REVIEW - NEED FOR SPEED SHIFT

Xbox 360 (tested), PS3, PC

This year EA finally took drastic action with the tired Need For Speed franchise and announced a major re-invention including a number of new additions to the line up - starting with one called Need For Speed Shift.

Shift moves away from the traditional flavour of NFS fare (street racing) and has modelled itself instead on racing games such as Forza and Gran Turismo with racing confined to circuits and a career mode that sees racers progressing slowly through the ranks.

Career mode provides the meat of the game and, aside from multiplayer, is likely to be the mode most players will spend their time in. Like most other racing games, you start as a rookie driver with limited funds and earn cash by winning races which, in turn, opens up more lucrative competitions. There's nothing new in Shift in this respect.

Is this adherence to racing game conventions a bad thing? Not really. When it comes to racing games most gamers just want to get down to the core business of driving fast and unlocking better tracks and cars - elaborate storylines simply get in the way.

However, since they've so obviously decided to try and beat Forza and Gran Turismo at their own game, the racing itself needs to be of a similarly high standard to these games, otherwise, why would you blow your money on Shift instead of the track-proven competition? In this respect the game is a mix of hits and misses.

The handling of the vehicles varies greatly between models, as you'd expect, and for the most part it feels pretty good. Some of the cars, however, are simply impossible to drive in a straight line at high speed, which makes driving a real chore as you progress through the game. Overall the driving model doesn't feel as fluid or precise as it should, but it's good enough.

There are some really cool graphical effects that give the game a fantastic look. When you crash your screen blurs out (the duration and severity of the effect depends on how hard you hit), which makes it very difficult to get going again. It's possibly the best crash effect I've ever come across in a game both in terms of the style and the way it stops drivers from simply smashing into a wall and bouncing around a corner. Overall the game looks great.

Another notable aspect of the racing that works a treat is the way it sets up challenges to complete during a race. These are in addition to winning the race and provide extra incentive for racers to try a bit harder. Stars are dished out for completing, say, a clean lap, sliding your car for four seconds through a corner or, my personal favourite, taking out four opponents in a race. I like a game that doesn't frown upon dirty tactics and instead rewards drivers for a well executed take-out.

Scott Bartley

DEVELOPER: Slightly Mad Studios

Publisher: EA

BETTER THAN: NFS Underground

WORSE THAN: Forza 2

A worthy addition to the genre with some nice tricks, but not quite as good a racer as existing games.

8.0