Need For Speed Shift (XBOX 360)

Gamecow’s Price	RRP $49.95     Save $5.00 $44.95
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Genre	Driving Racing
Platform	XBOX 360
Release Date	17/09/2009
Rated

Need For Speed Shift (XBOX 360) Product Information

Need for Speed™ SHIFT is an award-winning authentic racing game that combines the true driver’s experience with real-world physics, pixel-perfect car models, and a wide range of authentic race tracks. Need for Speed SHIFT takes players in a different direction to create a simulation experience that replicates the true feeling of driving high-end performance cars.

Players are thrust into the loud, visceral, intense, athletic experience of racing a car on the edge of control from the driver’s perspective through the combination of perception based G-forces, the hyper reality of the cockpit view, and the brutal experience of a first person crash dynamic. Need for Speed SHIFT features an accurate, accessible physics-based driving model that allows you to feel every impact, every change of track surface and every last bit of grip as you push yourself to the edge.

The all-new driver profile is the ultimate extension of the true driver’s experience. This system gives each player a unique persona based on a player’s driving skill and style - aggressive or precise.  Driver profile impacts how a player unlocks cars, overall career progression and online matchmaking. In Need for Speed SHIFT, how you drive is who you are behind the wheel.

Need for Speed SHIFT is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with Black Box and senior vice president Patrick Soderlund at EA Games Europe. Slightly Mad Studios includes developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2.

Features:

• True Driver’s Experience – A variety of visual cues delivers the true driver’s experience including a three-dimensional HUD that mimics driver head movement, inertia and G-forces. The depth of field also adjusts based on the speed of the car; so when the car is traveling at high speeds the perspective will shift to the distance putting the car/cockpit out of focus.
• Driver Profile – What kind of driver are you? Driver profile tracks the player’s evolution as a race driver from event to event. This system is made up of a driver’s personality on the track, their success rate and any profile points and badges accrued all of which work together to create a tailor-made career and game play experience. Driver profile is pervasive throughout all modes: career and online.
• Dynamic Crash Effect - When the player hits a static object or opponent car, the player will feel like they are 'taking damage'. A combination of visual and audio effects will leave the player disorientated and briefly disrupt the race.
• Total Customization – Need for Speed SHIFT features a comprehensive customization option that lets the player tailor every aspect of the cars performance and styling. Go under the hood to upgrade and tune your vehicle to increase its performance. The visual customization system allows players to personalize both the exterior and trick out the interior to reflect their individual style and preferences. 
• Photo Real Cars and Tracks – Nearly 70 licensed cars are available including the Pagani Zonda F, Audi RS4, and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. There is also over 15 real-world locations like Willow Springs and Laguna Seca as well as fictional circuits like downtown London and Tokyo.

Need For Speed Shift (XBOX 360) Review

The Need for Speed series has worn a number of faces, especially in the last decade or so. Initially a simple arcade racer, we've seen Need for Speed games that place you in the shoes of the police and in the significantly-more-expensive-shoes of the underground street racers. Now, with Need for Speed Shift, the series is tackling previously unknown territory, that of realistic simulation racers. Until now, Need for Speed isn't a name you'd associate with genre-leaders such as Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, but does Shift have what it takes to change all that?

Thankfully, this is the first Need for Speed game in a while that doesn't have a story. You'll simply hear your objectives being stated to you over the crackly intercom of some manager or co-driver or formless racing-buddy, who teaches you the ropes of the gameplay and the progression system. It's a remarkable step up, although his low-quality static-y voice can begin to grate after a while. There is a simple menu system that helps you sort out which events have been unlocked and which cars are in your garage. Stylistically, the game takes a few cues from GRID but this is not a bad thing at all.

One area in which Need for Speed Shift does shine is in its presentation. While the cars may not be the highest quality models we've ever seen, with some low resolution textures and bodies, they nonetheless look quite dazzling under the superb lighting and realistic locations in the game. You'll race from standard motorways to cities like London, and while these locations may not always be accurate, they'll get the atmosphere down pat pretty well. The cockpit view of these cars is also outstanding, and this is one of the few games we've played where we haven't wanted to switch views (which, rest assured, you can), as the cockpits for every car are marvellously detailed as are the driver's animations. The cockpit view moves as the car turns corners and hits bumps, and blurs as you hit high speeds. When you crash, your vision blurs and fades as your driver presumably regains consciousness, which is a great effect and an appropriate punishment for careless driving. The sound effects all have a lot of punch, and the music (when you turn it up, as its off by default) is great as well, with tracks from artists like Kanye West.

Overall, while Need for Speed Shift appears to be aiming at providing a simulation-racing experience, it obviously hasn't forgotten about the series' core fan-base, making a game that can be enjoyed by just about any kind of racing game fan. The 'Aggression'/'Precision' system sees you constantly rewarded by playing the way you want to play, and the game's presentation, especially the cockpit view, will leave many eyeballs satisfied (if not totally violated, like others in the simulation genre). If you've been waiting for the new Forza or Gran Turismo sequels to hit, you might want to spare some time for Shift, as it proves to be a more than worthy contender that is absolutely worth a look for some thrills on wheels. Dare we say, this is the one time when it's good to be... shift-y? You're right, that's lame.

Full review PALGN