ISR's Shift 2 Review

[sandboxgod]

Inside Sim Racing just posted up their Shift 2 review (tested with latest patch) 👍

 

[boxox]

Ah geez, I know I shouldn't watch, because I know it's going to be ISR .. but wow. They missed brake pressure? They missed that wear is time scaled? They claimed the game was chock full of (non existant) hidden secret aids ... and then recommend a mod that changes the tyres to act like solid rubber blocks?

Mmmhmm.

I do love that they noticed that cars with full slicks, racing suspension and massive aero packages are less floaty than soft setup street cars with high sidewalls. That's the kind of insight that makes ISR the show it is today

 

[Spagetti69]

Can't wait to see their Dirt3 review

 

[tribolik]

They seem to be really nice guys but they are kind of a joke IMO when it comes to racing game analysis... Ive seen some really funny stuff from this guys... they seem to think that they are the last cookie in the jar when it comes to sim racing and everything around it...
They are no experts on sim racing IMO but they definitly dont understand anything about game desing and different strategic options for fun factor purposes and this one is definitly more «game» than sim racer (dont know if I make myself clear) even though it definitly fits the sim category IMO.

Ah geez, I know I shouldn't watch, because I know it's going to be ISR .. but wow. They missed brake pressure? They missed that wear is time scaled? They claimed the game was chock full of (non existant) hidden secret aids ... and then recommend a mod that changes the tyres to act like solid rubber blocks?

Mmmhmm.

I do love that they noticed that cars with full slicks, racing suspension and massive aero packages are less floaty than soft setup street cars with high sidewalls. That's the kind of insight that makes ISR the show it is today

Exactly... what a joke. it would be really funny if it wasnt the fact that this guys are a bit influencial when it to comes the sim racing industry and they can really hurt the chances of another Shift game happening... IMO
The game has some flaws but I dont think they were fair with it... and Im not talking about the score because that wasnt that bad or that off IMO, Im talking about all they jiberish the said.

 

[boxox]

That Shift 2 sure does lack tuning options compared to a Real Sim!

 

[tribolik]

That Shift 2 sure does lack tuning options compared to a Real Sim!

yes it does... but for a console game it is the one that has more tuning options available IINM

 

[UkHardcore23]

Listening to the review you would think it's a 40/100 game...yet they score it 84?

How does that score compare to GT5 and Forza 3 reviews from them?

 

[James1436]

Ah geez, I know I shouldn't watch, because I know it's going to be ISR .. but wow. They missed brake pressure? They missed that wear is time scaled? They claimed the game was chock full of (non existant) hidden secret aids ... and then recommend a mod that changes the tyres to act like solid rubber blocks?

Mmmhmm.

I do love that they noticed that cars with full slicks, racing suspension and massive aero packages are less floaty than soft setup street cars with high sidewalls. That's the kind of insight that makes ISR the show it is today

"They claimed the game was chock full of (non existant) hidden secret aids"
To be fair, I too suspect hidden steering aids. The cars never seem to oversteer.For example, the Mercedes SLS. I saw a episode on Topgear where Jeremy Clarkson drives it, and he claims the car has massive amounts of oversteer.I've driven it many times in Shift 2, but could never get the rear wheels loose.Even with full throttle in the corners. Maybe its a hidden Tc aid or just the physics engine.

 

[arvore]

They are no experts on sim racing IMO but they definitly dont understand anything about game desing and different strategic options for fun factor purposes

C'mon they even gave it 8,25\10 in fun factor.

Exactly... what a joke. it would be really funny if it wasnt the fact that this guys are a bit influencial when it to comes the sim racing industry .

I wonder why....

Look, I don't want to start another discussion and I've disagreed with these guys plenty of times-I didn't agreed with their review on SCC even a little-but calling them a joke is a little bit over the top IMO!
They are dedicated sim fans and players and they gave their legitimate opinion...You might not agree with them, they might not have said what You wanted to listen-although they gave pretty positive points to the game:
"Extremely immersing"

But they are not definitely a non "connoisseur" reviewers, like most of the guys out there writing about racing games, after playing them for a hour or so before going back to shooters or RPGs or whatever games they really like playing!

It is a well balanced and not biased analysis of the game IMO!
And they got the part about Vaughn soooo right!

 

[sandboxgod]

Listening to the review you would think it's a 40/100 game...yet they score it 84?

How does that score compare to GT5 and Forza 3 reviews from them?

This would be my criticism. They had way more cons and 'meh' as Tom called it, than pros. So when they finally gave the score, the viewer is kind of shocked and confused.

They also didnt go into depth about the multiplayer.

