GTPlanet at Shift 2 Media Event: Hands-On Impressions

As I announced a few weeks ago, Electronic Arts invited GTPlanet to a “community day” event for their latest driving game, Shift 2: Unleashed. I took them up on the offer, and I’m eager to share my impressions of the game. There’s a lot of eyes on Shift 2 after the series’ first title, billed as a realistic simulator, was highly criticized by “sim racers” for its too-friendly physics. According to EA’s marketing, these issues have been addressed, going so far as to call it “the most realistic racer ever”.

Where I’m Coming From

First, some perspective. I consider the most important thing about any driving game to be its physics model and how it communicates what the car is doing via force-feedback in the steering wheel. I spent my time with Shift 2 on a PC with a Logitech Driving Force GT, and my following impressions have all been derived from that experience. I played the game exclusively in “Elite” physics mode, all driving aids off (with the exception of ABS). Gameplay will be significantly different with a controller, so please take that into consideration before reading further.

What Shift 2 Is Really All About

Since the game was first announced, EA has claimed it wants Shift 2 to provide an “authentic driving experience”. This is best summed up in a quote by EA’s Colin Blackwood during an interview with MCV:

“With Shift 2 Unleashed, we aim to redefine sim racing so that fans get as close to the feeling of real racing as possible. […] The game will still embody the core values of Need for Speed but we want to establish Shift as our clearly defined simulation racer.”

This sort of language is a source of confusion among sim-racing fans, because we all have such a wide range of expectations for what a “racing simulator” is. Many, for example, consider games such as Forza or Gran Turismo to be on the far end of the “simulation” scale. Others, who have played PC simulators such as rFactor, iRacing, and netKar PRO, expect a “simulator” to provide tire pressure settings, laser-scanned tracks, and extremely challenging physics that demand your full attention.

Shift 2’s lead developer Andy Tudor touched on this while talking with us at this media event. On the scale of “racing games”, he placed Shift 2 somewhere between the more arcade Need for Speed titles and games such as Forza and GT. After spending a significant amount of time with the game, I think that’s a spot-on description. This game doesn’t match their driving physics, but it’s not really supposed to. Shift 2’s “realism” instead focuses on the gritty, violent, rough experience that is driving a race car around a race track, and it does an amazing job of it.

Who This Game is For

I can already see the comments from smug “hard-core sim racers” on blogs and forums around the web: “So this game is just the same **** as before? **** that **** ******* *******”. If you’re expecting the game to “feel” like GT5 or your favorite PC sim of choice then, yes, you will be disappointed. If you’re looking for a fun, immersive racing game you can pick up and start playing, you’re in for a treat.

Dismissing this game for its physics is akin to throwing the baby out with the bath water – it introduces some very cool new features to the genre that other developers would be wise to take note of.

So Much to Love

You’ve got to hand it to Slightly Mad Studios’ for their selection of cars in Shift 2. Have a look over the complete list and you’ll find Caterham, Porsche, Alpina, Radical, classic M3’s, the new Pagani Huayra, and nearly every other contemporary sports car you’d expect (with the exception of Ferrari). All of them feature fully-modeled interiors and all can be upgraded to race-spec “Works” editions. The damage is extremely impressive, featuring cracked glass, crumpled, detachable body panels, and wheels torn off in violent shunts. The graphics – on the PC version at least – are among the best I’ve ever seen.

The track list is also well rounded, featuring classics such as the Nurburgring (the GP course and the Nordschleife), Laguna Seca, Suzuka, and Monza, and other popular real-world circuits such as Mount Panorama (Bathurst), Road America, Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Spa Francorchamps, Circuit de Catalunya, and many more.

The menus are fast and easy to navigate, and there’s a wide range of tuning options. Players coming from GT5 will particularly appreciate the ability to save multiple setups for each car, for each track. The game’s new “Autolog” functionality is also a slick implementation of the game’s social features, which allow you to directly compare your own progress and hot laps against friends. Better yet, EA is about to bring Autolog to your mobile phone via an iOS application that will alert you if a friend bests your lap time on a given track.

AI in Shift 2 is extremely impressive – they’re aggressive, but clean. The other driver’s performance is “dynamic”, and will adapt to your performance. If you’re struggling, your competition will also make more mistakes to keep the competition close, but they’ll pick up the pace as your skill improves.

The Driving Physics

There’s been a lot of discussion of the new “Elite” physics mode introduced in Shift 2. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it particularly challenging with a steering wheel. With a Logitech Driving Force GT, cars often felt “floaty”, as if it was difficult to keep the car pointed straight. I found this to be less of an issue with older, heavier cars, which provided a more rewarding driving experience.

Regardless, it was difficult to “feel” where the tires were at in terms of lateral grip. There was little communication through the wheel’s force feedback in corners, and the surprisingly unpleasant tire squeal sound was either “on” or “off” – as if it was activated only after the tires had exceeded their limit. These are two of the most important indicators of how hard you’re pushing a car in a video game, and they’re sorely missed in Shift 2.

I also found there to be a general lack of oversteer in the physics model, most noticeable in powerful, rear-wheel drive cars. I took a Shelby Cobra 427 to Road America with stock tires, for example, and found it difficult to create any power-induced oversteer. I experienced this same unnatural level of grip while testing the Corvette C6R and many other cars.

It’s Fun

Despite a physics engine which will leave sim-racers wanting more (ok, a lot more), this is a fun, exciting, and intense driving game. Without doubt, the Shift series is definitely headed in the right direction. I had an absolute blast racing with other members of the press during the many LAN races held in the EA offices, and that’s what really matters.

Head on over to our Shift forum for more discussion!

Comments (252)

  1. Streaker

    The recent patch to 1.02 has it running somewhere physics wise between GT5 Prologue and GT5. Vast improvement. Its not just me, people even here are posting how great the game is after the patch.

  2. joe6801

    AVOID THIS GAME AT ALL COSTS. I bought this for PS3 and graphics are grainy, steering sucks and vehicle selection is poor. I had this game for 10 mins and was going to sell it back to Gamestop but they would only give me 23 dollars for it. I sold it on ebay for $45. THIS GAME SUCKS! Its all about the GT5!!!!!!

  3. Rios

    Shift 2 talk on GTPlanet, I feel like I’m in an episode of the Twilight Zone, a really really bad episode.

  4. Streaker

    There is a post on the EA Forums saying the game acts like it does because they put something in called an autocounter to make drifting easier. Maybe the patch will address that.

  5. Dragonitti

    Play the game setup correctly? I play on Elite setting with no Aids other than ABS and On level Hard. I’ve fooled around with controller settings for nearly an Hour. Don’t tell me about playing on the right settings. I can care less what setting you use, there is no substitution for eliminating the floating feel. It’s either there in the game or it’s not. In Shift 2, cars are floaty…end of story.

  6. Dragonitti

    Go look at the comments on all the Shift 2 videos if you think I and a couple of other people here are the only ones saying Shift 2’s physics suck. Lot of people are even saying it’s the same as Shift 1, but with better graphics and new cars. Even the games Led Developer doesn’t even place it in the realm of Forza and GT and here you are arguing that it’s got more Realism than GT5….LOL.

    I’m done, that was my last transmission on this issue. It’s fun, but lets not kid ourselves on what this “Arcade Game” is about. It’s not physics.

    1. the piston

      @Dragonitti:I agree with you. I like Shift 2. But I hate how Streaker and EA say that it has the best driving physics. I guess streaker will always worship this game because he has nothing better to do in his life than be a fanboy. This is my last comment on this topic. I have a life, and am not like streaker who stays at home on his computer or game consol 24/7 playing shift 2. I guess it sucks to be streaker, no friends, no life.

    2. Streaker

      BEST RACING EXPERIENCE, not BEST PHYSICS. And I’d take my life and friends over yours in a heartbeat the piston/pistonhead. Go back to your car that is 100 PP over all the other cars the AI drivers have and think you are racing, roflol. Some ‘life’ you got there.

  7. Dragonitti

    Sorry man, the graphics are cartoonish at best. This is on the PS3 I’m talking about. Jordan’s review mentions that they are great on the PC. Very close to quality of Premium cars in GT5? LOL…my eyes aren’t the ones that need checking on that. GT5 runs at 60fps. Shift 2 runs at 30fps. PLEASE do tell how a less fps and less polygon per car game is going to be close to that of GT5? What is the Polygon count of Shift 2’s cars anyone? Sorry the setup online being real REAL racing can be looked at as having restrictions. GT5’s online gives you the ability to free roam. Not everyone go online to race. Some go to have a community gathering…that’s what the point of having room titles is about. Don’t go into a drift room and expect to do grip racing! That’s common sense. Don’t go in a “Free Roaming” titled room and complain why the Host hasn’t started the race yet. There are PLENTY of rooms that run back to back to back races without delay. The title of them say so. Spinning out in GT5 unrealistic? Slap on a set of slicks to your car (if you have one) and run them in the grass at 40+mph and tell me how much grip you have. The grip level in Shift 2 (as Jordan mentioned in the article above) is higher than it should be. It’s constant grip which is unrealistic. However, hit a rumble strip in Shift 2 and it’s instant loss of traction which is Unrealistic. Some rumble strips are a bit slippery at real tracks, but not EVERY SINGLE TRACK..lol. I have hit the Rumbles at Roebling Road and Nashville Super Speedway. Never lost an ounce of grip on my Kuhmo V710’s.

