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Need for Speed: Shift
Customer image from Shadowseeker

by Electronic Arts
Everyone
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (122 customer reviews)

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Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

 
   


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  • Shift 2 - Unleashed

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Product Features

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
  • 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 (122 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,983 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

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Product Description

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Amazon.com Product Description

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.

'Need for Speed: Shift' game logo
True high-end racing experience in 'Need for Speed: Shift'
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 in 'Need for Speed: Shift'
Varied event types.
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Unique persona based driver profile system in 'Need for Speed: Shift'
New driver profiles.
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Extreme customization in 'Need for Speed: Shift'
Extreme customization.
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Multiplayer action in 'Need for Speed: Shift'
Multiplayer action.
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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.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3
Fun:   
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.
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24 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Some problems, but fun so far. September 23, 2009
Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3
Fun:   
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.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Intense, but frustrating October 10, 2009
By Unruhe
Platform for Display:PLAYSTATION 3
Fun:   
I'll start by admitting I have a temper and little patience for frustration. I tend to get upset, turn a game off, then move on. It takes something special to make me do more than swear at a game before angrily pressing the power button. That said, I actually rage-smashed a Driving Force Pro over this game.

First, the good things: A lot of people are complaining at the blend of arcade and sim. This game is much closer to sim than people are giving it credit for. Just because you don't have to fight the car to keep it on the track (real cars aren't that insanely difficult to drive) doesn't immediately disqualify the game as a sim. The presentation is amazing. Cornering at racing speeds should feel intense and dangerous, and NFSShift conveys this excellently. It may seem artificial and a little too over the top at times, but the sensation of speed is completely unequaled. I literally cannot play GT5P or be excited for Forza 3 (based on its demo) any more because of NFS Shift. That feeling of "barely-in-control" flying down a course just isn't present at all in those other games. If rated on presentation and immersion alone, I'd give NFS Shift a 6/5 if I could. The Forza demo feels like pushing toy cars around a toy track compared to this.

The real problem is the AI. Like many racing games, Shift suffers from crap AI. To its credit, it doesn't crutch on the "rubber-band" mechanic nearly as much as other racers do, but the blatant "unfairness" of the game is maddening at times. The AI is given emotions, it reacts to you as well as the other AI, and sometimes the effect is pretty stunning. As racers jostle with each other, the whole pack gets a little more aggressive, trying to cut other drivers off or even force them off the track. If you tailgate an opponent it wears on them, causing them to take turns faster and faster and risk wiping out in the process. Really well done. But for all of the "human" qualities they gave the AI, it seems the developers also just let the AI cheat to compensate for these quirks or fallacies.

Simply, no matter what you are driving, or what the AI is driving, the "main competitors" (usually the two best AI drivers/cars) will be faster than you. They'll corner better than you. They'll accelerate faster than you. They'll recover from race-losing errors (such as flying off track and head-first into a wall) and still do better than you. It isn't too terrible or noticeable in most of the "normal" races because you generally aren't required to place 1st all the time in order to advance and doing really, really well can still net you that number 1 position, and most events and series only require a podium finish. The problem is a large segment of the game (including its "boss fights" at the end of each tier) is dedicated to 1v1, win or lose, do or die "car battles". A lot of these will force you to choose between one of two pre-configured vehicles. No matter which you choose, you have to fight for your life to stay ahead of the AI. Even worse are the boss fights, where you *are* allowed to bring in your preferred, fully tuned car, and watch it get blown entirely the heck away by whatever the AI is driving. It doesn't matter if every bit of math and tuning is on your side, the AI *will* beat you off the line. It *will* beat you in straightaways. It *will* pull corners faster than you can. Your only real hope is to get lucky and be able to lurch into a leading position either through some risky, "too-fast" turns, knock it off track by slamming into him instead of braking for a corner, or just barely pull ahead and then try your best to box the AI out until the race ends.

It's supposed to be challenging, but all it is is frustrating. Fun isn't even on the same map as these races. I'm all for a game being difficult if it is still fun, if there's some semblance of fairness, but knowing your vehicle and tuning mean so little in so much of the game, and it really only comes down to luck, is a significant disappointment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
NFS Shift
The game has great graphical detail, has a lot of cars to choose and can be customized (but is kinda limited compared to other need for speed games), The gameplay is unique to this... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Raiden
More N4S
If you like N4S games, then you'll like this. In my opinion, better suited for kids. It's not an accurate simulator, but it doesn't advertise to be either. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Marce
Shouldn't be called NFS (Casual Gamer Review)
This game has a lot going for it, tons of cars and upgrades, a DIFFERENT (that's how I call it) physics engine. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Efrain Astorga
Bad disc
I know this is a good game, but unfortunate the disc that I buy was bad. When I try to install the game data the progress bar stop at 30% and the process never ended. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Andvill
Quite possibly the best racing game ever
I hadn't played a racing game this fun since Need for Speed 3 on PC in like 1995 or whatever. Get it.
Published 6 months ago by Erik Gregg
Worst NFS game ever
This must be one of the worst NFS games I played. What happened to car upgrades and being chased by the cops and street racing. This is nothing but track racing. Not recommended
Published 6 months ago by davbell22602
JJ
I did not like the game the way it has setup to play.... It should be more user friendly and easy to explore the CD before one can start actual paying the game of speed. Read more
Published 8 months ago
Great to play, good simulator
the graphics are better than Gran turismo 5, it has more effects and details.
it's more exciting to play than GT5. I play it with my Logitech driving force gt. It's very real.
Published 9 months ago by Elkin Gonzalez V.
Great Game for a Great Price
Good amount of cars. All cars have cockpit views and detail has been put into the cars. Good graphics and gameplay
Published 9 months ago by bobby
A Decent Game, Just not For ME
This game has a lot going for it, good graphics, excellent sound both music and effects, pretty decent controls but the problem is I've never been and never will be a huge fan of... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mark McLaughlin
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Split screen? 4 Jun 6, 2010
Driving force GT Wheel? 6 Apr 30, 2010
Language 0 Jan 11, 2010
1080p? 4 Sep 26, 2009
Whether it's sim or not , this game looks fun 2 Sep 25, 2009
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