Need for Speed: Shift

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 516 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 204 out of 516
  2. Mixed: 157 out of 516
  3. Negative: 155 out of 516
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  1. Odd
    Oct 7, 2009
    9
    Fantastic game which makes my heart race every time I fire it up. The most fun I've had with a near-simulated driving game. Totally realistic graphics and gameplay, but take the time to configure your controller yourself - it's worth it. Runs great on my ATi (AMD) HD4850x2 on crossfire @ 1920x1200 all highest settings >50 fps. Single GPU works fine with AA turned down or off. I Fantastic game which makes my heart race every time I fire it up. The most fun I've had with a near-simulated driving game. Totally realistic graphics and gameplay, but take the time to configure your controller yourself - it's worth it. Runs great on my ATi (AMD) HD4850x2 on crossfire @ 1920x1200 all highest settings >50 fps. Single GPU works fine with AA turned down or off. I pity those who had a hissyfit and given this a low score without looking further into it. Adjust your settings and you'll love the game. Zero? How immature.… Expand
  2. Pitbull
    Feb 20, 2012
    10
    Awesome game. I can't really understand the negative reviews. Have you tried to change the steering sensitivity in the controls menu? I am using the "Thrustmaster Ferrari Wireless GT 430 Scuderia" steering wheel and it's working perfect. I changed "Steering Sensitivity" to 20 and "Speed Steering Sensitivity" to 100.
  3. gesi
    Mar 14, 2014
    10
    Good ride played three times, very fun and very rewarding (compared to shift 2 which is a disaster game) well balanced semi sim racing, it had a free dlc so you have more then 100 cars to drive with plenty tracks, i like the leveling experience a lot it keep pushing me for more so i don't get bored.
  4. mclure
    Aug 23, 2014
    10
    The circuits are real and the vehicles are able to be driven from the inside as back in the first NFS series, altough it's a little heavy on hardware resources.
  5. ChrisC
    Sep 29, 2009
    7
    First of all, to all these tools saying about how bad the handling is, it is because you have it on easy, and your playing with a keyboard. Before even thinking of commenting on how a racing game handles play it on a Logitech G25 and on the Simulation settings. I laugh at these idiots complaining how bad the physics and handling is when they are playing it with WASD or arrows. Second of First of all, to all these tools saying about how bad the handling is, it is because you have it on easy, and your playing with a keyboard. Before even thinking of commenting on how a racing game handles play it on a Logitech G25 and on the Simulation settings. I laugh at these idiots complaining how bad the physics and handling is when they are playing it with WASD or arrows. Second of all, this game is only 1 in 3 NFS games coming out for real systems. The other 2 is a free run game set in Carbon and Most Wanted and is only online where you have a sandbox mode and play with people around the world. The other game is a tuner game made by Criteron. So obviously this game is made to please the semi-arcade gamers. IMO, this game is very enjoyable when played wiht a simulation spec wheel and there is nothing better than going round the 'Ring in a Zonda R, as this game does perfectly. Please wait until the other NFS come before complaining that its not like MW or Underground.… Expand
  6. BAMBAM
    Oct 6, 2009
    9
    Great driving game. Everyone who is giving this game a bad score must be flippin retarded. I have never played a racing sim that is this good. When Im playing in the cock pit view with a 7.1 surround sound system and a 24 in. monitor it really feels like i am driving the vehicle. I get so into i am startled when im actually wrecking feeling the shock of impact. Once again i must say great Great driving game. Everyone who is giving this game a bad score must be flippin retarded. I have never played a racing sim that is this good. When Im playing in the cock pit view with a 7.1 surround sound system and a 24 in. monitor it really feels like i am driving the vehicle. I get so into i am startled when im actually wrecking feeling the shock of impact. Once again i must say great game. The only flaw is that it is to easy to make money to buy the best cars. Other than that the gameplay is flawless.… Expand
  7. PravinB.
    Sep 23, 2009
    9
    Hi guys, m really surprised to see negative ratings for this game by users. M playing this game from last 2 days and i must say this is definitely one of the best racing games ever. And as described by "palindrome e" in his review, i did not have any framerate issue even though i have moderate system with all bells and whistles turned on with 2x antialising. Please any one want to buy the Hi guys, m really surprised to see negative ratings for this game by users. M playing this game from last 2 days and i must say this is definitely one of the best racing games ever. And as described by "palindrome e" in his review, i did not have any framerate issue even though i have moderate system with all bells and whistles turned on with 2x antialising. Please any one want to buy the game and are avoidin to buy it by reading these reviews, please do buy it. Coz its one of the best games of 2009. My computer configuration P-IV Core 2 Duo. 2.2 MHz, 2 GB ram, Win7, Geforce 9800gt 512 mb.… Expand
  8. dfjaljfdal
    Mar 15, 2012
    8
    Very good graphics; sometimes has frame rate issues. Realistic handling though, although AI is too good to be real. Sometimes drivers actually screw up, but not in this game. Other than that, solid racing overall.