    Poor selection of tracks in GT5? Compared to Shift 2, GT5’s tracks are vastly superior. Take Suzuka for example. Shift 2’s Suzuka is not even CLOSE to the real representation of the track. The corners are all wrong, the angles/camber/radius…are completely off in the 130R turn. Turns 8 and 9 are WAY OFF compared to the real life track. Don’t mention tracks unless the tracks are accurate. Even if GT5 had only 5 tracks to race on, I’d take that over 10 Falsely modeled tracks in another game. And just for the record on this Fanboy thing. I own NFS Shift 1, 2, Underground, GT3-5, GRID and I’ll be picking up Dirt3 when it comes out next month. I don’t just race in the GT series only thank you.

    PS…Streaker, no need to change my name to try and insult me. I didn’t insult you during our conversation, I would like the same respect in return. I’m to old to play name calling.

    1. Streaker

      You can’t say a thing about the game play in Shift 2 until you play the game set up correctly, which I seriously doubt you have. It totally changes the game play and feel of the game. And unlike GT5, where you feel like you are driving to the grocery store, and there are oil slicks in unexpected places on the track where you will lose control, it feels like real RACING, which ALL the reviews, even the bad ones point out, squealing tires, dirt being thrown around, oil on the windshield, even balls of rubber from tires littering the track. Even the reviewer here, Jason, says he enjoyed the game. I’m going back to enjoying a racing experience. You can go back to your relatively sterile milk run.

    2. Overdrive

      Lol, I like this game, and even i’d say streaker is full of crap. Heck, by now everyone here knows streaker is full of it. Even a fanboy wouldn’t try this hard.
      From what some of his posts say, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even have the game. Obvious bad trollin, nothing more…….

    3. the piston

      @Streaker:I said i like NFS and I love driving games, LOL learn how to read dumb ass. Good physics some of the time ? LOL I guess you don’t have GT5. I’d rather have real tracks that are precise than all shifts fake real tracks that were rendered in like 5 minutes. Just look at GT5’s Nurburgring, very accurate. Unlike NFS Shi*t 2’s tracks which EA call REAL TRACKS. Heck, look at you all you’re comment’s fail. Everyone here has proved you wrong. So if you didn’t start your bull sh*t in the first place, you wouldn’t be in this mess fanboy.LOL, I’m still laughing at your bull shi*t comment’s, your unrealistic wannabe SIMULATOR has failed you badly. And you said about oil slicks in unexpected places.LOL, that tells me that you have never drove a car in your life dumb ass. I guess you have no friends and you WORSHIP your Shi*t 2 in your spare time, what do you do with it? Have rituals. LOL who’s the fanboy now ?

    4. Streaker

      All you have proved to me is that you are annoying, that is about all. I have not seen one factual thing out of you, just your biased opinions.

  8. Dragonitti

    In real life, Getting more for a car than what you paid for? Ha…Not from a smart buyer you won’t. Unless it’s something like a Supra which are more expensive used than they were brand new a lot of the times. But that’s because it’s an Iconic vehicle.

    1. Rick

      He’s talking about secondary sales after a car leaves the dealer the first time and goes from new to used.
      New car dealers buy used at a reduced price, not full original sticker, and they sell at market value (also in most cases well below org sticker) unless some sucker comes and gives them more without knowing what they’re doing. The orriginal owner certainly doesn’t get more than they payed new that way, and often, after pre resale maintenance and prep, dealers are lucky to break even. Purchasing someone’s trade in is how dealers get people into buying new, not how they necessarily make a profit.
      Dealers that deal entirely in used cars genneraly cheat the buyer has much has possible, with as little investment has possible, and selling has many cars has they can to people who fall under the “not a smart buyer’ catagory. They particularly like to target “bad credit/no credit” buyers with “cheap” prices, knowing that those buyer will either default, letting the dealer to sell the car multiple times, or they can nail the buyer with interest over the long term, which can earn a profit over the initial investment, but it often just goes right back to covering dealer exspenses. The orriginal owner still doesn’t make a profit over the org price, and many dealers fail because they don’t make a profit over the resale of their inventory in the long term either.
      Where both kinds of dealers, when successful, tend to make the profits, is in post sales maintenance as customers bring cars back for servicing, not on actual used sales. His overall point is sound has it pertains to the secondary car market.

  9. the piston

    @Dragonitti: I absolutely agree with your comments. Theres no point replying to streakers retarded comments. He will always be proved wrong. People like streaker are nothing but fanboys who don’t have a life. Streaker will always be proved wrong, no point wasting your time and energy on him.

    1. Streaker

      You work for Sony don’t you? And I’d put my IQ test up against yours anytime. Fanboy? Look in the mirror, you and you buddy Dragonuts are the fanboys. And you haven’t proved anything except your blind love for GT5 and hatred of anything else. Get out of the basement sometime and learn something.

    2. the piston

      @Streaker:LOL your the real fanboy, but your too stubborn to admit it.LOL do I really care about IQ?And you’re calling me a fanboy, get your brain checked out,heck I love driving games and I love NFS but hate how EA said that this game has the ”Most advanced driving physics EVER”.And what you say about the physics and how real they are in NFS, that shows that you are a fanboy who knows nothing about cars or how they work or drive.LOL Me and people like Dragonitti have proved a lot of points like the fact that your a fanboy and that the driving physics of Shift 2 SUCKS. So I guess you need to get out and learn to grow up, I’m laughing my ass right now, I don’t even know but form the looks of your comments, I’d reckon that you should get a job interview to work for EA, I think you’d easily pass that considering how much of a fanboy you are.

    3. Streaker

      I like GT5, Grid, TDU2, GT, etc.. You call every game but GT arcade, as if its perfect and all others aren’t worthy. And yet you probably have only played GT and have no clue about any other game, but they all suck in comparison anyway according to you. Now WHO is the fanboy? You feel like you are some kind of an expert on dissing everything not GT, only GT is great, all else sucks. And because another fanboy agrees with you, it proves you are right? ROFOL Dude, you are soooooo wrong on sooooo many levels. I’m going back to do more REALISTIC racing, hint, its not on GT5 with its little “thunk” when hit, unrealistic damage, unrealistic cockpit cam, unexplained spin outs and poor AI. Good physics some of the time and 1/5 of the cars looking great doesn’t cut it, especially when the game was in development for years and had $70 million poured into it. You are a fanboy who settled for an inferior racing experience in a game where 4/5 of the cars weren’t finished with a poor selection of real world tracks that all games released since beats. Deal with it.

  10. Dragonitti

    @ Streaker

    I’ve spent 3 days playing it to give it the benefit of the doubt. Who draws a conclusion on a game after only a couple of hours of playing…sorry didn’t see your point in my 3 days of playing.

    If you think the floating of cars is gone because of these settings, then you have never driven a car. If you have, then you don’t know what it’s like to drive a car to the limits on a race track.

    The selling of your car and reaping the money back from mods doesn’t happen in the real world, but it’s a nice touch to the game. The customization of cars…just like Forza….is the only thing these other games ever have over GT5. They drop the ball everywhere else. The race tracks are not accurate, the physics are so unrealistic, the graphics are lower than that of the Standard cars in GT5 (cartoon looking), over exaggerated steering, over exaggerated cars when they slide off track sideways. You can slide off the track at 10mph and STILL flip the car. That’s ridiculous, tuned performance suspension, tires..etc. cars in real life, go off track all the time. How many times do you see them doing 5 barrel rolls just because they went off sideways? I like the game for one reason, and thats to see how creative I can be with making my car look good. As soon as I start driving it though, I get pissed off at how sucky it really is. If you want a Car Show, then Shift 2 is a Great game. If you want a Race though…GT5 destroys this game. I haven’t been online (online) yet, but it makes me wonder the demographic it caters to…those boy racers who like to drive backwards on the race track rather than enjoying competition from precision driving, just might make my online play annoying. I heard there is no drifting mode online. I’ll verify that sometime today.

    1. Streaker

      In GT5, many cars can’t be sold, also unreal. Since you only get a couple grand for winning a race, conserving money by allowing you to get all you can back was an alternative to say, not having B Spec mirroring the entire game as a method for grinding. And sometimes, in real life, you can get more for your car then you paid for it. Shift 2 shows many areas lacking in GT5, from what GT5 started, tuning, to what the inside of a car really looks like at 150 mph when you hit a wall. And if you think the graphics are bad, you need your eyes checked. Most reviews say the exact opposite. Granted, for some reason the graphics in the garage are not anywhere near on the track, and you can test that by taking photos in a race vs in the garage. In a race, they are very close in quality to premium GT5. And FYI, you can’t go backwards online, the game won’t let you, it corrects you in 10 seconds. Racing online is just that, RACING, it isn’t sitting around waiting for a host to make up their mind, its real REAL racing. Another thing, I don’t find myself spinning out all the time for no reason like I do in GT5. I was online in GT5 with a pro racing instructor who said that was one of the the things in GT5 that is so unrealistic, the sudden car instability. This guy races Porsche, American Iron, Mazda Cup, etc.. He said that the in cockpit was more realistic in Shift and unlike the 3 drivers in the Shift videos, isn’t paid to say that.

    2. the piston

      @Streaker,GT5 is a game that simulates driving not selling cars. Yah SURE, a race driver said that NFS Shift 2’s cockpit view is better. You know what, the cockpit view is more like an over exaggerated pile of crap. Turning a normal race into a Michael Bay action movie. You haven’t said anything about the driving physics of the game which sucks. Who is this GUY your talking about? You haven’t mentioned his name in your comment. The graphics are crap, the lighting effects look crap. The cars look like they are made from plastic. You are really sad waisting your time writing these retarded comments. LOL as I’ve said before get a life. It’s like this game is your Mum or something that you feel really offended over comments LOL you need to grow up.

