Need for Speed shift is the latest racing game released by Electronic Arts and it is the 13th installment of the long running Need for Speed game series. From the high speed police car chase in Need for Speed hot pursuit, to the Fast and the Furious movie inspired Need for Speed Underground, Developers Slightly Mad studios in conjunction with EA Black Box has come along way in creating a different kind of Need for Speed series. Need for Speed Shift is a racing game which focuses on simulation racing gameplay rather than the arcade racing which was offered on previous titles in the series. 

Although the gameplay is a little similar to that of its 2007 predecessor, NFS Prostreet, Shift recreates the handling of the cars which gives them a more realistic feel on it. Like Prostreet, Shift doesn’t have a storyline. Instead, it focuses on championship races which are also offered on other games such as Grid and Forza Motorsports. Upon starting of the career mode, you will be given a test drive where you must do a lap of the track to decide the difficulty of the game and your car settings. The faster your lap time, the higher the difficulty becomes and also the how much driving assist there is on your car. Although it can be adjusted later on during the game, it just gives the excitement and the feel of what the game might offer. 

Earn points and stars in events to unlock new Tiers and more races

 

Need for Speed Shift is a fast paced racing game, but it also concentrates on the accuracy of the players driving skills. Not only that you need to drive fast to win races, but it demands your precision or aggressive driving to complete the race. Shift has a new points system included into the gameplay. Players will earn points according to the style of driving where for example, you will need to stay on the racing line throughout the race or obtain drafting points by staying close to an opponent’s rear to gain some speed. These points are then converted to unlock stars where it will be needed to unlock new races. In a way, it pays you for all your hard work. 

The cars in Need for Speed Shift are all beautifully rendered. It is highly detailed to every last bit especially for the in-car view. The in-car view gives you a first person view of the drivers in the game. This maybe, would be the closest driving experience that a gamer would get, if you dream of driving a racing car at high speeds. You can even see the driver changing gears, slamming the break pedals and see him being knock around if you crash your car after a misjudge corner. A high point of this game is that G-force plays an important role, as it will affect both the player and the AI. You might visually feel the G-force when driving at super high speed and suddenly crashing your car would result in the screen going temporarily blur. The player’s vision would be heavily affected while crashing and probably, gives the car driver a massive headache. 

Feel every G-Force while cockpit view mode when you take in corner or get in a crash

 

Who would have thought that driving a Bugatti Veyron would be so difficult? Yes, the controls in Need for Speed Shift are a little bit too sensitive. If you are a beginner, you would want to practice more in just keeping your car in a straight line. But once you get the hang of it, you would be taking every corner on the track like a pro. The drift races in the game are extremely difficult and it is nearly impossible to get a good drift out of any car in the game. This is due to the sensitive controls where you will need to accelerate gently out of a corner after every drift. Too hard on the gas would see your car spinning 360 degrees and would only burn more rubber. 

NFS Shift's sensitive, but challenging controls may be difficult to master

 

There are only about 60+ cars in the game where it is divided into 4 tiers. Obviously you would start of with tier 1 cars such as a Mazda RX8, but then as you earn cash by winning races and by unlocking it by earning stars, you would drive a tier 3 Lamborghini Murcielago in no time. Tier 4 offers cars such as the Bugatti Veyron, Lexus LF-A and the Pagani Zonda which is the super cars of today, are all available if you have enough cash to buy them. All except for the tier 4 cars are upgradeable with customization options that include cosmetics and performance modifications. The in depth customization enables the player to tune the car’s alignment, aerodynamics, tires, brakes, differential, and gears. Adding a body kit and the weight reduction option to the car would also affect aerodynamics. There are also visual customization options like rims, vinyl and paints which are also a cool feature to the series. 

NFS Shift features some of today's most luxurious and really cool looking cars

 

Unlike Grid, Shift does not have the rewind feature where you could rewind the game moments before a crash. This sometimes frustrates me because once you make a mistake, you would start all over again as car damage would affect the appearance and also the performance of the car. As for the gameplay, every car handles differently in this game. Car handling could be as realistic as possible as you would pay the price for braking late into a corner. The opponents are smart, they would do anything to keep you behind them and the crashes are spectacular to watch. The game could be a lengthy one as you will need to earn enough stars to unlock the NFS Live World Series, the final championship races in the game. There are total of 19 tracks in the game including some well known circuits such as Brands Hatch, Nurburgring Nordschleife, Road America, Spa, Silverstone, Willow Springs, Donington Park National and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. 

All in all, Need for Speed Shift is a decent racing game where it has the excitement and thrills every gamer wants. If you are a fan of the Need for Speed Series, you would definitely want this one. 

Rating 8.5/10