Much more advanced and exciting than Gran Turismo 5 or Forza Motorsport 3, but be warned: the handling model is tough

User Rating: 9 | Shift 2: Unleashed PS3
By FstrthnU | Review Date:
The core of every racing game is the handling model. Determining how the car goes around corners is the #1 priority for a racing game. Shift 2 nails down the atmosphere and feeling of racing beautifully; however, it has a little trouble nailing down the handling exactly right. Be aware that tuning and steering settings in this game are EXTREMELY important to getting the cars to turn well. Just like in real life, the way the car comes out of the factory is not going to be to you're liking; you HAVE to tune it to get it to feel right. Thankfully, tuning in this game is absolutely terrific; everything is realistic and in-depth. Want to change your gear ratios? Want to change the toe-in/out of your rear tires? Want to change the front damper rebound? You can do everything! Lots of people are complaining about the handling; they just don't have their cars set up right. Shift 2 makes you work HARD to get your cars handling right, but the cars are a total joy WHEN you get them tuned right. Definitely not for the shallow driver or the person who wants to get right into the action. With a wheel (definitely not a keyboard, and not very much so with a gamepad either), Shift 2 is one of the most exhilarating driving experiences out there today, you can really feel every bit of the car and feel the grip. The handling model feels a TON better than GT5 in terms of realism: you can feel the tires heating up and getting grippier; you can feel the downforce pushing your car into the ground; you can feel that rear end sliding out on you if you oversteer the car. The physics simulation is much more advanced than GT5 or Forza 3 (since it comes from the guys who made GTR Evolution and GTR2). Force feedback is phenomenally good - you can tell when you're dragging on grass, when you've ridden a curb too much, when you're duking it out with another driver. It just FEELS so great!

Career is based off winning events and driving well. You get experience from everything you do right; you only bank it if you finish the race, of course. Even scoring 2nd or 3rd is still a podium (enough to pass most events), and as long as you finish, you get experience. As you get experience, you rank up. Ranking up gets you access to extra cash at every level as well as special Team Need for Speed cars as well as other things like pearlescent paint and extra rims. Pretty well done, not much to say here.

The car selection is very well chosen. You don't get junk starter cars, you get decent sports cars like the Ford Focus ST, Volkswagen GTI, Audi S3, and Infinity G35 (yes, the older one). As you progress, the availability of the cars is pretty well balanced: there are some oddballs like a Nissan GT-R costing $135,000 (compared to $80,000 IRL!), but overall the pricing ingame (from the money you when from races and rank-ups) is realistic. You get Team Need for Speed cars (the cars from the real life racing team) and other special cars from winning race series, which is extremely cool. Lots of different cars, from the Mclaren F1 to the Gumpert Apollo to the Nissan 370Z, some retro cars like the Toyota AE86 and old BMW M3, and some oddballs like the ORIGINAL Mini (the 1960s version!). Very thoughtful selection, not too many cars like GT5. The main focus is on the cars of the FIA GT3 European and GT1 World Championships, but there's plenty other sports and super cars. There's bound to be something in here you'll like.

The visuals of the game are absolutely gorgeous. Unlike the other 2 racing giants, Shift 2 nails down the realistic look perfectly. Lighting and shadows are top notch, and the models are pretty good too. The tracks look gritty and worn out, just like how they are in real life. Interior models are the best I've seen to date, everything is there. The sound is far and away the best part, though: everything is boosted to be extremely loud and unbarred. Let me tell you, sports cars are LOUD when getting pushed on the track; Shift 2 gets the engine notes perfectly. Whereas GT5 and Forza can almost bore you at times, you'll never be bored when your car is screaming along at 150+ MPH with straight-cut gears making huge amounts of noise. It's just heaven.

As part of the interior view is the new helmet cam. Unlike other interior views, this one actually looks into corners, looks up to the top of hills, shakes around when the car gets hit by others. I'm still not comfortable with it, but if you can master it, then it is one of the greatest experiences in modern racing games. It will take some time to adjust to having the game turn the camera for you, but it can be a massive boon and it looks super-cool too. This is another area Shift 2 pulls off greatly.

The core gameplay is generally solid, but the difficulty can get crazy at times. The invitationals (which allow you to win free cars) are brutal, especially the higher-end ones. Endurance racing is extremely strenuous, made worse by the lack of pitstops (!). Don't get me wrong, it's extremely fun, it's just brutally difficult. Don't expect any mercy when you enter the FIA GT3 and GT1 championships, they're the toughest racing in the world. Both are grueling but fun and exciting to drive. Overall, good pacing and lots of variety (especially with the DLC). Just don't try drifting with a wheel controller - you'll only find frustration (it's literally impossible to drift with a steering wheel in the game). All in all, Shift 2 gets lots of things right, but not enough to push it past a flat 9. Core racing is done well, but drifting is half-baked and the handling is too inaccessible for the average gamer. The difficulty can also get extremely intense. Once you get it tuned right, though, Shift 2 shines as one of the greatest racing games to date. At least rent it and try it out, you may feel sucked into sports car racing as much as I did when I first saw the trailers for this. Hits hard on the experience (visuals, sounds, feeling), but a little down on the core driving model: that's Shift 2 for you.

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