UK, September 10, 2009 - Eau Rouge, Pouhon and Blanchimont; the holy trinity of corners that form the backbone of Belgium's Spa Francorchomps, long recognised as one of the greatest tracks in modern-day use, and have bloodied many a nose in the past. Eau Rouge is a fast uphill switchback, long since tamed by single-seater cars and their pounds of downforce but still a thrill in its own right. Pouhon's retained its challenge, teasing drivers in with a fast entry and then slapping them in the face with its unforgiving exit, and Blanchimont, while looking like nothing but a kink from afar, has a concrete barrier waiting at its conclusion for anyone who underestimates it.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/102/1023315/need-for-speed-shift-uk-review-20090910043318829.jpg)
They're three corners that have featured in many a racing game before, but rarely have they been evoked as thrillingly as they are in Need for Speed Shift, EA's bold new direction for the long-running series that comes courtesy of Slightly Mad Studios, a developer who has proved its prowess in the racing genre with the sublime GTR games. Many other racing games treat the corners with nonchalance – in Codemasters' brilliant yet somewhat lightweight GRID, Eau Rouge and Blanchimont are reduced to mere kinks, while Pouhon asks nothing more than a downshift and a yank of the wheel.
Not so in Shift, and those fearing dumbed-down handling can take solace in the trip to the tyre wall that awaits drivers who treat Spa's trinity of corners with anything other than a fearful respect. Eau Rouge's violent incline becomes a living nightmare, asking for pixel perfect placement while Pouhon requires the utmost attention from entry to apex to exit. Blanchimont is the most terrifying, with a wide entry setting up a full-lock drift, with the tyres squealing like a chorus of burning kittens as the game's trademark exaggerated oversteer kicks in.
At times you have to pinch yourself – can this really be a Need for Speed game? The series may have taken some wild turns since its inception in the early '90s, but arguably none have them have been as bold as this. Ditching the open-world pretensions and point-to-point runs of previous games, its focus is solely on circuit racing.
It's track set reads like a statement of intent, highlighting the very best the world of motorsport has to offer; the aforementioned Spa Franchomps is joined by a bevy of British tracks, including a Brands Hatch that's never looked so glamorous and a lightning-fast run through the City of London. Somewhat predictably the Nordschleife features, though it's hard to grumble at the inclusion of what's fast becoming a racing game standard when it's been handled so artfully.
It's a joy to drive, and it's not just the likes of Spa that have been enlivened by the spirited handling; places like Silverstone's Becketts complex or Laguna Seca's infamous Corkscrew put up more of a challenge than ever before. At heart, then, it's a traditional driving sim rooted in the real, with Slightly Mad Studios' pedigree shining through. It's a damn fine looking one as well, its rich environments, smooth frame-rate and perfectly crafted car models ensuring it's on an even keel with both Forza and Gran Turismo.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/102/1023315/need-for-speed-shift-uk-review-20090910043318251.jpg)
There's one area where Need for Speed Shift soundly trumps the competition: its driving is an exceptionally visceral experience, with a sensation of sheer velocity that's unparalleled in the genre. Take a car to its limits and the engine bark shakes the chassis, the colour drains from the screen and the cockpit blurs, focusing the driver's attention on the thin ribbon of tarmac ahead.
It's meant to inspire sweaty palms and it certainly works – connect with a wall at speed and the effect is taken to an extreme, the screen shaking violently and the driver audibly wincing at the impact. Unfortunately the effect's not reflected in the game's damage model. Although cars bounce, flip and roll convincingly, they're often left with little more than a scratch and a cracked windscreen, and it takes several serious impacts to wrestle any of the bodywork off - it's a way off the destruction porn of Codemasters' GRID and DiRT 2.
Like Codemasters' games, Shift takes a global view on its racing, with America and Japan also represented. Daytona making a thinly veiled appearance in the Dakota oval and road course and Laguna Seca represented in all its undulating glory. There are also some neat curios; Autopolis has a rare videogame outing, and you have to wonder why it's so often neglected, it's steep switchbacks and wide radius corners making for some astounding tail-out moments, while elsewhere a selection of fictional tracks bolster an already generous roster.
