ISR's Shift 2 Review

[Vaxxtx]

I am glad they dont do 3 min reviews like other sites. But you would THINK they would have more of a brain to understand the whole game. I can lock brakes up pretty easily. They did NOT go into the tuning, which I think is a huge factor in this game...etc...etc.

I have never really watched their stuff, and I know why. The little bald guy is the biggest dork I have ever seen. He bugs me so bad. Not sure if its his girly voice, he failed attempts of be funny and/or clever, or just the fact he looks like a creepy pedophile, but I cant stand to watch him.

 

[boxox]

I can't see that guy and not see/hear Clint Howard doing the Clint Howard character actor thing. Like it's an audition reel for some sim racing themed b-movie.

 

[Patrocles]

I seem to agree with most of the posts here...

The overall rating seems ok, but some of the details and the con, meh, pro list are very poor/inaccurate- in fact, a lot just seem to be things mentioned on the forums with little backup by them. As others have said, quite unbalanced - perhaps just poorly edited, ie didn't concentrate on that great immersive feel enough ?


I usually like ISR reviews , but this one was MEH

well said!

the way some people sound here you would think their hate for the review is about to give themselves an anyreism! if you hate the review/isr so much go make your own GD review of the game (vid or text) and put it on this interwebnetty-thing for us to see or hear.

 

[paulpg87]

Imo they are an overtarred bunch of idiots. Their review always suck and are always full of mistakes. The only good thing about them is the big titted girl.

 

[Spagetti69]

Imo they are an overtarred bunch of idiots. Their review always suck and are always full of mistakes. The only good thing about them is the big titted girl.

Who do you rate for reviews.
Please state.

 

[///M-Spec]

Some of the comments I've read so far in this thread amount to this:

"I disagree with their review and therefore they are idiots."

Very disappointing and sad to see some of you instantly resort to attacks on someone's credibility, character and intelligence. I wonder how many of you can claim any better as subject matter experts.

Do we have anyone with a graduate or post-grad degree in automotive engineering or vehicle dynamics here? Any of you ever been employed as a test driver or engineer for a car maker or racing team? If you have, then maybe you have a position of authority from which to speak so dismissively about these guys (if that is your opinion of them).

If not, then maybe you should spent a moment pondering what exactly makes your opinion so much better informed, accurate and well thought out than someone else's. And then once you have, spell it out in a well-reasoned, well-written and well-mannered post... which is much more useful than "these guys blow because I say so".


M

 

[tribolik]

I dont know if they do this for a living but what they do affects the way that other people do for a living (in this case the guys at SMS) so is it too much to ask for them to get their facts straight before trashing somebodys work like that? in that aspect I have to agree with some of the people here calling them idiots (wich I didnt before)
They may not like the game and it may not be any good at all, but they should test the game properly and use facts to back up their reviews...

 

[tinram]

yep, i agree with the cons on physics and the helmet cam. It's a lot better after the patch, it went from "i'm returning this thing" to "OK, i'll keep it", but not close to the "most realistic racing ever".

 

[Vaxxtx]

Some of the comments I've read so far in this thread amount to this:

"I disagree with their review and therefore they are idiots."

Very disappointing and sad to see some of you instantly resort to attacks on someone's credibility, character and intelligence. I wonder how many of you can claim any better as subject matter experts.

Do we have anyone with a graduate or post-grad degree in automotive engineering or vehicle dynamics here? Any of you ever been employed as a test driver or engineer for a car maker or racing team? If you have, then maybe you have a position of authority from which to speak so dismissively about these guys (if that is your opinion of them).

If not, then maybe you should spent a moment pondering what exactly makes your opinion so much better informed, accurate and well thought out than someone else's. And then once you have, spell it out in a well-reasoned, well-written and well-mannered post... which is much more useful than "these guys blow because I say so".


M

When someone does a review and CLAIMS they do it so thorough that it takes weeks to finish, you would expect it to be correct in all aspects. They made MANY mistakes in going over features, and missing some outright.