    3. Cornelyus

      @Piston
      Yes in GT5 you can buy cars but dont sell, very logic, and the graphics are waay important, not the “whole feeling”.
      It’s like this game is your Mum or something that you feel really offended over comments LOL you need to grow up. LOL LOL

  11. Dragonitti

    @ Streaker

    I’m playing with the DS3 not a wheel. And don’t write it off as “you need to buy a wheel then”, cause that’s a bandaid answer as I can “FEEL” the road with a DS3 while playing GT5. Wheel or No wheel, Shift 2’s road surface feel is that of driving on air or ice however you want to look at it. Cars are Extremely floaty. And the Drift mode…OMG…absolutely ridiculous. The word Physics and Shift 2 don’t belong in the same sentence. At first I thought little things like the dirt kicking up on the road and giving you sound when you run over it was cool at first. I thought it was a nice little touch. After a while though, I couldn’t help but to think it sounded like a Horse Trotting around the stock yard.

  12. Streaker

    Well, I have to say, it was not as good as I thought it would be initially. Then I started adjusting the wheel settings, someone had put some up here and afterward it was much better, the floaty feeling was pretty much gone that everyone is complaining about, different cars handle differently and feel of each car is different. So much so that like in GT5, the Lotus MR are harder to drive, the 4wd like the GT-R are more stable, the Shelby 427 Cobra is touchy. All similar to GT5. Its better in cockpit mode, the Autolog is a blast, has all your friends on it and shows how they are doing on the same track. Lots of livery options, paint, decal, wheel and the tuning, a thousand times better then GT5 in what you can do as with the upgrades. You sell a car you get ALL the money back including for the upgrades. For a program that was in development 1/5 the time as GT5 its a lot closer to GT5 then an arcade game and in several areas surpasses GT5. I’m having fun as are all my friends, all who I met through GT5.

    1. PistonHead

      Don’t be blind that intent of a game is no near close as a substitute of GT5, it’s like sim for kids with very weird LOL

  13. Dragonitti

    I guess it’s truly the Marketing/PR campaign that’s got me upset about Shift 2. I was expecting GT5 caliber physics due to the ads they were putting out. What I got was not even in the same dimension as GT5.

    If I was not spun up to that level of expectation then I wouldn’t have fallen so far down the ladder of disappointment to be upset with what was delivered.

  14. Dragonitti

    @Streaker

    Dude, I got the game. I’ve been playing it for the past 3 days. First off, I’ve had to restart my PS3 3-4 times due to game Glitches and freezing. In GT5…People EXPLOIT game code, but the game itself does not glitch. Big difference between a Glitch and an Exploit. And the Cars in GT5 you actually FEEL them, you FEEL the rubber variations, you FEEL the surface changes in tracks, you FEEL when you dip into the dirt, you FEEL the difference between FWD, RWD and AWD cars, and cars have a unique FEEL between them. If you haven’t played Shift 2 yet, then I advice you to Rent it first and not buy it. If you make your game buying decisions solely from reviews then you are a follower rather than someone who thinks for themselves. Shift 2 is completely about the Visuals and that’s about it. And no you do NOT have a totaled car in Shift 2 after you hit something. You just have a VISUALLY ugly looking one now. The Mechanical damage is completely Watered down. You can flip a car several times (which flipping cars is over exaggerated to begin with) and yet not even so much as bend a tie rod. Your car still drives straight as soon as it’s reset on the track automatically by the game. Try flipping in GT5 and see how far you can finish the race after that (granted you play with Heavy damage like I do).

    1. Streaker

      You need to adjust your wheel settings. If you can’t feel the difference in the road, the gator teeth, the areas on the London map, sand vs the track, ect.. you have either set you wheel up wrong or have a bad wheel. Try Jonesy’s settings, they are better then how it ships. And I had corrupt data in GT5. GT5 has been out 5 months and we are on version 1.09, I think? Obviously they didn’t ship a perfect game either. And if the game sucks so much, why have you spent 3 days playing? ROFLOL

  15. Jonesy

    For those that have the game and want a more GT Feel:

    all deadzones at 0
    steering sensitivity 15
    throttle sensivity 70
    brake sensitivity 66
    speed sensitivity 90

  16. Ekdemos

    I do not believe GT5 to be a driving simulator, it is a racing simulator. If it was a driving simulator you would be driving on streets with lights and signs. There is no open road in GT5. It is all race tracks and you are timed like you are racing hence it is a racing sim. That being said only 1.7 percent of the cars in the game can be upgraded to a race mode.
    NFS Shift 2 is a racing sim as well, but it has better tracks and all the cars are worth playing with.
    IN GT5 I have found myself in a low powered car rwd and having to monitor the back end all the time because it is stepping out (oversteer). This would almost never happen in real life on a track. I race a low powered car and I try to get the back end out come out to rotate the car.

    Any way I will play both more and see how I feel a few weeks from now and which one stand on top and why.

    1. Dragonitti

      You need to learn to tune your vehicles the proper way then. That or drive better. Shift 2 is not a Racing SIM. It is an Arcade Racer. I have the game. The physics are not worthy of the SIM title sorry…

      And you are incorrect. If you apply to much throttle in a RWD car you will power over and the ass will step out on you. Enter a turn to fast even in a FWD car without downforce on the rear and it will step out on you. I race on the track on a monthly basis. I’ve done Time Attack as well as Drifting competitions.

  17. WWWWWHHY!!!!

    Dear PD,
    taking a look at NFS:Shift 2 the only thing i have to say about that game is…THEY KNOW HOW TO PICK RACING TRACKS!
    Bathurst, Brands Hatch, Brno, Catalunya, Dijon, Donington, Dubai, Ebisu, Hockenheim (although its the ruined version), Road America, Silverstone, SPA!!!, Willow Springs & Zolder aswell as everything thats in GT5. How could you let NFS have better tracks? :cry’s whilst cutting himself:

  18. Gulyo

    EA NEED FIX CAR HANDLING ( THE CAR’S MOVEMENT
    IS UNPREDICTABLE IN CORNER’S ) in their first patch !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. Streaker

      78 is about right for that game. Its a great game because some of the MODS are great, but the original is ok. Speaking of Mods, 2 were out for Shift 2 on PC the day it released.

  19. Ekdemos

    I got the game and played it for three hours last night. I have been racing and competing in HPDE and time attacks for the past eight years and I also instruct. The first thing I noticed about the game is it plays in 720p not 1080i and the picture is not as crisp as gt5. As far as making me feel like I am in my car it is pretty much spot on. When I crash or spin out it does not feel real with a bunk. In shift 2 it feel just like what it does when I spin out on track. The racing is more fun and every car is a race car. No pos cars in shift like GT5. This does not mean I do not like gt5 because I love it. I can now race my e30! I must say the helmet cam is very hard to drive fast with. I like it and it is different but not for me. The floaty feeling is there but I can over look that when I am pounding up the hill through the esses at spa.

    GT5 = you need more real race cars instead of grocery getters and trucks. You need more real tracks. Tonight I am going to race an e30 evo and a e36 m3 at road america is anyone going to do this tonight on gt5?

    Both great games

    GT5 yes 6/10 game 10/10 sim
    Shift 2 10/10 game 8/10 sim.

    1. PistonHead

      That’s cool the question is if driving those cars in shift is anything like the real thing, if not I don’t see the enjoyment of driving those cars as a substitute of GT5, is just for the look and fun gameplay like project gotham racing?

    2. Dragonitti

      @PistonHead

      You hit the nail on the head. Some little small touches in the game I have enjoyed since I’ve played a couple of hours last night. One is the track can get dirt kicked up onto it. I thought, Now that was a neat little touch. Then that felling all vanishes when you run over that dirt/gravel and expect your grip level to change, when it doesn’t even in the slightest bit. GIMMICK!

      And as you said, fine and dandy they have the modern day cars you see in the mags on your news stands today…however, the game version of those cars are MINUS they way they drive in real life. It’s all visual/graphical in that sense.

      This is not a substitute for GT5 even in the least bit. Call the cars in GT5 “non-race cars” all you want or call them POS cars…at least they FEEL like you are driving a car and not rowing a boat.

    3. Streaker

      Driving a car in GT5 isn’t like the real thing. I have several of the cars in the game, none drive like in real life like the do in GT5. And cars in GT5 driver different offline then online. And when I hit something, and I have totaled a car, it doesn’t go “thunk”. Have not seen a review on Shift 2 that has given it under 8/10, B+ or under 80%. The PC version already has Mods out. One reviewer said it gives an authentic feel to the cars with significant differences between them. And you can’t do things like use cars on the track to get around corners like in GT5 either. Another reviewer says that EA probably isn’t going to be successful converting arcade players into sim players with the game, but “Shift 2 has finally created a racing sim that gives car geeks like myself numbers to tweak, but puts the real focus where it belongs, on the visceral joy of actually racing the car.”

    4. PistonHead

      @Streaker
      Driving a car in GT5 isn’t like the real thing(no sim is LOL) but for many cars is the most close that you will find on any system, shift is just a weird mix of arcade, a sim with wrong physics and a Michael Bay movie, sure that NFS user base will love it LOL

  20. crsn891

    I picked this game up yesterday… it does not compare to GT5 at all. In terms of graphics, most of the cars look like standard cars in GT5 and the handling? Forget it. They should replace the track with water because it feels like you are driving a boat.

    I am pretty disappointed with this game to be honest.

  21. ev0lutionX

    Am worried about the floating too.. Shift 1 was really unplayable due the odd handling. The only thing that made me semi complete it was the DBR9 and Spa.

