Shift 2: Unleashed

 PC
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 297 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 130 out of 297
  2. Mixed: 86 out of 297
  3. Negative: 81 out of 297
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  1. GuyIncognito
    Apr 6, 2011
    0
    UNBELIEVABLE INPUT LAG. Believe it or not, people, this is a driving game with broken driving. Don't buy this game, until EA fixes the incredible input lag. You can easily find videos of this on youtube. What were the game "journalists" doing? Which incompetent journalism school dropouts wrote these "professional" reviews and gave this turkey an 85?
  2. Silverblade
    Apr 7, 2011
    0
    I was hoping that Slightly Mad Studios had learnt from the mistakes of Shift 1; that marketing what is essentially an arcade game as a simulation was a big mistake. Since they were pushing the idea of a good physics engine this time round, i figured that maybe they'd simply decided to make Shift 2 actually feel like a simulation, but i was let down for a second time. The physics are justI was hoping that Slightly Mad Studios had learnt from the mistakes of Shift 1; that marketing what is essentially an arcade game as a simulation was a big mistake. Since they were pushing the idea of a good physics engine this time round, i figured that maybe they'd simply decided to make Shift 2 actually feel like a simulation, but i was let down for a second time. The physics are just as terrible as the first; make no mistake, this is nothing like a simulation and i can assure you that the handling isn't even fun when taking it as an arcade game. There is, as another reviewer pointed out, a very large lag between you turning using your controller or wheel and your car responding in game which makes it all but impossible to drive in the first place. The other problems are that it feels like you're driving on something like jelly; your car slides sideways at every opportunity and is very unstable in all situations. The feel of grip is appalling and the collision physics are the worst i've seen in a racing game. Do not buy, don't even think about it.… Expand
  3. Feriatus
    May 9, 2011
    3
    I regret spending my money on this game. I play it with Logitech g27 and I can tell that this game doesn't stand near GT5 feeling of driving a car. Car handling feels very unrealistic, you have to learn to drive by the physics of the game and not of the real world. Also very disappointed with 3D VISION support as there is none. Only things that looks great is a headcam and maybe nightI regret spending my money on this game. I play it with Logitech g27 and I can tell that this game doesn't stand near GT5 feeling of driving a car. Car handling feels very unrealistic, you have to learn to drive by the physics of the game and not of the real world. Also very disappointed with 3D VISION support as there is none. Only things that looks great is a headcam and maybe night raicing if you not playing it with 3d vision, but handling spoils it all… Expand
  4. bzzzzt
    Apr 20, 2011
    2
    Oh look, it's another tail-happy arcade-racer from EA that's pretending to be a "simulation!" Shift 1 had some challenges with controls that are pretty well documented by now, but Shift 2 takes it a step further by making them almost inexplicable. Even after a rethink of balancing out the deadzones and sensitivity (on an XBox 360 controller, which was autodetected, and really should haveOh look, it's another tail-happy arcade-racer from EA that's pretending to be a "simulation!" Shift 1 had some challenges with controls that are pretty well documented by now, but Shift 2 takes it a step further by making them almost inexplicable. Even after a rethink of balancing out the deadzones and sensitivity (on an XBox 360 controller, which was autodetected, and really should have a decent standard setup, right?), it's still a mess. Noticable lag in control inputs, followed by overboosted and inconsistent resonse. You're constantly encouraged to be "smooth" with the controls, which is fine, however I'm not sure that it's really necessary on the straights. This is particularly hilarious with the rear-engined cars, and I'm not sure actual 911 owners will be pleased to see their cars represented as unintentional Tokyo-Drift machines.

    The engine notes all sound auto-tuned: there are noticable steps in the pitch that are poorly synthesized. Seriously, how long ago did Polyphony and Turn 10 sort that out? I own one of the cars featured here (Evo IX), and the engine note isn't anything like this. So the problem sure doesn't stem from managing real-life recordings.

    PC-specific notes? Surprise-surprise, it's a pretty shallow port. The UI makes no sense (and is compromised on an Xbox 360 controller as well), the graphics engine needs work (just ask anyone with ATI/AMD hardware) and FPS can dip and swell like a rollercoaster through corners, goofing with your rhythm. The graphics issue is kind of puzzling, because frankly, it's not much of a step up from Shift1.