I agree with some of things they stated, but they are either:

1. Not as complete in the review as they say.
2. Idiots that cannot figure out how to get a tuning menu.
3. Both.

I am not talking about opinion here. I am talking about not knowing some of the features they were "reviewing". So people can have different opinions, but you cant change the fact they are ignorant to some aspects of the game.

And the bald guy needs to go away....far far away.

 

[sandboxgod]

* Note this is my opinion about ISR screwing up Shift 3 chances to come out to be clear

Wait a second, its not like they gave SMS (Shift 2) a bad score. They gave them like an 83? That's a really good bloody score. Also keep in mind their publisher is EA. Like most big publishing houses, EA mostly focuses on metacritic scores (but more importantly, the revenues reported in the quarterly reports). The overall meta score is around 80s which is amazing really.

However, not sure how well the game sold which is all the publisher will look at in the end as far as making another edition. So if SMS doesn't get a renewal, I would lay the blame firmly on the fans for not buying it. I also would sort of blame EA for attaching the 'Need For Speed' prefix. I fear most sim racers would toss it aside ASAP because the NFS series is known for good arcade games. And the arcade gamers may toss this aside thinking its too hardcore for them

This review came out much too late to effect sales in anyway. That is what I like bout ISR- they at least give devs a chance to polish their products before reviewing (another example is Nascar 2011 in which they refuse to review until it's patched up proper)

Again, lots of good posts here but I firmly disagree they have any influence whatsoever on a possible NFS Shift 3

 

[Spagetti69]

yep, i agree with the cons on physics and the helmet cam. It's a lot better after the patch, it went from "i'm returning this thing" to "OK, i'll keep it", but not close to the "most realistic racing ever".

Shoah the helmet cam a con.

It's optional. It shouldn't get classed as a con.

 

[boxox]

It's just so sloppy it goes into "flat wrong" territory.

D-pad on the G-25 does work on menus.

Vaughn Gittin can be turned off - other than a couple of FMVs you see once.

The terribly confusing "save" button - which is "Shift" - is clickable with the mouse.

I would bet this is actually a chain error where they have not figured out that they could click the button marked "save" to .. save the audio setup settings that disable in game speech. Does that sound thorough to anyone?

When you put on the Hardcore Sim Racer hat - and proclaim that the game simply doesn't model brakes right - or that it doesn't model tyre wear - and both of these features take less than a minute to check for sure - that's just an awful review. To me it seems a lot like they just decided it wouldn't be advanced, in advance, and never bothered checking to see if for example brake lockup was driven by brake pressure and brake temperature range. I'm betting they never even once looked at the telemetry or advanced tuning - because if they had, there is simply no way those statements would have gone into the review.

This isn't some case of you know, ISR being some tiny site that can't possibly be expected to check things - there's 2 people reviewing it, and an extensive editing process. It's just unbelievably incompetent looking to let all that through to keeper. This stuff is like the brown M&M test of video game reviews, really - if they can't even get the most basic thing right, that you could teach a monkey to do, why would you assume they've done anything else properly?

 

[tribolik]

It's just so sloppy it goes into "flat wrong" territory.

D-pad on the G-25 does work on menus.

Vaughn Gittin can be turned off - other than a couple of FMVs you see once.

The terribly confusing "save" button - which is "Shift" - is clickable with the mouse.

I would bet this is actually a chain error where they have not figured out that they could click the button marked "save" to .. save the audio setup settings that disable in game speech. Does that sound thorough to anyone?

When you put on the Hardcore Sim Racer hat - and proclaim that the game simply doesn't model brakes right - or that it doesn't model tyre wear - and both of these features take less than a minute to check for sure - that's just an awful review. To me it seems a lot like they just decided it wouldn't be advanced, in advance, and never bothered checking to see if for example brake lockup was driven by brake pressure and brake temperature range. I'm betting they never even once looked at the telemetry or advanced tuning - because if they had, there is simply no way those statements would have gone into the review.