They also didnt cover the Difficulty setting (how Easy mode can still be hard haha)

As a t500rs owner- I am also disappointed they never seem to use the wheel in any of their reviews, etc. They all claimed t500rs is their wheel and yet they only use Fanatecs and Logitechs in their game reviews since. They reviewed Shift 2 PC, which I know my wheel works with just fine.

Anyway Jessica was in this one so don't be too hard on them guys

I appreciate that we have 'sim racing fans' reviewing games. But I can see where some of you guys comments are coming from I really do.

I think they got a lot right though. The PC version has terrible UI controls. Cant use the racing wheel DPAD. I had to use Autohotkey to override their UI so I can still use my wheel for the menus. I also like how they addressed the 'vacuum' when you crash into another car.

They didnt like the 'looking to apex' feature though which I thought was kind of lame. I do find myself using the 'hood cam' a lot more recently to improve my lap times. So I understand what Darrin/Tom is saying.. But still the cockpits rock.

You know I play iRacing (a little, I'm a rookie) & rFactor (all the time) and I think perhaps they were too quick to discount Shift 2's realistic physics. Alas, I am no physics expert in the least. So I lack the expertise to judge them on that

 

[fatkrakr]

I think the review was mostly fair but to me it seems like they didnt spend much time actually tuning the cars. They talked about wheel settings a little but when they said not much car tunning i knew they didnt spend much time there. Probably alot of quick tunning. Thats where shift (imo) is getting a bad wrap. You cant just works a car and run it. They need a little (ok alot) of love.

 

[Spagetti69]

Too much night racing.

When I look at the titles on my shelf there is a serious lack of night racing. Or good renditions of it.

Why not have a bit of excess eh.

 

[tribolik]

C'mon they even gave it 8,25\10 in fun factor.



I wonder why....

Look, I don't want to start another discussion and I've disagreed with these guys plenty of times-I didn't agreed with their review on SCC even a little-but calling them a joke is a little bit over the top IMO!
They are dedicated sim fans and players and they gave their legitimate opinion...You might not agree with them, they might not have said what You wanted to listen-although they gave pretty positive points to the game:
"Extremely immersing"

But they are not definitely a non "connoisseur" reviewers, like most of the guys out there writing about racing games, after playing them for a hour or so before going back to shooters or RPGs or whatever games they really like playing!

It is a well balanced and not biased analysis of the game IMO!
And they got the part about Vaughn soooo right!

Cmom the cars seem to get more planted when the game progresses??? didnt they even try to tune the cars?
They couldnt lock the brakes????? never heard of brake pressure??? why would they... they seem to have skipped the tuning all together.
they are definitly above the average generic game reviewer when it comes to racing games but they are no experts IMO.
Hidden assists? Im sure there are if you play with a pad... one of the major criticisms the GTR games had were that they couldnt be played with the keyboard or pads.
No tire wear? havent they done any endurance events?

I often read their reviews for choosing games purposes because I give them more credit than your average game reviewer but IMO they are no experts on the matter.
Another good one from them in the GT5 review they said that the steering adjust that was available after one of the patches (in the options right before the races) didnt do much diference that they could tell... and we all know that was an option for pad users lololol sometimes they can be a little dumb. but I already said that they seem to be really nice guys... the only problem ids that they seem to think that they are the ultimate sim racing experts when IMO they are not...
You wonder why??? I wonder how the hell Bush made it to president of the USA that retard...but the fact is that he did....

I dont want to start another flame war but they were not fair in their comments and after seing the review it seem like they were scoring a diferent game all together

 

[Firehuntah]

Seemed like a good review to me, I agree with pretty much all they said.

About tuning, sure we may have many things we can adjust but they just don't make sense as there are no real values to them. I have no idea what I'm even really doing to the car when I put the slider at a lower or higher number, especially for gear ratios.

More cons than pros is often the case since cons always stand out more. Don't know what else they could've added to pros anyway.

As for the helmet cam, they did say it was a very cool feature visually. But you really do have to agree with them on this. It often looks at the apex when you don't want it to look there when you're taking a different racing line for example. Pretty annoying so I don't even use it, rather just use hood cam.

I don't really agree with the scores though, seems a bit too high to me. Especially for graphics and presentation. Did they even try the livery editor? Or is it easier to use on the PC version?
It even scores 1 point more than GT5, graphics the same and physics just slightly more for GT5. This is pretty much the only thing in the review that doesn't make sense to me.

 

[tribolik]

As for the helmet cam, they did say it was a very cool feature visually. But you really do have to agree with them on this. It often looks at the apex when you don't want it to look there when you're taking a different racing line for example. Pretty annoying so I don't even use it, rather just use hood cam.

