Review: Need for Speed: Shift for PS3

Need for Speed: Shift

Feel what it’s really like to race high-end performance cars as Need for Speed SHIFT thrusts you into the heart of the action for the true driver’s experience. Immersive and exciting features such as a stunningly realistic first-person cockpit view and an all-new crash mechanic deliver an unrivaled sensation of the speed and exhilaration of racing a car on the extreme edge of control. Plus, an ultra-realistic physics engine lets you feel every bump as you race around some of the world’s top tracks. Whether you’re battling online or playing through your career, build your unique driver profile from moment to moment and from race to race and get rewarded for driving the way you want to drive.

The newest Need for Speed title takes the franchise off the streets and onto the race tracks for more realistic racing, or at least that's what EA claims. Does it live up to it's words? Let's find out.

When playing Need for Speed Shift, I found myself surprised with how easy it actually was. Getting money in career mode isn't hard, so you can buy some pretty nice cars from the beginning. I starting out with a BMW 1-Series, but soon had a Camaro, Mustang, M3, and more very quickly. Unless you turn off all of the assists (which I would never do), you'll find yourself whipping through the profile mode.

Shift is supposed to be a very realistic racing simulator. I found it a lot more realistic than previous NFS titles, but nowhere near a Gran Turismo standard. Whenever you crash, you fuzz out and things go into black and white for a little, which mainly just annoys me most of the time. However, damage is pretty realistic, and running directly into a wall will affect your car's driving.

Aside from that, I did find vehicle selection to be good. The cars are all split up into groups depending on how fast they are, and you have to get your level up to unlock more cars. Some of my favorite cars available are the Lamborghini Reventon, McLaren F1, Chevy Camaro, and Shelby Mustang. Vehicle customization is good too. You can create your own paint jobs and decals for your cars, and also purchase body kits to make them faster and better looking.

The tracks in the game look amazing. Every part about them is realistic, and the overal graphis of the game are amazing too. There are oval tracks, drift courses, and road courses. For events there are sprint races, circuits, drifts, timed challenges, and more.

Overal, I feel Need for Speed Shift is an ok game. I still miss the old cops and robbers styled games and street races, but Shift is good for what it is. The only thing is that when you compare it to something like Gran Turismo, it's no competiton.

My Rating: 7/10

Would I reccomend this game? Only if you're a die-hard NFS fan.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Coming November 2010

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit players will experience the thrill of the chase and the rush of the escape as they play through full careers as both a cop and a racer – solo or connected. The blistering speeds, brutal busts and heart-stopping getaways are all connected via Need for Speed Autolog. This network not only connects friends for epic head-to head pursuits and races, but also enables players to compare performances and stats, thereby setting the stage for the ultimate in friendly competition.

• Career – For the first time in Need for Speed history, players will experience the gripping and heart-racing action of both cops and racers. Hot Pursuit seamlessly links a tremendously deep and fully-defined single player career with a groundbreaking multiplayer experience across all race modes. In the end, whether playing online with friends, taking on friends challenges or the single player career, players will earn bounty that levels them up and unlocks new cars, weapons and equipment.
• Need For Speed Autolog – In Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, your friends drive your gameplay experience. Need for Speed Autolog is a revolutionary system that connects friends directly to each other’s games, enabling them to compare and share all their experiences, pictures and challenges. Need for Speed Autolog instinctively delivers challenges based on what your friends have been doing, creating a hugely dynamic, socially competitive experience.
• Weapons and Equipment – Enhance the intensity of the pursuit using multiple weapons as the heat level increases during a pursuit. Whether taking down suspects with a variety of cop weapons or using evasion equipment as a racer to outsmart the cops, players will always have a method for gaining an edge over their opponent.
• Cars – In Hot Pursuit, the cars go from hot to hotter. Experience the thrill of driving the world’s most desirable high performance cars at incredible speeds. Feel the power of busting suspects in supercharged cop interceptors like the Lamborghini Reventon or outsmarting the law as a racer in high performance supercars like the Pagani Zonda Cinque.
• Seacrest County – Explore a world as diverse as the California coastline with desert, forest, seaside and mountainous regions. The open world of Seacrest County is designed to create the most intense pursuit experiences ever found in a racing game.