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 Need
for Speed: Shift (Playstation 3)
EA's long-running Need for Speed series takes another detour with the
release of Shift. The latest edition drops the underground vibe of the
last few years and replaces it with a more simulation-oriented approach.
There are still vestiges of the old games with an impressive array of
high-end sports cars available to race and some drift competitions.
However, the main thrust this time around seems to be realism and
authenticity. A sophisticated racing engine delivers high-octane visuals
with an impressive cockpit viewpoint that puts you right into the action.
The biggest question is whether NFS: Shift's new approach brings new
thrills to the genre or if it ends up as another me-too racer. |
The most immediately striking thing those who've followed Need for Speed
over the years will likely notice about Shift is its streamlined, more
serious approach to driving. Gone is the faux-underground feel that drove
the previous games, replaced by a sober feel and style that makes things
feel more serious almost from the get go. You'll still have an impressive
garage filled with high-end sports cars eventually, but this time around,
you have to work for it. Eventually, you'll be able to race vehicles from
manufacturers including BMW, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Chrysler, Aston Martin,
Lambroghini, and Nissan to name a few. There are dozens of vehicles
available in Shift that you can unlock. Races take place on numerous
real-world tracks and locations including tracks in Germany, London, Tokyo
and more. There's a good mix between standard racing tracks, street
courses and more open sections. Layouts vary as well, with more
challenging technical courses mixed with standard ovals. This lends NFS:
Shift an impressive amount of depth and helps to keep the challenge level
high throughout. However, all of this comes later on. You begin at the
bottom of the rankings with some rather underpowered vehicles that you can
test around a limited number of tracks. You'll notice that they are a bit
more realistic in terms of their responsiveness and handling. A great deal
of time is spent going over driving techniques and technical maneuvers,
and it takes some time getting used to the realistic physics. Each vehicle
has its own style and handling so you need to understand their strengths
and limitations. Learning to master corners, drifting and passing will
take some time, but once you get the hang of things, the gameplay is quite
smooth. Unlike earlier NFS titles, precision is required and the game will
penalize or even disqualify you if you spin off the track more than two
times per round, you can't cut corners and cheat your way to victory. This
makes for a much harder racing experience, but the added challenge gives
the game a simulation depth that increases the level of satisfaction. As
you build up your skills in Shift, you'll find that the game offers a
fairly interesting system of progression that challenges you every step of
the way.
As you build up your skills and
experience, you'll earn better vehicles that allow you to show off your
abilities. However, you'll face off against harder AI opponents, so your
skills will be tested as you move up the tiers. There are five tiers in
all and each one consists of several different events. These include
standard races, where you have to finish on the line first, time attack
races, where you have to compete in several laps to perform the best time.
There are also multiple race events where you need to persist in a series
of course with the accumulated score allowing you to win a bigger prize
along the end. There are also drift modes, where your score is based on
how well you drift and more. Finally, you can compete in one-on-one races
against a single vehicle in Duel Mode. These are usually
manufacturer-specific and have you race two laps, one with you beginning
with a small lead and the other where you need to catch up to a
competitor. Alongside these standard racing modes, you'll also compete in
manufacturer and region specific races where you're given specific
vehicles to race and compete against opponents in the same class. One of
the more important aspects of the game is the ability to tune and
customize your vehicle. You can set up a variety of parameters before each
race to maximize your performance on the track, or go with the default
configurations if you're eager to get into the action. You can also buy
numerous parts that allow you to enhance performance as well. NFS: Shift
also lets you add your own style to your vehicle with different paints,
liveries and decals plus rims and other optional equipment, all of which
lets you take your own individual machine on the road.
 The
controls are fairly easy to learn and the game does well with either the
standard dual shock or digital d-pad interfaces. Acceleration and braking
are fairly straightforward, it's the turning and drifting that should
challenge players. Knowing when to push the pedal down and when to let up
is critical, timing your brakes so you don't spin out makes a huge
difference. The most difficult skill to learn is drifting which takes
timing, speed and agility to master, or you'll find yourself spinning out
again and again. As in most sim titles, the key to eventual mastery is
timing and precision, which is ranked as you play through. Learning the
basics will take time but it helps to know the nuances of each vehicle.
Familiarizing yourself with their quirks matters because each vehicle
performs accurately in comparison to its real-world counterpart. The
controls are very precise and each vehicle has a lot of weight to it.
