NXT Gamer's Duncan reviews Shift 2: Unleashed...
"I tend to play driving games from the standard behind the car perspective. Racing purists insist that in-car or bumper cameras are the only way to play properly, but they’ve always left me cold. That’s because I love cars. I love how they look. I love how they sound. And when I’m screeching round Silverstone in a souped-up supercar, I want to be able to stare lovingly at its stunningly rendered rear."
A breakdown of the best PS3 racing games according to Rantgaming.com. Games are rated based on replay value, graphics, gameplay, and controls
I'm not impressed with much in terms of racing this gen. Graphics have been really raised racently, and it wasn't by the "two kings" (GT and Forza) in racing. Shift 2 and the upcoming Project Cars are now DOMINATING racing games graphically, GT5 and Forza 4/H do not even compare. But physics and gameplay-wise, most everything's been "off" aside from a select few. My short list would be.
#1 GT5. It's still rocking everybody in terms of gameplay and variety. It's got every kind of 4 wheeled racing almost from Karts to F1 and everything in between. GT needs to step it up graphically now though. Forza is the LEAST of their worries there.
#2 Motorstorm Pacific Rift. Just the #1 most fun and intense arcade/off-road racer ever made or ever will be made. SOOOOOO much variety compared to the bare bones (but great) first game, and a way better racing game than the 3rd game which was more like Split-Second than MotorStorm in THIS Motorstorm Fan's opinion.
#3 F1 Championship Edition. This PS3 exclusive launch game is imho still the best F1 game this gen in terms of the racing.
#4 FerrariChallenge/SuperCar Challenge. Alot of people havn't heard about these, they got VERY little attention. They sucked because not alot of cars, but it's a fact that System 3 put into these PS3 exclusives (they were on Wii too, but they weren't as advanced) the most advanced, realistic physics to ever be in a console racer. The same physics they put into their PC sim. Good graphics for the time too. Very under-rated.
#5 Shift 2. This is only here because I think graphically, it's a sneak peek at the next level in racing sim graphics. Project Cars is improving on that. But Shift 2 has HORRIBLE physics and I disliked playing it. If Project Cars can get the physics more in line than Shift 2, and have enough of a garage to have the variety in the racing while keeping the online field fairly even like GT5 does, it will truly be the next level of racing sims, and something may actually pull me away from GT5, which nothing has based on gameplay.
Also: WipeOut HD- awesome game, awesome value, it's expansion makes it an even better value, top notch quality.
John Bedford (Modojo): Modojo rounds up the best of the price-drops for Wednesday 4th July.
Origin have released a new set of 50% off game in week 2 of it's Best of 2011 Sale.
I don't think I can trust a reviewer who normally plays racing games in chase cam.
MY OPINION:
All I wanna know is, how the eff could they screw up the handling worse than Shift 1, in one you could get used to it, but in this version the handling feels loose and sloppy. I can't relate to the racing vehicles, but as far as the bone stock road cars I've driven a few of them in real life (even recklessly fast, what can I say reckless youth, thankfully in the past), and this game doesn't capture that handling even remotely close. They try to make everything even before the upgrades feel like they are untameable beasts (I can understand this for upgraded cars, but on the stock D-class cars?).
Then there is the issue of FB racing wheels (Logitech G25), force feedback is really weak even when turned all the way up, there is no weight and what you feel doesn't sync up to what you are seeing. Also, no matter how I play with the controller settings there doesn't seem to be a way to make what you're doing sync up to what the avatar's hands are doing on screen definitely not 1-1. I remember seeing a lot of comments from the first Shift that the game wasn't playable with control pads, well they seemed to have addressed that only to make it feel a lot sloppier with racing wheels.
I almost regret getting this game, but it has its good moments and maybe they'll iron it out some more. Because, Shift 2 definitely feels rough around the edges still, and failed to build upon the potential of the first title. This is definitely not in the same league as the big boys (I feel bad for anyone who had to trade whatever racing game in for this, as it most likely was better than this).