    I’ll give this one a go too though. GT1 and GT3 models made it for me. I just wish GT would do the same and not entirely focus on Super GT.

  22. Ferrari

    great review
    thanks mate
    I’ll be getting this game tomorrow.

    It’s great reading reviews by people who actually care about racing games rather than going to IGN or other big critic websites

  23. Streaker

    Shift 2 even has export to Youtube, a big feature that Kaz decided to take out because it took, what he thought, was too long to render the video into Flash.

  24. Stu

    I wonder if this Shift 2 coverage is the start of GTPlanet expanding their coverage? With GT5 letting so many down, Shift 2 implementing so many features and Forza 4 potentially nailing the console sim it would be a shame if this site did not cover these developments if only to push PD.

    1. Panjandrum

      Agreed. I really want GT6 to be great (heck, I want PD to fix GT5 and I want them to fix it NOW). If nothing else, broadening the scope of the primary Gran Turismo site on the planet will hopefully get PD and Sony to step up their game. Competition in a market is usually good for the end user…

    2. Streaker

      @Panjandrum Uh, I don’t know if you read the news but Japan just had a triple whammy disaster, the largest in its country’s known history. PD is in Japan along with Sony’s HQ. This video game is the last thing people in Japan are worrying about. Trying to find non-radioactive water, missing family and friends and a place to live are more on their minds. Its shaping up to be the biggest disaster in the history of mankind. So, don’t hold your breath on PD and Sony “stepping up their game” for end users any time soon.

    3. 4Marsh20

      @streaker
      Not trying to take anything away from the terrible things happening there, not all of Japan is hurt by this, but most have given up on trying to find people and they arent struggling to find “non-radioactive water” and it isn’t shaping up to be the worst disaster in the history of man-kind, please don’t be making silly claims.
      The people of Japan are strong and will get through this, it’s in their nature to push on with their lives and jobs

  25. jorgerostro

    Why are you guys putting all these comments about NFS
    Shift 2?
    You should be playing Gran Turismo 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  26. Cornelyus

    I prefer a propper sim, but then i do enjoy GT5 a lot and its country mile away from being a sim. I dont think shift is Sim contender on a PC, but on consoles it might provide reasonable sim experience when played with joypad.

    1. Cornelyus

      is not a sim, you dont have propper tire model, tire wear is not discriminated in “out/middle/in”, dont have mechanical damage, dont have totaled, dont have popper fuel usage, cant select fuel gals, dont have propper car setup, cant modify toe, cant modify gears, rev limit, radiator size, engine brake, caster, tire presure, cant modify lateral weight, dont have clutch work, dont have day/night cycle in any track, etc.

    2. PistonHead

      @Cornelyus
      Sure but is funny that at the end emulates better than any other sim out there how a branded street car drives for real and all the differences and nuances between brands and models, if that is not a sim then you are blinded by pc sims and prefer more configuration options and fake physics(home made setups LOL LOL) than driving accuracy

      good luck searching a better nurburging + street car simulator than GT5 LOL

    3. Dragonitti

      Where have you been that you didn’t know GT5 had mechanical damage? Or that you can’t modify gears, rev limit, caster, weight modifications. What you mean don’t have clutch work? Since when did GT5 NOT have a day/night transition? Shift 2 is not even REMOTELY close to being a SIM sorry. That’s coming from someone who has the game. I have GT5 and I have Shift 2. Shift 2 = Another Arcade racer, fun…but arcade.

    4. Cornelyus

      No one saying is not fun, and i love GT, but i see you running to buy a PC and falling into real sim, dont spit up, LOL LOL

    5. PistonHead

      @Cornelyus
      I’m not obsessed in being a mechanical engineer LOL I’m more obsessed in being Jeremy Clarkson LOL LOL just give me a wheel a track and the most realistic driving in road cars

    6. Murcie

      “is not a sim, you dont have propper tire model, tire wear is not discriminated in “out/middle/in”, dont have mechanical damage, dont have totaled, dont have popper fuel usage, cant select fuel gals, dont have propper car setup, cant modify toe, cant modify gears, rev limit, radiator size, engine brake, caster, tire presure, cant modify lateral weight, dont have clutch work, dont have day/night cycle in any track, etc.”

      Very funny and all but on a serious note, have you actually played GT5 at all or have you just ignored all of those features that are actually included in the final product?

    7. Cornelyus

      @Murcie
      I was mind that those features are not propper applied
      @PistonHead
      You really buy me with the LOL LOL thing

  27. DMC_S2000

    I think I’ll be getting this for PC, co’z I’m pretty sure there will be mods for the pc version…

  28. RPM

    I would proudly say that I started playing GranTurismo 1 since I was 7 years old “11 years old” sinc eI am now 18 years old. Yes I would probably say right now that GranTurismo is not for kids who only wants is racing because I agree that Need for Speed is usually enjoyed by kids. For me, I think since I started playing GT1 10 years ago, it was my 18 year old brother who introduced the game to me that’s why through the years, I actually enjoyed GranTurismo all the time. I’m a fan of Need for Speed too but I always have Granturismo first then “Need for speed” just for an alternative game. You know, just to try and see what is in the game but right now so far, GT5 is beyond amazing. The physics is so real “even my dad says” :) I will get the NFS SHift tomorrow and check if it’s deserving to be called “sim racing” One major thing why I buy NFS as well is the variety of tuning are more exciting compare to GT and the engine sound.

    1. the piston

      @RPM: I agree with you, NFS and GT are totally different driving games. They are incomparable. NFS for fun, GT for enjoyment. But I do wish that PD did improve the engine sounds though.

  29. ilove evos

    Also they are supposed to have settings for the wheels so i think it maybe just an issue of tinkering with the wheel and settings as well as tuning and if that is the case I’m sold. Lets see OK physics, great car selection, every car can be customized extensively, The best damage i have seen so far in a console racer, great AI, Good soundtrack, the best and most diverse track selection i have seen in a console racer, good night racing, drifting engine seems good and car sounds are awesome. Vs GT5 great physics but lacking in so many of the other areas. I will take the first choice any day

    1. PistonHead

      It’s a good choice for arcade players that’s no doubt, sure they are going to enjoy more than rfactor or lfs.

    2. Streaker

      @PistonHead Tommy Milner is on Twitter. He gets paid to race cars, ALMS, going to be in Nurburgring 24 hours this year. He seems to enjoy Shift 2. What would you call Tommy? An arcade racer? Ask him about it. @tommymilner or go to his website, same name.

    3. PistonHead

      @Straker
      I would him them a race driver that get paid to promote a game lol some aspects would feel realistic for someone not accustomed to play sims but it lacks when us players compare to other sims. Just read this page article. Tokyo drift games hired real drifters to promote its realism LOL forza was the same

    4. Streaker

      @PistonHead 1) No one made Milner work on the game. 2) No one that works for a website called GT Planet is going to say, “This game blows GT5 away”.

    5. PistonHead

      @Streaker
      1)do a search and you will find all the promotion that he is doing for NFS games and EA, even has publicity on his race cars LOL

      2)GT5 is sim, NFS arcadish, nobody with common sense will say here or at the moon that shift blows a sim lol

    6. Streaker

      @PistonHead 1) And who put a gun to his head to do it? 2) Not my point. I reiterated YOUR point. You said Milner would never say its a bad game, he gets paid by them. I said anyone working for a GT5 dedicated website isn’t going to say any game is better then GT5. Get it?

    7. Buck

      So what your saying is unless an advertising spokesman has a gun pointed at their head, the spokesman truly believes everything the sponsor pays them to say?
      If that’s your point, wow, I guess there really are people who fall for it. Amazing.

    8. PistonHead

      @Streaker
      1)A signed contract for promotion and sponsorship that pay him and his team part of its racing career, seems you never seen an F1 pilot advertising his sponsor brand like the best thing in the world LOL

      2)LOL this website is independent and made by a fan base not Sony or Polyphony, no one here is getting paid to speak good or bad about a game LOL seems you missed all the GT5 negative news and comments in the past

    9. Razor

      Streaker> I just tried this game. AND ITS TOTAL CRAP. It is just another arcade game. It is better arcade than previous ones but it is still ARCADE.It’s nowhere near GT5.Not even close.Physics are soo poor and so primitiveprimitive.Car is shaking and wobbling unrealistically, there is no connection between wheel and road, you don’t feel surface grip, car is moving stupidly and that self-shifting headcam is just a joke.Remember golden rule – don’t believe in that marketing hype and in those hired racers telling you a LIE. It is not “most realistic racing game”.Not even close.Period.

    10. the piston

      @Streaker:Grow up and stop wasting your time, do you have a life. LOL this is just a game. Stop having a flame war you’re just gonna be proved even more wrong. Open your eyes it’s NFS and simulation just isn’t what NFS is a pro at.At the end of the day NFS is an arcade game and might never be a simulator. Now GET OF THE INTERNET.

    11. Streaker

      The fanboys rear their ugly little heads. “Get off the Internet”. ROFLOL. I doubt either of you have driven a car. Its probably much different then the back of a short bus you guys are used to riding in.

    12. Narf

      Only one fanboy I see on this page is a 2011 Streaker model with BS injection, and a need for a new muffler.

    13. Jonesy

      Dude, lol, Gran Tursimo has some of the biggest fanboys of any game. I have seen reviews for GT5 where the reviewers are afraid of saying anything negative about the game for fear of backlash. They had to repeatedly say, we love GT, so don’t send us hate mail! Seems like the dude just wants to give the game to get a fair shake, everyone on here is like, oh, its NFS, it must be an arcade. Games change. Look how they destroyed SOCOM with the last two.