This isn't some case of you know, ISR being some tiny site that can't possibly be expected to check things - there's 2 people reviewing it, and an extensive editing process. It's just unbelievably incompetent looking to let all that through to keeper. This stuff is like the brown M&M test of video game reviews, really - if they can't even get the most basic thing right, that you could teach a monkey to do, why would you assume they've done anything else properly?

Nicely put... Id like your permisson to use that as a reply to their video on youtube...
So in this particular case they were in fact idiots...

 

[Starfirebird]

Very good review.

I agree with them on all the points they make about the game as i've had similar experiences,well except for the pc ones.

Even though this game does have some cons it's still fun to play. 👍

 

[sandboxgod]

I agree with them on all their observations on the PC UI. Even the Shift key issue (aka Save key). That is the only bloody key I cant get to work right with my autohotkey script. The pc ui controls is pretty bad. I still don't know how to orbit my camera in the replays either

I'm sure it's something simple but its not very intuitive

 

[///M-Spec]

Nice to see the post quality finally going up in here...

Guys, I don't care if you love or hate the review. Just don't post about bunch of one liners about how they suck without explaining why. Less than useless responses.

When someone does a review and CLAIMS they do it so thorough that it takes weeks to finish, you would expect it to be correct in all aspects. They made MANY mistakes in going over features, and missing some outright.

I agree with some of things they stated, but they are either:

1. Not as complete in the review as they say.
2. Idiots that cannot figure out how to get a tuning menu.
3. Both.

Do you work or go to school?


M

 

[Vaxxtx]

Nice to see the post quality finally going up in here...

Guys, I don't care if you love or hate the review. Just don't post about bunch of one liners about how they suck without explaining why. Less than useless responses.



Do you work or go to school?


M

Work. Why?

It has been explained in a number of posts of points they missed. Shall I go over them again? Tyre wear, turning off voices, etc. etc.

 

[///M-Spec]

Work. Why?

Then you've had a performance review. Maybe you've even written a few.

If someone at work makes a few mistakes, is he/she written up as an idiot at review time?

Ever make mistakes? Gotten less than a perfect score on a test?

My main point is that idiot overstates the magnitude of their error and makes any sort of reasonable subsequent analysis impossible.

An idiot doesn't make some good points and some bad ones. They are all bad points, because well, he is an... idiot. Nothing an idiot says has any value, except by sheer random chance. So when you call someone an idiot you are saying that nothing the person says or does has any merit.

And that's just not realistic. And it makes for an unproductive thread. My job is encourage productive, intelligent threads. That's why I don't let someone else call you an idiot because they don't like what you have to say.

The AUP doesn't protect people like the ISR guys from verbal abuse because they're not members here (that I'm aware of). But I think we can all benefit if we try to extend them the same basic courtesies we might extend to another member.

It has been explained in a number of posts of points they missed. Shall I go over them again? Tyre wear, turning off voices, etc. etc.

No, thank you. The literacy rate amongst GTPlanet mods have risen dramatically recently thanks in part to UNESCO outreach programs. Wanna hear me recite the alphabet?


M

 

[Vaxxtx]

Then you've had a performance review. Maybe you've even written a few.

If someone at work makes a few mistakes, is he/she written up as an idiot at review time?

Ever make mistakes? Gotten less than a perfect score on a test?

My main point is that idiot overstates the magnitude of their error and makes any sort of reasonable subsequent analysis impossible.

An idiot doesn't make some good points and some bad ones. They are all bad points, because well, he is an... idiot. Nothing an idiot says has any value, except by sheer random chance. So when you call someone an idiot you are saying that nothing the person says or does has any merit.

And that's just not realistic. And it makes for an unproductive thread. My job is encourage productive, intelligent threads. That's why I don't let someone else call you an idiot because they don't like what you have to say.