    I bought this new yesterday for $18, less than a month after release. I wish I could say that I got my money's worth from it.    … Expand
  5. genetix
    Apr 14, 2011
    2
    Sad attempt for a game, if I want reality I buy Codemasters products. Most Wanted was last NFS I've seen which actually was worth playing 'Carbon' was already a sad case of idioticy.

    All these new NFS games literally sucks, they are not fun and they have no value to be bought. It took me an hour to download the thing, 5 minutes to fight with activation, 60 seconds to play and determ I    Sad attempt for a game, if I want reality I buy Codemasters products. Most Wanted was last NFS I've seen which actually was worth playing 'Carbon' was already a sad case of idioticy.

    All these new NFS games literally sucks, they are not fun and they have no value to be bought. It took me an hour to download the thing, 5 minutes to fight with activation, 60 seconds to play and determ I don't ever want to see this game again and another 2 minutes to uninstall and watch activation to spam my firewall.    … Expand
  6. kentMOsabe
    May 10, 2011
    0
    I will be honest with you, this is a bad game. Starting right of the bat with the poor graphics that look ported from the old ps2/original xbox days. Even with all the graphics options turned on high, this game still suffers from poor textures and lighting. In some maps the shadows are so intense that you can't even see where you are going. This is supposed to be a racing game, yet theyI will be honest with you, this is a bad game. Starting right of the bat with the poor graphics that look ported from the old ps2/original xbox days. Even with all the graphics options turned on high, this game still suffers from poor textures and lighting. In some maps the shadows are so intense that you can't even see where you are going. This is supposed to be a racing game, yet they included no drift, yep, you cannot drift in this game, and what is worse: get this, your car automatically brakes for you on turns. The NPC cars do not face this restriction, so you are constantly getting overtaken by 4 to 6 cars on the turns because your car slows down by itself, and the others don't. NPC cars smoke you like nothing, there is no cutting them off on the track, instead you have to follow a green path behind them in order to catch up, which is bad because you cant go through them if you want to pass them. When you think your about to win, about to hit the finish line, even if you are going your fastest an NPC car smacks you from behind and three or four of them whiz past the finish line, leaving you in last place. So what is wrong with this? you were about to win the race and about to cross the finish line, but all of a sudden you get smacked from behind and a cars pass you like nothing across the finish line and you loose...WOW so much effort for nothing. The physics are horrible, car is hard to steer even with xbox360 gamepad on PC, I will probably not try it with the keyboard ever. Camera options are a joke, ans your view is constantly getting blocked by your own car. Overall I would not recommend this game to anyone who is into racing games, Instead I would save my money for Dirt 3 by Codemasters.… Expand
  7. ozgeek
    May 20, 2011
    0
    This game has no captions/subtitles, therefore not suitable for deaf/hearing impaired players. I will NOT purchase any games that show disregard for disabled players. Anyway gameplay is similar to NFS:Shift 1. But if you can run NFS:Shift 1, then you can run this.
  8. skankyjoe
    Jun 10, 2011
    3
    Straight up, i have no qualms identifying myself as a casual racing fan. Racing games that i have and love are Dirts 2&3 and GT5, but i would consider myself a novice at best at those games and simply really enjoy playing them.On the whole, there are a lot of great ideas in Shift 2, and the quirks don't bother me too much: the stylised, oversaturated graphics can be shrugged off as a NFSStraight up, i have no qualms identifying myself as a casual racing fan. Racing games that i have and love are Dirts 2&3 and GT5, but i would consider myself a novice at best at those games and simply really enjoy playing them.On the whole, there are a lot of great ideas in Shift 2, and the quirks don't bother me too much: the stylised, oversaturated graphics can be shrugged off as a NFS hallmark, the non-optional music is AWFUL unless you are 16, but you can turn that down low, the 'Yo Dude, that was AWESOME' kind of encouragement you get after winning is a pain, but you can grit your teeth and bear it. What lets this game down TERRIBLY is the awful and synthetic handling. The cars turn on a centre pivot, so there's never any feeling of weight shifting or traction being lost. I seem to recall one review mentioning this as if it were a minor quirk, but as far as i'm concerned it ruins the game. Ridge Racer has a more solid handling model than this. Even after you've sorted out the dead zone issues with the wheel and ticked the driving aids that keep the car from going into a slalom while you're speeding down a straight, the handling is just extremely unsatisfying.
    As far as i'm concerned, all the other niggles can be dealt with, but this is the fundamental aspect of what makes a racing game tick and Shift 2 just falls desperately short in this regard.
    Other things that are negatives but don't actually affect my scoring is that there seem to be problems with NVIDIA graphics card drivers, those might have been fixed but at first i needed to reboot my system before launching the game to prevent broken textures and lighting; also the apparent lack of DLC for PC customers is just a slap in the face.    … Expand
  9. EmuChicken
    Aug 22, 2012
    2
    A few years back, I was anxious to try the first NFS:Shift, but it was ruined by the input lag. The graphics were lush, but the game was ruined for me. At the same time however, Codemasters released the game "GRID", which was EXACTLY what I was looking for at the time. Controls responded very well, and the sense of speed was jaw-dropping.