    14. PistonHead

      @Jonesy
      LOL GT5 has been beaten with no mercy by most american reviewers(maybe they were NFS fanboys LOL LOL) seems you don’t know what you are talking about, GT has nothing to do with shift being a mess as a sim LOL

    15. the piston

      @Streaker:LOL ya you should get of the internet, look who’s talking calling me a fanboy I love NFS for enjoyment and it is more fun than GT5, but for simulation you must be kidding me! Always saying in your comments how this game is gonna beat GT5 in the in the simulation department. Always answering peoples comments about how this game is gonna smash GT5 in simulation.Now that’s a fanboy. Congrats, your officially a NFS Shift fanboy. Don’t call me a GT fanboy. The reason I like GT more than other driving games is because this is the driving game started driving simulation in consoles in the first place and PD are never too cocky about their games unlike EA saying that Shift 2 has the ”MOST ADVANCED DRIVING PHYSICS”. Heck I don’t know why I’m wasting my time on replying to your retarded comments.

    16. Jonesy

      @PistonHead First off, you are the wrong one here. From Wikipedia, “Gran Turismo 5 was met with generally positive reaction from game critics. The game currently holds a GameRankings score of 84.72%. Reviewers praised the number of cars, car-specific information and commented positively on the driving physics which had been improved from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. The inclusion of karts as well as licensed World Rally Championship and NASCAR vehicles was also received positively.” Second, you totally missed my point. Any criticism of GT is met by fierce reactions. Or in your case, unfounded ones. But, you seem to know so much, enlighten us further.

  30. ilove evos

    I agree with streaker in a lot of what he says and without playing the game myself I am not going to prejudge it. Many complain about not keeping the car straight but I drive GT5 with the fanatec turbo S wheel and full club sport setup and i have issues with the wheel jerking back and forth even with dead zone set. So It’s the same thing. GT5s clutch is not simulated correctly to me but I still play it and enjoy it. The lack of customization and limited aero kits are another big issue with me. The graphics tearing and being incomplete in GT5 (Just look at the track map and you will see the jaggy outline surrounding it). I can go on and on about flaws that are in GT5 but people overlook and praise because the name GT has become synonymous with a good game. I think a lot of people have already made a decision on this game based off of the previous title and already have labled EA a arcade racer manufacturer so even if they did in fact create a good driving engine etc they would still bash it. I remember the older GTs had issues with understeer but people still praised it and tuned their cars accordingly. I’m actually glad that the fixed the oversteer issue from shift 1 and my only question for the original poster was did you actually tune any of the cars or drive them stock?

  31. Mygroth1989

    I’m so gonna get this game. I think my friends will like this game more than GT5. Finally friends to race online against.

  32. Justin

    So basically, all they need to do is get the physics engine and FF right and they’d completely destroy GT5 in every aspect! Maybe PD will wake up now and fix their game??

    1. PistonHead

      yeah and you only need to run faster than Usain Bolt to completely destroy them in every aspect!! LOL LOL

  33. Sporkafife

    Turned out just as I expected really: A fun, graphically impressive game with lots of customisation options and lots of cool exotic cars. I didn’t expect the physics engine to be that great. Personally I won’t buy it, I already have too many games and not enough time to play them (I’ll be starting Uni in September) But I do lol at all the butt-hurt GT fans that knocked this game with every fibre of their being just because it slightly infringed on the same genre… XD

  34. carcoll13

    I am picking up this game tomorrow, but I’m keeping in mind that I have 7 days to return it for a full refund.

    I didn’t expect the physics model to be BETTER than GT5 but do expect it to be improved upon Shift1.. I am really worried about the feeling of racing with the G27 from what I’ve read, and my bad experience with Shift 1 though.

    I really hope with adjustments that the driving will feel right, I mean in GT5 the G27’s FFB doesn’t even seem supported well and feels bland.. and then the fact that the A.I and “race experience” leaves much to desired to the point that I only do time trials (usually on the nurb) leaves me looking for more.

    Heres to hoping, and thanks Jordan for the review.

    1. LeeC2202

      “I am picking up this game tomorrow, but I’m keeping in mind that I have 7 days to return it for a full refund.”

      Where do you live to be able to do that? Over in the UK, if you open the game, then you can’t return it.

  35. PedanticNerd

    This game looks awesome, but it’s come out too early for me. Still happy with GT5 for the moment and I need my money for other things.
    Such a shame, if this was released in May I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

  36. sanpanico

    “intense night racing, and a helmet cam that recreates realistic driver head movements”

    Night racing piques my curiosity. It brings back memories of racing the 24 hrs of Le Mans in GRID, when your race transitions from day to night. (incidentally, I like the fact that 1 minute = 1 hour in that game since I don’t have time to sit with my PS3 off and on for 24 hours!)

    All in all, what I’ve learned here since 2005 is that no racing game is going to suit everyone. Like most, I have my my minor issues with each of the racers I own, but I have fun with them and that’s what matters most to me. I for one am looking forward to scooping up this game as well as Forza 4, TDU2, DiRT3, etc… My biggest reservation is where am I going to put my PS2, PS3, PS4 (for GT6), XBOX, XBOX 360, and whatever the next console will be. I rather enjoy going back to previous games occasionally. It’s a shame Sony and Microsoft couldn’t (or wouldn’t) make the backwards compatibility work much in the same way Nintendo did for the Wii/Game cube games.

  37. GDub

    I wanna hear what someone has to say about playing the game with just a regular controller. I can’t stand racing wheels.

    1. stoney71

      I sorta agree with GDub. I borrowed a wheel from a friend for a couple of days and I just couldn’t seem to get used to the force feedback always sawing the wheel back and forth, even on the straightaways. Maybe I just didn’t give the wheel enough time to get used to it, but it just felt weird to me, not at all like driving any real car I have ever driven. I think I will stick with the controller for now myself. I can’t really afford a wheel right now on my budget anyway, my wife would kill me.

    2. schigara

      Stoney,

      The wheel is not the problem. The problem is the instructions the wheel is getting from GT5. There is no dead zone so the wheel just bounces back and forth when trying to go straight.

      It took me about 5 days at 3 hours a day to get as good with a wheel as I was with the DS3 controller but ultimately it was so worth it because I am now much faster and more consistent and smooth.

      A wheel in GT5 takes so long to get used to because the feedback from GT5 is just not right so it makes the wheel feel totally unnatural.

      I bought GTR Evolution(very good racing sim) on the PC and hooked my wheel up to it and instantly the wheel felt right and natural. The wheel no longer bounces back and forth while trying to hold it straight while going fast.

      Now I almost hate driving in GT5 because I have experienced how a wheel should behave, you know, like a steering wheel in a real car!

    3. DMC_S2000

      you’re looking for a hardcore simulator but you don’t like playing it with steering wheel?? are you serious??!

    4. Streaker

      Many people go to a wheel after the controller and just don’t like it at all. Nothing wrong with that. One of the videos in Prologue show, GASP, Kaz and others at PD working on the game and are USING CONTROLLERS! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

    5. 4Marsh20

      @Stoney71 & Schigara
      You obviously havent driven a real car as there is no such thing as a “dead-zone” when you’re racing at high speeds as you are constantly hitting bumps, dips, etc. that knock the wheels about

    6. stoney71

      Here we go with the assumptions and insults about driving experience and ability. For the record, I have been driving for about 25 years (I’m not 12) and I have driven MANY different types and models of cars. I have never driven a true race car or supercar, but I have driven everything from a hot hatchback to a sports car like the Corvette. I have driven at VERY high speeds on VERY challenging roads but, unfortunatly, no racetracks. That may not qualify me to be a race driver, but I do think I know what a REAL car drives like in the REAL world. I think you misunderstood what schigara meant about a dead-zone. What he says seems to make sense, and he may be on to one of the reasons about why the wheel seems so unnatural to me instead of realistic like it should. I think for now I will continue using the controller until PD can get the feel right with a wheel. What is wrong with that? I really can’t afford one right now anyway.

  38. johngt

    Jordan: “For the record, I was not using the game’s “helmet cam”, a camera view which is independent from the standard cockpit perspective.”

    In Shift 1 when using the bonnet view/bumper cam the effects that were in the in car view (black and white, blurring etc) were also present. This includes the way the camera moves independently of the car as it goes over bumps, hence the ‘floating’ effect that Streaker has described.

  39. XtraMinty

    I would buy this if it were not for the fact that it is EA. I despise them and the bs they constantly pull.
    Online Pass!? You can take your stupid greedy online pass system and shove it up your arse

  40. Stu

    I’m pretty much done with GT5, I drive the odd Indy race to earn credits and buy/tune cars. I’m for a racing game with great cars, track and sounds, that will satisfy me before Forza 4.

  41. vicious136

    “With a Logitech Driving Force GT, cars often felt “floaty”, as if it was difficult to keep the car pointed straight.”

    Looks like nothing’s changed since Shift 1. I think I’ll be skipping this one.

  42. pLiDeX_uy

    From the description of the Zonda F:

    “named after Formula One driver Juan Miguel Fangio”

    MIGUEL??? It’s Juan MANUEL Fangio

    1. Streaker

      OMG, THE GAME IS RUINED! BTW, the copy of GT5 Inside Sim Racing got had Thrustmaster misspelled. And one of the cars does have a completely wrong description in GT5. Forgot which it was, but you read it and its about another car altogether. 6 years and still had mistakes.

