Shift 2 revival?

[mister dog]

First of all; i know there's already a shift 2 section in the NFS folder; but's it's quite hidden away and not much people visit it, so if i want a small discussion i don't stand much of a chance there. So if the mods don't object i'd like to post it in a busier section.

Bought shift 2 today for 10€ on some good advice from a member here, and i think we might have a little gem of a racing game. I didn't bother to pay attention to it 2 years ago, but only when i started looking into it yesterday i started to like the concept.

Been playing for the first few hours with a controller, and the physics are not really on par with GT or FM, but are quite good nonetheless + this game has a nice car selection (in terms of quality not quantity), good AI; descent sounds, night racing and a huge track selection and good graphics. Will try out the wheel when i have some time as you have to really tweak the settings to get it right first.

Anyway; i was wondering if many people here have it or play it, as i definitely think it's a decent racing game with some of the best effects ever seen in the immersion departement, and altough the physics aren't as good as FM or GT, they are descent and the races are very exciting.

Ps; they also have a good version of the nordschleiffe 👍

 

[Mini Stiggy]

Had it, thought it was an epic racing game, that thought went away after I got bored a few weeks later. Had it as a PSN download, and recently deleted it to make space for GT6. My main dislike about it was the online. It was 🤬. You couldn't go anywhere near anyone or else you would both crash(that's called lag bubble I think?)

 

[Parker]

I bought this game on launch and really enjoyed it. I got used to the terrible input lag with a controller (slightly better with my G27) and found the physics to be fairly decent as well.

Right before GT6 released a few buddies wanted to play online so I booted the game back up and was amazed at how awful I was again. The input lag is really noticeable after you play something like Forza or Gran Turismo (even Ferrari Racing Legends) and effectively ruined the game for me now. I don't have the time to get used to the physics again but I do think I'll pick it up on the PC and mod it whenever I build my PC next year.

 

[Techy]

Did you buy the PC version? If so I recommend this mod. Makes the tire model much more tolerable, at least for me.

 

[mister dog]

Did you buy the PC version? If so I recommend this mod. Makes the tire model much more tolerable, at least for me.

Nah bought it on Xbox, I have the 2 consoles but was advised that the ps3 version suffered from online problems.

So far I left the steering on pro and set the difficulty to hard, found that with elite mode like peobryant says (at least I think he also tried elite), you need a wheel and dedicate time to adjust the settings on it.

Apart from that loving that you can RM each single car, only gripes is are that weird sfx of horses galloping when you drive over the marbles, and "the dude" that's your personal coach in career, wish you could mute him.

 

[Imari]

It's a surprisingly good game. It has issues, but I think I feel about it a bit the way some people feel about GT5. Flawed, but good.

The physics are nothing to write home about, but they feel OK and reward you driving at least semi-correctly. The tuning is great, the game looks pretty good, and some of the racing later on is very challenging.

I bought it twice, once on PS3 (mistake!) and once on PC when it was cheap. I think for $10 it's pretty good value in terms of the entertainment you can get out of it, if you can spend the time to set it up so it works for you.

Also, stiffening up the cars helps the driving experience enormously. They're all tuned really soft to cope with the bumpier tracks like Ebisu, but they really don't need to be. Bump up your spring, damper and ARB rates and enjoy the more precise handling.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

Shift 2 has a classic car DLC pack with a Lotus Cortina, Escort RS1600 and Capri RS3100. It's automatically awesome in my books.

But it is a great game however, really enjoyed it. The 20 lap endurance race at Spa in Vaughn Gittin's Mustang was incredible!

 

[mr_serious]

It was me that turned @mister dog to the darkside. I have it on PS3, still play it (single player) fairly regularly. Of all the racing games I have it is always the one that goes on when I have some mates round to mess around racing.

I maxed out my XP by almost exclusively running Quick Races, even after all this time I'm still only on 23% career completion!

I also liked the vintage tracks & cars in the Legends DLC pack, I don't know if the DLC is still available though.

I'm thinking of getting the PC version now, mod it a bit & then have a proper go at the career mode. Anyone know if the high speed cars crash the game on the PC version?