    Now, many years after the original SHIFT was    A few years back, I was anxious to try the first NFS:Shift, but it was ruined by the input lag. The graphics were lush, but the game was ruined for me. At the same time however, Codemasters released the game "GRID", which was EXACTLY what I was looking for at the time. Controls responded very well, and the sense of speed was jaw-dropping.

    Now, many years after the original SHIFT was released, I wanted to check if the sequel had worked upon and fixed these issues. In one word "URGHhh"

    The first thing that was apparent, were that the UI / menu system was HORRIBLE. A complete muppet could have devised a better way to navigate the menu. U and I (!??) would navigate through the panels, and if you wanted to change the key settings, you needed to use the letter F (!?!?) to re-assign. This is whilst the key was completely free mind.

    Graphically, the menus are really over-complicated. We should return to the roots with a KISS system (Keep it simple stupid!)

    As almost all of the new racers, the game is full of FMV / pre-rendered sequences. The most irritating is this guy that runs you through everything, which you CAN NOT SKIP. WHY OH WHY!? Changing video settings and then re-loading the game would have you watch the intro screen AGAIN.

    Ok, so how is the actual gameplay?

    The game is a standard, win cash, get cars, upgrade cars, rinse repeat affair. You gain XP from doing small missions within the races (stick to the race line etc) - Maybe a few good ideas in place here. I recall an Alfa Romeo game on the PS2 which really went APE on the XP system- which was fun.

    As the original Shift, this game is great- graphics wise. Albeit, the rear view mirror is tiny!

    The controls.... *cough* Input lag is apparent. maybe its a hundredth of a second, but.. for a game that should be a racer- going fast and then deciding where to go in the blink of an eye, controls should be SHARP. Don't attack me on "its your cars suspension settings" or any of that crap. It involves even the acceleration, braking, the controls are flawed.

    I tried fixing this with a small modification of a control file, with no luck ;(

    It seems like EA can still not create a decent race-track racer.

    .... I'm reinstalling GRID!