  9. Verik
    Aug 18, 2013
    10
    Need for Speed Shift Electronic Arts Need for Speed Undercover 10 Need for Speed NFS
  10. SimonD.
    Oct 9, 2009
    9
    Wow, impressed. I thought GRID was the best it could be but I was wrong. NFS: Shift is good for multiple reason. On PC, it looks really good. Cars are incredibly detailed. The dashboards are incredible. I could play on very high detail with 16x AF and 2x AA and it was really fluid except on some rare occasion when you'd have 8-10 cars bumping on each other in a curve. It's Wow, impressed. I thought GRID was the best it could be but I was wrong. NFS: Shift is good for multiple reason. On PC, it looks really good. Cars are incredibly detailed. The dashboards are incredible. I could play on very high detail with 16x AF and 2x AA and it was really fluid except on some rare occasion when you'd have 8-10 cars bumping on each other in a curve. It's really not serious however. The controls are really advanced. If you play with a gamepad, you really can't use experience steering. I did it for half of the game. It works but it's really frustrating and I don't recommend it. Playing on normal with adjusted deadzones and sensibility, it started to shine. All the curves were tricky and rewarding but not frustrating. AI is tough. I'm playing at medium and I'm regularly beaten. You can't really win without going a bit on the risky side. I guess it could be easier if I bumbed other cars more but I don't find it as fun as going for precision and working my way up by making perfect corners. The game XP system is rewarding. Making perfect corner (following the help line while not touching another car or grass and by following speed guideline) marked the curve as Mastered. If you master all the curves of a track, you get a kind of achievement. Great stuff. I also like that you get point when you cleanly pass someone. If you trade paint, you'll also get points however so.. whatever happen, you never feel screwed. Always finish race because even if you loose, you'll get XP for the track. So it's still great stuff. You can also concentrate to master curve for example. The physic can be a bit screwed up however. It's easy to completely lift another car in the air by just going for his back-side. It's a bit weird and when it happen, cars looks like toys. When you crash in a wall or take a car from the side, it looks perfect however. You get AWESOME feedback with blur and the screen desaturate. You really get confused youself and seriously.. crashing hurts. It's so good in fact that I hope to see more game do that. The driver animations inside the car are awesome too. When taking a rough turn, you see the driver really holding the wheel hard and going with all his strength. You can almost feel the Gs yourself. To me, it's more technical than GRID by far. Grid had more arcade feel, even if it's awesomely rewarding too. In Grid, I can absently do a track and win. In NFS, you can't. You have to really focus on the track and put a little somehting that'll make a difference. Tracks are beautiful. Some curves are really tricky and the line help really had to the driving experience. I haven't finish the game yet but I'm on Tier 3 now. What I didn't like was that the tracks were often only 2 laps. It makes things really short and if you don't go aggressive from the very beginning, you just can't win. I would have prefered 4 laps or something like that. I'll have to see if I can change that for career. I know you can in Quick Race however. You seem REALLY limited in term of racing type. You get Racing, Drift, Battles, Time Attack. I liked Grid Drift FreeStyle and the Togue. Time attack just feel exactly like Races but lap-time count instead of race time. Battles are even less fun. While technical, it feel a bit plain to me and if you crash, there seem to be an elastic logic where the AI will go less fast. I didn't like it. The game is still worth trying however, really. I don't call it a definitive buy but if you're looking for a new racing game and are interested by racing simulation, I'd take this. You'll get challenged by every corners! If you prefer a more arcade feel, take GRID. Drift is REALLY tricky. I only tried it on experienced handling. I'll have to try again. It took me a long time to even get the race and I never did one cleanly. Definitely more technical. 8.7/10 ATI HD4870, Intel E8400, 4GB of RAM and Win7.… Expand
  11. StefL
    Oct 9, 2009
    5
    I'm getting old... While during the time of NFS the first and NFS SE my TT rankings were on a hair length from the world record without having to dedicate one bedroom for a formula 1 cockpit Fair play, playability (Sidewinder 3d pro) and days of training motivated by an unrivaled sense of immersion of open road driving supercar feeling NFS Shift lets down quickly. Driving skills need I'm getting old... While during the time of NFS the first and NFS SE my TT rankings were on a hair length from the world record without having to dedicate one bedroom for a formula 1 cockpit Fair play, playability (Sidewinder 3d pro) and days of training motivated by an unrivaled sense of immersion of open road driving supercar feeling NFS Shift lets down quickly. Driving skills need to be maintained. You really thinks that after 15 years you can still handle a super car? + Graphics they are very ok especially in motion + Sounds of engines: lovely + Sense of speed + We can buy some upgrades -Drifting occurs at slow speeds on roads that are wide as a highway (I hereby thank 89 Audi 80 Turbodiesel with Econo 175 width tires for saving my life many times at high speed 90km / hr corners) -Learning curve by fake realism -Tuning controls can be a pain (unlike Grid, you have to quit your race to fine tune sensitivity, dead point etc,... Crazy) -No damage model, no punishment, no total loss. (apart from the hood obstructing your view) -because of no damage model you can skillfully use other cars as means of braking -because lacking damage model results in lack of tension and educational value like in Toca 3 (cars are supposed to be higly vulnarable to impact / abuse just like the humans they contain) Despite the renewed realism touch, NFS Shift's damage model is so bad it compares to playing a FPS in god mode. I can reassure those of you preferring the god mode racing that the all times standard view where you "control" the care by floating in the air 10m behind your car is still available (tradition dating from the times that rendering a cockpit was technically impossible.) Missed chance. I see no evolution here so I can only conclude this game is aimed at the next army of teenagers that plays their first likewise racer.… Expand
