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8.3 out of 10

Need for Speed: Shift

 

Information found in: from 125 sources in 19 countries

Great Deal: $19.95

  • User Score (179)
    7.5 7.5 from 179 reviewers
  • Expert Score (62)
    8.0 8.0 from 62 reviewers
  • Value for money (3)
    8.9 8.9 from 3 reviewers
  • Gameplay (15)
    8.0 8.0 from 15 reviewers
  • Graphics (16)
    8.5 8.5 from 16 reviewers
  • Sound (12)
    8.7 8.7 from 12 reviewers
  • Lifespan (6)
    8.6 8.6 from 6 reviewers
  • Funfactor (2)
    5.3 5.3 from 2 reviewers
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  • Score Distribution

Experts:
9-10
(23)
7-8
(35)
5-6
(1)
3-4
(1)
1-2
(2)
Users:
9-10
(60)
7-8
(55)
5-6
(37)
3-4
(7)
1-2
(15)

  • Expert Reviews

  1. Bright Hub

    Bright Hub
    9.0/10
    11 October 2009

    The graphics in Need for Speed Shift will blow you away, but you'll find that the gameplay offers nothing new over previous popular racing titles. Even so, there's no point in breaking away from a winning formula. Read more

  2. UGO

    UGO
    22 January 2010

    For years, the Need for Speed franchise reigned as the king of driving games. Installments like Hot Pursuit 1 and 2 , Underground 1 and 2 , and Most Wanted helped the series become a multi-platform dynasty. Though, the grind of producing a new game each year eventually caught up with the developers -- resulting in two consecutive sub-par outings in Pro Street and Undercover . Read more

    • a more "European" racer is your cup of tea and, even if it's done you wrong, you're read to give NFS another chance.
    • racing is just a bunch of guys going in circles, cars are for transporation and "Top Gear" is where you keep your mountain bike.

  3. VideoGamer.com

    8.0/10
    18 November 2009

    Need For Speed: Shift is a brilliant new start for the franchise and has clearly been built by a team that loves racing. Shift comes highly recommended to all racing game fans. Read more

    • In-cockpit camera is superb, Great sense of speed
    • Trackside detail isn't great, Precision and Aggression don't mix

  4. G4

    10/10
    15 September 2009

    EA has a tough sell with Need for Speed: Shift as franchise fans could be turned off by its simulation approach and sim fans might not trust the series' long history of arcade-style gameplay. It would be tragic if both groups overlooked this game. Read more

    • Best Racing Cockpit View To Date, Driver Profile & Points System Highly Rewarding, Varied Gameplay Modes, All Playstyles & Skill Levels Welcome
    • Simulation Purists Might Be Disappointed, Lower Number of Cars & Tracks Compared To Other Games, Drifting Is Tough & Introduced With Little Tutorial

  5. Strategy Informer

    Strategy Informer
    9.0/10
    6 December 2009

    Need For Speed Shift does exactly what it is made for: giving any driver the experience they want in a racing game. Want to just race some cars in various tiers on easy? Great. What to turn off assistance and live on the dangerous side? Have fun. Want to change the engine, check tire density, and see just what angle the rear spoiler should face? Go for it. Don’t waste time doing anything you don’t want, like waiting in loading or menu screens, go out and race! Read more

  6. VGChartz

    VGChartz
    8.6/10
    6 December 2009

    EA shifts it into high gear with this years Need for Speed! Another year, another Need for Speed from EA. This year takes the series in a whole new direction, a shift if you will, into the racing sim genre. While this change is drastic compared to the series' arcade racing roots, make no mistake they made the transition almost flawlessly and retained all of the fun. Read more

  7. WorthPlaying

    WorthPlaying
    8.5/10
    27 September 2009

    Designed to deliver a true driver’s experience that reflects contemporary motorsports, Need for Speed Shift is built by racers for racers, delivering an authentic and immersive driving experience. Read more

  8. Playstation Illustrated

    9.0/10
    20 September 2009

    Need for Speed: SHIFT is the latest installment of the long-running Need for Speed series and has the level of graphics one would expect of such a mature series. The environments look great and the cars look stunning; especially the Chrome finish paints. For those who like to tweak their cars, there are a lot of upgrade options, from rims to engine upgrades, exhaust upgrades, aerodynamic upgrades, nitrous, race tires, and, of course, paint and vinyl. Read more

  9. ME Gamers

    9.1/10
    17 September 2009

    Bringing the series back to life. Based on the history of the series, some of the current generation of gamers most likely cannot recall the last time they played a good NFS game, let alone a decent one. Need for Speed was the racing game to buy back in the days, grabbing gamers’ attention on the PC and Playstation for a while. Before games like Forza, GT and Project Gotham, the first couple of NFS games captured the imagination of racing fanatics worldwide. Read more