    SHIFT 2

    Pros

    + Graphics

    + Many licensed cars

    Cons

    - Terrible UI

    - Input LAG / control issues

    - FMV sequences non-skippable    … Expand
  10. runbmp
    Mar 31, 2011
    1
    I'm really not sure what to say about Shift 2. I guess the fact that its taken a more serious role as a sim is improvement but other than that... Its got to be the worst NFS game i've ever played. The performance of this game is abysmal... I honestly really tried to play this game, but the driving what just unbearable. And forget skipping video cutscenes in this game. Your forced to watchI'm really not sure what to say about Shift 2. I guess the fact that its taken a more serious role as a sim is improvement but other than that... Its got to be the worst NFS game i've ever played. The performance of this game is abysmal... I honestly really tried to play this game, but the driving what just unbearable. And forget skipping video cutscenes in this game. Your forced to watch them, well maybe your not. You can do exactly what I did with this piece of console ported turd. Uninstall and save that 60$ for something better.… Expand
  11. dryerlint
    Apr 5, 2011
    2
    I cannot understand why they let the PC controls be so terrible. The cars are terribly uncontrollable in this game with a keyboard. I just can't understand why it seems they didn't put any effort towards making the game work well with a keyboard. Also, my mother ****ing 86 civic handles better than these stupid ****ing cars so don't try and tell me it's because it's a "simulator." Also theI cannot understand why they let the PC controls be so terrible. The cars are terribly uncontrollable in this game with a keyboard. I just can't understand why it seems they didn't put any effort towards making the game work well with a keyboard. Also, my mother ****ing 86 civic handles better than these stupid ****ing cars so don't try and tell me it's because it's a "simulator." Also the menus are pretty bad, and there's not enough drifting. Go play grid.… Expand
  12. Goden
    Jun 2, 2011
    2
    I noticed some reviews claiming that this was very similar to Shift 1. There is some truth to this as some of the basic bits such as the car tuning and visual customizer for the cars is basically the same. Sadly, everything goes downhill from here. Let's start with the fact that this is atrocious console port. It has a calibration screen for TV's and when you click on "controls" you areI noticed some reviews claiming that this was very similar to Shift 1. There is some truth to this as some of the basic bits such as the car tuning and visual customizer for the cars is basically the same. Sadly, everything goes downhill from here. Let's start with the fact that this is atrocious console port. It has a calibration screen for TV's and when you click on "controls" you are greeted with a picture of a Xbox360 controller. The menus are very difficult to navigate due to the transfer from controller to keyboard and the mouse integration is pretty sad. The graphics also seem to have taken a hit by the port-hammer as they have actually manged to look worse than Shift 1. I set my settings to the highest they can go and headed for the car garage to look at the new vehicle additions. Upon seeing the cars, I immediately went back the graphics options to see if there was a mistake. Nope. It's just that ugly. I figured the cars would look better on the track like in Shift 1 but I had to change the game to windowed mode because Shift 1 and 2 do not have color/brightness/gamma control settings and this is the only way to fix it. Upon being told to restart the game, I came to the realization that the intro videos are NOT skippable. This became annoying extremely quickly. Anyway, enough of this, let's get on to the actual meat of the game. They have kept the zoom-around-the-car-thingy at the start of every race from Shift 1 but this time the female sign-holders are basically completely nude. You also have to view this everytime you restart the race, which you will do A LOT since the cars handle like elongated buses. Shift 1 was infamous for it's shoddy handling but this takes things in a completely new direction. The cars handle so bad that I could not complete any race without hitting the barrier when going around every single corner. (And for the record, I beat Shift 1's career mode using the same control setup). While acelerating the controls were very twitchy and when I got to a corner the wheels on the car turned but the car itself just kept going straight and into a wall. Is there some DLC I missed that includes steering? This is a pretty big problem considering the game is about racing and driving cars around corners. I have seen city buses take corners faster and more ferociously than a Lotus Elise can in this game. I'm basically repeating what has been said in the other reviews. The cars are essentially undrivable. In conclusion, you're better off saving your money for something else or just go play Shift 1 again because this is vastly inferior.… Expand
  13. bigsilverhotdog
    Sep 29, 2011
    0
    What a joke this game is! The input lag is tremendous, the game does not even recognize a very common wheel (360 Wireless Racing Wheel for Windows) forcing a custom configuration, but all of this is irrelevant in the end as the input lag, which exists regardless of input, makes the game 100% unplayable. Beyond that the graphics are not even good, the awful videos cannot be skipped, and theWhat a joke this game is! The input lag is tremendous, the game does not even recognize a very common wheel (360 Wireless Racing Wheel for Windows) forcing a custom configuration, but all of this is irrelevant in the end as the input lag, which exists regardless of input, makes the game 100% unplayable. Beyond that the graphics are not even good, the awful videos cannot be skipped, and the game's primary selling point, the "simulation" aspect for us hardcore racers, is quite simply "Ultrasuck". The feeling of the cars is all wrong. Inertia, motion, and gravity are apparently modeled after some other universe because ours simply doesn't work like this. As someone used to reasonably accurate sims (rFactor, modded F1 2010, Forza, GT) this game is an utter insult. I am truly sorry I ever wasted money on it. It's beyond bad.… Expand
  14. awdrifter
    Dec 26, 2011
    3
    This is the worst racing sim that I've ever played. The car physics is all wrong. The cars bounces around like they have blown shocks, there's massive steering lag on release (the community patch fixed quite a bit of that), the drift physics is bs for a sim game. The cars feels like they are skating on ice in drift mode. EA need to give the devs proper funding and time for development, andThis is the worst racing sim that I've ever played. The car physics is all wrong. The cars bounces around like they have blown shocks, there's massive steering lag on release (the community patch fixed quite a bit of that), the drift physics is bs for a sim game. The cars feels like they are skating on ice in drift mode. EA need to give the devs proper funding and time for development, and they should fire Slightly Mad Studio right now, their game engine is not good. EA needs to find someone talented to actually make a good physics engine from scratch. This is the only way they can compete with Forza and GT.… Expand
  15. nismo7
    Dec 31, 2011
    4
    My first review. I recently just got a G27 so i've been getting into the racing games lately. I have it set up on a monsterous projector so it's about as real as it's going to get. I've been playing Dirt 3, F1 2011, and GT5, and now Shift 2. And it is by far the most frustrating of the lot. It is dressed up with pretty menus and soundtracks, but underneath it lies a game which feels likeMy first review. I recently just got a G27 so i've been getting into the racing games lately. I have it set up on a monsterous projector so it's about as real as it's going to get. I've been playing Dirt 3, F1 2011, and GT5, and now Shift 2. And it is by far the most frustrating of the lot. It is dressed up with pretty menus and soundtracks, but underneath it lies a game which feels like they've missed the mark. The first frustrating thing i encountered was having to restart the game each time i wanted to make a change in the video section, not to mention the weird controls of pressing "U" or "i" to scroll left or right when in a menu. The second and most frustrating is the actual game. Racing is incredibly difficult and completely AI biased. If you tap a car slightly, you'll spin out. If another car taps you slightly, you'll spin out. And while you're meant to adhere to driving lines and giving other cars space, the AI will crash right into you causing you to spin out straight away. The worst part of the game is actually after you do spin out. You have absolutely ZERO chance of catching up and winning the race, let alone complete all the mini XP tasks. So basically, in a nutshell, you have to get a perfect launch, lead from the get go, and stay in front. Otherwise, you'll be hitting that restart button. So really, the whole premise of competing and playing the sport, has gone out the window. There is a LOT that needs to be addressed before my score can be raised.… Expand
  16. bone333
    Oct 16, 2011
    2
    Okay did the developers of this game ever drive any of the cars featured?

