After spending some time with Shift-2 on the PS3 (and comparing it with Shift 1 on the PS3 and XBox)...., I wanted to share my thoughts thus far.
Graphics: As obviously stated in another thread. I'm not by any means pleased with the graphics ESPECIALLY considering it's 2011. Based on what the PS3 is capable of.., it should have been better. The vehicle models are pretty good. The interior cams are also very nice. The track models are extremely weak IMO.., and suffer with a notable downgrade in the quality of the graphics here. You find yourself sitting within a nice cockpit looking out the windshield at a mediocre track IMO.
Perhaps I'm just fed up with developers shafting their multi-platform titles for PS3 owners. They just don't seem to be willing to put the extra effort into the project needed to make the titles look their best on ALL of the intended platforms.
Physics: Just a mixed bag of emotions in this physics. My opinions regarding the physics are for gamepad use (so naturally I'm not expecting anything near SIM quality when using a game pad). I'm not really feeling these "new and improved lemon fresh physics" with Shift-2.
The vast majority of vehicles suffer greatly from MAJOR over-steer. Many vehicles that were in the previous Shift that handled quite well have taken a nose dive in Shift-2. One vehicle that comes to mind is the Lotus Elise (wow what happened there?). The Lotus is also glitched in that the rear view mirror is nonfunctional, and blacked out.
Yes.., it seems that the loose rear end issue has been somewhat corrected.., but it leaves me wondering if it was actually fixed.., or just masked over by essentially removing 95% of the tire noise that was present in the first Shift when this issue occurred.
Many vehicles feel like they're running on ice. Some have a very (in your face) floating feel to them.., while others aren't so bad. Some of the AWD's just don't feel right at all and should have MUCH more grip than they do in this title. You can of course tune your vehicles.., and I've noticed some very favorable results from doing so on a few of my garage vehicles..., but in some cases it still just doesn't feel quite right.
Vehicle Sounds: I think the sound is quite good. Just like the previous title.., not a dead on accurate representation of the real life cars.., but the sound is pretty good. Lots of good (outside) vehicle noise happening there.
Vehicle Upgrades: Just like the previous title.., I think they covered this area well. I love being able to add body kits, and WHY don't the other developers jump on board with "cock-pit upgrades".?.? It's great how Shift has multiple levels of upgrades for the cock-pits. I also like the addition of the PI system too. Perhaps they're trying to go more the route of GT and Forza here.
Helmet Cam: Not sure if I'm sold on the helmet cam view yet. I think it's a very cool addition to the driving experience..., but it takes a bit of getting used to. I think many of us assumed that the head movement would be in relation to your degree of turn.., but it's not. Your drivers head will begin to move into a turn before you really get into it. Again.., may take some getting used to.
AI: Hmmmm where do I start with the AI.?.? I will say that I'm pleased to see that the AI isn't as boneheaded as the previous Shift. The "smash em bash em" antics have been greatly toned down IMO. What I've also noticed is there is FAR less illegal blocking and brake checking (which was a huge problem in the first title)
An area I'm displeased with is the "adaptive" set up. To be honest.., I don't recall console and SIM racers coming together as a collective saying GIVE US ADAPTIVE AI. I seem to recall over the years the general population saying WE HATE ADAPTIVE AI. However.., somehow the marketing research over at EA says different.
The problem with the adaptive set up in Shift-2 that I often see is when "adaptive" comes into play it appears to be synonymous with "cheating like a mother!" Wow.., cars completely defying the laws of physics. Very unrealistic rates of acceleration, impossible braking distances, rubber-banding to no end, and cornering at speeds that should send the AI flying into walls or off the track.
In some cases you find yourself really only racing ONE car.., and from what I've seen it's due to the lead car taking off like grease lightening on the start and maintaining impossible cornering speeds. You're then left with the option of driving like a complete maniac to catch up, or just settle for 2nd place.
User Interface: So far I like the user interface. The menus are nice and easy to navigate. It's a change from the original.., but it's easy to adjust to IMO.
Autol-log: Pretty cool feature. I actually found myself running career races over and over just to beat the times on my list
I think this feature was a good addition to the game, and will extend the playability for most.
Night Racing: Kudos to SMS on this one. Night races are insane.., and extremely fun. They're also very challenging as nearly all viable aspects of reference are gone
I think (at least on the PS3 version) the night racing would really benefit from a boost in the track graphics. Overall though.., I love this new mode.
**I haven't messed with the online features yet so I can't comment on them.
In general I'd score it a 7/10. There are clearly some areas that need improvement. Bugs/Glitches are also present on all platforms that need to be fixed. I do have to say that I honestly feel that I should have pre-ordered the XBox version instead. I am seriously thinking of just taking the loss and trading in my PS3 copy this weekend for a copy on the XBox.
I will say that I did some side by side comparisons of Shift 1 (on both the XBox and PS3) to Shift-2 on the PS3 using the same TV.., and I'm not going to start any flaming wars.., but it was interesting and in some cases very disappointing.