The AUP doesn't protect people like the ISR guys from verbal abuse because they're not members here (that I'm aware of). But I think we can all benefit if we try to extend them the same basic courtesies we might extend to another member.



No, thank you. The literacy rate amongst GTPlanet mods have risen dramatically recently thanks in part to UNESCO outreach programs. Wanna hear me recite the alphabet?


M

If someone was giving a salesman a performance review, and asked why the accounting department is doing so bad....yes that person I would classify as an idiot. Idiot = a foolish or senseless person by definition. Thats what I saw when I watched that review and kept scratching my head listening to those guys.

Mistakes are one thing. Numerous mistakes will get you fired, if you are talking about work again. Get enough "Does not meet", or "Below Average" on a performance review, you will be looking for a new job.

Why you are trying to single me out is beyond me.

 

[boxox]

You must admit, they go after the Vaughn Gittin thing with such intensity and at such length that it's actually kind of funny. Like - it's not enough to spill it on the carpet, they take the heels of their shoes and grind it in there for a good couple of minutes.

 

[arvore]

The AUP doesn't protect people like the ISR guys from verbal abuse because they're not members here (that I'm aware of). But I think we can all benefit if we try to extend them the same basic courtesies we might extend to another member.

M

Sorry to contradict You M, but actually Darin is a member here:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/member.php?u=122894

So he is so deserving of AUP abidance in any reference to him as any of us.

 

[GumShoe]

You must admit, they go after the Vaughn Gittin thing with such intensity and at such length that it's actually kind of funny. Like - it's not enough to spill it on the carpet, they take the heels of their shoes and grind it in there for a good couple of minutes.

Don't forget the engine noises they complained about for quite a while. Too digital?, too much whine etc...

 

[boxox]

Yes, it's a major letdown that they didn't use analogue sounds like all those other games.

 

[tribolik]

I think it was the new guy that did most of the testing and if someone is to blame for the inacurate review it is him... arent those guys americans? they dont even know who is Vaughn Gittin...and they were a bit disrespectfull with him also IMO

Sorry to contradict You M, but actually Darin is a member here:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/member.php?u=122894

So he is so deserving of AUP abidance in any reference to him as any of us.

That is great to know - PM is in orther

 

[boxox]

Well, I turned his commentary off too (because I'm some kind of genius who can manage that). Funny thing was - when I got to the part with Mad Mike introducing you to his car - I went, "oh nice, a new zealander is talking, this guy might be mildly less annoying than vaughn or chris rado!" and that lasted for all of about the 0.3 seconds it took for him to crack open a slab of "fully sicks"

I don't know what was wrong with English Guy they had in the first game. Better yet - I would have liked it a lot more if they'd split up the commentary by event type and have everyone do voice record for the segment they introduce you to. At least Jamie Campbell Walter and Edward Sandstrom don't make me want to stick sewing needles in my ears. No idea why if they had time to cut video with all the other guys they didn't also do voiceovers...

 

[tribolik]

Well, I turned his commentary off too (because I'm some kind of genius who can manage that). Funny thing was - when I got to the part with Mad Mike introducing you to his car - I went, "oh nice, a new zealander is talking, this guy might be mildly less annoying than vaughn or chris rado!" and that lasted for all of about the 0.3 seconds it took for him to crack open a slab of "fully sicks"

I don't know what was wrong with English Guy they had in the first game. Better yet - I would have liked it a lot more if they'd split up the commentary by event type and have everyone do voice record for the segment they introduce you to. At least Jamie Campbell Walter and Edward Sandstrom don't make me want to stick sewing needles in my ears. No idea why if they had time to cut video with all the other guys they didn't also do voiceovers...

Just be glad that the NZ guy didnt get vaughn part in the game

 

[///M-Spec]

If someone was giving a salesman a performance review, and asked why the accounting department is doing so bad....yes that person I would classify as an idiot. Idiot = a foolish or senseless person by definition.