    I bought the lastest NFS and found it totally unrealistic but fun for 3-4 hours. This one didn't even last that long. I removed it after playing for only 2 hours. Nice but repetative intro graphics. But really, if you want racing realism, GTR 2 is SOOO much better. And it is like 7 years old. That says more about    Okay did the developers of this game ever drive any of the cars featured?

    I bought the lastest NFS and found it totally unrealistic but fun for 3-4 hours. This one didn't even last that long. I removed it after playing for only 2 hours. Nice but repetative intro graphics. But really, if you want racing realism, GTR 2 is SOOO much better. And it is like 7 years old. That says more about the lame effort from Shift 2 than GTR 2. The drag racing is so easy my 5 year old won every race on the first attempt. And yet I couldn't drive 1/2 the cars on a race course. They just kept wandering left and right. I got news for the developers, when I hit 120+ in my S600, its pinnd to the road on rails. It doesn't wander. Don't waste a dime on this if you actually know how to drive. You will be very sorry.    … Expand
  17. Jagdpanther
    Jul 9, 2013
    4
    What the hell happened to this game. Control problems, wrong and stupid driving physic, kamikaze A.I., FPS drops AND STUPID HELMET CAM. Don't buy this crap.
  18. Sanderland71
    Mar 30, 2011
    2
    1-Graphics not better then was in shift1 (just the same). 2-controls not better then was in shift1 (if game`s hard to control - it`s not meant that it`s a sim). 3-tracks are boring just like in shift1 (Nurburgring track is sic - trees are plastic & castle often flying in the skies). 4-night mode is much worse then in hot pursuit. 5-no rain/fog/snow at all. 6-"new" camera is useless (better1-Graphics not better then was in shift1 (just the same). 2-controls not better then was in shift1 (if game`s hard to control - it`s not meant that it`s a sim). 3-tracks are boring just like in shift1 (Nurburgring track is sic - trees are plastic & castle often flying in the skies). 4-night mode is much worse then in hot pursuit. 5-no rain/fog/snow at all. 6-"new" camera is useless (better cam still from bumper).
    In total - Shift2 in fact is shift1,5. or even 1.2 - maybe EA want to sell 60$ DLCs    … Expand
  19. BrokenFembot
    May 13, 2011
    3
    I really tried to like Shift 2. I've been a Need for Speed fan since the beginning of the IP when I was learning to tie my shoes. I was optimistic when I picked up this game; however, my optimism soon turned into aggravation as I played Shift 2. The cut scenes canâ
  20. paketep
    Mar 30, 2011
    0
    Not up to standards set by previous games in the series. What is worse, we lose LAN support and instead get the same POS facebook clone that came with Hot Pursuit. Enough social BS, EA, we want good games.

