Why pick SHIFT over GRiD?

  • Thread starter Thread starter danjama
  • 51 comments
  • 5,264 views
DiRT 1 was just as bad. But Biggles, believe me DiRT 2 is hugely better. Plays very nicely with a wheel (I'm using my DFGT with it). If you haven't tried it yet, download the DiRT 2 demo and give it a go.
Click to expand...

I have played the DiRT 2 demo. Too arcadey for my taste. Possibly better than DiRT 1, but not enough to make me want it. Might be fun with a controller but not great with a wheel.

I played the Shift demo on my PC (with steering wheel) and I was less than impressed. The only thing it has going is graphics. I'm glad I did not buy it on impulse. After playing the Forza Motorsport 3 demo, that is definitely an infinitely better game. The car physics in Shift just don't feel right to me. Car is floaty and oversteers through all corners.
Click to expand...

Shift is confusing - it struck me as quite "sim" at first, but this is because the good FFB makes it feels like the handling is tricky, so I was braking early, & feathering the brakes & throttle before I started to realize that you really don't have to! At a certain point the cars' "extra grip" kicks in & keeps you from over-steering or under-steering (however, nothing like how arcadey the physics are in DiRT 2).

However, there are a lot of quite impressive things in Shift - cockpit view, sounds, tracks, FFB, etc. that help compensate for the edges of the physics being rounded off a bit. It's still a bit early for me to tell - so far some of the cars are quite convincing, others less so - but if the driving is consistent-feeling & challenging after I've reached the point where I'm pushing the cars to their limit, then I think Shift will have good replay value, especially online, where the visuals seem to be completely lag-free.
 
I'm thinking about getting it this week, since we now know GT5 wont be here before xmas 09.

Great car list it has.

As for Dirt2, i do agree about the vulgar, childish presentation. I only have the demo, and really enjoy the actual driving experience.
 
danjama
It's interesting how the Xbox version has full damage models, while the PS3 doesn't. That has pretty much put me off of it. I would love to hear their reason behind this.
Click to expand...

That was down to a bug in the PS3 code and has now been patched.

Scaff
 
Thanks for the info. This game is very tempting.

Wednesday is payday, i'll be picking up a DFGT wheel, SCC, and now probably this.
 
danjama
Thanks for the info. This game is very tempting.

Wednesday is payday, i'll be picking up a DFGT wheel, SCC, and now probably this.
Click to expand...

Personally, i'd try one game at a time. I think ultimately you would enjoy both games more if you're not switching between them at the start before you've got a proper hold of either. Just my 2 cents :)
 
Shaggy Alonso
Personally, i'd try one game at a time. I think ultimately you would enjoy both games more if you're not switching between them at the start before you've got a proper hold of either. Just my 2 cents :)
Click to expand...

That is very true, i hate it when you have two new racing games and your getting used to one and then it feels really strange once you switch to the other when trying to get used to the new physics etc... but both games in this case have very different sets of cars and tracks, and i feel like i must have SCC due to the fact i loved FC. Shift looks promising though.

I don't know what to do, confusing myself here thinking bout it :scared:
 
Yeah, I got Grid and GT5 Prologue last christmas together, which was rather confusing. Biggles warned me against Grid, and he was correct but I wasn't much interested in Ferrari Challenge for the simple fact that you could only drive Ferrari's. But SCC has been a good purchase 👍
 
The difference is GRID violates all kinds of laws of physics. Shift is GTR2 with a little more grip. If you play GTR2 at Spa and then play Shift using the same car you'll see it's the same game.

When you look inside the Shift files you see they set the user grip to 1.2 instead of 1.0 (Easily edited). And they turned all kinds of mechanical damage off. But modders are actively working to change Shift into a full sim.

I didn't buy Shift yet. I'll finish Dirt 2 first and wait for some patches for Shift. It seems they rushed the game out the door to beat Forza 3 and GT5. But if EA patches this game up fully it will be better than Forza 3 and GT5 on a PC IMO.

Edit: Shift is what you would get if GTR2 and GRID had a baby.
 
Last edited:
Biggles
I have played the DiRT 2 demo. Too arcadey for my taste. Possibly better than DiRT 1, but not enough to make me want it. Might be fun with a controller but not great with a wheel.
Click to expand...

