- 6,356
- Michigan
- DaveTheStalker
NFSDrew has indicated the team is working on the reported bugs. Once that is in check, [hopefully] they will work on adding some features that will turn this into a true 5 out of 5 MUST BUY.
Should I buy Shift???
- Thread starter Irons
- 52 comments
- 6,247 views
Shift sure is a great game.. it gives me the NFS aroma of the old days. My favourites are NFS4: High Stakes(PS1), NFS
orsche Unleashed(PC), NFS:Hot Pursuit 2(PS2). And Shift tops all of them only because it is really fun and diverse.
I can't believe that for the past years we endured such horrible NFS games. The physics were what made them horrible. The latest games have sold really bad although I remember the creators were looking so proud of it in the interviews. It made me think americans will go on proudly advertising any crap game they made just so it can get good sales. Now that's hypocricy at its best. And it's not just that NFS "Black Box". Look at the Forza 3 creators, they are showing off really hard, makes me think about the business deal once again.
orsche Unleashed(PC), NFS:Hot Pursuit 2(PS2). And Shift tops all of them only because it is really fun and diverse. I can't believe that for the past years we endured such horrible NFS games. The physics were what made them horrible. The latest games have sold really bad although I remember the creators were looking so proud of it in the interviews. It made me think americans will go on proudly advertising any crap game they made just so it can get good sales. Now that's hypocricy at its best. And it's not just that NFS "Black Box". Look at the Forza 3 creators, they are showing off really hard, makes me think about the business deal once again.
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- 627
- Lomma
- GTP_M00ndancer
CodeRedR51
Premium
- 55,283
- United States
Finally got a copy to rent last night, after trying to get one since it came out.
My view: Rent it first, then buy if you like it.
My first few hours with the game, I was disappointed to say the least. But, I stuck with it, got some tuning done on my RX-8, learned that I needed to take it really slow and be very gentle with the controls, and now it's growing on me. The sounds, the feel. It's pretty good I must say.
Some things I am disappointed in:
- What's with all of the NFS style billboards and crap all over the tracks? Get rid of them...
- Found lots of bugs, including one that glitched my car into not having any sound. I have faith that they will fix all of them.
- The livery editor is pretty basic, and having to get to level 20+ to unlock vinyls is pretty lame.
- Screw the AI for hitting the brakes in the middle of a corner. The AI in GT does this too and it drives me nuts.
- Why can't I get rid of the music in the replays?
Overall, I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for now.
My view: Rent it first, then buy if you like it.
My first few hours with the game, I was disappointed to say the least. But, I stuck with it, got some tuning done on my RX-8, learned that I needed to take it really slow and be very gentle with the controls, and now it's growing on me. The sounds, the feel. It's pretty good I must say.
Some things I am disappointed in:
- What's with all of the NFS style billboards and crap all over the tracks? Get rid of them...
- Found lots of bugs, including one that glitched my car into not having any sound. I have faith that they will fix all of them.
- The livery editor is pretty basic, and having to get to level 20+ to unlock vinyls is pretty lame.
- Screw the AI for hitting the brakes in the middle of a corner. The AI in GT does this too and it drives me nuts.
- Why can't I get rid of the music in the replays?
Overall, I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for now.
- 6,061
- Simcoeace
Ok here's my (updated) opinion of Shift. I'm now at level 50 & have spent probably 30 - 40 hours playing.
Graphics
Excellent. The cockpit view in Shift is superb. I really like the camera movement & even the high-speed blur (while perhaps not really necessary) works very well IMO. The graphics in-game are as good as I could hope for, better for pure immersion than GT5P's. The replays are disappointing however, not even close to Prologue's.
Sound
Superb. The best engine & sound effects I have ever heard in a game by a wide margin. The immersion factor of graphics & sound is outstanding.
