Shift 2: Unleashed Review
Shift 2: Unleashed Review
By Marksman 79
For some time now the steady flow of small details and screenshots of the latest Need for Speed title has had me excited. The now named Shift 2 Unleashed has promised some fantastic features for us racing fans. Is the sequel to an average first outing going to stand in proud place on the podium or end up skidding into the guard rail?
Plot
As per most recent racing titles, you are the latest sure fire bet in becoming the world’s greatest racing driver. Singled out by the world’s number one drifter, Vaughn Gittin Jr., you have been given the opportunity to prove yourself.
Starting off and before any menu screens, you are placed in the driving seat of the rather tidy BMW M3 to show your talents. This will allow the game to establish the skill level of your driving and will set the difficulty and assists based on your performance. This is not concrete however, and you are given the opportunity to amend any settings you wish, so this is more of a recommendation. You will also receive a small bundle of cash in order to purchase your first car.
Once this is completed, the game opens up to show you how the task of becoming the ultimate driver is achievable. This is a standard structure, with events being offered to you based on your driver level and cars in your possession.
There are literally hundreds of events for you to compete in. Simple races, time trials, endurance, eliminator, and drift challenges show you that this career will be deep and varied. You start as rank ‘D’ and will progress to Rank ‘A’ as you progress.
If you manage to achieve this goal, you will then be given the opportunity to take part in the FIA GT3 series, and ultimately GT1. This is going to take some time!
Cars
Need for speed games as a rule focus on a small selection of cars, with levels of performance ranging from small hatchbacks to supercars, with little in between. Shift 2 however sees the highest number and greatest selection of choice yet. With 145 cars (DLC adding around 30 more) from 37 different manufacturers the only real problem is what to choose. I started off with the Renault Megane Coupe, as it was a steady car for the off, but with most games I kept wishing that I had chosen a different one. This not due to the car being poor, but the selection is so great, you will want to try them all.
Not being content with the huge amount of choice already on offer, the developers decided to include the popular modification model from previous Need for Speed titles. Performance upgrades for the cars can be purchased such as better turbos, brakes, suspension etc. You also have the choice of various cosmetic upgrades. Body kits, alloy wheels and graphics can be added to customise the look of the racing machine you build. Once you have tuned and upgraded your vehicle to a certain level, you are given the choice, money permitting, to put a full race conversion onto the car, maximising all the its attributes. This is essential for having a chance to win some of the later races.
Tracks
In tandem with the substantial car list, the tracks in Shift 2 are as varied as you could expect. With 36 tracks on offer with a total of 93 layouts the variation again is staggering. Not only is the number high but the quality of choice is also on a par with the best out there. The usual favourites are included such as Suzuka and Brans Hatch, but not being happy with the standard tracks used in most games, Slightly Mad Studios have included some of the best in the world. Bathurst, although re-named is there! This track is my favourite from all racing games I have played since TOCA and is as good as I remember making me a happy man. You will be pleased to hear that the Nurburg Ring is also included.
All the tracks have at least one variation on the time of day you race on them. The way this lighting looks and affects the racing is fantastic, and even though you will be going so fast that it goes past in a blur, you will get the feeling you are racing on a real track.
All of the tracks are incredibly detailed, with not just the tarmac re-created perfectly, but all scenery and trackside furniture in place. One thing I have never seen before in a racing title is the use of track debris. Certain corners on the tracks have stones and rubber debris, which not only looks great but is fully interactive in the game. The first time I approached a corner and the car in front threw up a rubber chunk onto my windscreen, showed me the extent that has been made to really make this game feel authentic.
Gameplay
This was going to be the make or break for me. It would be a tragedy for a game with so much going for it to have a poor handling model. Unfortunately, this is where the game starts to fall down. Do not get me wrong, it is not the worst handling model I have seen, but the promise of ‘real racing’ plastered all over the box and promotions for the game are not met. The decision of Slightly Mad Studios baffles me! The inclusion of all aspects to make such a solid racer, but an arcade handling model makes no sense. If it had been the case where the player could make the difference with the settings available then this would have been great, but there feels to be very little difference between having all the assists on, and having none at all. I understand the need to have a broader audience in this day and age, but they have missed a trick with this game. Imagine a cross between PGR and Forza, and you will have the idea. This may appeal to people, but felt slightly wrong in a game claiming such realism.