I don't really agree with the scores though, seems a bit too high to me. Especially for graphics and presentation. Did they even try the livery editor? Or is it easier to use on the PC version?
It even scores 1 point more than GT5, graphics the same and physics just slightly more for GT5. This is pretty much the only thing in the review that doesn't make sense to me.

I like the hood cam better also but alot of people enjoy the helmet cam.
Well presentation wise IMO it beats GT5 by a mile and graphics dont forget its the PC version and it has stunning graphics from what Ive seen... as for physics Im no expert also but it sure seems more believable than GT5 and less forging.... again IMO... I would say they score it pretty acurate (surprisingly) if it wasnt for the bugs and a few details it would be a 9/10 game in my book.

But you right about the livery editor... it is a pain (seems like a demo or something) and the quality of the stickers is awfull (360 tops on a 720 game) though you can still do some cool basic stuff https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=5376075#post5376075

 

[arvore]

They couldnt lock the brakes?????

Believe it or not, it was one of the things I thought they were spot on!
To be honest coming from GT5, which I also play without the ABS and that forces You to strategically negotiate every breaking zone very carefully, in the early stages of the game I found myself going to the options menu checking if it was off like it happened with them.
Specially in the low tier cars it's hard to get the wheels to lock, at least for me, and sometimes it can be very useful-if well used- to the initial turn in.

they are definitly above the average generic game reviewer when it comes to racing games but they are no experts IMO.

Agreed, but then again who is?

Hidden assists? Im sure there are if you play with a pad...

I'm not sure if I would call it "hidden assists" but from a pad user point of view, sometimes the physics seem a little bit dumbed down, Yes.

No tire wear? havent they done any endurance events?

Little tyre wear to be honest ,yes, it's also my opinion, although the endurance races are very short and I never done a 2 hour race in this game-I don't even know if it's possible,I gotta check,blame it on Autolog.

I often read their reviews for choosing games purposes because I give them more credit than your average game reviewer but IMO they are no experts on the matter.

See, I don't do that...well to be honest usually when they review it I already have them-exception made to DIRT 3- because I've already realized that each one has his very own subjective perception of games-and films, songs, etc.
So, I usually listen to a few friends and play pals that I know are like minded when it comes to racing games and even then I often disagree with them.

You wonder why??? I wonder how the hell Bush made it to president of the USA trhat retard...but the fact is that he did....

I dont want to start another flame war but they were not fair in their comments and after seing the review it seem like they were scoring a diferent game all together

No flame wars...just grown civilized people having different opinions...in a opinion forum.👍

 

[tribolik]

Little tyre wear to be honest ,yes, it's also my opinion, although the endurance races are very short and I never done a 2 hour race in this game-I don't even know if it's possible,I gotta check,blame it on Autolog.


No flame wars...just grown civilized people having different opinions...in a opinion forum.👍

You dont slide around as much as you clame... because in one of the races I did with the Maserati GT1 I was struggling to keep the car on track in the end because of my rear tires.... though its nothing to write home about tire wear is definitly there...

I might be grown but sometimes I seem to lack on the civilized part a bit... too much latin blood I guess

 

[arvore]

You dont slide around as much as you clame... because in one of the races I did with the Maserati GT1 I was struggling to keep the car on track in the end because of my rear tires...

To be honest I don't think I've used any of the GT1 cars in the endurance races due to the freezing issue...but maybe trying a little bit more neutral camber could be helpful.

 

[tribolik]

To be honest I don't think I've used any of the GT1 cars in the endurance races due to the freezing issue...but maybe trying a little bit more neutral camber could be helpful.

Yeap I came to that conclusion a bit too late great stock setup for normal races but a bit too much rear camber for endurance purposes

 

[GumShoe]

Those guys sound exactly like sim racers who've never had RL experience, basing their opinions on previous games (or iRacing...) that they're used to. While I'd prefer they didn't do that, I understand where their funding comes from and sim racing is primarily what they do (as opposed to RL racing).

It's a review that will sit well with many people and is well done and balanced in that sense, because a lot of people also measure the game that way. But that's the problem, their reviews don't contain technical and deep analysis, everything's just 'it feels wrong,' 'it doesn't quite work how I expect it to,' 'FFB is good, rumble strips rumble,' 'floating' and yet the impression the show portrays is that they're the gurus of sims, not just enthusiasts...

"I dont think the tyres are modelled for wear", geez...

And Willow Springs is boring as all hell visually IRL, so why not add some scenery.

 

[tribolik]

It's a review that will sit well with many people and is well done and balanced in that sense, because a lot of people also measure the game that way. But that's the problem, their reviews don't contain technical and deep analysis, everything's just 'it feels wrong,' 'it doesn't quite work how I expect it to,' 'floating' and yet the impression from their show is that they're the gurus of sims...