  43. Streaker

    You all need to understand this game is more realistic then GT5 in the physics department. If you were the actual car, not the driver GT5 would be accurate. But guess what, I’m not a car, I am a human strapped into the car. The game acts more “floaty” because its a HELMET CAM. Heads bob more then the cars do. The cam even watches the road in this game when your car is not pointed straight ahead. If this reviewer came in and said, its physics were just like GT5, I would NOT be excited about the game. Notice in the PS Store they have moved this game AWAY from the arcade NFS, which are all under N, including Shift (1), its now under S for Shift 2. Anyway, I have heard a couple of criticisms that were wrong, from what I can tell. First off, when I pointed out that 3 race car drivers were giving feedback on the game (as well as their having a racing team) I was told that there were drivers for the first Shift that said the game was realistic and it wasn’t. Well, I found those clips, one is under NFS Shift in the PS store. The other is at the NFS Shift official website. And guess what? The drivers NEVER say a word about the game. They talk about racing, not playing Shift or that Shift is just like when they race, etc.. http://www.needforspeed.com/media/video#/media/video/shift-tommy-milner and here is the other one in the PS Store, http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/driving/needforspeedshift/video/6214747/need-for-speed-shift-andrea-bertolini-driver-official-movie You can contrast that with the videos of drivers and a drive team giving feedback to the software engineers for Shift 2. The second thing I have heard is, I have seen the actual footage, its arcade. I ask, how can you tell? They were going over 100 mph around a corner. EVERY video that has the speedo in it for the game that I have see are in KPH. You see the same thing in GT5 if you look at the KPH in turns. I am excited and hope is like a combo of Grid and GT5, combining better physics along with a more realistic experience. That experience includes the relatively “floaty” feeling of using a helmet cam. GT5 DOES NOT HAVE A HELMET CAM, it should look and feel different. Check this motorcycle helmet cam, look at the bike. Its hard to find a race car helmet cam, its always attached to the car, but this gives sort of what I am saying although its exaggerated because they aren’t strapped in obviously. But see the cam in relation to the bike. Floaty for sure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBSBd0UWfnk

    1. Jordan

      For the record, I was not using the game’s “helmet cam”, a camera view which is independent from the standard cockpit perspective.

    2. timcp

      If you attribute the “floating” feeling to the helmet cam then I don’t think you know what Jordan meant by that. In Shift 1 you would turn the steering wheel and the reaction of the car just didn’t seem “immediate”, there was no feel in the steeering at all. I think that this is what Jordan meant by “floating”. And if it is then I can’t buy Shift 2 because this “feature” completely destroyed Shift 1 for me.
      The grahics look great and the gameplay seems very intense, the car list and even more so the track list are very promising but it all means absolutely nothing if I don’t have any feeling in the steering wheel.

    3. Dmarc

      Wait you got the whole floating feeling thing wrong
      that has nothing to do with were the camera is
      The cars feel light . it has fake grip so it can take turns at super fast speeds
      I havent seen any video showing the actual speed but the one i saw were he is going around a turn at Laguna Seca he was going way too fast and he break at the last second. for a milli second.
      That has nothing to do with helmet cam

      Jordan wasnt talking about how it “LOOKED ” but how it “Felt”

    4. Skiddy

      @Streaker
      Dude how much are they (EA) paying you? Every post you make about this game sounds like it comes from their own PR manager.

    5. Streaker

      @Dmarc Tommy Mäkinen on Nurburgring in a stock 2010 Subaru WRX STI sedan going around corners over 100kph. And the one FIA GT1 video with a speedometer was too bad a quality to see the speeds, but those cars are supermodfied super-cars, like GT-Rs, Lambos and Ford GTs so they are MUCH faster then this video.

    6. PistonHead

      Have you ever heard about the image stability control in a camera? the eyes work in the same way, fix your view on a point in the screen and shake furiously your head, that’s nothing like the shift accuracy LOL

    7. Streaker

      @PistonHead I’m a photographer so yes, of course I have. But your HEAD doesn’t act like image stabilization does it? Probably why they call it Helmet Cam, not eye cam.

    8. Skiddy

      I saw the “helmet cam” gameplay. Not sure that the helmet should woble on one’s head like that.I ride a motorcycle, and my helmet is fixed on face, no way it wobles like that. It’s much like having two cockpits.

    9. Dragonitti

      As other have said, you are WAY off Base on understanding what “Floating” feels like.

      I can’t believe I read the words “More realistic then GT5 in the physics department”…WOW…Just WOW…lol. Are you old enough to race a car on a track? If so, have you done it yet? I suggest you get out there and do just that and then re-write this post you just made.

  44. tyl0r_r

    Thanks for the review, none of the review sites have one up yet. Pity about the physics, just went from a buy to a rent for me.

    1. tyl0r_r

      my pc can’t run it, but EA not releasing a demo does little to discourage people from your suggestion.

  45. shved

    Shift is like some modern sports cars such as the Evo X and Impreza, which went away from the sport, it’s fat cows, but because of the excessively commercial stupid people rave about them as a no-compromise sports car and an ultimatum to buy them because they are unable to feel a the difference between this sport karom and civilian vehicles. That is, if the advertising and marketing will be a long time from the TV saying that the cow is a cheetah that stupid people will believe it. Stupid people and a lot of shift for them. But it is not ashamed to play a sim racer, you only need to understand that this arcade game for fun, such as Grid

  46. R35-Vspec

    I’ve got the game and I’ve played it for a total of ~2 hours.

    First thing, I only played the game on “Elite” handling mode and also I didn’t have time to setup my G25 for a test so I gave it a try with DS3.

    When you start the game you’ll be given a tuned Nissan GTR for a test and honestly the first corner I went out of the track .. yeah .. too much understeering but then I got hang of it and I was able to handle the car nicely.

    I don’t want to make this long but Shift 2 has a very good list of cars and an unbeatable list of tracks (FIA tracks, what else do you want?).

    In term of physics .. well .. I like the way how the physics work in Shift 2. It’s not like in GT5/FM3 .. It’s completely different but I can’t tell which one is realistic, to be honest, if EA/SMS could do some quick tweaks into steering issue which Jordan mentioned (Having hard time to let the car remain straight .. maybe some tuning to the car .. I forgot lol) it would be better than GT5 .. in terms of fun .. really.

    ONE MORE THING! The AIs are very strong when you set the difficulty to “Hard” .. even with “Normal” they’re still badasses unless you drive aggressively.

    1. Dragonitti

      Wow really? You can’t tell which one is realistic? Jordan was dead on in describing the floaty feel of S2. You can’t be “realistic” if your cars float across the surface. GT5 with aids off, the cars do not float. You can “FEEL” the road in GT5. I has S2 as well. My first impression of the physics is that they were very arcade like still. I ran off track first corner as well. It has not sense of weight transfer so feeling when it’s time to brake is a guessing game and you won’t know until several laps around the course where the braking zone is. Takes some time to get use to. The game has glitched on me about 3 times now and I had to restart my PS3. I drive on Elite.

      Steering has WAY to much SAWING action with the DS3. They need to fix that.

    2. Streaker

      And all those negatives people are moaning about can be fixed pretty much though adjusting the wheel settings. Once you do that, you realize the physics aren’t bad, you can tell the difference between different cars and you can feel every bump and dip on the tracks.

    3. Chris

      Unfortunately you can feel about 1,000,000 bumps that are not there as well, has your car waddles along like it has 4 bent rims, 3 bent axles, 2 flatspotted tires, and a partridge in a pear tree (stuck in the wheel well). And what better realism than a honda civic with ferrari performance just by adding a cat back?
      Apperently streaker doesn’t like this game enough to quit wasting time posting this rubbish, and go play it. LMAO

  47. zentaos

    The great thing about this game is that it is multiplatform. This review helped me make the decision to get this for the PC instead of PS3. In a few months, the sim community will have “fixes” for the issues and the game will be great.

  48. Pryor

    There is a nice amount of tracks too. Just counting locations alone is 36.

    Very surprised and happy to see Enna Pergusa included. Its a lovely track that travels around a lake in Sicily. Always wished it would be in GT5.

    1. sanpanico

      Right about the locations. 85 total differnet configurations by my count, not including ‘reverse direction’ which to me doesn’t quite count as a ‘different’ configuration.

  49. Jamesways

    Great write up Jordan. I felt completely the same way about it. It should be a very fun game after getting the settings dialed in. Not nearly the pure sim many of us were hoping for, but still a great looking, intense, immersive experience.

  50. Panjandrum

    It’s great to see a balanced viewpoint. Thanks!

    I really enjoyed the first 50% of NFS Shift, then I got bored and frustrated because of the “too easy” handling, as you mention in the above review. As many great points as it had, the physics in the end just was not good enough to keep my attention. I also found that the cars, while somewhat unique in handling, weren’t nearly as individualistic as in the GT series. Like GT5 (but for very different reasons), I now own all the cars I want and occasionally stick it in to drive a favorite car around the Ring. As much as I would love to run out and grab this game right away, I think I’ll wait a bit and see handling mods become available for the PC version. I had the PS3 version of Shift, so was unable to change the physics model. However, several physics mods became available for the PC version, including a “Grand Turismo” handling mod. I’m hopeful that we might see a similar mod for NFS2. (On a side note, I’m one of those who thinks PD very much lost their way with GT5. There is a big gap now that Shift could step into, if only they would give us a GT-level physics model…)

  51. schigara

    I can understand dumbing down the physics so the teenies and the uncoordinated can enjoy but they also put in different modes such as “elite”.

    Why isn’t the elite mode for the good drivers(like the name suggests) with an accurate physics model instead of a floaty car with on off tire screaching?

    Why can’t we have an awesome physics model, great AI, badass graphics, monster damage model, excellent sounds and a very good online experience? Why is it always one or the other?