Handling and cornering can be tricky early on, though if you perform
upgrades, they generally improve a great deal. You need to be careful to
avoid crashing since you take significant damage when you collide with
opponents and walls. This can impact the cockpit view by obscuring your
line of sight with cracked windshields and slight decreases in
performance. The damage system is largely superficial otherwise and
doesn't impact performance too much, except to hurt your lap times, which
can change your finishing position dramatically.
One of the more interesting aspects of
Shift is its reward systems, which are divided into three main categories.
The first of these is a Driver Profile system, where the game rewards you
with points as you go along. This is a fairly interesting idea that works
well within Shift's context, and gives the game a kind of roleplaying
element. While you race along the tracks, your accuracy and aggression are
tracked, which gives you the ability to earn badges and unlock Driver
levels. As you increase your driver level, you'll earn rewards such as
cash and extra slots for your garage that you can use to store additional
vehicles. During each race, you're also able to earn Stars which are these
second main reward. Stars are awards that can be given for earning a set
level of Driver points or completing a sub-task such as staying on the
course marker, performing clean sections or drifting successfully. You
also earn stats for placing on the podium after each race, and they're
fairly easy to obtain, and you can quickly use to unlock items. Adding
more stars lets you unlock additional events and tiers, which you can then
race provided your vehicle meets the specifications for that event or
series. Finally, you'll earn loads of cash along the way. This is
important since it lets you purchase vehicles and upgrades in your garage.
Conistently spending your money to upgrade you vehicles adds to the game's
variety and these upgrades are essential if you want to create a
competitive vehicle. Upgrading your vehicle engine, brakes, wheels and
tires increases performance significantly and you'll notice how much
easier it is to overtake, steer and win if you perform these upgrades
before and after a race.
While earlier NFS titles were more
arcade-oriented, Shifts increased realism makes for much more impressive
visual heft. From a presentation standpoint, the game looks amazing slick
with accurate reproductions of each vehicle, which is especially apparent
in the cockpit viewpoint, which makes you feel like you're sitting right
inside the vehicle. Individual elements from the steering wheel to the
gears and indicators give you a heightened sense of realism inside. For
players who want a simpler perspective on the action, behind the car and
first person camera angles are also available. These allow you to have a
better peripheral vision, and help you anticipate curves and turns before
they happen. Looking out at the track showcases a great attention to
detail as well, with each track showing an impressive sense of realism and
authenticity. Objects at the side of the tracks are very nicely scaled and
the other vehicles look and respond accurately as well. The game moves
along at a consistent frame rate throughout, and the sense of velocity you
attain when you reach the higher speeds makes for a viscerally exciting
racing title. Giving the game more punch are its crashes, which not only
cause a massive amount of damage to your vehicles, in the form of broken
windows and crumpled bodies, also cause the screen to black out for a few
moments, giving Shift's damage a concussive blow. It's highly polished and
realistic visuals are complimented by excellent sound effects, whether
it's the roar of engines, skidding tires or massive crashes, the audio in
Shift definitely brings the noise and thunderous cacophony of intense real
world races to life. Add in commentary by your mentor throughout the game
and you have a game with impressive visuals and visceral sampled sound
effects that immerses you into its action effectively.
 Despite
the many good points in Shift, there are a few problems that nag along the
way. While the game is generally slickly produced, the on-screen display
is difficult to use, and the use of a white font makes the numbers vanish
onto the screen. The size is also a bit too small, which further decreases
the legibility. Shift's online component is fairly rudimentary as well,
and doesn't offer the breadth or variety you'd expect considering how much
effort went into the rest of the game. Finally, the minimal soundtrack
makes things feel a bit too empty at points, and even some background
beats here and there would have been appreciated. That said, these are
comparatively minor flaws for a title that otherwise delivers a solid
racing experience. Some players will probably miss the cops and robbers
parts of the previous games, but most will probably love the new
simulation style of racing. It delivers some visceral thrills in parts,
but the precision racing, realistic car models and challenging AI makes
Need for Speed Shift an intense experience. Its frequent upgrade and
reward path allows you to consistently unlock additional tracks, vehicles
and challenges and makes the game open up very quickly. Solid controls and
excellent responsiveness help to create an exciting simulation title that,
while not quite reaching the heights of Grid, Forza Motorsport or Gran
Turismo, point the series in a promising new direction.
- Michael Palisano
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