you realize that this game isn’t really for sim fans nor arcade fans, and its shortcomings stem from trying to please both at once.
One of the problems is once you get to the higher-tier cars, it becomes less of feathering the throttle & brakes and precise steering around curves to more slamming on the throttle & brakes (or even the E-brake, which is a little too effective) and yanking the wheel, tires screaming the whole way around. It basically feels like you are simply turning the wheel to 100% and driving with the throttle most of the time. I was having a lot of fun and it actually felt like I was playing a driving simulation until I reached the higher tiers, at which point I opted to ditch the wheel and pick up my XB360 controller for Windows. You can tell after using both the wheel and a controller for extended periods of time that the game just works better with a controller since you feel like you are trying to do a lawn job on the infield as you slide around the corners. If you use a FFB wheel I wouldn’t suggest turning it to a high setting because of how violently you have to yank on it. Everyone realizes that console optimization is something PC gamers have to deal with, and though individual results will vary, I was simply a more competitive racer using a gamepad online and off.
There are also a number of technical issues such as bugged cars that sit in the middle of the track, long loading times, and serious framerate problems for many users; a thread on the EA forums is currently almost 30 pages long and consists of nothing but user complaints.
Worst of all though is the AI, which is almost completely brain dead. Don’t expect to get any room on the track whatsoever, and when going around curves with any amount of traffic in front of you it is nearly impossible to avoid ramming unless you slow to a crawl, in which case you will then be rammed. It feels like everyone out there is either trying to assassinate you or just seemingly oblivious to your presence, and fighting your way to the front of the pack is like driving in a demolition derby, especially on the very narrow tracks of which this game has plenty. AI cars will literally turn right into you and squeeze you off the track like you’re not even there. Also, you can pretty much total your car (200+ MPH head-on into a wall) and yet it still magically moves down the track. Even with the option set to full, the damage model is way too forgiving and doesn’t give you any incentive to preserve your car; although this may be a good thing because the only way to effectively deal with the excessive AI aggression is to fight fire with fire… which is actually pretty fun. Cars go flipping and flying when you ram them as if an explosive went off underneath them, but if you go in expecting a positional, side by side sprint to the finish you may be disappointed. Not many of the heedless AI drivers will oblige, and given the fact that there is no qualifying, what results is a ridiculous spectacle of ramming and slamming on the first lap of every race if you hope to make it to the front of the pack on the short career races. They will run you off the track before turns, and accelerate through your rear fender during them, both scenarios ending with you in the dirt struggling to get back on track after pulling out some hair. Although the AI drivers in the front of the pack quite noticeably slow down towards the end of the race to let you catch and pass them. It’s a method used to keep the races close throughout regardless of how tight your driving is, and it is both effective and frustrating. Undoubtedly my biggest complaint about this game is the AI (or lack thereof).
Since the cars are tanks, driving like an animal and plowing into the back ends of others is easier than timing your braking, and the game rewards this behavior. This means SHIFT invites the crashing kids with open arms to ruin your online racing experience, and thanks to the way the game handles stats, win/loss record is pointless. People can easily cheese their way to 1000 wins and 0 losses by disconnecting or restarting to avoid a loss. What makes this fact even worse is SHIFT follows the disturbing trend of no dedicated servers. You are thrown into race after race via match-making with very little control over your online experience. Another thing: the custom paint jobs and decals feature is not fleshed out at all and is essentially a waste of time. Clumsy, cumbersome menu navigation also makes upgrading cars, selecting rims, or simply finding a good race event feel like a chore.
Not all is bad though, of course. The graphics are great, aside from the in-game videos which are grainy. Likewise, the race line assist that glows around the track is one of the best racing assists yet. It calculates your speed and changes from green to yellow to red depending on the adjustments you need to make to stay on course. What it does is essentially eliminate the need to memorize tracks by heart, turn by turn, and makes it easier to use the in car perspective and still line up angles on the corners; though it’s a bit of an eye sore. Speaking of cockpit perspectives though (of which obviously this game has the greatest to date), designing the game around this fact has caused side-effects: the chase camera looks strange, and the way the cars move just looks unnatural. It appears that the back end of your vehicle is sliding off the track, but then the car suddenly rights itself on its own. Remember Daytona USA?… You really notice this in the 3rd person perspective. Playing SHIFT from the chase cam, though still fun, is rather awkward-looking at times. However, even though you can’t actually see this behavior in the 1st person, the front end of the cars still feel very light and floaty in general.
