Need for Speed: Shift

by Electronic Arts

• A combination player tier and achievements system that ensures that drivers are matched against those of similar experience on the track and that rewards for victories match the win.
• All-new 'Need for Speed' release that combines the true driver's experience with real-world physics, pixel-perfect car models, and a wide range of authentic racetracks.
• Developed by the world's best racing game talent and real race drivers, including: the team behind critically acclaimed 'GT Legends' and 'GTR2' games and VP of EA Games and race car driver Patrick Soderlund.
• A wealth of highly tunable cars available in an equally diverse range of events including: quick race, standard races, manufacturer races, time trial, online options and more.
• The all-new driver profile system that assigns a unique persona based on a player?s driving skill and style: aggressive or precise. This system also affects career progression, unlockables and online matchmaking.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001TORSHO
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 15, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,618 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #23 in Video Games > PlayStation 3 > Games > Racing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Amazon.com

Get ready to Shift your game into high gear! Designed to deliver a true driver's experience that reflects contemporary motorsports, Need for Speed: Shift is built by racers for racers. Need for Speed: Shift delivers an authentic and immersive driving experience, replicating the true feeling of racing high-end performance cars like never before. Players are thrust into the heart of the action with immersive and exciting features including a stunningly realistic first-person cockpit view camera and an all-new crash mechanic, providing an unrivaled sensation of the speed and feeling of racing a car on the extreme edge of control. A true high-end racing experience. View larger. Imagine the experience of being a race driver. The adrenaline rush of driving at breakneck speeds, the pressure of fierce competition, the fear of losing control, the intense concentration and athleticism needed to harness the power of speeding chrome and steel. This is the true driver’s experience of Need for Speed: Shift. Through the combination of perception-based G-forces, an ultra-realistic first-person cockpit view, an accurate, accessible physics-based model and the all-new, brutally disorienting crash dynamic, you'll be thrust into the driver’s seat amid the chaotic noise, intensity, and physical and emotional demands of the race. Imagine the emotions race drivers go through. The thrill of driving incredibly fast, the pressure of the competition, the fear of losing control, the intense concentration and effort needed to harness the power of a racing car. The all-new driver profile is the ultimate extension of the true driver’s experience. This system gives each player a unique persona based on a player’s driving skill and style - aggressive or precise. Driver profile impacts how a player unlocks cars, overall career progression and online matchmaking. In Need for Speed: Shift, how you drive is who you are behind the wheel. For Racers By Racers In Need for Speed: Shift, EA has brought together some of the world's best racing game talent and real race drivers. Developed in a unique collaboration between Slightly Mad Studios--developers and designers of the critically acclaimed GT Legends and GTR2 games--Michael Mann (executive producer at Black Box) and Patrick Soderlund, senior Vice President of EA Games and part of a racing team that recently competed in the fourth edition of the TOYO Tires 24H Dubai 2009, the result is an authentic driving experience unmatched on any game system.

Additional Screenshots:

Varied event types. View larger.

New driver profiles. View larger.

Extreme customization. View larger.

Multiplayer action. View larger.

Product Description

Imagine the experience of being a race driver. The adrenaline rush of driving at breakneck speeds, the pressure of fierce competition, the fear of losing control, the intense concentration and athleticism needed to harness the power of speeding chrome and steel. This is the True Driver’s Experience of Need for Speed ™ SHIFT. Through the combination of perception-based G-forces, an ultra-realistic first-person cockpit view, an accurate, accessible physics-based model and the all-new, brutally disorienting crash dynamic, you'll be thrust into the driver’s seat amid the chaotic noise, intensity, and physical and emotional demands of the race.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars People sure are hard to please! April 5, 2010

By Sixstring59

Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I can't for the life of me figure out why someone who (in general) likes driving games would not like this game!

Pros:

- The graphics are eye popping and run smoothly throughout on both my PS3s (80GB fat and a 120GB slim).
- The sound is top notch, especially on 5.1 (or better?) systems.
- Driving can be challenging or easy and is highly configurable to let you decide which is best for you.
- There are a ton of different cars to master that all drive differently (as it should be).
- You can upgrade each car with engine, suspension, braking and other technical improvements.
- You can customize the visual aspects of each car if you're into that kind of thing.
- You can be either a precision or aggression style of driver and you earn points for both along the way
- There are many different racing styles represented (standard, manufacturer events, drift for example)

Cons:

- At release, there were some bugs but they have been addressed now as far as I can tell.
- This game melds elements of arcade and simulation racing which may put off hard core fans these genres.