    Last EA game I buy, especially since offending moderators in their forums with bad words like d*v*l will now ban you from your own games.
  21. upgrade_1977
    Sep 12, 2011
    0
    I do not recommend this game!!
    Looks terrible, controls lag, and runs slow. I'm pretty sure it's a console port.
    Only takes advantage of one graphics card, and only utilizing %30-%40 maximum on it. Ram and CPU max utilizing only %40. AA is horrible even on highest setting, jagged edges all around, when you accelerate blur blurs out the interior of the car, and the car feels like a boat.    I do not recommend this game!!
    Looks terrible, controls lag, and runs slow. I'm pretty sure it's a console port.
    Only takes advantage of one graphics card, and only utilizing %30-%40 maximum on it. Ram and CPU max utilizing only %40. AA is horrible even on highest setting, jagged edges all around, when you accelerate blur blurs out the interior of the car, and the car feels like a boat. Horrible, really let down by the "Need for speed" franchise in recent years. Best racing game on my list is still Dirt 2. I wish there was some way to get my money back on this one. :(

    System specs: Thermaltake armor+ VH6000BWS Case, Corsair AX1200 PSU, i7 920 @ 3.2Ghz, Gigabyte EX58 UD3R-SLI, 8GB (2X4GB) Corsair vengeance 1600,
    2 X GTX 480 in SLI (H2O), X-FI sound card, Hitatchi 1TB 7200rpm hard drive, Windows7 64bit,
    Asus VG236H 23" 3D monitor    … Expand
  22. Neons
    Mar 29, 2011
    4
    Shift 2 is not a enjoyable game, It's far like race simulator, which means if you made some mistake in the game to get behind other cars, you better restart that race, unlike other light racing games like hot pursuit. What I really angry about this game was I got spin by opponent car in first race, got 5th/6, and I... you knows. I don't want to torture myself by playing like this - run,Shift 2 is not a enjoyable game, It's far like race simulator, which means if you made some mistake in the game to get behind other cars, you better restart that race, unlike other light racing games like hot pursuit. What I really angry about this game was I got spin by opponent car in first race, got 5th/6, and I... you knows. I don't want to torture myself by playing like this - run, say **** and restart.

    I dropped difficulty to easy and driving skill to novice, then shift 2 provides many assist features like auto brake, but I feel dumb whenever I have nothing to do but push forward always and push left and right sometimes I needed to. What I feel bad too was auto-moving racer point of view. I can't explain this exactly, but I feel it I'm not one who race but someone does.

    If you want something 'REAL' races, go for it. but if you need something to enjoy, find other way rather than shift 2. It's torture.    … Expand
  23. Aakash4351
    Aug 27, 2011
    0
    Poor controls,Poor graphics as compared to shift 1.I play all games high difficulty level but in this game i am playing with novice mode andeven cannot overtake a single car when i have spinned away by mistake.
  24. DoTheSexyTimmy
    Dec 23, 2011
    4
    Being a die-hard NFS fan, it is with great anticipation that I installed and played this game. I remember sitting at my PC, too young and too small to even fully reach the keyboard, and playing Porsche Unleashed and the very first Hot Pursuit, giggling like a loon all the way.

    Thusly, to say this game left a.... 'bitter' taste in my mouth is an understatement. Yes, the visuals are amazing    Being a die-hard NFS fan, it is with great anticipation that I installed and played this game. I remember sitting at my PC, too young and too small to even fully reach the keyboard, and playing Porsche Unleashed and the very first Hot Pursuit, giggling like a loon all the way.