 

[Tommy_861]

I have the PS3 version and the input lag is tolerable until you get to the faster cars and then its just downright frustrating. The other frustrating thing is you tend to "stick" to other cars when you collide, and the AI is kill you aggressive (although improved over shift 1). I got about halfway through the career before bailing out due to frustration.

That said the style and atmosphere of the game is pretty awesome as is the music. Its an exciting game and you really feel like you're racing. I have heard the PC version doesn't have these issues, but I'm honestly too busy to bother.

 

[mr_serious]

I have the PS3 version and the input lag is tolerable until you get to the faster cars and then its just downright frustrating. The other frustrating thing is you tend to "stick" to other cars when you collide, and the AI is kill you aggressive (although improved over shift 1). I got about halfway through the career before bailing out due to frustration.

That said the style and atmosphere of the game is pretty awesome as is the music. Its an exciting game and you really feel like you're racing. I have heard the PC version doesn't have these issues, but I'm honestly too busy to bother.

I love the AI, I think they're perfect (for me!)

 

[mister dog]

I love the AI, I think they're perfect (for me!)

Same here i have them on hard, and i'm getting passed round the outside by them because i don't know the circuits that good yet, and i have to set up a good tune on my cars still.

In FM on hard you can still defend your position a bit if you screw up a corner slightly, but here they eat you for breakfast. (don't worry tough on medium they aren't as tough ). I'm not even gonna mention the AI of GT here ...

I tried my wheel for the first time, and it's a major improvement on the controller as always; i copied the settings of this video as they give it for the fanatec porsche weel which is practically the same as my CSR:
(watch out with the 900 degrees rotation bug, you have to boot the console first if you have a Xbox).



So far this game feels a lot more challenging than FM4 or certainly GT; also loving driving on Zolder and Dijon for the first time; made me think of Gilles Villeneuve 👍

 

[PepeMickey]

I have it, always thought it was an epic game, it does so much right and the physics are fun. Also I managed to almost get rid of the input lag by using "Game Mode" and "Screen Fit" instead of 16:9, it seriously cuts down the lag by half and the other half is compensated with good tuning and good steering settings.

I'm at the point where I can drive the so called "loaner cars" and stock cars effectively.

Drifting is actually doable now, sadly, a lot of people didn't give it enough time to calibrate the game to their liking, the game truly shines once you have your set up figured out.

 

[Tommy_861]

I have it, always thought it was an epic game, it does so much right and the physics are fun. Also I managed to almost get rid of the input lag by using "Game Mode" and "Screen Fit" instead of 16:9, it seriously cuts down the lag by half and the other half is compensated with good tuning and good steering settings.

I'm at the point where I can drive the so called "loaner cars" and stock cars effectively.

Drifting is actually doable now, sadly, a lot of people didn't give it enough time to calibrate the game to their liking, the game truly shines once you have your set up figured out.

The loaner cars was a big one, some of those challenges bordered on unplayable. I believe it was the McLaren MP412C on the Nurburgring, between the crazy AI opponents hitting you and being unable to properly counter steer when the car slid a bit, due to the lag, it was controller throwingly frustrating (And its really hard to throw a G27 mounted to a racing seat). For all the good parts of the game stuff like that made me hate it.

 

[mister dog]

The loaner cars was a big one, some of those challenges bordered on unplayable. I believe it was the McLaren MP412C on the Nurburgring, between the crazy AI opponents hitting you and being unable to properly counter steer when the car slid a bit, due to the lag, it was controller throwingly frustrating (And its really hard to throw a G27 mounted to a racing seat). For all the good parts of the game stuff like that made me hate it.

Thing is with these loaner cars you can't tweak the suspension in any way. I had one of those with a Lotus Elise and had a hard time controlling it even with the weel setup right. I had to really press my wheel down on the straights as it kept moving even there.

I think the standard setup of many cars is a bit loose to say the least; but it's a case of finding the perfect setup on your wheel, tweaking the ingame options and setting your car up suspension wise.

Once you find the good balance between those 3, you can really get it right and have a stable car (the tweaking options are endless anyway). Game calls for dedication let's say but i like that as the races are rewarding

 

[PepeMickey]

Yes, it took me about 6 months to fully complete most of the events, it was challenging but when I see and drive the Sumo Power GT-R GT1 and many other prize cars is all worth it, some of the Works one-make events are seriously fun and the Legends Championship, OMG.