  12. DaryooshG
    Sep 22, 2009
    8
    The game is great in any way the music is outstanding,the cinematics are great,the only thing that bugs me is the control.They wanted to make the game as realistic as possible but it makes it too hard to play with a keyboard so i think that they make the controls like MW or Carbon and turn of the realistic control for keyboard and only activate it when a controller with wheels and gas The game is great in any way the music is outstanding,the cinematics are great,the only thing that bugs me is the control.They wanted to make the game as realistic as possible but it makes it too hard to play with a keyboard so i think that they make the controls like MW or Carbon and turn of the realistic control for keyboard and only activate it when a controller with wheels and gas pedal is connected… Expand
  13. RagettyMan
    Sep 25, 2009
    8
    It's one of the best in the Need For Speed series. It runs well on my pc but frame rate drops somewhat where there are a lot of cars driving close to you.The physics are better than any of the previous versions, but not perfect. I do think racing games should be slightly forgiving due to the fact that even with a racing wheel, it's still not quite like a real steering wheel. It's one of the best in the Need For Speed series. It runs well on my pc but frame rate drops somewhat where there are a lot of cars driving close to you.The physics are better than any of the previous versions, but not perfect. I do think racing games should be slightly forgiving due to the fact that even with a racing wheel, it's still not quite like a real steering wheel. Trying to put vinyls on cars in this game is too time consuming. You don't have the ability to mirror the vinyls. This game (though there is still room for improvement) is way better than the last few NFS games that were released.… Expand
  14. VitorR
    Oct 22, 2009
    9
    its not the best of simulators, but it does have its level of fun. The cars are beautifully modeled and unlike most people say the handling isn't that bad, hell I'm surprised I'm able to play it properly just with the keyboard. The tracks detail is rather average but sound quality is very good. Shift does indeed have its problems but as a gamer I'm able to go beyond its not the best of simulators, but it does have its level of fun. The cars are beautifully modeled and unlike most people say the handling isn't that bad, hell I'm surprised I'm able to play it properly just with the keyboard. The tracks detail is rather average but sound quality is very good. Shift does indeed have its problems but as a gamer I'm able to go beyond those problems and found myself addicted to the game. The level of car costumization is reasonable and the paint tool alows the players to express their creativity on the cars paint job. I believe the game is rather good overall and hope EA continues to improve the Shift franchise.… Expand
  15. rightthere
    Dec 9, 2009
    9
    just beat the game. was pretty good. 1st time i installed it i didn't have a gamepad so i gave up but later i bought a gamepad and installed again. i tweaked the controls to suit my style and had a good time. what i love about the game: -graphics are stunning overall, - the cockpit view is fabulous, i played like 90% from that view -the sound is great, you can really feel the engine just beat the game. was pretty good. 1st time i installed it i didn't have a gamepad so i gave up but later i bought a gamepad and installed again. i tweaked the controls to suit my style and had a good time. what i love about the game: -graphics are stunning overall, - the cockpit view is fabulous, i played like 90% from that view -the sound is great, you can really feel the engine and the tires shredding -the career mode is excellent, you get points for everything you do, from being precise to knocking opponents off the track -the ai is pretty good, i played it on medium most of the time and its a challenge. it will kick you out the track, it will block you, it will pressure you, sometimes it will make mistakes, overall its pretty good -i love that i don't have to win every single race, it feels more natural to me when sometimes i have to struggle for 4th or 5th place on a track i don't like that much. i am sick of games where you have to win every single race like you are schumacher, this game allows you to progress without being forced to win every single race -tracks are beautiful, some of them pretty tough, some of them a joy, good mixture of real and fictional tracks -good selection of cars and supercars now what i hated about it: -controls, you must tweak a lot before you can actually drive -physics are kind of shit, most of the time i feel like driving a soap, you either oversteer or understeer through the corners, from cockpit view though the feeling is less present, but its awkward how the cars behave sometimes -drift races, hate them, the good news is you can skip them -loading times are a pain in the ass overall i loved to play it on my gamepad, i love the mixture of sim and arcade. though i beat it I will keep it and have a few races once in a while. many compare it to grid but they are totally different. i loved drift at its time but now i prefer shift… Expand
  16. David
    Sep 21, 2009
    10
    Simply put, Need for Speed: Shift is the best racing game to come out in recent years. The immersion and driving experience is absolutely incredible, the graphics are stunning and the sound is awesome. Please do not listen to the haters.