    Thusly, to say this game left a.... 'bitter' taste in my mouth is an understatement. Yes, the visuals are amazing and all, but games are like women: Those who live by looks alone are the ones your mother warns you to stay away from - and with good reason. Let's start with something every die-hard motoring enthusiast lives for: The sound. Don't get me wrong; even here in South Africa there are a lot of rich snobs with rich, snobby cars, and the fact that I work on an industrial strip holding a lot of motoring/engineering facilities gives me experience in how cars sound. Enough experience, actually, to tell you that the Shelby Cobra DOESN'T, in fact, sound like a quivering bucket of bolts, nor does the old school GT500 sound like someone's stuck a whistle up its exhaust at the first sign of a little tweaking. Of all the cars in this game, I've worked out that at least 40% of them do NOT sound anything like their real life counterparts. Normally I'd let something like this slide, but hearing my dream vessel, the E92 M3, sound like some posh Merc in the same price range, and hearing the ever iconic Viper sound like an old hag with bronchitis is something I, as a motoring enthusiast and now-and-then racer cannot forgive. Then comes the actual drivability of the cars in-game. Now, most would scold someone like me for not using something like an Xbox controller or a wheel, but then again, you didn't need those fancy gizmos with the previous Shift. You didn't need them with FIA GTR 2 or the older NFS titles. So why do I even need one now? When did the PC become synonymous with "Controller Console", anyhow? But I dawdle. Back to the keyboard - if you're reading this and you plan on playing it with the keyboard, I recommend not buying it at all. You can't feather your throttle, you can't turn in lightly or heavily, and you sure as hell can't quickly reaffirm control of your 4-wheeled beast on a straight line. Well, not on the keyboard, in any case. Then comes one particular hassle; one that actually drove me to reinstalling the game two or three times. A good friend of mine blames it to be a programming error, but be warned: On certain games, at any given interval, your configuration for your driving will be blown to hell and sensitivity will be more concentrated in your car than on an "Oh shame!" episode of Oprah Winfrey's talk show. Drift cars will be all over the place, track cars will start delving into tomfoolery on the tracks, and you, in the long run, will be frustrated and angry, just as the other fourteen people I've seen playing this game.

    There are other small tidbits that annoy me as a long-time fan. The presence of Vaughn Gittin Jr. telling you how to drift when his words, due to the keyboard and sensitivity issues, ring untrue is very unsettling to me - it would seem Slightly Mad is using real-life racers to endorse a slipshod product for cash. The engine swaps are completely ludicrous (an R8's V8 engine in an S3, anyone?), the wheelspins are enough to make me gag (especially when your drift-tuned Nissan 200SX wheelspins all the way past 100km/h), the AI is more aggressive than a Corvette ZR1 lacking traction and stability (unnecessarily so), the pre-race camera becomes banal and boring, and leads to frustration when you can't skip it on a race's 13th restart, the menus feel sluggish and aren't very user-friendly, and the tips with the actual tuning (such as downforce, tire pressure and toe-in) are bound to lead you to molesting your car if you don't know what you are doing. The starting race to determine your driving style is an absolute nightmare, the voice acting (Yes, Vaughn's...) is ghastly, most bodykits look dreary, the visuals option is limited, finicky and sometimes doesn't even work correctly...

    And on the plus side.... Nice visuals and a large car collection? Please. Closing off, if you have an expensive, shiny controller or an expensive, shiny steering wheel, this game might be for you if you can live without the tommyrot I mentioned above. If this review discouraged you from buying the game, however, A) You're perfectly normal, B) You value the experience you receive from games, and C) I recommend Driver: San Francisco for PC, or Forza if you happen to be playing on Xbox.    … Expand
  25. Coq
    Aug 11, 2015
    0
    Played for 6-7 hours, was having lots of fun until the game crashed during a loading, which completely messed up my career progression. Now my game is glitched and there is nothing I can do but reset my career. This is a known problem that lots of people seem to have and it hasn't been fixed.

