I just wanted to point something out regarding Shift-2 and a part of the "intended market" for this title.
Perhaps EA and SMS haven't really caught on to this yet.., but with Shift-2 they have actually pushed away part of their target market for this title.
This title is for ages 10+ (Everyone).., just as the original title also carried the same rating. The problem however is that Shift-2 isn't as "Everyone Friendly" as the original Shift.
One of the fundamental differences between Shift-1 and Shift-2 is that with Shift-1 you can pick ANY car from the lot and drive them reasonably well without having to upgrade them, or even tune them. The ability to drive any car using its default settings in Shift-1 made the game more accessible to a wider range of players.
This however is not the case with Shift-2. The default vehicle settings in Shift-2 are horrible (as many here have agreed to). Plus.., the majority of players will be using game pads. Many of the vehicles in Shift-2 cannot be driven without upgrading and tuning.
Seriously folks.., are we to expect 10, 12, and 13 year old kids (a target group for this title) to be skilled in vehicle tuning? I have quite a few friends who purchased this title for their children (all ranging from 10 to 14 years of age). The majority of them already had Shift-1 as well. I know there are some younger kids who can do tuning., but obviously the vast majority are not skilled in this area. I've had several parents call me for assistance with the game. Some have given up and taken the loss. My own daughter won't even touch Shift-2 anymore. She loves Shift-1.., and can drive many of the cars with the default settings..., but won't even go near Shift-2.
EA/SMS really need to consider patching this titles default vehicle settings up to the level of Shift-1 so that the younger kids can enjoy this title too. My daughter can throw in Forza, Shift-1, grab a game pad and have a blast.., but Shift-2 is like "koodies" to her now.
Also.., FACT is that many people use the racing line (and there's no age limit on that assist either). However.., the racing line in Shift-2 is really, really, bad. The braking points in many cases are just plain WRONG! It's understandable that younger children will be using the racing line. When setting this game up for a few of my friends kids.., I had to coach them on the racing line because they didn't realize the reason they were flying off the track in most cases was because they were following the racing line.., and braking when the line indicated.
Well the line is just broken! It'll stay green at times when you should be HARD on the brakes. It'll go green way too soon coming out of some turns. I just think EA/SMS need to patch the line so that the youngsters can enjoy the game more. The line in Shift-1 wasn't the best.., but more accurate than Shift-2.
Any other parents here who have kids that play this title? Do you find that "you're" having to tweak this games settings for them in order to enjoy it? I know some of you don't really care about this.., but keep in mind that some of us here (who play this game) are also parents with children that also like playing racing games.
Perhaps EA and SMS haven't really caught on to this yet.., but with Shift-2 they have actually pushed away part of their target market for this title.
This title is for ages 10+ (Everyone).., just as the original title also carried the same rating. The problem however is that Shift-2 isn't as "Everyone Friendly" as the original Shift.
One of the fundamental differences between Shift-1 and Shift-2 is that with Shift-1 you can pick ANY car from the lot and drive them reasonably well without having to upgrade them, or even tune them. The ability to drive any car using its default settings in Shift-1 made the game more accessible to a wider range of players.
This however is not the case with Shift-2. The default vehicle settings in Shift-2 are horrible (as many here have agreed to). Plus.., the majority of players will be using game pads. Many of the vehicles in Shift-2 cannot be driven without upgrading and tuning.
Seriously folks.., are we to expect 10, 12, and 13 year old kids (a target group for this title) to be skilled in vehicle tuning? I have quite a few friends who purchased this title for their children (all ranging from 10 to 14 years of age). The majority of them already had Shift-1 as well. I know there are some younger kids who can do tuning., but obviously the vast majority are not skilled in this area. I've had several parents call me for assistance with the game. Some have given up and taken the loss. My own daughter won't even touch Shift-2 anymore. She loves Shift-1.., and can drive many of the cars with the default settings..., but won't even go near Shift-2.
EA/SMS really need to consider patching this titles default vehicle settings up to the level of Shift-1 so that the younger kids can enjoy this title too. My daughter can throw in Forza, Shift-1, grab a game pad and have a blast.., but Shift-2 is like "koodies" to her now.
Also.., FACT is that many people use the racing line (and there's no age limit on that assist either). However.., the racing line in Shift-2 is really, really, bad. The braking points in many cases are just plain WRONG! It's understandable that younger children will be using the racing line. When setting this game up for a few of my friends kids.., I had to coach them on the racing line because they didn't realize the reason they were flying off the track in most cases was because they were following the racing line.., and braking when the line indicated.
Well the line is just broken! It'll stay green at times when you should be HARD on the brakes. It'll go green way too soon coming out of some turns. I just think EA/SMS need to patch the line so that the youngsters can enjoy the game more. The line in Shift-1 wasn't the best.., but more accurate than Shift-2.
Any other parents here who have kids that play this title? Do you find that "you're" having to tweak this games settings for them in order to enjoy it? I know some of you don't really care about this.., but keep in mind that some of us here (who play this game) are also parents with children that also like playing racing games.
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