  17. DAnielB
    Sep 21, 2009
    9
    This is a top racer - default controls (steering dead zone etc) are dodgy and as others have said cause problems with spinning on tight tracks. get the controls right and no other game gives you the same feeling on speed.
  18. StoneyD
    Oct 23, 2009
    9
    Just played the demo for the PC. I totally recommend this game if you have a game pad. It does take some getting use to but once you do, WOW it is fun. I didn't know if I wanted to buy this at first but after playing the demo, I'm going to buy it right now! Play the demo and see for yourself.
  19. Protec
    Sep 26, 2009
    8
    Great driving game, runs smooth with e8600 + 8800GT and 4GB ram + Vista. Good physics, very good. But the controls are bit sloppy. Not very sharp. Great engine sounds. Who needs music if you can listen to the roaring engines. And stop complaining about bad physics and sliding cars. This game requires that you use brakes too ;) Great and lots of fun. Every racing game fan should pick this Great driving game, runs smooth with e8600 + 8800GT and 4GB ram + Vista. Good physics, very good. But the controls are bit sloppy. Not very sharp. Great engine sounds. Who needs music if you can listen to the roaring engines. And stop complaining about bad physics and sliding cars. This game requires that you use brakes too ;) Great and lots of fun. Every racing game fan should pick this up. Good mix or realism and arcade. Best racing game of the year so far. NFS Rebirth indeed.… Expand
  20. Nickolababaiko
    Jun 5, 2016
    10
    Need for Speed занесло на симуляторы!))) Что мне сходу очень понравилось так это графика и вид из салона! По тем временам просто супер! Я прошел её на руле и физика не особо то и симуляторная...хотя старается ей казаться!
  21. Korvin20110320
    Apr 1, 2011
    9
    The game has decent graphics and not arcadic drive physics. Real simulators, I suppose, have physics closer to the real, but they have low graphics. For me the game is a best tradeoff between realistic driving and good looking picture.
  22. JohnB.
    Oct 20, 2009
    9
    An awful lot of moning minnies out there and as far as i can see completely unfounded! Granted i am playing the game on quite a high spec pc with a G25 wheel but surely the console versions cant be that different! I go home pop this on and emerse into a world of realistic racing genious every night laughing my ass of half the time at the mayhem surrounding me. The game isnt easy but An awful lot of moning minnies out there and as far as i can see completely unfounded! Granted i am playing the game on quite a high spec pc with a G25 wheel but surely the console versions cant be that different! I go home pop this on and emerse into a world of realistic racing genious every night laughing my ass of half the time at the mayhem surrounding me. The game isnt easy but neither is the real thing! It takes practice skill and wit and the rewards are also realistic. Ive never really been a fan of electronic arts...until now. GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES.… Expand
  23. jeffd
    Sep 20, 2009
    10
    Not perfect, but a refreshingly fun racing game that is well done in all aspects, something most games can't claim. Sure there are no new ideas, but when you have fallen so far, you go back with what you know works. I voted 10 cause readers are morons. No replays? all you do is slide? clearly you have something configured wrong or badly. Not the games fault.
  24. DaveA
    Oct 25, 2009
    10
    Everybody who rates this game below 6 are idiots. Judging from their description of their experiences they have configured their controller improperly and that's not the game's fault. This game provides the best racing experience of any racing video game up to date.