Thats the exact same feeling I allways get when watching their stuff...

 

[RomKnight]

One thing i struggle to find is the right brake pressure. I play with no ABS (it makes driving difficult for me in THIS game) and if there is a wrong comment in their review is that its difficult to lock the brakes...

I think they need a G27 and a PS3. Even in GT1 class a simple 10 is able to lock the brakes with a 45% brake sensitivity... but I don't know when the wheels are locked.

Not at 300km/h obviously...

 

[boomee]

That Shift 2 sure does lack tuning options compared to a Real Sim!

who cares the game is great there is already a complaint thread go there and complain

 

[tribolik]

One thing i struggle to find is the right brake pressure. I play with no ABS (it makes driving difficult for me in THIS game) and if there is a wrong comment in their review is that its difficult to lock the brakes...

I think they need a G27 and a PS3. Even in GT1 class a simple 10 is able to lock the brakes with a 45% brake sensitivity... but I don't know when the wheels are locked.

Not at 300km/h obviously...

You have to get some heat into the brakes first.
Using the live tunning option... then you add or take a little pressure until it only locks when you depress the pedal all the way... well thats how I do it anyway. but I always wait until the brakes heat up a bit before drawing any conclusion or making the adjustments.

who cares the game is great there is already a complaint thread go there and complain

He is not complaining... whats with the attitude?

 

[sandboxgod]

who cares the game is great there is already a complaint thread go there and complain

He was pointing out that Shift 2 has more tuning options than iRacing in response to ISR's video. He wasn't ranting bout S2U

 

[boxox]

Yeah, maybe I wasn't quite clear there

That's iRacing when you drive a road car (and all you'll ever get - no upgrades that make it do more, nothing). And as compared to ISI motor engine games the only things it lacks are radiator/brake apeture size settings (which is still modelled, just unselectable), and rev limit range adjustment (which is now handled through purchasable upgrades).

Like the game, don't like the game. But it seemed disingenuous in certain places - particularly the part where they cut together every piece of Vaughn Gittin's speech at the test lap to give the impression that he's somehow over your shoulder the whole time. And going out of your way to say that there is definitely no way to turn him off - when setting speech volume to 0% completely removes his pre/post race commentary - just seems kind of sloppy.

Is it really so much to ask to come out with cons that aren't simply factually incorrect?

 

[plate88]

I got mixed feelings from ISR's review. I usually like most of their stuff, but you'd think with all that they said about SU2 it would have gotten a much lower final rating from them.

Their cons are fairly small issues. Voices can be turned off, opening time trial is a non-issue(maybe someone needs help with settings), and I do agree the magnet car ai could be fixed, but don't want to be able to ride cars through the turns like some racing games.

I feel the physics are quite good. With the right wheel and car set-up the physics are there. Haha, theres hidden assists? I've been going for Autolog records and have spun out in various cars, understeered like a dump truck, and everything in between. You gotta tune your cars in this game, period. Which will almost fix the floaty car feeling also. I'm going to get flamed for this one, but I personally feel alot of sims have a floaty feeling(especially on crap tires). I think if SU2 had more tire screeching would maybe help this out a bit as you would feel more in contact with the road.

In the end, I like SU2. Really don't give a 🤬 what ISR thinks about it as I'm having a great time with it. Probably the most immersive racing game out right now for consoles which is a nice change.

 

[TheTechnobear]

I seem to agree with most of the posts here...

The overall rating seems ok, but some of the details and the con, meh, pro list are very poor/inaccurate- in fact, a lot just seem to be things mentioned on the forums with little backup by them. As others have said, quite unbalanced - perhaps just poorly edited, ie didn't concentrate on that great immersive feel enough ?


I usually like ISR reviews , but this one was MEH

 

[DrJustice]

...I usually like ISR reviews , but this one was MEH

I like that reviews get reviewed

Still, for all their faults, they're light years ahead of the mainstream reviewers, who generally never ever mention anything that has to do with control, physics, handling, setup and so on. The mainstream seems to concentrate on the more important aspects, like the in-game music selection and the cut scenes...

These days, I get the real 'reviews' from reading forum postings by experienced simmers. The sim-racing community is where it's at 👍

DJ
--

 

[FLX1981]

Yeah, me too. In these days of communities like this one here reviewers become more and more obsolete.

Especially if they produce reviews like this extremely meh ISR one. Doesnt give me the impression that they really spent time with the game and tried and tested it in every aspect. Some of their comments are spot on (magnetic effect, immersion, AI too agressive etc) but they give way too much space to unimportant BS like Gittins blabla, Menu music etc.

And that they didnt talk more about autolog is baffling me.