The A.I in Shift 2 is aggressive to say the least, constantly attempting to push you off your racing line and the track. The weight of your car, oddly seemed to reduce as soon as you come into contact with their cars. You get into a collision and you will lose out every time. This is not such a bad thing, as it encourages you to become more efficient as a racer, and not a demolition derby expert.
When the collisions do happen, the damage engine is brought into full effect. From smashing glass to shredded rubber, the game has detailed destruction, which makes the cars feel solid. Slight contact will scuff paintwork and loosen bumpers, where as a full on smash will see your bodywork bending, glass shattering and if bad enough, wheels bouncing down the track! If this happens the race is over and restart is the option to take.
Everything you do in Shift 2 rewards you with experience points. If you drift around a corner, you get XP, overtake…XP, and stay in first place for a lap….XP. You get the picture. Along with XP for driving in certain ways, you also get a large boost if you successfully master each corner on the track.
There are four camera views available which are standard: Cockpit, bumper, hood or full car. Then there is probably the best aspect of the whole game….
In my opinion the camera choice aptly named ‘Helmet Cam’ will revolutionise racing games of the future. If all the other aspects of this game were looked at it would be good. Add the most immersive camera I have seen in a racing game, and you raise the bar completely. Basically it does exactly what it says on the tin, a view of the race that a real driver would see.
The view sees you further back inside the cockpit, and the corners of the screen show the edges of the helmet inserts. Straight away it feels like you are sitting in a car, rather than most games that make you feel like the driver is just centimetres away from the steering wheel. Add to this the motion of the camera bumping around, looking into the corners approaching and pretty much blacking out when an impact occurs and you have the way forward in racing games. Do not however expect to pick the game up and start in this view instantly, as for the first few races it will disorientate you. Stick with it though and the small niggles with the handling model will be forgotten.
Online
I am going to be controversial here, as despite the inclusion of autolog, the stat tracking stroke of genius used in previous Need for Speed titles, the multiplayer in Shift 2 frustrates. This is in no way due to the game engine, or game types, but due to the other racers, and the free reign they have been given to cause carnage.
When a developer chooses to include achievements for online game modes, people will do whatever it takes to get them. Even if this means playing dirty. I don’t recall ever playing online without someone deliberately ramming as many people as they could. I tried to stick with this but after several hours of dodging people and debris, became annoyed. One specific game mode would have been a tremendous success: a tournament consisting of several qualifying rounds, leading up to quarter, and semi-finals. The winners of these face off in the final event to find the champion. It’s a great game mode with two major flaws. The first is that there are collisions turned on. The second is that there is an achievement for winning! You can put this together and you will already know what I am talking about.
I have confidence that in time, the joyriding noobs that insist on crashing will leave the hard-core alone, and from memory this took about four or five months on Shift 1. I will be going back to check this as the potential in fantastic.
Presentation
Shift 2 as a whole is a very good looking game. Not amazing, as it tends to lack a certain sharpness. This may have been so that the game can run as smooth as it does, but it looks a little blurry. That said it is a minor flaw, as the lighting effects are fantastic. Races are set during day, evening and night with all of them having amazing attention to detail. Sun dazzles your view as you go over brows, reflections are accurately re-created for the vehicles, and at night even the following cars headlights light up your dashboard.
Car models are faithful to the originals and have a good level of detail to them. Adding decals and bodykits adds to their good looks. Having your own design on the car looks great on the replays, which are some of the best I have seen in recent years, showing a more TV style in terms of angles.
The sound is something to sing about, as beefy engines and sound effects add to the immersion greatly. Crashes are bonebreaking, and damage is equally impressive. Glass braking, metal grinding, bumpers cracking, there is even an accurate sound effect for sliding around corners throwing up debris. It all adds to the experience. The music in the game repeats itself quite often, but the small selection of music is good.
Final thoughts:
A very competent racer, with some really great new innovations in the driving genre. Unfortunately it could not quite reach the mark, as the online does not step up to the mark due to the game letting other players get away with anything. A much better single player experience than Shift 1 makes this a game that racing fans will really get their teeth into.
Overall
8/10
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Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Publisher: EA
Players: 1-12 (online multiplayer)
Release: 25th March, 2011
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