Review Need for Speed Shift 2 Unleashed: More Realistic, More Fun!

Need for Speed (NFS) is one of the better-known series in the computer gaming world. It consists of numerous titles; most of them have been revolving around exotic cars and fast, brutal arcade racing action, with notable exceptions being NFS Shift and Pro Street. Both introduced a new form of gameplay which, unfortunately, wasn’t exactly popular with fans of the series. NFS Shift was riddled with annoying bugs and incomprehensive simulation-style adaptation that prevented this particular title from reaping a significant success. NFS Shift 2 Unleashed is released to get this series back on track.

Most titles in the Need for Speed series were developed by studios that reside under Electronic Art (EA) as publisher of the game, including the EA Seattle, EA Canada, dan EA Black Box. However, since NFS Shift and NFS Hot Pursuit (2010), the series’ development has been entrusted to other studios. Shift was created by Slightly Mad Studios, and Hot Pursuit was made by another studio, Criterion Games. This, among others, resulted in a change of characteristics of the games themselves. Hot Pursuit is somewhat similar to Criterion’s own Burnout series, while Shift became an awkward, half-simulation game. Slightly Mad Studios seeks to improve things a bit in Shift 2. Would it fare better than the first one?

Racing for Something

NFS usually provides you with a “cause” to race for, a background story of the person whose role you assume in the game. In one title, you are a cheated racer who gets behind the wheel to deliver your revenge. In another, you play as an undercover cop who gets involved in underground racings to track illegal vehicles smuggled by a crime syndicate. Whatever the story is, it has always been one of the major attractions of the game, alongside the pretty NFS girls of course! How about Shift 2 then? This game, unfortunately, has no solid storyline to support all the racing action.

So, who are you in this game? Amidst the uncertainty, at least one thing is for sure: you assume the role of an amateur racer with minimum experience. Your goal: become the ultimate champion by winning the GT1 racing series. That’s it about the story. The first NFS Shift suffers from the same lack of solid storyline, which means that the only attraction you will find is in the racing action itself. The same is true for its sequel, NFS Shift 2 Now, let’s get dig deeper into the game!

Climbing the Career Ladder

Upon playing this game for the first time, you will be greeted with the kind of welcome unique to the NFS series. That is, you are put behind the steering wheel of one of the best cars in the game. When you’ve grown used with the car, a bitter reality suddenly strikes: the car is merely being lent over to you to serve as a “teaser”. Your real, first car is a fairly ordinary vehicle that falls within the most basic category in the game. To get better rides, you have to earn credits by winning race events, leveling up, and finishing certain challenges.

How realistic is the NFS Shift 2? The level of simulated realism in this game is determined by the way you drive. If you could follow the imaginary race line and adjust speed accordingly upon entering corners without visual guidance, you will be given the realism settings suitable for experienced gamers. On the other hand, if the game detects that you are a beginner, it will help you in the race by providing assistances like Steering Assist, Brake Assist, and full support for the anti-skidding feature.
You can also adjust the realism settings manually. Experienced racing gamers would usually like to use appropriate input devices (steering wheel, pedals) and turn off the assistance features such as TCH and ABS.
Now, if you turn off all the beginner-friendly features, NFS Shift 2 will behave like an actual race simulation game, complete with a high degree of realism! Nearly all car-driving aspects are nicely incorporated in this game. You will have to do careful measurements before turning the steering wheel, step on the clutch pedal before changing gear, even the amount of pressure on the gas pedal determines how fast your car will roll. Damage simulation is realistic too. Severe collisions could wreck your car, flip it over, or mutilate its parts. Aside from that, the game also provides an equally realistic first-person view point, from which the steadiness of your sight will be affected by the vehicle’s vibration, gravity force, and the condition of the road you are driving on. Very interesting!
The realistic simulation comes with its own consequences though. If you’re used to playing race games using your PC’s keyboard, you’ll immediately run into trouble because the game is quite sensitive in its steering action, keyboard buttons simply do not provide enough pressure levels that allow for precise control. A tap on one of the arrow keys will potentially send your car too far off in that corresponding direction. The use of additional control device(s) is, therefore, highly recommended. For example, you can use products from Logitech (G25, G27, Driving Force, and Momo Force), Thrust Master (RGT, Ferrari GT, and Ferrari F430), and Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo

Every Glory Begins with a Small Step

Your career progress is reflected by the level of your character. You earn experience points by finishing race events. Some extra points could also be earned by fulfilling certain conditions while racing, such as managing a “clean” finish, breaking the fastest lap record, and holding the first position for the period of an entire lap. You are free to race however you like, but if your car is saved from collision or damage, you will get bonus points!