Physics
OK. Here we've got a little problem. Shift is not intended to be a full-on sim. I have a strong suspicion that the underlying engine is much more sim, but the final build of the game appears to have been deliberately dumbed down. The degree of sim varies from car to car - some seem to have more complex handling characteristics than others, but all have an extra degree of grip that comes into play when the car is at it's limits.
This does not mean that the game is not demanding to play - there is considerably depth to the physics, but in the final analysis the edge has been taken off, leaving it a simcade game leaning more towards sim than arcade. It's worth noting that the braking physics are actually more demanding than GT5P's - it takes some time to adjust braking pressure to find the right level to properly control the cars.
FFB
This game really comes alive with a wheel. Somewhat like FC/SCC, you can feel the weight-transfer through the FFB & the tires losing & regaining grip. The FFB is a little lighter than I would like, but certainly more descriptive than GT5P's. I am disappointed, however, that the wheel FFB does not fully react to the car's pitching & bucking over bumps (the way that it does in F1CE). This effect would be amazing in Shift & would make the driving experience even more convincingly physical & immersive than it already is.
AI
The AI is at the other end of the spectrum from GT's. It is (for the most part) fast, aggressive & unpredictable. The AI cars frequently run off the track, collide with each other (& you!
) & occasionally roll-over. This can become rather annoying in the intense, short races demanded by the career mode. Longer races, once the cars have spaced out a little, are more reasonable & it is possible to have decent races with the AI, with far more "interaction" than has ever been apparent in a GT game.
Offline Gameplay
The whole Career mode is a bit of a pain, IMO. I have avoided racing much in Career mode, doing the minimum to unlock cars in order to be able to use them in Quick Race mode, where it is possible to set the track, opponent cars & race length as you wish. I guess some people will enjoy the "challenge" of the "smash & grab" style racing in the Career mode.
Online Gameplay
Online functionality is pretty good in Shift, giving you the option to create your own private lobby (with blue-tooth headset communication). However, outside creating your own lobby, you are not able to choose where you end up or who you're paired with. The visuals online are excellent, with little or no lag (although I don't believe I have yet been in a race with more than 6 cars).
Overall, I have gone back & forth about Shift. However, my experiences today, where, for the first time, I was racing with a group of fast, competent online friends have shown me that the potential for good, close online racing is there. While the physics are not truly "sim" in character, they are quite deep & reward experience & skill (I had my butt kicked consistently by my old FC nemesis PiotrB ), & the other aspects of the game: fantastically immersive graphics & sound, go a long way towards compensating for the somewhat-less-than-full-sim aspects of the game.
I would point out, that as with any other racing game, it's necessary to spend enough time to reach a decent level of competency in order to truly judge the game. Personally, I believe that the way to do this is to run solo around the tracks in each car until you reach the point where you are running pretty consistent laps at the limit & really understanding the performance characteristics of that particular car on that particular track. Running through the Career mode, where you are constantly changing cars & tracks, is not a good way to judge the consistency of the physics.
Finally, although many people have complained of numerous glitches, I haven't encountered any serious ones, probably because I have not bothered to add upgrades to my cars, which is where most of them seem to arise. The one consistently weird thing is that long right hand corner at Road America where ... time ... seems ... to ... stand ... still ...
I'm giving Shift an 8.5/10.
Graphics
Excellent. The cockpit view in Shift is superb. I really like the camera movement & even the high-speed blur (while perhaps not really necessary) works very well IMO. The graphics in-game are as good as I could hope for, better for pure immersion than GT5P's. The replays are disappointing however, not even close to Prologue's.
Sound
Superb. The best engine & sound effects I have ever heard in a game by a wide margin. The immersion factor of graphics & sound is outstanding.
Physics
OK. Here we've got a little problem. Shift is not intended to be a full-on sim. I have a strong suspicion that the underlying engine is much more sim, but the final build of the game appears to have been deliberately dumbed down. The degree of sim varies from car to car - some seem to have more complex handling characteristics than others, but all have an extra degree of grip that comes into play when the car is at it's limits.