I thought I finally found a game to replace GTR 2 but I guess I am still waiting. NFS:S is very enjoyable though, the graphics are quite good and once you start playing it’s hard to stop. Definably worth owning for fans of racing games. Just realize that although the game was touted as a pure driving sim, it really isn’t that exactly. Ian Bell himself even admits that they were more concerned with mass appeal than creating a pure driving simulation; a fact evident in the way the cars handle, the track design, and the fact that players must trudge through a career mode full of 2-lap sprints earning stars in order to unlock tiers for setting up custom races to jump into (something many sim fans probably won’t appreciate). I realize that we (sim fans) make up a small portion of the market, but let’s hope the developers also realize that we may be the only ones still playing this game 6 months from now, especially if they can fix some of the issues and give the mod community room to grow.
Flaws aside, and especially if the more serious flaws are patched (I’ll update this review if they are), SHIFT is somewhat easy to recommend and is a fun, glossy racer. The bottom line however is this is a strange title; arcade fans may find it too unforgiving, while true sim fans may be turned off by the power-sliding and defensive style of driving needed to be competitive.
Something important to point out is the ATI performance; namely, it sucks. If you have an ATI card you may want to wait for a patch (they claim they fixed it…). I recommend checking out the technical support thread at the EA website to see if your hardware may be affected.
EDIT: The 1.02 patch went live today, and it delivered. Just about every issue has been either improved or fixed altogether. Among other things, vehicle handling is greatly improved, car physics are improved, and most importantly ATI performance has been fixed. Before the patch I was getting a low of around 15 FPS with a full grid in traffic, now it is a rock solid 60 (vsync) under all conditions. Also, though it still looks awkward at times, the chase cam is improved and the cars behave a bit more smoothly when using it. Although my opinion of the game at launch will obviously not change and it was clearly released 2 months too early, it is now easier to recommend that racing fans at least give SHIFT a try.
Rating: 3 / 5
September 9th, 2010 at 12:43 am
Ok where should I begin? This game fancies itself as some kind of a perfect cross between a sim and an arcade racer, but the truth is that it totally fails to accomplish this goal. It seems that being stuck in the middle ground isn’t doing this new NFS installment any favors and let me explain why. Individuals who like arcadish racing games will find this title a bit too difficult for their taste, since some sort of driving physics, albeit exaggerated and inaccurate, still exists and the car is not exactly easy to control. Hardcore sim fans will be thoroughly disappointed as this game is just really not much of a driving simulator at all; physics does not feel realistic, speed feels artificially exaggerated to” enhance the action experience”, finally, besides top speed and acceleration, cars do not feel all that much different from one another. Overall, the physics of this game does not even come close in comparison to something like GT5 prologue.
If all this wasn’t enough, there is the graphics, which really does not seem all that sharp, as it appears to have been tuned down to prevent frame rate issues. Furthermore, the gameplay was not very impressive at all, as it is an extremely linear progression, which does not allow much freedom whatsoever. Last, but certainly not least, there are compatibility problems with Logitech G25 steering wheel. The wheel feels off-center with a huge center deadzone (I tried playing with the options and didn’t help) and finally the force feedback is all messed up – all this adding up to a pretty terrible driving experience with otherwise the best steering wheel on the market.
Overall, this game is stuck in a non-sim/non-arcade land, which really makes it hard to be appealing for fans of either genre. In certain ways it is similar to GRID, but does not have the same impressive graphics, innovative features and crash sequences and so in other words, it brings nothing new to the table. The final nail in the coffin is delivered through its sloppy integration with the Logitech G25 steering wheel, which turns a pretty crappy racing experience into a truly horrid one.
Rating: 2 / 5