Also, have you guys noticed that towards the end of the game, the soundtrack changes to a more dramatic and epic tone, they're the same old songs as before but remixed. When you win a race early in the game, a song in it's original form plays in the background but in the end of your career, the same song but a glorious version of it starts playing.

 

[mister dog]

Yes, it took me about 6 months to fully complete most of the events, it was challenging but when I see and drive the Sumo Power GT-R GT1 and many other prize cars is all worth it, some of the Works one-make events are seriously fun and the Legends Championship, OMG.

Also, have you guys noticed that towards the end of the game, the soundtrack changes to a more dramatic and epic tone, they're the same old songs as before but remixed. When you win a race early in the game, a song in it's original form plays in the background but in the end of your career, the same song but a glorious version of it starts playing.

Seeing that you completed the game; i'm curious which settings you used; elite steering and hard AI? Seems like a huge challenge indeed

But i'm so damn motivated with this game to give it my best! If this is the predecessor to PCARS (as it's slightly mad studios), that next gen console might be bought just for when PCARS comes out.

 

[PepeMickey]

Yeah, elite and hard, although I think AI is forced on "hard" in the final GT1 championship anyway.

I did it with the DS3 though and I used the Gallardo GT3 for the GT3 championship and the MC12 GT1 for GT1.

My tip would be not to spend too much in the begining of your career, you'll need cash for the GT spec cars and most of the times the "Team NFS" cars help you a lot for upcoming events, use those instead of spending in new cars.

I find the career mode perfect for me, there's no real grinding at all because the money you get stays that way, you can sell cars and they'll pay you full price + whatever mods you had installed.

Also, I recomend the Legends DLC, new classic cars (10+ of them) new classic tracks (Rouen, old Monza, old Silverstone, etc) and like 30+ more events designed specifically for those cars and a full new classic championship.

 

[FuzzyFassbender]

It was me that turned @mister dog to the darkside. I have it on PS3, still play it (single player) fairly regularly. Of all the racing games I have it is always the one that goes on when I have some mates round to mess around racing.

I maxed out my XP by almost exclusively running Quick Races, even after all this time I'm still only on 23% career completion!

I also liked the vintage tracks & cars in the Legends DLC pack, I don't know if the DLC is still available though.

I'm thinking of getting the PC version now, mod it a bit & then have a proper go at the career mode. Anyone know if the high speed cars crash the game on the PC version?

No, it doesn't crash with high speed cars on the 360 or the PC, I have it on all three platforms.

 

[Imari]

Seeing that you completed the game; i'm curious which settings you used; elite steering and hard AI? Seems like a huge challenge indeed

But i'm so damn motivated with this game to give it my best! If this is the predecessor to PCARS (as it's slightly mad studios), that next gen console might be bought just for when PCARS comes out.

pCARS is very, very different. It's far more similar to GTR2/GTL than Shift 2 (two games which you should check out if you get a chance). What's been done so far seems to be very good, but it's a completely different style of game to Shift.

I think I recall them saying they had something like 78 different heat zones in the tyre and wheels alone? Yeah. Serious sim business.


But Shift 2 has been mentioned so many times around the forums in the last week that I'm redownloading my PC copy to have another go. Ah, memories...

 

[mister dog]

pCARS is very, very different. It's far more similar to GTR2/GTL than Shift 2 (two games which you should check out if you get a chance). What's been done so far seems to be very good, but it's a completely different style of game to Shift.

I think I recall them saying they had something like 78 different heat zones in the tyre and wheels alone? Yeah. Serious sim business.


But Shift 2 has been mentioned so many times around the forums in the last week that I'm redownloading my PC copy to have another go. Ah, memories...

Sounds good to me; meaning PCARS will require even more dedication if you want to get it right 👍
Seriously loving Shift 2, i have the same feeling now like i was 16 years old and discovered GT1 on the original playstation! Spend the whole night setting up my beemer and my evo, setting up my wheel just to find that right balance in the corners. And once you find it and you get in another car you have to start over again as they all handle differently.