This does not mean that the game is not demanding to play - there is considerably depth to the physics, but in the final analysis the edge has been taken off, leaving it a simcade game leaning more towards sim than arcade. It's worth noting that the braking physics are actually more demanding than GT5P's - it takes some time to adjust braking pressure to find the right level to properly control the cars.
FFB
This game really comes alive with a wheel. Somewhat like FC/SCC, you can feel the weight-transfer through the FFB & the tires losing & regaining grip. The FFB is a little lighter than I would like, but certainly more descriptive than GT5P's. I am disappointed, however, that the wheel FFB does not fully react to the car's pitching & bucking over bumps (the way that it does in F1CE). This effect would be amazing in Shift & would make the driving experience even more convincingly physical & immersive than it already is.
AI
The AI is at the other end of the spectrum from GT's. It is (for the most part) fast, aggressive & unpredictable. The AI cars frequently run off the track, collide with each other (& you!
) & occasionally roll-over. This can become rather annoying in the intense, short races demanded by the career mode. Longer races, once the cars have spaced out a little, are more reasonable & it is possible to have decent races with the AI, with far more "interaction" than has ever been apparent in a GT game.Offline Gameplay
The whole Career mode is a bit of a pain, IMO. I have avoided racing much in Career mode, doing the minimum to unlock cars in order to be able to use them in Quick Race mode, where it is possible to set the track, opponent cars & race length as you wish. I guess some people will enjoy the "challenge" of the "smash & grab" style racing in the Career mode.
Online Gameplay
Online functionality is pretty good in Shift, giving you the option to create your own private lobby (with blue-tooth headset communication). However, outside creating your own lobby, you are not able to choose where you end up or who you're paired with. The visuals online are excellent, with little or no lag (although I don't believe I have yet been in a race with more than 6 cars).
Overall, I have gone back & forth about Shift. However, my experiences today, where, for the first time, I was racing with a group of fast, competent online friends have shown me that the potential for good, close online racing is there. While the physics are not truly "sim" in character, they are quite deep & reward experience & skill (I had my butt kicked consistently by my old FC nemesis PiotrB
), & the other aspects of the game: fantastically immersive graphics & sound, go a long way towards compensating for the somewhat-less-than-full-sim aspects of the game. I would point out, that as with any other racing game, it's necessary to spend enough time to reach a decent level of competency in order to truly judge the game. Personally, I believe that the way to do this is to run solo around the tracks in each car until you reach the point where you are running pretty consistent laps at the limit & really understanding the performance characteristics of that particular car on that particular track. Running through the Career mode, where you are constantly changing cars & tracks, is not a good way to judge the consistency of the physics.
Finally, although many people have complained of numerous glitches, I haven't encountered any serious ones, probably because I have not bothered to add upgrades to my cars, which is where most of them seem to arise. The one consistently weird thing is that long right hand corner at Road America where ... time ... seems ... to ... stand ... still ...
I'm giving Shift an 8.5/10.
CodeRedR51
Premium
- 55,283
- United States
One other thing I can to realize that I hate so far...
Loading times. WAY too long. Why must a game that downloads to a HDD take so long to load?
I will be purchasing this game, but I'm going to wait until I get my PC up to snuff and purchase it for that. This game could turn out to be epic with the modding community.
Loading times. WAY too long. Why must a game that downloads to a HDD take so long to load?
I will be purchasing this game, but I'm going to wait until I get my PC up to snuff and purchase it for that. This game could turn out to be epic with the modding community.
- 2,958
- Geneva
- Kimky
- Kimky
If you're a sim fan, dont buy Shift, if you like arcade racing, burnout, demolition derby or arcade racing title, this is for you, the game looks great and sound nice, but the physics are ****** at least on pad.
My advice : Rent it.
I bought mine and sold it back 1 week after (cant rent game in my country).
My advice : Rent it.
I bought mine and sold it back 1 week after (cant rent game in my country).
