Featuring over 200 events spread around 50 track layouts in the career modes besides bonus objectives meanwhile your driver profile develops as you drive, noting your precise or aggressive approach and this will affect the invitational events, though AI can be very aggressive indeed and unfortunately that can often have a negative effect on your profile which is unavoidable.Ĭlean racing is virtually impossible according to the in-game meter this considers slipstreaming (drafting) to be aggressive? Strange considering that this the only way of achieving a clean and fair overtake hence, unfortunately, the entire driver profile system is flawed. So an unsatisfactory performance by any stretch and very disappointing overall.īut enough of my initial grumbles lets take a closer look at the game structure and NFS Shift certainly has enough to keep you going. The question remains, was this even tested? It would usually be clarified as a class B bug (doesn’t affect gameplay but does affect user experience) but this doesn’t appear to have been addressed. Another irritating aspect was on replays, when using the G25, the wheel would turn to the left every time the car hit a rumble strip, hence the player would either have to constantly straighten the wheel or suffer the noise of the options rotating as the left turned wheel continues to cycle. Swiveling into every corner, there was no intuitive feel. Testing the G25 on the PS3 version and I was unable to keep the car straight at any time, weaving down every straight. On the one hand, it’s not doing what it said it would do, on the other Shift a decent arcade racer but apart from the graphics, it begins to dissolve into the myriad of titles already on the market, losing those defining elements.Ĭontrolling with the pad is dire, especially on the PS3 version, attach a wheel and the game becomes more fun but no more playable. This changes the entire approach of the experience and hence it destabilises how I approach this review. I can’t help at this stage to feel anything but a huge disappointment, its a real back-track on everything we had looked forward to, the longevity of that real racing experience gone and replaced with a (for want of a better word) shifty arcade model. This is followed by a trial race at Brands Hatch in a BMW where you begin your journey to become the crowned champion of the NFS World Tour, and its here something didn’t feel right? Ignoring those “feelings” I dive deeper into the NFS experience, earning money, buying cars and working my way through the extensive track selection.īut that nagging feeling just wouldn’t go away, the game didn’t feel right, the handling physics we previewed earlier in the year was all but gone, the graphical shell was there, all be it with added over the top NFS styling but the core gameplay had completely changed. Its action, noise, and a rather angry sounding narrator (well he scared me), it makes you want to win and get the job done. On entering the disc you’ll be presented with the challenge to work your way up to being one of the world’s top drivers. This year the console version of NFS Shift would see a step towards that of old, following some excellent early previews we couldn’t wait to get our hands on this exciting new title. Of course, since its origins on the 3DO system, the emphasis has moved very much away from a realistic driving sensation to visceral cop chases with the last 5 years of the series almost entirely inspired by the Fast & Furious movies. 2009 has unveiled yet another sea change in the direction of this series, with plans now to split the franchise it would be interesting to see what course EA would be willing to take. All things come to those who wait, unfortunately, though our review for NFS Shift has come later than hoped it gave us the time to thoroughly test it out and have our usual rummage beneath the bonnet.Īs we already discovered in our feature Needing More Speed, this represents 15 years of an ever-growing franchise but its certainly been a bumpy journey.
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