Graphics: As obviously stated in another thread. I'm not by any means pleased with the graphics ESPECIALLY considering it's 2011. Based on what the PS3 is capable of.., it should have been better. The vehicle models are pretty good. The interior cams are also very nice. The track models are extremely weak IMO.., and suffer with a notable downgrade in the quality of the graphics here. You find yourself sitting within a nice cockpit looking out the windshield at a mediocre track IMO.
Perhaps I'm just fed up with developers shafting their multi-platform titles for PS3 owners. They just don't seem to be willing to put the extra effort into the project needed to make the titles look their best on ALL of the intended platforms.
Physics: Just a mixed bag of emotions in this physics. My opinions regarding the physics are for gamepad use (so naturally I'm not expecting anything near SIM quality when using a game pad). I'm not really feeling these "new and improved lemon fresh physics" with Shift-2.
The vast majority of vehicles suffer greatly from MAJOR over-steer. Many vehicles that were in the previous Shift that handled quite well have taken a nose dive in Shift-2. One vehicle that comes to mind is the Lotus Elise (wow what happened there?). The Lotus is also glitched in that the rear view mirror is nonfunctional, and blacked out.
Yes.., it seems that the loose rear end issue has been somewhat corrected.., but it leaves me wondering if it was actually fixed.., or just masked over by essentially removing 95% of the tire noise that was present in the first Shift when this issue occurred.
Many vehicles feel like they're running on ice. Some have a very (in your face) floating feel to them.., while others aren't so bad. Some of the AWD's just don't feel right at all and should have MUCH more grip than they do in this title. You can of course tune your vehicles.., and I've noticed some very favorable results from doing so on a few of my garage vehicles..., but in some cases it still just doesn't feel quite right.
Vehicle Sounds: I think the sound is quite good. Just like the previous title.., not a dead on accurate representation of the real life cars.., but the sound is pretty good. Lots of good (outside) vehicle noise happening there.
Vehicle Upgrades: Just like the previous title.., I think they covered this area well. I love being able to add body kits, and WHY don't the other developers jump on board with "cock-pit upgrades".?.? It's great how Shift has multiple levels of upgrades for the cock-pits. I also like the addition of the PI system too. Perhaps they're trying to go more the route of GT and Forza here.
Helmet Cam: Not sure if I'm sold on the helmet cam view yet. I think it's a very cool addition to the driving experience..., but it takes a bit of getting used to. I think many of us assumed that the head movement would be in relation to your degree of turn.., but it's not. Your drivers head will begin to move into a turn before you really get into it. Again.., may take some getting used to.
AI: Hmmmm where do I start with the AI.?.? I will say that I'm pleased to see that the AI isn't as boneheaded as the previous Shift. The "smash em bash em" antics have been greatly toned down IMO. What I've also noticed is there is FAR less illegal blocking and brake checking (which was a huge problem in the first title)
An area I'm displeased with is the "adaptive" set up. To be honest.., I don't recall console and SIM racers coming together as a collective saying GIVE US ADAPTIVE AI. I seem to recall over the years the general population saying WE HATE ADAPTIVE AI. However.., somehow the marketing research over at EA says different.
The problem with the adaptive set up in Shift-2 that I often see is when "adaptive" comes into play it appears to be synonymous with "cheating like a mother!" Wow.., cars completely defying the laws of physics. Very unrealistic rates of acceleration, impossible braking distances, rubber-banding to no end, and cornering at speeds that should send the AI flying into walls or off the track.
In some cases you find yourself really only racing ONE car.., and from what I've seen it's due to the lead car taking off like grease lightening on the start and maintaining impossible cornering speeds. You're then left with the option of driving like a complete maniac to catch up, or just settle for 2nd place.
User Interface: So far I like the user interface. The menus are nice and easy to navigate. It's a change from the original.., but it's easy to adjust to IMO.
Autol-log: Pretty cool feature. I actually found myself running career races over and over just to beat the times on my list
I think this feature was a good addition to the game, and will extend the playability for most.Night Racing: Kudos to SMS on this one. Night races are insane.., and extremely fun. They're also very challenging as nearly all viable aspects of reference are gone
I think (at least on the PS3 version) the night racing would really benefit from a boost in the track graphics. Overall though.., I love this new mode.**I haven't messed with the online features yet so I can't comment on them.
In general I'd score it a 7/10. There are clearly some areas that need improvement. Bugs/Glitches are also present on all platforms that need to be fixed. I do have to say that I honestly feel that I should have pre-ordered the XBox version instead. I am seriously thinking of just taking the loss and trading in my PS3 copy this weekend for a copy on the XBox.
I will say that I did some side by side comparisons of Shift 1 (on both the XBox and PS3) to Shift-2 on the PS3 using the same TV.., and I'm not going to start any flaming wars.., but it was interesting and in some cases very disappointing.
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