CodeRedR51
Premium
- 55,283
- United States
That made no sense. And Shift is not arcade and if you compare to previous NFS games where you could turn in a corner at any speed practically and burnout serries this is not arcade at all, it's a sim.
While I agree with that, it still has some arcady touches that shouldn't have been included. (like all of the extra billboards that were completely unnecessary)
- 2,047
- New Zealand
- TIZZLAA
I just played the demo and i was very impressed.
The physics unfortunately have that "floaty" feel but they are miles better than Grid.
It is still a challenge controlling the throttle and keeping the car on line i might just buy this game
Visuals and sounds are very impressive
The physics unfortunately have that "floaty" feel but they are miles better than Grid.
It is still a challenge controlling the throttle and keeping the car on line i might just buy this game
Visuals and sounds are very impressive
Irons
(Banned)
- 745
- 'Merica
- GTP_Irons / ThrasherDBS
- You're Funny
Well I've reached a decision...
I will wait until the price drops to buy it or until I can find it at the rental store to play it and then buy it if I like it.
Mods, keep this thread up for everyone else who is asking the same question I have.
I will wait until the price drops to buy it or until I can find it at the rental store to play it and then buy it if I like it.
Mods, keep this thread up for everyone else who is asking the same question I have.
- 676
- GTP_TrievelA7X
I'm a little confused how so many "fellow gran turismo fans" are giving it positive reviews.
Yes, I bought it, yes, I play it, but why do I play it?
Because I love cars, it has many cars GT5P doesn't have that I like and or love, and actually has some tracks I really like, whereas GT5P has the almighty 6, 2 of which I detest, 3 are just ok, and Daytona road sucks for hot lapping.
Oh yeah, did I mention, despite the long list of things I could gripe about NFS SHIFT's online play, mostly being races freezing before they start, etc, this game has shown me how truly pathetic GT5P's online play functionality really is.
- 1,333
- PA
- FredzyN2
I was thinking of getting it, but here's my verdict. I've played the PS3 demo with DFGT, the full game on xbox with a controller and I won't get it unfortunately.
+'s: It looks pretty nice, has some unique tracks and the engine sounds are invigorating. Driving physics are a stab at realistic if you turn assists off, etc.
-'s: The engine sounds don't have anything to do with the car they're coming from, physics and vehicle dynamics can be really messy and subsequently frustrating and the AI is modeled after a bunch of hormone-pumped teenage drivers. Plus the game has stomache turning presentation to it... I guess I've grown to love the clean, sterile style of Gran Turismo.
So I won't get it.. if anything for the fact that the AI seriously drives me nuts. I could probably find some good online races but I'm just not digging it overall.
+'s: It looks pretty nice, has some unique tracks and the engine sounds are invigorating. Driving physics are a stab at realistic if you turn assists off, etc.
-'s: The engine sounds don't have anything to do with the car they're coming from, physics and vehicle dynamics can be really messy and subsequently frustrating and the AI is modeled after a bunch of hormone-pumped teenage drivers. Plus the game has stomache turning presentation to it... I guess I've grown to love the clean, sterile style of Gran Turismo.
So I won't get it.. if anything for the fact that the AI seriously drives me nuts. I could probably find some good online races but I'm just not digging it overall.
- 1,381
- adddictions & GTP_adddictions
- addictionGTP@googlemail.com
hope a few of these videos help you decide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJLYMzV0Pk4&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJLYMzV0Pk4&feature=channel
- 2,744
- England
- RacerPaul65
after replying to the poll and replying here, i thought i'd pop Shift in the PS3 and try it for the
first time in a while
yeah, lots of fun if you set it up right and treat the ai as if they're fine porcelane in the turns 👍
if you just punt through them, you'll get false results
first time in a while
yeah, lots of fun if you set it up right and treat the ai as if they're fine porcelane in the turns 👍
if you just punt through them, you'll get false results
- 954
- Melbourne, FL
- GTX_NQX
As a former EA Quality Tester (NCAA2004, Madden2004, and NASCAR Thunder 2004) I am quite appalled at the bugs that were shipped in the EA title. EA has always had a good reputation for a quality game, in terms of bugs and glitches, but Shift is a definate fail in that matter.
