GTPlanet's Shift 2 Review at After Media Event.

[RomKnight]

Why do people insist on making shift 2 a true sim, after all this posts...

SMS said, its between shift1 and fm3/gt5. its a RACING EXPERIENCE and its made for ALL AGES to play.

Its supposed to be fun, it THIS is where it excels.

I won't be disappointed as i want that fun GT5 can't offer. Even shift1 is more intense (because its how its suppose to be) so shift2 will always be a step up.

Another thing about drifting (echo, echo, echo) up to 500hp or so they help you. drifting without power its kind of hard they say. I can't drift anyway, just echoing what Andy Tudor said.

He also said that if you want more of an experience, use a wheel. Obviously (look, 'im repeating myself again ) default settings should be tweaked to one's taste of it'll always ruin the driving.

 

[tinram]

The should have deemed it "the most intense racer ever", then no one would have expected too much on the physics department.

 

[RomKnight]

I hate marketing people too. But i just ignore punch lines and general classification. Plus, criticising marketing its not the same as criticising a game because of marketing.

After all this "talking", videos, tech opinions from modders and testers plus what the guys at SMS admitted i don't understand why the "oh those damn marketing guys".

BTW, physics ARE there. The telemetry looks very complete and comments about suspension and tire models which can actually be seen should prove that... no?

 

[maxpontiac]

The Driving Physics

There’s been a lot of discussion of the new “Elite” physics mode introduced in Shift 2. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it particularly challenging with a steering wheel. With a Logitech Driving Force GT, cars often felt “floaty”, as if it was difficult to keep the car pointed straight. I found this to be less of an issue with older, heavier cars, which provided a more rewarding driving experience.

Regardless, it was difficult to “feel” where the tires were at in terms of lateral grip. There was little communication through the wheel’s force feedback in corners, and the surprisingly unpleasant tire squeal sound was either “on” or “off” -- as if it was activated only after the tires had exceeded their limit. These are two of the most important indicators of how hard you’re pushing a car in a video game, and they’re sorely missed in Shift 2.

I also found there to be a general lack of oversteer in the physics model, most noticeable in powerful, rear-wheel drive cars. I took a Shelby Cobra 427 to Road America with stock tires, for example, and found it difficult to create any power-induced oversteer. I experienced this same unnatural level of grip while testing the Corvette C6R and many other cars.

I am still picking this up tomorrow, but after reading what Jordan had to say, I am disappointed with what I read.

At least I know it's a arcade racer first with the perception of racing. I enjoyed the first one, so the second should give me plenty of hours as well.

 

[tinram]

I hate marketing people too. But i just ignore punch lines and general classification. Plus, criticising marketing its not the same as criticising a game because of marketing.

After all this "talking", videos, tech opinions from modders and testers plus what the guys at SMS admitted i don't understand why the "oh those damn marketing guys".

BTW, physics ARE there. The telemetry looks very complete and comments about suspension and tire models which can actually be seen should prove that... no?

I was excited with the telemetry and all but ...

"he placed Shift 2 somewhere between the more arcade Need for Speed titles and games such as Forza and GT"

this dampened my excitement.

 

[GeekCred]

This went from a "buy" to a "rent". I expect massive hyperbole from marketing folks, but it's disappointing to see people on the development staff making bold claims (specifically about how accurate the physics are) that they know are just not true.

 

[Mulan]

welll this is a must have game! And if PD got 700Mb of patching then ill allow EA to do the same...hopefully we get more then a better exhaustsound and even slower AI.

 

[RomKnight]

Tinram He didn't. SMS did...

 

[boxox]

I was excited with the telemetry and all but ...

"he placed Shift 2 somewhere between the more arcade Need for Speed titles and games such as Forza and GT"

this dampened my excitement.

I can't find a transcript and I seem to remember that was in a video, not an article, but I could swear that was him talking about Shift 1, and that Shift 2 was pushing to the Forza / GT end of the scale.

Here it is in Edge, anyhow..

How does Shift fit into the wider NFS brand?

Andy Tudor: This is the simulation-style racer, like Forza or GT, the authentic racing experience

 

[CarreraGT]

I personally think that Shift 2's physics will be well ahead of GT5's, and I think the GT5 physics had many problems anyway (suspension modelling, tyre width/size not modelled etc), it's just a good estimation at what driving the cars shoudl 'look' like.

Is that a joke?

 

[Starfirebird]

Since everybody is talking physics...

I just came across this on the FAQ over at the Shift 2 website and the answer is straight from the developer(i believe).

The question: Every "sim" game has a feeling of chronic under-steer,how does Shift 2 compare?

Answer: For the SHIFT 2 Unleashed physics model you are constantly dancing with the limit of adhesion and have the ability to control the angle of the car with a combination of throttle and steering inputs. It's quite an active experience that is challenging and satisfying to drive. It's a big leap forward from Shift 1 and has stepped away from any sense of arcade-ness.

Unlike many people i'm going into this game knowing that this game will be fun and exciting(regardless of the physics model) and this is what many should be doing as well.

 

[HeadsoupBob]

What I should have said is 'Physics engine (tyre/suspension model especially).' Like I said, GT5 got what a car should feel like pretty well imo, but all still doesn't quite sit right with me. Just my opinion though!

I noticed above that Jamesways (forzacentral) confirmed that the build they played was a month or two old, where the guy from the AV site that is in QA said that there is a huge difference in FFB and 'tightness' between the older build and the current one (release?).

As I haven't played Shift 2 yet, I'm not going to make any definitive statements, actually even after release I won't, just my opinion and feelings on it

I'm really hoping it has the physics, feeling and above all fun to push the genre forward, the opportunity is certainly there.

 

[RomKnight]

About suspension ant tire model I say that slowmo video clearly shows both working real-time on an Xbox... Obviouly, how it actually feels is another story. I need my copy so bad...