The Need for Speed series is a tale of two franchises really and that is why the widely differing reviews I think. If you are a fan of NFS: Hot Pursuit and other "cops and robbers" racing games, then you will likely not like this game because there isn't a cop in sight. You are racing on tracks and other closed courses and not in city streets with other civilian cars running around. If you need to see flashing red lights in your rear view mirror, or just have to run down a mother and her baby carriage then look elsewhere.

What this game is a pretty simple I think. It provides you with all the best elements of actually racing in environments designed for racing, plus the ability to tweak your ride to a reasonable level. This is where simulation meets arcade to me because while games like Gran Turismo allow you to tinker until your knuckles bleed, NFS: Shift dumbs all that down a bit so you can just concentrate on driving and having fun.

Bottom line is this; If you want an all out utterly realistic simulation, this ain't it. If you want chase epic scenes, running from the cops and driving crazy fast amongst the general population, this ain't it. But if you want to just have fun while driving nice cars on actual race courses with limited tweaking -- then this is the ticket. If you can accept what this game brings to bear, you will enjoy it.

24 of 31 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Some problems, but fun so far. September 23, 2009

By Bolts R' Us

Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

I purchased the game after going off the IGN review (9.0 out of 10). I would not rate it that high personally. The game takes getting used to. I admit to liking the NFSU games, but knew this one was different and closer to a GT racing sim than the earlier titles. Anyway, I think that the game performs well in some areas, not so in others. The load times are ridiculous. The same questions come up on each time you start the game. With the HD in place there should not be such long load times between races and saving. There is no menu option that I see to quit mid-race. Hopefully the cars will be more stable and easier to control at high speeds as you advance through the tiers. The BMW M3 on tier 2 is way too loose even after all upgrades. I probably need to do more tuning but it's hard to keep on the courses. I suppose this is to lend to the more realistic simulation but it's frustrating at times. Drift mode is an adventure; I've never been great at drift racing but the initial impression here is that it's almost prohibitive in it's difficulty. I haven't found the right balance of throttle and brake yet. It seems overly sensitive compared to the previous titles. While it shouldn't be totally easy, it takes a lot of getting used to and I find it annoying at times.

The courses are pretty awesome although many have already been done in the GT series. The graphics are very good. I have not noticed the high speed blurring as mentioned in other reviews, maybe because my car tops out at 150 or so. We'll see when we get into the high end cars if it is noticable.

I typically don't do the online racing because of the issues with rewarding aggressive/dirty tactics in all online play so I can't speak to that experience yet.

I think it is a disservice to gamers that EA did not make it compatible with the racing wheels out there. How does anybody make a driving sim that doesn't work with a wheel controller?

In spite of it's flaws (maybe they are my flaws, not the game?), I am enjoying the game so far. I am giving it a 7.5 after limited game play. Maybe when my skills improve I will look at it differently. Not a bad effort.

70 of 95 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Did not like this game September 16, 2009

By Ivan

Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3

Fun: 2.0 out of 5 stars   

Ok where should I begin? This game fancies itself as some kind of a perfect cross between a sim and an arcade racer, but the truth is that it totally fails to accomplish this goal. It seems that being stuck in the middle ground isn't doing this new NFS installment any favors and let me explain why. Individuals who like arcadish racing games will find this title a bit too difficult for their taste, since some sort of driving physics, albeit exaggerated and inaccurate, still exists and the car is not exactly easy to control. Hardcore sim fans will be thoroughly disappointed as this game is just really not much of a driving simulator at all; physics does not feel realistic, speed feels artificially exaggerated to" enhance the action experience", finally, besides top speed and acceleration, cars do not feel all that much different from one another. Overall, the physics of this game does not even come close in comparison to something like GT5 prologue.

If all this wasn't enough, there is the graphics, which really does not seem all that sharp, as it appears to have been tuned down to prevent frame rate issues. Furthermore, the gameplay was not very impressive at all, as it is an extremely linear progression, which does not allow much freedom whatsoever. Last, but certainly not least, there are compatibility problems with Logitech G25 steering wheel. The wheel feels off-center with a huge center deadzone (I tried playing with the options and didn't help) and finally the force feedback is all messed up - all this adding up to a pretty terrible driving experience with otherwise the best steering wheel on the market.

Overall, this game is stuck in a non-sim/non-arcade land, which really makes it hard to be appealing for fans of either genre. In certain ways it is similar to GRID, but does not have the same impressive graphics, innovative features and crash sequences and so in other words, it brings nothing new to the table. The final nail in the coffin is delivered through its sloppy integration with the Logitech G25 steering wheel, which turns a pretty crappy racing experience into a truly horrid one.