  10. Gamedot

    8.8/10
    18 March 2010

    Need for Speed: Shift is a truly fantastic game. It’s let down by odd bugs and the online experience is slightly hampered by the countdown timer in the lobby. It’s something that is supposed to keep racing going, but does quickly became annoying as you don’t always want to go straight into a race. Read more

    • One of the best looking racers available, large selection of cars and tracks, lots of fun
    • Controller needs configuring before play, annoying lobby system online

  • User Reviews

  1. Bad disc

    Amazon
    2.0/10
    Reviewer: Andvill, Amazon
    15 December 2011

    I know this is a good game, but unfortunate the disc that I buy was bad. When I try to install the game data the progress bar stop at 30% and the process never ended. I will suggest that the sellers test the discs before the selling in order to deliver a good product to us. Read more

  2. HUsoldier Feels The Need For Speed

    Newegg
    10/10
    Reviewer: HUsoldier, Newegg
    2 November 2010

    Game is not GT5, but is a quality racing game that is challenging and will take quite a bit of time to complete, which is good to see from a racing game. Gave it 5 eggs because this is about as good as an "EA" racing game is going to get so grab it and start racing now! Read more

    • Nice quality racing game with stunning visuals and excellent sound. The cars sound great and each car has an accurate engine/exhaust note. The NFS Shift intro. is epic...
    • Loading time is not great. Cars have good customization, but could have a lot more. EA never has Ferrari in their racing games. This game is far from a racing simulato...

  3. Need For Speed finally SHIFTs into awesomeness.

    8.0/10
    Reviewer: liban0_o, epinions.com
    3 weeks ago

    After big disappointments from EA's previous two Need For Speed titles; Undercover and ProStreet, on Read more

    • Great graphics, brilliant interiors and incredible amount of awesome cars.
    • Gameplay is oddly out of place for a proper Sim Racer.

  4. maybe

    Overstock
    8.0/10
    Reviewer: dew181, Overstock
    8 February 2011

    I DONT LIKE THE WAY YOU HAVE TO DRIVE IT. THE CONTROULS WONT SET TO THE BUTTONS YOU ARE USE TO. SO ITS JUST SETING HERE. BUT IT DOES LOOK GOOD. THANKS DEWEY. Read more

  5. Great track racing game. not for those street racing fans

    Target
    8.0/10
    Reviewer: LordGreat1, Target
    5 September 2010

    First things first this game is not a game where you paint your car and put neon on it and rice around town.So your poor reviews were miss construed the graphics were the best ive seen thus far for racing games. the handling in the beginning was really hard for me but then once i was used to it then it was a lot of fun. It gives you a great challenge for difficulty wise. Read more

  6. "Good racing game- a step in the right direction for NFS"

    CNET
    9.0/10
    Reviewer: De_Niza, CNET
    29 September 2009

    Solid racing game with a very high FUN factor. No BS, just racing. Read more

    • Good car selection, good racing dynamic, adjustability of difficulty and tunability of cars. Don't expect Gran Turismo, but expect a solid racing game. There is minima...
    • The tiers open up too fast, I was half way through tier 2 when I unlocked tier 4. When your car goes off track it acts like there are speed bumps everywhere and is a l...

  7. Need For Speed finally SHIFTs into awesomeness.

    epinions.com
    8.0/10
    Reviewer: liban0_o, epinions.com
    1 October 2009

    After big disappointments from EA's previous two Need For Speed titles; Undercover and ProStreet, on Read more

    • Great graphics, brilliant interiors and incredible amount of awesome cars.
    • Gameplay is oddly out of place for a proper Sim Racer.

  8. Good game, but could do with more variety.

    Dooyoo
    Reviewer: Omblae, Dooyoo
    5 December 2009

    If you're into track racing, you'll enjoy it - but i'd save the pennies for Gran Turismo 5 instead. Read more

    • Great gameplay, great feel, nice graphical touches.
    • Too easy, too short and not enough variety.

  9. Need For Speed Shift

    Boomerang Video Game Rental Online
    10/10
    Reviewer: Boomerang Video Game Rental Online
    20 December 2009

    this is definately the best racing game i have ever played and one of the best games i have ever played. the cars look and sound so real and the landscaping is amazing. the selection of cars is also great with over 150+ cars. the career mode can be long or short depending on how you play it. If you want to race and go straight on to the next tier then you can compleate the game in about 6 hours however if you want to do all the races the game is very long. Read more

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  • Manufacturer's Description

  • A variety of visual cues delivers the true driver’s experience including a three-dimensional HUD that mimics driver head movement, inertia and G-forces. The depth of field also adjusts based on the speed of the car; so when the car is traveling at high speeds the perspective will shift to the distance putting the car/cockpit out of focus.
  • What kind of driver are you? Driver profile tracks the player’s evolution as a race driver from event to event. This system is …

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