Need for Speed Shift

9/10

Need for Speed Shift Screenshots

Game Description

There are people who have been fans of the Need for Speed series for several generations now, with Carbon and Pro Street being my favorite titles in the series. Some people really have the time to master full simulation games and I like the arcade style game play that NFS has delivered.

The New NFS: Shift is a great addition to the series. There is enough reality to root the game in a familiar world, but plenty of extras to keep it visually interesting too. Fans of Forza Motorsport say the NFS series isn’t for serious gamers and we have to, there are serious gamers and gamers who just play for a bit of fun now and again. NFS: shift has loads of great cars, exciting visuals, Tons of points challenges, killer sound, and great interaction on Xbox Live.

Unlike many racing simulators, NFS doesn’t lock you into one style of driving. You get to choose whether you want to be a clean driver or one who likes to bump and grind through the corners. The driver rating system awards points for clean passes, and accurate cornering based on the perfect line, but it also awards points for aggressive driving (hey doesn’t the DMV do that too? heh-heh), and for shaking things up.

The variety of ways for points can make for some interesting racing in Xbox Live. It seems that bad behavior rewarded is bad behavior reinforced.You can have some great clean runs in Slave but you will also have your share of days that felt more like a demolition derby. One of the really cool parts about Xbox Live is that you compete for lifetime driver points and cash against really people (part of the reason why some people drive so aggressively) and you can see all of your friends times too so you know what to work for with your next session.