As you character progresses forward, new racing events will be made available. Your final goal is winning the GT1 championship, and therefore your character’s level must be high enough before you can participate in that event. Increasing the level also gives you additional benefits such as credits rewards, unlocking new paints, vinyl, rims, and faster cars. All of which will help enhance your driving… And the appearance of your car.
Speaking of cars, you will need to upgrade your car by purchasing various upgrades. The credit can be used to improve certain aspects of your vehicle, including the engine, drive train, force induction, suspension, and nitro. Note that upgrading your car could potentially raise its classification level as well, from class D to class C, for example. This will render the corresponding car unusable in certain events. Fortunately, you can still disassemble the upgraded components to downgrade your car if necessary.
An upgraded car can be totally revamped to further increase its quality. The Works Conversion feature turns any car into a true racing car. All you have to do is upgrade the car until the conversion indicator is maxed out. Aside from giving some more sophisticated looks to your car, the change will also improve your car’s statistics. In addition, the car’s every aspect is available for fine tuning. You can customize the exterior with various paints, vinyl, and cool-looking rims! That way, you will be more confident when playing against other players through the Autolog.
The Autolog is a dedicated NFS-only online services provided by Electronic Arts to unite NFS players from all over the world. It allows you to compete in races, make new speed records, and organize racing events. Aside from that, your time records in single player mode will also be displayed on the Speed Wall in Autolog. This Speed Wall is constantly updated with scores from players who managed to break the records. So, be ready for the challenge!
The Career Mode comes with a couple of race modes you can compete in, such as Time Attack, Race, Gauntlet, Endurance, and Drift. There is also the Gauntlet Mode, in which you complete a track using certain types of car. Usually, upon winning that race, the car will be given to you. Imagine how much credits can be saved by obtaining new cars this way!
The Endurance Mode, as the name suggests, challenges your racing endurance. Prepare to spend a lot of time, foods, and drinks when playing this mode. Lastly, in the Drift Mode, you generate points by drifting your car all the way to the finish line. The Drift Mode doesn’t really fit in though, given the realistic theme of the game itself. Drifting is also difficult to do once you’ve grown used to the strictly controlled, simulation-style racing.

 After exploring this game, the all-important question remains: is the game fun to play? If you’re into realistic racing simulations, then the answer is probably yes. Is it better than the first Shift? Definitely yes, way better even! In addition to the improved quality, you will also face difficult AI opponents in this game. Reducing the difficulty level does little to make it less challenging. But that shouldn’t be a problem, right? After all, racing game fans always look forward for some challenges

Conclusions

NFS Shift 2 offers many interesting features, widely varied car tuning options, and online play through the Autolog. Both experienced gamers and beginners will find this game appealing, thanks to its fully adjustable realism levels. It’s definitely worth playing!

Pros:

Provides career progression, difficulty adjustment, various car upgrade and tuning options, and challenging AI opponents.

Cons:

• So-so graphics quality.
• No LAN multiplayer option.
• Game controller required for comfortable control
• Relatively short game play duration in Career mode.

Suitable for:

Fans of realistic racing games! This is your chance to show your skills to the whole world!

Not so good for:

You don’t like realistic racing games like Gran Turismo? This game is not for you then.

Minimum System Requirement:

Windows XP SP3, Vista SP2, dan Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz or AMD X2 64 2.4 GHz
RAM: 2 GB
Video: 512 MB, Shader Model 3.0 capable graphics card, such as NVIDIA GeForce 8 and ATI Radeon HD 3400 series
HDD: 7 GB

Info:

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Genre: Racing Simulation
Rating: EVERYONE 10+