Review: Need for Speed: Shift (PC/X360)

Need for Speed: Shift marks a new approach to the NFS franchise from EA and is mostly successful. The game is certainly good enough that we'd want to see a more refined sequel, though the fact we see the need for some refinement tells you that Shift isn't likely to challenge Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo for a top score.

It's Codemasters that should be more worried about this new sim-lite racer from Electronic Arts. The lack of content in the recently released Colin McRae: Dirt 2 looks even more insulting next to Shift, which is packed with cars and courses and will keep you busy for quite some time.

Shift straddles the middle ground between simulation and arcade, though with the tendency towards the sim-end of the market. You wouldn't think so when loading it up though - the default handling is pretty awful and is seemingly designed for silly power sliding. A deft touch in the control settings or using a wheel will have you enjoying a much more nuanced handling model than it first appears.

The single player campaign is chock full of things to do and see but early on some problems do rear their ugly head. One being the sheer number of results screens one has to wade though which becomes tiresome, the other being some faulty coding that seems to make head to head events ignore the user's chosen difficulty setting.

On the whole though the racing action is very good, with a strong range of cars, attractive visuals and an international approach to motorsport that doesn't seem false or forced. The price of admission alone is worth it for the wonderful renditions of Spa and the epic 13 mile Nordschleif. The latter is perhaps the best version I've seen, as is the game's cockpit views which present a thrilling window to enjoy what is a strong first effort from EA.

Review Notes

Version Tested: Xbox 360, PC
Review Code: Xbox 360 boxed retail version, PC EA Store download