Once you nail it in this game; and scream up Eau Rouge in 4th gear in your saloon whilst the sun is shining through the threes it's a glorious feeling really. I didn't felt that addicted as with GT5 and FM4 together! They even have good looking grid girls haha


Best racing game in years, and i've only just started yet

Also, I recomend the Legends DLC, new classic cars (10+ of them) new classic tracks (Rouen, old Monza, old Silverstone, etc) and like 30+ more events designed specifically for those cars and a full new classic championship.

Bought! You don't have to mention classic cars or tracks twice to me
Thanks for the tip, I'm skipping the other pack tough, the speedhunters one? Is that worth the dough if you are not really into fast and furious kinda stuff?

 

[PepeMickey]

Sounds good to me; meaning PCARS will require even more dedication if you want to get it right 👍
Seriously loving Shift 2, i have the same feeling now like i was 16 years old and discovered GT1 on the original playstation! Spend the whole night setting up my beemer and my evo, setting up my wheel just to find that right balance in the corners. And once you find it and you get in another car you have to start over again as they all handle differently.

Once you nail it in this game; and scream up Eau Rouge in 4th gear in your saloon whilst the sun is shining through the threes it's a glorious feeling really. I didn't felt that addicted as with GT5 and FM4 together! They even have good looking grid girls haha


Best racing game in years, and i've only just started yet


Bought! You don't have to mention classic cars or tracks twice to me
Thanks for the tip, I'm skipping the other pack tough, the speedhunters one? Is that worth the dough if you are not really into fast and furious kinda stuff?

Well, yes and no, With the SH pack you get drag racing into the game, you get 3 drag strips, 1/4 mile and standing mile, you also get more events and a new tournament.

The cars, half of them are drag tuned versions of cars already in the game and you also get a new type of "works conversion" to make any car you want into a 1000+ hp monster. Good stuff if you're into drag racing but the events get monotonus, at least for me.

The other half of the cars vary from touring versions of cars already in the game and hot import, JDM kind of stuff.

Some really good cars like the GT spec Huayra and the SLS GT3-ish, they're like "works" versions but with unique liveries and the interiors are also unique, a GT spec MP412 is also included although these cars are way faster than their real life equivalent.

Also, it's worth mentioning that these cars are gifted to you when you purchase the DLC pack and can't be sold and there's a 200 garage limit (i think, can't remember), so you'll have like 20 cars that can't be removed from your garage and in case you want to collect all the cars in the game it might get problematic.

Overall I did enjoy the SH pack but the legends one sucked me in completely, if I was a drag racing fanatic I would've liked it much more I think.

 

[mister dog]

Well, yes and no, With the SH pack you get drag racing into the game, you get 3 drag strips, 1/4 mile and standing mile, you also get more events and a new tournament.

The cars, half of them are drag tuned versions of cars already in the game and you also get a new type of "works conversion" to make any car you want into a 1000+ hp monster. Good stuff if you're into drag racing but the events get monotonus, at least for me.

The other half of the cars vary from touring versions of cars already in the game and hot import, JDM kind of stuff.

Some really good cars like the GT spec Huayra and the SLS GT3-ish, they're like "works" versions but with unique liveries and the interiors are also unique, a GT spec MP412 is also included although these cars are way faster than their real life equivalent.

Also, it's worth mentioning that these cars are gifted to you when you purchase the DLC pack and can't be sold and there's a 200 garage limit (i think, can't remember), so you'll have like 20 cars that can't be removed from your garage and in case you want to collect all the cars in the game it might get problematic.

Overall I did enjoy the SH pack but the legends one sucked me in completely, if I was a drag racing fanatic I would've liked it much more I think.

Cheers i'm skipping the other pack, can't wait to boot it up tonight, and drive my 70's 911 on the old Hockenheim at dusk. 👍

Edit: just unlocked the endurance championship; 20 laps each on circuits like Bathurst, Spa, Suzuka, Brno..

 

[mister dog]

Little vid of mine of a warm up lap + flying lap with a '73 Porsche on the old Hockenheimring. I screw up at the entry to the second chicane and spin in the second lap .

Just a taster of what the game has to offer, and to demonstrate that the physics are actually quite good:

 

[PepeMickey]

I need to get a real recorder lol