Need For Speed (NFS) Shift review...What's new in fresh game version?

Probably there is no such a person who has never played computer games. Computer games have existed from the very first days when the first computer was invented. The more computers has been developing the more interesting games appear. One of such games is Need for Speed, also known as NFS. The launch of the game was a real sensation and immediately won popularity. Since 1994 there have been 15 games released in the Need for Speed series. 

During those 14 years the developers of NFS have created 15 games including: The Need for Speed (1994), Need for Speed II (1997), Need for Speed: V-Rally (1997), Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (1998), Need For Speed: V-Rally 2 (1999), Need for Speed: High Stakes (1999), Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed (2000), Motor City Online (2001), Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002), Need for Speed: Underground (2003), Need for Speed: Underground 2 (2004), Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005), Need for Speed: Carbon (2006), Need for Speed: ProStreet (2007),  Need for Speed: Undercover (2008)

And this year the company came with a new version Need for Speed: Shift. In their announcements the developers promised to make it better and to eliminate all the bugs and errors. 

So, what’s new in Need for Speed Shift? What is a success or, on the contrary, a failure like other games released after 2003? The whole world was wrestled with those questions. And finally September 15 came… And… And WOW!!!! That was the general feedback. 

According to the developers on launch date - September 15 - the game clocked a critical average of 87 on the PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and 86 on Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system; a 28 point leap on the PlayStation 3 console and 22 point jump on Xbox 360 over last year’s game.


So, let’s see what have surprised the gamers of the whole world. 

First of all, it is the game itself. Starting from 2003 all the games released were well designed but very dull. It seemed that the developers forgot what made their creature a living legend and decided to stake on amazing cars, brilliant views, sweet girls and … boring races. Underground, Most Wanted, Pro Street… With release of each of those games the devoted fans of NFS were losing their hope to experience drive, adrenalin and a feeling of reality which they have with the previous releases of the game. Undercover, launched in 2008 was the greatest disappointment the NFS admirers had ever experienced… Something should have been done… 


The decision came with the change of a developer. Slightly Mad Studios, well-known developers and designers of 'GT Legends' and 'GTR 2' decided to make the game really mad. In collaboration with executive producer Michael Mann at Black Box and senior vice president Patrick Soderlund at EA Games Europe they refused quite definitely the dull tracks, and police pursuits and did their best to make the game as much simulation heavy as it was possible. They have added new cars, complicated tracks. The main idea of the developers was to make the player feel the game, feel like a reality. And... they succeeded!

Actually it is very hard to describe the game since everybody knows the proverb - words are but wind, but seeing is believing. However let’s see what makes the game so exiting.

The game features 72 fully-licensed cars, ranging from classic cars to modern sport cars. Cars in the game include BMW M3 GT2, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Mazda RX-8, Mitsubishi Lancer EVOLUTION, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Porsche Cayman S, Nissan 370Z (Z34), Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34), Dodge Challenger Concept, Ford Shelby GT500, Audi R8 4.2 FSI Quattro, Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, Ford GT, Porsche 911 GT2, Lamborghini Murciélago LP640, Pagani Zonda F, Aston Martin Racing DBR9, Maserati MC12 GT1.

As we can see Ferrari cars were still not included into the list. However here is one interesting fact. Before turning to NFS Shift the developers from Slightly Mad Studios were working over Ferrari Project though after the bankruptcy of 10tacle Studios AG the project was frozen. And project got a new life with NFS Shift which is based on that Ferrari project. 

A great number of visual cues deliver the true driver's experience. Having started a game every player immediately transfers to another world, the world of crazy races, high velocity and endless adrenalin. A three-dimensional HUD that mimics driver head movement, inertia and G-forces create an illusion of a reality where speed is the main thing. And the visual customization system allows players to personalize both the exterior and trick out the interior to reflect their individual style and preferences.

Need for Speed shift also features both fictitious tracks and real-life tracks such as Brands Hatch, Willow Springs and Laguna Seca. 

Having thought of the slightest nuances the developers created a true copy of a real race. The payer feels all the turns, crashes, damages… Having just stepped on a virtual accelerator one can feel the real emotions caused by the skillful work of the designers. And a sophisticated AI system brings even more reality to the experience. Its opponents react and perform based on the player's aggression and overall driving skill thus creating race experiences for all skill sets. 

Having changed the character of the game the new developers left some items unchanged. And one of such things is music. Amazing sound and energetic sound tracks bring more effect to the game. In total 24 soundtracks were included. 

Of course, not a single item is perfect. So, many people are disappointed with the length of the tracks. But anyway Need For Speed Shift have received public recognition and the highest scores. And nowadays it is the most discussed game on the forums. 

The price of this masterpiece is $46.99.

Turning to the technical aspects we should mention the system requirements:

• Supported OS: Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) / Windows 7 
• Processor – Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz or faster
• RAM 
• XP: 1 GB RAM
• Vista/Windows 7: 1.5 GB RAM
• Hard Drive space – 6 GB minimum
• DVD-ROM – 8x or faster DVD drive
• Video Card – 256 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 3.0
• Sound Card – DirectX 9.0c compatible
• DirectX – DirectX 9.0c compatible
• Online Multiplayer – 512 Kbps or faster; 2-12 Players
• Supported Video Cards 
• ATI Radeon X1800 XT 512MB or greater
• NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT 256MB or greater.

So, summarizing all the facts we can say that NFS Shift may be not the best game in Need For Speed Series. However, nobody doubts that it is most realistic and the most simulation heavy one. It is the first racing game that was built by racers for racers… And for those of you who expected arcade racing we can say: Don’t worry, Be happy… Need for Speed Nitro is coming!