Just wondering, when you played the Dirt 2 demo, did you turn the environmental effects up to 100%? You own a G25 as well right? Well the effects are quite something, it picks up all the bumps and will put your wheel through the works. Both it and the graphics were what I was most impressed with in DiRT 2. It's just everything else that puts me off. Take for example the simple fact that they put a lower case 'i' in DIRT. That actually says a lot about the game and the audience it has been aimed at.
 
there is a update for nfs shift. it made damage look better and the flag girl is not sticking out from the back of your car on the starting grid. before the patch, damage consisted of just losing your hood.now im not sure if gameplay was improved buy maybe they will fix that as well.i think cars bounce too much,even at soft settings on suspention but it may just be me.

dont know if dirt 2 is worth 77bucks ,i like the graphics but whats with the fireworks at the end of your race? I bought shift because i got it through a friend at EA for 25 bucks i think most games are way overpriced. i will stick with my dirt 1.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just wondering, when you played the Dirt 2 demo, did you turn the environmental effects up to 100%? You own a G25 as well right? Well the effects are quite something, it picks up all the bumps and will put your wheel through the works. Both it and the graphics were what I was most impressed with in DiRT 2. It's just everything else that puts me off. Take for example the simple fact that they put a lower case 'i' in DIRT. That actually says a lot about the game and the audience it has been aimed at.
Click to expand...

Well, I briefly tried the GRID demo again. I think it's fair to say that whatever you think of Shift's physics, they are A LOT more sim than GRiD's. GRiD may be a fun game, but it's not intended to be anything like a realistic driving experience.
 
Biggles
Well, I briefly tried the GRID demo again. I think it's fair to say that whatever you think of Shift's physics, they are A LOT more sim than GRiD's. GRiD may be a fun game, but it's not intended to be anything like a realistic driving experience.
Click to expand...

You are aware that I was talking about Dirt 2, not Grid?
 
I'm so fed up with shifts physics. The car are so bouncy and the sense of speed is destroyed by the games constant or continuious slow down. But I have no choice I hope to get ssc becuase that game is miles better in terms of physics. There are so many buggy things in shift its ridiculous. Its feels like the game runs at 15 frames but it seems that happens with a full grid of cars. (16)
 
zeromobius
I'm so fed up with shifts physics. The car are so bouncy and the sense of speed is destroyed by the games constant or continuious slow down. But I have no choice I hope to get ssc becuase that game is miles better in terms of physics. There are so many buggy things in shift its ridiculous. Its feels like the game runs at 15 frames but it seems that happens with a full grid of cars. (16)
Click to expand...

Funny you should say that, SCC is a nice game too, but I get so many slowdowns, it's impossible to play actually... want my copy? ;)
 
I don't really know. I've played both demos, both sucked with the sixaxis. The car was uncontrollable in shift with the sixaxis. Or was it me being a noob. I can't even finish S class in gt5:p :(
 
To me Grid looked good but was aimed at being just for fun. The Shift demo got deleted in short order.. it didnt feel like it had care or quality written all over it. The framerate and handling felt weird. Dirt2 has serious problems from a realism perspective. Serious problems that are put there intentionally (you may not have heard about wall-riding yet.) But the combination of Dirt2 graphics, sound, and handling, on certain key tracks, is enough to satisfy my racing fix for now.

p.s. i have a pm from a codemasters guy, on their d2 website, saying they are looking to eliminate wall riding via a patch. i'll believe that when i see it.
 
sejtur
Choose none.
Don't waste your money or time!
They both suck.

IMO.
Click to expand...

I think I'd agree with that. GRiD felt arcadey, DIRT felt arcadey, DIRT2 felt actually alright (but that's neither option one nor two) and SHIFT felt a bit... I dunno, its hard to explain but I felt it was a bit of a mess, the cars didn't really do what I was expecting them to after years of Gran Turismo practice (and that's with pro physics and no aids other than ABS).

Of the two I preferred SHIFT, but that's like saying I'd prefer to be shot in the foot rather than in the face, really, I'm going to wait until GT5 so I can choose to not be shot at all.
 

Latest Posts

Back