    I was going to buy it first thing tomorrow but now I will pass.

  52. PistonHead

    “he placed Shift 2 somewhere between the more arcade Need for Speed titles and games such as Forza and GT. After spending a significant amount of time with the game, I think that’s a spot-on description. This game doesn’t match their driving physics, but it’s not really supposed to.”

    I find that quote confusing, gt5 handling is a world appart from forza3, shift 2 being more arcadish means that is easier than forza?

    If that is true I would be very disappointed, never expected gt5 physics but at least on par with forza or a little better, why care then about the telemetry?

  53. WarriusZero

    Jordan, would it be interesting to compare this game to Grid, then? Where would it stand compared to Codemasters’ product?

  54. Wallbreaker

    So it turns out for me that this game is waste of time, at least for myself. The physics was the reason I didn´t bought Shift and for the same reason I won´t by Shift 2 Unleashed.

  55. Paulie

    So it’s got Bathurst which is awesome, I still probably can’t see myself liking this game much. If they have a demo I’ll try it, but the demo may be in slow cars, and Shift 1 was an entirely different game with fast cars.

  56. Watevaman

    “Dismissing this game for its physics is akin to throwing the baby out with the bath water”

    No, it’s really not. When it comes to a racing game for me, the first hurdle I must jump is gaining control of the car. If I can’t do that (with Shift’s physics, it’s borderline), I’m not going to be able to enjoy any of the other aspects that you pointed out. So it has a lot of cars? Cool, if they’re all over the place, how am I going to enjoy them? Tracks? I do love giant ice skating rinks.

    Don’t get me wrong, Shift is a strong competitor in the racing field, but my beef is with EA/SMS labeling it as “realistic.” I know they’re going towards the experience rather than the driving mechanic (which is stupid in a RACING GAME), but that’s really what chaps my ass. We got promises with the first Shift, and promises with this one, but it turns out it’s just the same old stuff.

    In a way, this rage probably stems from that fact that I WANT something to compete with Forza and GT on the consoles. But if nobody is willing to step up to the plate, then I guess I’ll go back to the same old, same gold.

    1. Jordan

      Yes, it is. Despite being put off by the physics at first, the more I played the game, the more I got used to it and the more I enjoyed it. I think a lot of people will come to that same conclusion.

    2. jjaisli

      I don’t know Jordan, I have to agree with Watevaman here and others who hold the physics engine as the single most important aspect of any driving game. me it certainly is.

      I bought the First NFS:Shift and consider it one of the most disappointing games I ever played, for exactly this reason. It did so many things right and had some great features, some innovative and fun ideas, a good selection of cars and tracks, and really tried to convey the ‘feeling’ of racing and sense of speed. But in the end, there was something so artificial and unrealistic about the physics model and how the cars behaved that I simply couldn’t get past it. Case in point: you approach a corner too hot and start to understeer off the track. The normal reaction would be to reduce power, slow down and allow the front tires to regain grip. In Shift(1) you could simply turn the wheel harder and voila–magic grip. All the nice tracks and helmet cams can’t make up when it’s lacking the basics.

    3. Jordan

      I think you’re missing the scope of the “bath water” comment. I agree physics are the single most important thing about any driving game, as I stated in the second paragraph above. If you can’t get over Shift 2’s physics, you won’t like it – that should be obvious. However, that doesn’t make it a “bad game”, and those willing to forgive its shortcomings will come to enjoy it.

    4. Jamesways

      Other racing games have been extremely fun without sim physics. Ever play the PGR series? Grid, Dirt 1 and 2 were fairly enjoyable as well.

      But I get your point, what makes the Shift franchise stick out from the above is the PR and marketing that it’s a Sim. What it simulates is the real question though. The experience of driving a race car? Yep. The physics? Not so much.

      I think if you look at it as more fun, intense racer rather than a sim, you’ll enjoy it a lot more. It is a bit tough to swallow though after the aggressive PR campaign. It really rubs sim fans the wrong way. If they had said, “the most intense racing game ever” and left out the sim and realism talk, none of this would have been an issue. It would have it’s place on the sim scale between PGR and GT/FM and people would have been just fine with that.

    5. neema_t

      I think the distinction to be made here is why you ‘play’ the racing sims/games you play. If you play for a realistic experience then yes, I think you’d be completely right to dismiss Shift 2 for its physics, because that’s the point of a simulator.

      If you’re playing it to have fun, for a sensation of speed and to race and so on, then Jordan is right and it shouldn’t be dismissed on those grounds in that context.

      As such, since I personally play GT5 for the simulation aspect, I’m going to pass on Shift 2.

    6. Dmarc

      Yea they cant just say “the most realistic racing sim evar !!”
      if the physics are still arcadey
      Im not suprised , they said the same about shift 1

  57. GMW

    Sounds like a great game. Arcade fun in my book,which means, as Jordan also mentioned: between total Arcade handling in NFS and ‘real’ handling in GT5. I’ll be buying this one!

  58. baristaa

    Looking forward to the A.I in Shift 2. Just found GT5 too easy and not comparative enough, not enough restrictions on races and lack of variety. Anyone else find that the case?

    1. Big Ron

      You are right. But for me, that wouldn´t be a reason to buy a game.

      There are thousands of games out there with competing AI. But while you are the one, who plays the game, it should be more important, what you feel while driving and not, what the AI does.

  59. hj9592

    Have you seen the cars on the site? Starting off at the Viper linked above, they get a bit worse everytime. The Focus RS looks daft and so does the Escort Cosworth RS, then I got to the Delta Intergrale. I was on the verge of getting this for a bit of fun, but they all look a bit silly.

  60. Big Ron

    The cars, events and tuning options will convince me to have a look, when my brother bought it.

    But the fact, that it tries to simulate modern motorsports, but doesn´t gives you the right driving physics will never convine me to buy it myself.

    For me it feels wrong to have the GT1 World Championship in the game, but a driving physics beyond anything realistic.

    So for an arcade racer, I still pic Hot Pursuit with real cars and fictional tracks against cops and traffic. For me more fun than to get confused with licensed motorsport racing but arcade physics.

  61. todd_10

    I’ve had this pre-ordered for a week now, can’t wait. It looks to be a great compliment to have sitting in my collection besides GT5

  62. DaveTheStalker

    EA is great at stretching or embellishing the truth. Just look at a Madden commercial. What you get when you play the game is far from that. Why can’t they fix this “floating” bug!! It could be such a great franchise.

    Well, GT’s thorn is engine sounds. I guess every game has to have inadequacies as a requirement or something…

  63. xX_54MW1CH_Xx

    So EA did exaggerate saying it’s “The most realistic racer ever.” But maybe I was thinking differently. I don’t plan buying Shift Unleashed myself, but if it gets enough positive feedback, I’ll consider bringing it home :)

    1. MadduckUK

      “According to EA’s marketing, these issues have been addressed, going so far as to call it “the most realistic racer ever”.”

      Oh EA, when will you ever stop with the Hyperbole and lies and just be straight with us.

  64. freshseth83

    sad part about it is the site has the wrong info on some of the cars. It’s as if they don’t fact check things. Case in point the link posted above to the Dodge Viper page. Stats are not only wrong but so is the engine type. V8? Yeah, the Viper has a 8.3 liter V10. And it has 600hp not 510. It’ll be a cool game to hook your cars up and show off, but not being a sim is a downside to me.

    1. Ô_Ô

      The engine is SAE-certified to produce 510 bhp in the third generation SRT-10. They show a gen3 in the pic, so don’t know why they call it gen2. Gen2 is the “double bubble” top that otherwise looks pretty much like gen1. Gen2 maxed out at about 450bhp.

    2. Streaker

      Sad part is that after years and tens of millions of dollars there are typos and wrong info in GT5. Sad that they have to put out so many patches in so little time for all the things they shipped broken. Sad. Sad that people play the game as shipped, not adjusting their input and don’t know that if they did, the game is a sim. Sad.

    3. Graf

      What’s sad is hanging arround here for weeks trying to either convince yourself, others, or both, that this game is anything more than just another NFS arcade game with physics that in no way approach sim level, even with adjustment to imput.

  65. Razor

    STREAKER, where are you?

    “If you’re expecting the game to “feel” like GT5 or your favorite PC sim of choice then, yes, you will be disappointed.”

    What can we say? Just another NFS game…maybe closer but still not enough.GT5 is on the lower side limit regarding physics (compared to rFactor/iRacing) and Shift2 is even lower.

    1. Skid

      Come on man..Give him some time…He is certainly out there, searching some new promos on youtube to back up his claims for the “Most realistic racing game ever”….

    2. Streaker

      I’ve off playing Shift 2, where did you think I would be? Once adjusted, it feels fine, and its a much harder game then GT5. You can’t enter a race with a car that has 200hp then the other cars in the race along with better tires and win by half a lap like you can in GT5. I think that is the real issue. You guys used to the easy races in GT5 can’t win in Shift 2.

    3. Blank

      “You guys used to the easy races in GT5 can’t win in Shift 2.”
      Haven’t had that problem. Find winning to be easy in shift. It’s not laughing myself to death at my brother-in-law’s preference for Pole Position’s physics over shift’s in realism that I find hard.

  66. DaveTheStalker

    The negatives are major problems because they are a constant. Hideous tire scrub and “floating” were the thorn in the side of Shift 1. Apparently SMS, Need For Speed, and EA don’t see these as flaws?

