NFS Shift Impressions

I got my copy of NFS Shift a few days ago, and have been playing around with it a bit in my spare time. As you've heard it's a lot different than NFS games of the past, and that's a good thing.

The physics take some getting used to (and possibly some fine-tuning in the settings menu), but once you've played a bit it's a lot of fun. The sounds in particular are some of the best I've heard in a racing game - ESPECIALLY in the S20 in the Hakosuka GT-R. Listening to the I6 scream at high RPM's while sliding through a corner is one of the game's best moments for me.

Here's my flared Hakosuka at Brands Hatch. Excuse the crappy screen grabs, I just hooked up my 360 and haven't even got it online yet...

Drift mode is also a lot of fun once you get used to it. There's my matte purple GT500 Mustang on Work VS-KF's. Hopefully we'll be able to do custom sizing offsets in the next game!

I particularly like the Autopolis drift course. It's the same as the layout D1GP course with its high speed entry.

Time attack Impreza at Horsethief Mile. I like how the high grip cars jump around in the corners just as they do in real life.

FD3S street car on the Ebisu touge course. Like the Hakosuka, the tuned rotary sounds awesome in the game.

All in all the game is a big step in the right to direction.

Hopefully we'll see a lot more of the "Speedhunters Influence" in the next game.

Anyone up for some online play?

Comments

[InitialP]

My Xbox is on the way back from a brush with the ring of death (for the 5th time). But I'm down for some online when it returns. I just started reading your blog this weekend. I've read every post now(no xbox and all). Its a really great blog though! I love the pictures, I wish i had caught on sooner. Keep up the good work.
P.S. Are you going to be at Socal Drift Oct4 at Willow?

[BlueSlug]

I really liked the game, but I have to disagree with you on the sound issue man... something isn't right when an R34 GT-R and the 2000GT-R sound virtually exactly the same.

All in all it's a great job and has really brought back most of the faith i lost in EA's ability to put out anything even half decent (circa NFS Underground), but it's still recognizably an NFS game, a far cry from the games the same team used to work on (i'm referring to SMS not EA Black Box)

and yeah inability to customise offsets and mix-and-match kits is something i agree should be addressed :)

again though on the whole quite nice. I went for a GT-R & Porsche approach, so started with the 2000GT-R (of course!), then the R34, then a GT3 and finally Carrera GT (stopped playing about there, wasn't motivated to finish the game)

[Nama]

Uhmmmm I wanna play the game but I need more space in my computer.

But yeah Rulz you'r back.

[Jesse]

I'm just sending my 360 out for RROD repair, but I'd definitely be down for some online gaming goodness, if you're still enjoying it.