Need For Speed: Shift Review Page 2

22 Sep 2009 at 17:00:38 by Andy Alderson
Systems used to review this title: (PS3)

The clever balance between arcade fun and realism is reflected in the way the single player game is structured in Shift. While the game’s tier system is hardly original, what Shift does very well is reward the player for the way they drive. In every event you’ll be awarded stars for finishing on the podium and achieving a certain amount of points, but you’ll also have secondary objectives to tackle if you so wish. These range from reaching a target speed within a certain distance to corner sliding for a set time to spinning off a number of opposition drivers. These extra objectives are by no means compulsory – in fact you can ignore them entirely and comfortably advance through the game – but they do add a little more depth to the events. You will also gain points for your driving style, which is separated into two categories: aggression and precision.

Precision driving involves completing clean sections, overtaking without contact and sticking to the racing line while you’ll gain aggression points for moves like drifting around corners and colliding with opponents. The game provides aggression/precision feedback throughout each race and this determines your overall driving style. While aggressive driving is undoubtedly fun, the quickest lap times always come from precision and before you know it you’ll become obsessed with the corner mastering mini-game in each event. Every time you round a corner during an event, you’ll see a yellow exclamation mark on the minimap, which means your cornering is being evaluated. Approach at the right speed, take the right line through the corner, accelerate out and you’ll master the corner. However, stray from the line, or kick your tail out (that’s it, I’m fining for every cliché from now on – Ed) just a little bit and you’ll fail. It becomes ridiculously engrossing just trying to master all the corners on a track and you’ll find yourself listening out for that success sound effect. And, of course, every corner mastered means more points, increasing your driver level which consequently unlocks more customisation options, events and upgrades. It’s an extremely rewarding progression system and while purists might balk at these arcade leanings, they help to make the single player game more than just a slog through track after track.

Indeed, while some hardcore racer fans will likely wait for Forza 3 and GT5, to overlook Need For Speed Shift as a less authentic driving experience would be a mistake. Sure, the cars may not be as accurately modelled as they are in Forza - if anything the cars in Shift, in general, lean too much towards oversteer - the driving experience is equally as engaging. What not so long ago looked like a series in terminal decline, bogged down in street racing culture and shonky FMV storylines has now become a big player in the simulation racing market. Welcome back, Need for Speed. 

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