Graphics issues, random freezes, random time code glitches (I went into a QR Time Trial the other day, and the session time was 20 hours!), as well as the poorly implemented tuning and grip physics that aren't quite there would normally turn me off to this attempt to bring the NFS series from an arcade racing game to a simulator.
But, I did buy it, and it has relatively high fun factor, fairly nice graphics (other than the bugs) as well as quite a few cars that you won't see in the GT franchise.
I'd buy it again.
Graphics issues, random freezes, random time code glitches (I went into a QR Time Trial the other day, and the session time was 20 hours!), as well as the poorly implemented tuning and grip physics that aren't quite there would normally turn me off to this attempt to bring the NFS series from an arcade racing game to a simulator.
But, I did buy it, and it has relatively high fun factor, fairly nice graphics (other than the bugs) as well as quite a few cars that you won't see in the GT franchise.
I'd buy it again.
- 151
The reasons to buy shift are:
The tracks:
Autopolis Japan, Brands Hatch, Laguna Seca, Road America, Silverstone, Willow Springs, Spa, Nordschleife, plus fantasy tracks.
The cars with the BEST cockpits in any racing game ever:
Aston Martin, Audi, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Pagani, Porsche, plus many other.
Now if you want a true representation of what NFS: shift is like check out this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDyOimwLmAM
The tracks:
Autopolis Japan, Brands Hatch, Laguna Seca, Road America, Silverstone, Willow Springs, Spa, Nordschleife, plus fantasy tracks.
The cars with the BEST cockpits in any racing game ever:
Aston Martin, Audi, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Pagani, Porsche, plus many other.
Now if you want a true representation of what NFS: shift is like check out this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDyOimwLmAM
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Pakt Sardine
Premium
- 548
- Minnesota, U.S.
- Pakt_Sardine
- Pakt Sardine
After many months of battling this question with myself, I have come to a conclusion. After owning it at one point, pawning it, caught myself thinking about it and renting/borrowing it a dozen of times, all it took was a lonely afternoon, my DFGT, and the demo for it to come to this:
I am really bad at driving games on a pad, so I have to use a wheel. It got to a point where (specifically after tier 2) the cars were undrivable for me. So a couple of afternoons ago, I turned on my shift demo and decided to, point-by-point adjust the control settings for the wheel (I'm sure it's the same for the pad) until I was able to play the game like a simulator. Keep in mind, shift is NOT a simulator, nor does the game advertise itself being one. They say it's "driver's experience", meaning it visually simulates g-forces, high-speed tunnel-vision, etc. Although, if you adjust it accordingly, you can drive it like a simulator and get much enjoyment from doing so (at least I FINALLY did). You're either going to love it or hate it, but if you find your control niche, you can have a lot of fun with it while driving a lot of great cars that not a lot of games have (GT3 RS, anyone?).
I am really bad at driving games on a pad, so I have to use a wheel. It got to a point where (specifically after tier 2) the cars were undrivable for me. So a couple of afternoons ago, I turned on my shift demo and decided to, point-by-point adjust the control settings for the wheel (I'm sure it's the same for the pad) until I was able to play the game like a simulator. Keep in mind, shift is NOT a simulator, nor does the game advertise itself being one. They say it's "driver's experience", meaning it visually simulates g-forces, high-speed tunnel-vision, etc. Although, if you adjust it accordingly, you can drive it like a simulator and get much enjoyment from doing so (at least I FINALLY did). You're either going to love it or hate it, but if you find your control niche, you can have a lot of fun with it while driving a lot of great cars that not a lot of games have (GT3 RS, anyone?).
- 151
Tru dat!
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