Need for Speed: SHIFT Preview [360/PS3]



£38.99

£36.98

Strange is it may sound, Need for Speed: SHIFT is not just about driving.  No, in fact, according to the game’s lead producer, Andy Tudor, it’s about “first-person driving.”

It all starts with the much-hyped in-car view which, unlike many other racers, Tudor is adamant is the best way to play the game.  “We looked at first-person shooters,” Tudor told us, “and took their stylistic techniques, the screen de-saturating, blurring, the disorientating view.” In real terms what this means is that what you can see and hear from inside the car is intrinsically linked to what is happening on the track.  For example, crash against a wall and your driver’s head shakes violently and your vision becomes blurred (much like being shot in an FPS), accelerate hard off the grid and the g-force pins your head back into the seat or speed down a high-speed straight and the interior of your car blurs out creating a tunnel vision effect focused on the track.

What’s really impressive is that these reactions seem to happen consistently throughout the race, as opposed to being limited to specific scenarios or certain types of contact, preventing it from coming across as merely a novelty.  Only on a more extended play through will we really know if the emphasis on creating the ultimate in-car view has been worth it but, for the couple of hours I played at least, it was engaging enough to make me want to use it all the time.   

Despite having the simulation tag placed on it from the earliest stages, the feeling that the game should appeal to a broad audience and generate decent sales (this is a Need for Speed title after all) still seems to be at the forefront of the thinking behind the game.  Indeed, “accessibility for everyone for everyone, whether you’re a pro-tournament winner or my nephew who wants it for Christmas,” are Tudor’s own words, and that thinking shapes the way you experience the game.

The first time you load up the game you’re immediately put behind the wheel of a car and instructed to do a solo lap around Brands Hatch.  As you’re driving the game picks up on how well you’re performing and recommends what it believes are the perfect settings for the A.I. difficulty, traction control, ABS and various other modifiers.  You’re free to alter them as you wish or proceed with the game’s selection.  

The theory is that you should then be able to compete throughout the single-player game modes and always experience a competitive race, no matter what the quality of your lap times.  Whether or not it reacts to you improving your skills behind the wheel and adjusts the difficulties accordingly remains to be seen, but it’s a neat idea and a welcome change from simply being greeted with a generic difficultly select screen.

In terms of handling it’s probably easiest to describe it as being similar to Forza 2 with a little bit of Grid thrown in for good measure (or for the sake of accessibility at least).  The game certainly comes across as realistic but those familiar with the likes of Forza 2 and Gran Turismo may find it takes a little time to fully get to grips with the slightly ‘twitchier’ handling model employed in SHIFT.  Part of the reason for the ‘twitchier’ feeling is because there are no ‘dud’ cars in SHIFT.  The 80 plus vehicles mainly consist of high-end sports cars and racing modified super-cars that are so light that they respond to your inputs immediately.