  25. hardikzalawadia
    Oct 6, 2009
    10
    FOR THOSE OF U WHO SAY THAT U CAN KEEP CONTOL OF THE CAR AFTER 60 MHP, U R IDOITS WHO CANT CONTROL THE CAR. DON'T PLAY RACING IF U SUCK

    NFS SHIFT ONE OUT YET. THE GAME IS JUS THOUGH FOR THE PROS. DON'T COMPLAIN UNLESS U PLAYED IT. AND DONT COMPLAIN IF U STINK.
    10/10 FOR NFS
  26. LucaD
    Oct 12, 2009
    9
    I'll start by saying that I'm not really a 'racing-game'-fan. After playing this game, I think I've become one. I plugged in my joystick, and set the graphics to high. First I had to configure a lot of settings, but once that was done, the fun started ! This game has very nice graphics, but it sure doesn't end here. Once I started playing, I simply I'll start by saying that I'm not really a 'racing-game'-fan. After playing this game, I think I've become one. I plugged in my joystick, and set the graphics to high. First I had to configure a lot of settings, but once that was done, the fun started ! This game has very nice graphics, but it sure doesn't end here. Once I started playing, I simply couldn't stop. The game really puts you in the driver's seat. This game might not be the most realistic racing game out there, but it sure is a lot of fun playing. And after all that's the only thing that counts. If you have a pc that fullfills the requirements, I see no reason why you shouldn't buy this game!… Expand
  27. BeneF
    Oct 16, 2009
    8
    Reviews with 0 are ridiculous. All I can say from my experience is, that with a good racing wheel (using the thrustmaster rgt) and a bit setting-customizing the games handling (even with aids completely turned off) is in no way unplayable. Its challenging, yes. But please come on: get a grip all you cowards.
  28. Jason
    Sep 19, 2009
    10
    It's a very welcome departure from the whole kiddie arcade pimp my ride flavor of the prior entries in the series. This is the most visceral racer I've played that gives you a realistic sense of speed, feel of the road, and power of the cars. It's more fun than Forza or Turismo, and more realistic than GRID or DIRT. It runs perfectly smoothly on my 1.5-year-old system. The It's a very welcome departure from the whole kiddie arcade pimp my ride flavor of the prior entries in the series. This is the most visceral racer I've played that gives you a realistic sense of speed, feel of the road, and power of the cars. It's more fun than Forza or Turismo, and more realistic than GRID or DIRT. It runs perfectly smoothly on my 1.5-year-old system. The game can be played as either a simulation racer or an arcade racer as the handling mode can be adjusted to suit professional simulation down to beginner arcade mode driving assists, and the AI can be changed in difficulty. A lot of people who are complaining about the handling simply don't know how to drive with the added realism and should probably just decrease the handling mode, decrease the AI difficulty, and increase the number of driving assists used.… Expand
  29. Philip
    Sep 19, 2009
    9
    Jim twotimes is just plain lying... there ARE replays and you CAN skip the cut scenes! Not sure what game he was playing; and as for the the frame-rate maybe it's your PC which is the problem!? Cause on my 'recommended-spec' PC it works perfectly with everything on high. Be more accurate before you feed garbage to people who visit the site. As for SHIFT, it's not Jim twotimes is just plain lying... there ARE replays and you CAN skip the cut scenes! Not sure what game he was playing; and as for the the frame-rate maybe it's your PC which is the problem!? Cause on my 'recommended-spec' PC it works perfectly with everything on high. Be more accurate before you feed garbage to people who visit the site. As for SHIFT, it's not perfect, but it comes very very close!… Expand
  30. Marick
    Oct 7, 2014
    6
    I Need For Speed ​​Series goes to another level. He enters the world of simulators and makes very good appearance. Physics are very real, honestly, I really like. And yes .. I think that is one of the longest game in the series.
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Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Best PC Game of 2009
25
#25 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
38
#38 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. IGN
    90
    A glorious return to greatness (and even excellence) for EA's seminal racing franchise. Slightly Mad Studios has delivered a driving experience that, while not completely accurate in terms of its simulation aspects, is practically dead-on in terms of what it's like to race around some of the world's best racing circuits.
    Read full review
  2. Multiplayer.it
    90
    No longer a classic need for speed game, EA made a true shift, a u-turn, developing a great game, with stunning visuals, and a lot of cars and tracks. The nightly undercover challenges are gone, but the new mechanics, borrowed from games such Forza or GT work well in conveying a great driving feeling.
    Read full review
  3. VideoGamer
    80
    Need For Speed: Shift is a brilliant new start for the franchise and has clearly been built by a team that loves racing.
    Read full review
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