    Thinking of canceling my preorder. ESPECIALLY, because of the floating. I despised the way Shift 1 felt disconnected from the track.N what’s the use of having a high end mass market wheel if the physics is flawed and neuters the performance capabilities of your wheel. I’m talking about the Fanatec GT3rs (GT2 for xBix users) and the Thrustmaster .

    1. strela

      I’ll buy it for shure… than again.. I pity guys like you who spend money on games instead of donate it for the poor people in need.. :P

  67. honkey

    game looks pretty cool from the video’s i’ve seen, but clicking on that list of cars makes it look dank. The pics of the cars look like something out of Forza 2, or most games 6 years ago. Hope those were early photos.

  68. Doug

    Nice review. Appreciate your detailed perspective on the handling and also all the innovation it appears to get right.

    I think you captured it well– they are trying to nail the ‘feeling’ of racing accurately– more-so than the detailed physics etc. That is what the mainstream buyer wants so it will probably serve them well in the marketplace. But it sounds like many of us on this site will wish for a bit more from the elite handling model than is on offer. I’m in for a purchase so I’ll see for myself on Tuesday.

  69. Steph290

    Enjoyed this review. Looks like Shift 2 is going to live up to its expectations(because honestly, we weren’t expecting a great physics engine from EA anyway). Seems like a fun escape from the GT grind is close at hand. Still love my GT, but I do hope the PD teams are taking notes.

    1. COOLfiat

      LOL! A V8!? STUPID AMERICANS… it’s called a Dodge Dakota V10… umm, I mean a V10 :D
      Yeh, look it up! :)

    2. Madman Apex

      I DIDNT EVEN READ THE DESCRIPTION!!?! V8??!? A V8 was used as a stand in engine during the developement because the V10 wasnt ready; but a V10 was always the choice powerplant…

      I meant the cabin modeling of the viper doesnt look right, too tall; maybe it’s the camera angle or the viewpoint but just looks out of proportion. Honestly same as all the other models they look kinda ‘amateurish’ kinda ‘cartoonish’
      Of course they would run the media event on computers. I love my PS3 but my computer has way more powerful hardware.

    3. BWX

      LOL, I got this message when I went to that link:
      Need for Speed is currently under maintenance. We should be back shortly. Thank you for your patience.

    4. FelipeJardim

      @COOLfiat

      Dodge dakota V10? You mean Dodge RAM V10. The largest motor a Dakota ever had was the previous gen with a 5900cc V8 in the R/T model.

  70. blake

    sounds kool but not good enough to get i have 2 times a year to get 60$ games BDAY wich im getting Infamouse 2 for & Christmas wich im getting the NGP for (i can get a few full priced (60$) games there but i,d rather have NGP. now back to the point NFS has a fun custimizing feature & a arlight driving experience but this is no where near GT5 quility. it sounds fun but its just not my type of game

  71. Goshin2568

    Darn. Here I was hoping he was going to say “The physics are on par or higher than GT5.”

    Guess I probably won’t be getting this one either.

    1. chriz00

      +1

      I was ready to purchase this until, “cars often felt “floaty”, as if it was difficult to keep the car pointed straight.”

      That was the same problem I had with the first Shift, GT5 & DFGT work perfectly (of course).

  72. BlackIce90

    I got the first Shift, loved that game. I actually memorized Nurburgring in NFS Shift and when i started GT5, I was just as good on the Ring except for the fact GT5 had a few more bumps in the road which added to the realism. Ill be trading in: MC:LA, NFS:Shift, DIRT2, and NFS:ProStreet (yes I still have it) for NFS SHIFT 2 and DIRT 3. My gf loves racing games but thinks GT5 is too hard so I think this game would be more forgiving and allow both of u to race each other. 100% picking this up. EA sure knows how to present their games. Rise Against is a huge plus for me seeing as they are my favourite band!

  73. sinister_300zx

    N99GT trade in that piece of trash tdu2 im gonna trade it in this week for extra store credit towards shift2 dont even waste ur time with tdu2

    1. N99GT

      i no the update was a load of balls and didnt fix anything that game really didnnt live up to the hype! so ill take a look around town on tuesday…!

  74. N99GT

    damn i wish i didnt buy TDU2 now and got this instead :(
    i lets hope that some game shop does that trade in thingy!

  75. sinister_300zx

    i got part1 i liked it..wasnt all that so im gonna pick this up since gt5 has gotten a lil boring lately need to keep myself busy with racing games and no get bored..people cant complain about this game but i tell you what..all you guys that bitch about whats not in gt5 is in this game all that custom work you wanna do to your car EA brings it so to all the gt5 fans that cry like women get this game..when gt5 comes out with updates that are worth the wild then i’ll be puttin this game down

  76. scooter1265

    Well, I preordered this last night, and I can’t wait to pick it up. I can’t afford it, but I’m planning on picking it up as soon as I can.

    But yeah, Shift and GT are two totally different beasts. Shift is pretty dang fun, but nothing will beat the realism GT offers.

    1. RPM

      @scooter: true.. that’s what I’m taking about as well.. They are both good games but in different dimensions. :)

  77. BarronGeddon

    It works like this 90% of the time:

    Teenagers and kids love EA type arcade racing games.
    Early twenties to late twenties more of a gt/forza crowd.
    Thirties to forties well that’s your iRacing type crowd.

    Always execptions of course, but I’d say Shift2 is gunna be enjoyed by people in their late teens to early twenties the most.

    And I’ll bet the presentation/soundtrack/movies will be aimed at that range.

    1. PistonHead

      Completely wrong. You can add Forza to the teenagers list just look at all the kiddies designs at the marketplace lol, I bet you there are more thirties in GT than in iracing, kids that began with gt1 have now more than that and are millions!!! LOL LOL, kids that began with forza1 are still kids LOL and iracing is for a obsessed minority that don’t care about european road cars

    2. Khaddar

      @PistonHead: Congratulations on expressing your own maturity so effectively there. You’re truly an inspiration to us all.

      LOL LOL

    3. Alex Leighton

      AN obsessed minority to you. And iRacing isn’t about road cars at all. LOL LOL.

      The way it’s worked for me, is that as I’ve grown up I’ve craved more realism. I grew up with NFS, in my teens I played more Forza and GT and now my 20s don’t seem to want to settle for anything less than iRacing like realism.

      So yeah it sounds like I’ve grown past the point where I would enjoy Shift 2.

    4. PistonHead

      @Alex Leighton
      Yes iracing is about american races and race cars that’s why there is not a substitute for GT5 except for a minority obsessed with the game LOL if you want to drive a road ferrari at a virtual nurburgring there’s no better option than GT5

      Hey @Khaddar you borrow the console to your father? LOL

    5. PistonHead

      “Hey @Khaddar you borrow the console to your father? LOL”

      That was for LoneWanderer not Khaddar lol

    6. Geo_212

      Hm, then explain how me being a 14-year-old using iRacing makes me obsessed with it. Guess what… it’s called a LIFE. Get one.

    7. BuZZ KiLL

      @Alex Leighton : So, let us get this straight. You’re in your 20s and the only realism you settle for is playing a racing game on your computer. Rather than, say, buying a REAL car and actually driving it around REAL roads. *clap clap clap* . This calls for a heavy dosage of Getalifol.

    8. BuZZ KiLL

      Sorry for the mild sarcasm Mr. Leighton but I just couldn’t help it. Because frankly speaking if it was a choice between playing a racing game (no matter how real) or taking a drive in my car, to any destination, whether 5 miles away or 50, I’d jump straight into my car :/ . But that’s just me and my opinion I guess.

    9. 4marsh20

      @geo_212
      Seriously, the majority of users here would have realised you’re 14 without you mentioning it just from you’re unbelievable statement that makes 0% sense, congrats.
      It’s called MATURITY. Get some

  78. nitro_c4

    Need For Speed Shift is a great game & I think Shift 2 Unleashed will be another great game. It’s a fun game to play by yourself and with opponents.

    1. BubbleBelly542

      Because I will take action packed races with insane crashes over doing 24 hours of the same track while possibly overheating my ps3. And more if y friends are getting it.

    2. KFM

      I’m willing to bet while I was at the Honda Grand Prix you were watching “Driven” for the cool crash scenes, weren’t you?

    3. Stiglitz

      LMAO @ KFM. I know that movie, it’s almost as bad as Redline LOL.
      @Bubble don’t do it man. if you’re only racing one track 24 7, I assume daytona, shift will leave you even more unsatisfied. None of its ovals are real or comparable to daytona. Rent it but don’t sell GT5 for it. GT5 exceeds it in cars and tracks in number and quality not to mention the most important parts of any game. Bottom line is, more challenging games are more rewarding and you get more use out of them. If you get into the other types of tracks or racing in gt5, you’ll be playing it for years. Also, it’ll keep getting updates and soon enough, the course maker will be able to create legit ovals. GT5 is the most replayable game ever made, don’t trade it for a rent at best game

  79. COOLfiat

    Now, I will take Shift 3… thanks for the review, Jordan. Could you get some more information on the online part? Thanks so much! :D

    1. Tvensky

      I will check it out as well, I recommend not to buy it, until real reviews are up from gamers, they are more precise I have to say with their comments about the game. This 9/10 stuff is BS I have to say.. lol :)

    2. JasonMann

      if the physics were really realistic, id be all for it. PD spent years on their physics eninge for a reason. O well im goona stick with gt5.

    3. Tvensky

      Anyway. Track selection in this NFS is very good indeed, and PD could actually learn something from it. (I didnt meant menu or music, GT have its strong own style, but something like Damage, track features, AI more dynamic, more alive envaiorment around cars and tracks, some cool features that make our life more easy…….) Stuff like that would make GT alot better.

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