So it's a Need for Speed game like no other, but the game's biggest downfall is when it tries to fit what's undoubtedly an accomplished sim into the series' more fantastical lineage. On some levels it works surprisingly well – the modification culture that's played a part in several Need for Speed games chimes well with the game's garage, grounded as it is in production vehicles. Taking a pedestrian road car and gradually transforming it into a stripped down racer is the single-player's greatest pleasure, and the progression is reflected brilliantly in the car's behaviour on the track as well as its appearance - interior modifications are reflected in the cockpit view, with the upholstery being replaced by carbon fibre panels and a roll cage framing the windscreen.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/102/1023315/need-for-speed-shift-uk-review-20090910043317735.jpg)
Elsewhere, it's a strange marriage. Drift competitions feel like they have strayed in from a separate game, and they're a little broken, with the game's otherwise excellent handling model unable to cope convincingly with the art of holding a car sideways. It's less of a problem when the cars are neutered with the game's charitable selection of in-game assists, but even then it feels like an incongruous addition and sits uncomfortably with the more traditional track racing. Thankfully they make up but a slice of the action, with the bulk of the racing spread across pack races, car battles and time attacks. There are certainly a lot of them, but they're presented in an overwhelming fashion. Seemingly unable to decide on a single mechanic to fuel the single-player mode, Shift plumps for every single one it could think of.
Cars are separated into tiers, beginning with workaday cars such as Meganes and Polos, and the fourth tier housing more exotic machinery such as Lamborghini Murcielagos and Bugatti Veyrons. Progression through the tiers comes through a muddled set of systems: firstly, and most basically, success in events equals cash, a mechanic that everyone can understand. Beyond that it gets a little more complex.
![[IMG]](http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/102/1023315/need-for-speed-shift-uk-review-20090910043317126.jpg)
Style points are rewarded for each race, a riff on Project Gotham's excellent Kudos system but one that feels a little redundant here. Clean corners and overtakes get you a tick in the precision box, while nudges and shunts earn points for aggression, all of which feed into a levelling system. The thinking behind them is understandable, as theoretically they provide a unique fingerprint for each driver. Commendably the system is carried over to the online races (which, incidentally, work smoothly, although we were unable to test the game running it's full quota of eight drivers), meaning you're earning cash and points whenever you're on track.
It doesn't stop there however, and to successfully unlock races drivers have to attain stars, which are meted out for fulfilling select criteria for each individual race. They vary a little, often asking players to master corners – which is simply a case of driving smoothly on the racing line at a respectable speed – to getting the car on the podium and for getting a set amount of points. Couple this with the none-too-small task of just keeping the car on the road and it is complete overkill, the in-game HUD a confusing web of stats and counters which help to make the first few hours with the game overwhelmingly confusing.
Closing Comments
But it ultimately does little to detract from the core experience and its many successes. Need for Speed Shift gets the most important part of a racing game right and it does so with a flair that’s uncommon in a frequently po-faced genre, providing a driving experience that’s genuinely thrilling. In one stroke it revitalises the flagging Need for Speed brand, and suggests that – with just a little more refinement – the series is establishing itself as a true contender to Gran Turismo and Forza.
7.5 Presentation
While the art design is good there's simply too much going on, and the loading times can test the patience.
9.5 Graphics
With DiRT 2, Forza 3 and GT5 we're running out of superlatives for racing game's visuals, but this deserves some of its own. In a word, stunning.
9.0 Sound
Engine notes are wonderfully guttural, and the voiceover's nicely understated - while the music is typical Need for Speed fare.
8.5 Gameplay
On track it's superb, with handling that offers a nicely exaggerated take on a sim model - but it's sometimes lost under the myriad scoring systems.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
The single-player's meaty and the multiplayer is considered and well implemented, offering local leaderboards and eight-player races.
8.7
Great OVERALL
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