And as I said before, that is an overstatement ; an exaggeration; a statement in excess of what is reasonable... by definition.

Let me make it clear that I had issues with the ISR review too. They focused on some areas I felt were fairly trivial (UI problems, voice overs) and glossed over technical bits they --as hardcore sim guys-- should have spent the majority of their time on, such as physics.

And I have to doc them points for not featuring Jessica Lopez more in that review. Now that is a travesty.

But 'idiot' is way over the top. Ad Hominem attacks never substitutes for a well-reasoned out post. Not by a long shot. And let me make it clear it's the substitution that is the core problem.

Thats what I saw when I watched that review and kept scratching my head listening to those guys.

Mistakes are one thing. Numerous mistakes will get you fired, if you are talking about work again. Get enough "Does not meet", or "Below Average" on a performance review, you will be looking for a new job.

Correct.

But don't you think whoever is doing the reviewing has an obligation to carry out the task in a intelligent, articulate and professional manner?

Would even the worst employee you've ever encountered warrant a performance review summed up with: "Joe sucks at his job. He is an idiot."

In such a case, who does this reflect poorly upon? Joe or the reviewer?

Why you are trying to single me out is beyond me.

What makes you think you are being singled out? My original post in this thread doesn't name anyone in particular. And you replied to me, remember?

Let's cut to the chase: If I haven't changed your mind by now, I'm clearly not going to. And that's okay. I have far more pressing concerns, like how much beer is left in my minifridge and whether or not Miss Lopez is going to appear in future reviews wearing more revealing outfits.

But I am going to ask you to stop the Ad Hominem name calling. It's not good for the forum. And in light of arvore's post, that request becomes official.

Sorry to contradict You M, but actually Darin is a member here:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/member.php?u=122894

So he is so deserving of AUP abidance in any reference to him as any of us.

No need to apologize, for I don't mind being mistaken in this case.


I have something to add on the brake locking debate though.

99.9% of modern production cars produce enough braking force to lock up the tires on their stock brakes. If you disable ABS, any healthy braking system will flat spot the factory tires, easy.

You do not need to upgrade ANY parts. No tuning of the master cylinder is necessary. This happens bone stock on most any car.

If S2U does not model this correctly, then the ISR guys have a solid point.


M

 

[Starfirebird]

You must admit, they go after the Vaughn Gittin thing with such intensity and at such length that it's actually kind of funny. Like - it's not enough to spill it on the carpet, they take the heels of their shoes and grind it in there for a good couple of minutes.

I really enjoyed that part.

Without completely saying it,they were really saying that drifting shouldn't be in a racing game.Which i agree with 100% as drifting isn't racing.

 

[tribolik]

All the cars in the game lock the brakes but most stock cars only lock them at low speeds like IRL

Im beggining to think that they tested the game with the assists on because they couldnt find the save button

 

[arvore]

I have something to add on the brake locking debate though.

99.9% of modern production cars produce enough braking force to lock up the tires on their stock brakes. If you disable ABS, any healthy braking system will flat spot the factory tires, easy.

You do not need to upgrade ANY parts. No tuning of the master cylinder is necessary. This happens bone stock on most any car.

If S2U does not model this correctly, then the ISR guys have a solid point.


M

Yes I really think they do.
Let's take for example the Corvette Z06 in the modern B invitational @ Catalunya National.Only at the end of the finish line straight,breaking to a 2nd gear tight turn, one is able to, lightly ,have the wheels to lock if the breaks are absolutely slammed in a outbreak maneuver, otherwise one can slam the breaks in every single corner without any fear of having wheel lock, and let me remind You I use a little analog stick with almost no course and breaking dead zone set to zero!

All the cars in the game lock the brakes but most stock cars only lock them at low speeds like IRL

I'm sorry to yet having to disagree with You again, Charles, but just try the above mentioned combo and You'll see it happens the absolute opposite of what You're stating.