    Just stay away from EA....
  26. ColeYote
    Jul 14, 2013
    3
    I got this game under the impression that the complaints about input lag were something that gamers complain about that I personally really don't notice. Like when a game is capped at 60 FPS. And... well, the input lag is a real thing. It's hard to explain without actually playing it, but there's a split second delay any time you make a steering adjustment. It makes the game feel broken, II got this game under the impression that the complaints about input lag were something that gamers complain about that I personally really don't notice. Like when a game is capped at 60 FPS. And... well, the input lag is a real thing. It's hard to explain without actually playing it, but there's a split second delay any time you make a steering adjustment. It makes the game feel broken, I mean what good is a racing sim if its controls aren't solid? There's some other minor annoyances, but that really doesn't matter to me with the controls being so bad. And before anyone tells me they're adjustable, I tried fiddling with the sensitivity, I tried fiddling with the dead zone and I didn't see anything else that might have an effect on it.… Expand
  27. TSchonbeck
    Sep 1, 2012
    2
    Being a racing game fan, I tried this game as soon as it was released. I was absolutely horrified by the bad steering and the lack luster graphics. Stay away if you want to have a good time.
  28. RzrTrek
    May 10, 2014
    4
    Shift 2 is the most authentic racing sim available to date (don't even pretend to defend Assetto Corsa, Gran Turismo or Forza) in terms of physics, handling and overall graphics, created by Slightly Mad Studios, who also happen to be in heavy development of Project CARS.
  29. racergsxr1
    May 7, 2014
    4
    This game had a lot of potential but something must have gone wrong somewhere because the end product is all but unplayable. I've played this game on both Xbox 360 and PC and it really felt like the game was made more for consoles. The cars are practically uncontrollable on PC. Because on PC you only have keyboards, you're either turning the car as hard as possible, or not at all. It seemsThis game had a lot of potential but something must have gone wrong somewhere because the end product is all but unplayable. I've played this game on both Xbox 360 and PC and it really felt like the game was made more for consoles. The cars are practically uncontrollable on PC. Because on PC you only have keyboards, you're either turning the car as hard as possible, or not at all. It seems like no one tried to make the physics more compatible for keyboards. This game is really only playable with a steering wheel and is barely usable with a gamepad. Steering wheels even have massive problems, and only with a few physics mods do they work properly. If you create a racing simulator that doesn't work with a racing wheel, then there's something seriously wrong with your game. The menus are also terrible and seemingly made for gamepads. To confirm selections you have to press right shift, or F, or to cycle menus you have to use J and K. What's up with all of these obscure buttons that are awkward to press? Is there something wrong with the arrow keys? They could have also made it a little more mouse accessible. The controls for gamepads don't even show up in the UI. The game always has a little bar somewhere in the menu interface saying "press this button on the keyboard to do this!" but when you plug in a gamepad, it doesn't change to something more like "press this button on the GAMEPAD to do this!". The game always assumes that the player is using a keyboard, which means that you have to do trial and error when you plug in a gamepad. Everything about the game seems way too difficult. The AI NEVER skid in EVERY corner like the player does, and the game expects you to hit every corner dead on the apex yet you can't because the cars all oversteer terribly and skid when you try to turn in to a corner. Frankly the physics are the biggest gripe. The drag mode in the Speed Hunters/Legends DLC is also terrible. The controls are completely different than the stock game (who the hell uses the right thumbstick to shift?!?) and the drag mode controls are NOT changeable. Not to mention that the fastest car in the drag mode is a FWD scion which only accelerates so fast because the game creators made it so there's a constant force pushing the front of the car down really hard (sort of like really high downforce, but even when standing still), which makes the best DRAG car one of the best handling GRIP cars. All in all, the game wasn't very well thought out at all. It was a pretty bad port over to PC. The only upsides are that the graphics are decent, and the car customization is better than most of the later Need for Speed games. The night driving mode is a breath of fresh air but it doesn't really matter if you can't control the car in the daytime either. It was a lot better on consoles. I hear that the developers of Shift 2, Slightly Mad Studios, are creating the game Project CARS, which looks a LOT like Shift 2, and also looks a LOT better. Hopefully it will be what the Need For Speed Shift Series wasn't.… Expand
  30. DeeCruise
    Jan 12, 2013
    2
    I specifically had to signup for this game, since I could not believe this game got a user review average of 5.8. It should have a 3 for max. Why not lower you say? Well, it does have some good points. The graphics are a nice emprovement to the first part as well as the night races and the expanded tuning options.

    The controls and handling however is beyond terrible. I consider myself    I specifically had to signup for this game, since I could not believe this game got a user review average of 5.8. It should have a 3 for max. Why not lower you say? Well, it does have some good points. The graphics are a nice emprovement to the first part as well as the night races and the expanded tuning options.

    The controls and handling however is beyond terrible. I consider myself to be an advanced racegame player, but I can't even begin to fathem how to get average timelaps with these cars. The handling is terrible, the AI is super agressive and even with the slightest tap your car spins out of control and makes barrel rolls -> end of race for you.. Stay far away from this game people and keep playing shift..    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best PC Game of 2011
63
#63 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
59
#59 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 9, 2011
    70
    As PC's only alternative to GT5, Shift 2 is satisfactory at best. But true racing enthusiasts will need to go elsewhere to really satisfy their...need for speed. [July 2011, p.74]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    May 22, 2011
    90
    NFS series is back where we want it to be. Perfect graphics, enhanced driving model and the view from the cockpit are the features you will Shift 2 piously worship. [Issue#203]
  3. GamingExcellence
    May 11, 2011
    83
    Overall, Shift 2 Unleashed is a fantastic driving game that should satisfy fans on either side of the arcade/simulation spectrum. The game may not be as sheer fun as Hot Pursuit was only six months ago, but could easily occupy a cherished spot on your shelf right next to it.
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