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SHIFT: First Gear

by baumaxx1

Basic info

Need for Speed SHIFT
Car: 2005 Mazda RX-8
Date added: Monday, 28. September 2009
Description: Yes, I have it... Yes, it runs perfectly for me... Yes, I am loving 100 layers per side. However, not everything is unlocked, it'll take a while to get to a final stage, the tuning system is a lot more "involving" too, so it might be a while till this is actually finished. I already need to fix it a bit XD The bodywork looks great though, with 4 unique kits for tier 1 cars. There are also a number of pre-set liveries which look impressive... just like you'd find on a real car.

So yeah, it's not a final, and it's not even my best idea.

The game needs an Nvidia (PhysX enabled) system with quite a good CPU. The graphics are stunning, but it seems to take a fair bit of grunt to run on full.

Tuning annoyances aside, the game play is very good. There's a variety of events, grip, time attack, drift (near impossible on a keyboard) and one on one style battles. You're also thrown into a variety of cars and situations in career mode, with cars provided for some races, adding to the mix of events. There are also series to make sure you maintain consistency. I haven't gone head to head with a rival yet though.

The handling is "realistic", although the cars tend to over steer a little too much. You can even get FWD cars into a slide quite easily and have a bit of fishtail action under power. Lamborghinis can also be very understeery under power, and I didn't expect that with a rear wheel bias. However, you do need to stick to racing lines, handling overall feels nicely weighted and "natural". Drift mode is tricky though... you need to feather the throttle and breaks, and if you acellerate too hard, you will spin. PC users... get a gamepad XD.

However, the sense of speed in the game is fantastic; undulations and bumps will unsettle your car making you want to back off a bit, stability decreases with speed, the in-cabin view is very good with shake at high speeds, and the car sounds are amazing. You really can forget it's a game at times.

The game also rewards you with points and stars which help you unlock items and progress through the game. Some stars can be won by completing certain objectives, as well as there being the usual 3 for podium finishes, giving each event a bit more longevity with reason to come back and perfect every corner. Badges are also awarded for different driving techniques, although they are more of a gimmick, being merely for bragging rights. The AI is also quite quick on hard, and it will keep you interested enough so that you keep playing and don't get bored, but beatable after a few goes for decent drivers.

I tried online mode too, and I like how it also contributes to your progression in the game with points and cash won by racing. It seems quite standard... very much like GRID's system, although with less player input into the events. It's also very playable on a 256kbps connection (512 is reccomended)... not a whole lot of glitching.

So... It looks like NFS is back!