Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Rating Guide: How I Review Games

Review:

I have to admit that I was very skeptical when EA announced the new direction they were going with the Need for Speed franchise.  I thought to myself that Slightly Mad Studios had to be slightly mad to even attempt it.  After years of being an arcade racer I wasn’t sure how this franchise would translate moving over to the simulation style of racing.  How cool would my need for speed be if I can’t just run straight into that rail and keep going right?

I decided to play on anyway because I’ve been a fan of the series for years and it looked like it just might be okay.  Allow me to say that it was indeed okay…and in fact it was pretty damn good.  I “shifted” with Need for Speed Shift and that shifting was a surprisingly cool experience.

Gameplay, Graphics and Sound

NFS Shift is pretty straight forward when it comes to the variety it offers racing fans.  Events are split into four tiers with racers eyeing the grand daddy of the prize; to compete in the NFS World Tour.  Each tier has a series of events that you earn points towards your overall rank.  There’s Race, Time Trial, Head to Head, Endurance, Eliminator and Drift.  Each has a number of stars and cash to win.  Your place on the podium determines your stars so make sure you achieve all the goals set out before you.  Or at least attempt to achieve as many as you can.

If you’ve played Project Gotham Racing, you’ll be used to the way points are earned.  Points are divided up as Precision and Aggression.  (yay for rewarding the old NFS style of aggression)  Precision points are awarded for sticking to the racing line, drafting behind other drivers and taking corners well, while Aggression points are dished out for ramming opponents and forcing them off the road while you remain on the tarmac.

One of the cool things about being introduced to Shift is the way they determine your skill level.  When you start the game, you’ll go on a test run and will receive a suggested skillset depending on how you do.  The handling in the game is particularly impressive.  I’m not sure what to say beyond that…the cars all handle really well.  They look just as good too.  So you’re able to do everything there is to do without looking bad at all.  I recommend you drive only in the awesome sauce that is the cockpit view.  It’s magical.  Especially when you have a surround sound system bumping the awesome soundtrack.

I crashed more in the cockpit view because I’m not used to it but when I crashed it was glorious.  The sense of speed at times is madness and the head movement as you accelerate and brake puts you in the game like never before.  Who needs real racing?  While in cockipit view you don’t get to see some of the things that fell short in terms of visual display.  The trackside detail and the city tracks look pretty basic.  And the damage on the cars is a little disappointing.

I know what you’re asking at this point.  Is there customization?  Yes, there are plenty of options to make your car your own.  You can change everything about your car from rims to tuning so don’t fret.  Body kits and the like are included.

Xbox LIVE Extras

Online consists of up to eight players.  Performance online was nearly perfect.  I couldn’t believe it myself.  The best part about it is that your points carry over online.  It wasn’t magical like that of the single player experience but you can’t win them all.

If you want to check up on your buddy’s best times, you can do that as the fastest tracks and other details of your friends is displayed.

Conclusion

Need for Speed Shift brought a completely new experience to the franchise.  It looked really good, it played really good…hell it was just really good.  There are some things that it falls short on but I can forgive that due to the fact that it’s the first shot in this new path.  Does it stack up well against the other simulation hitters on the track out there?  Yes, it manages to hold its own weight in a crowded field of sim racers like Forza Motorsport 3.

You should never judge a book by its cover is the lesson I had to learn.  Slightly Mad Studios weren’t slightly mad when making the shift to this style of racer after all.