Need for Speed

[gta1]

I recently bought the latest issue of PSM3 magazine and was surprised to see they gave the game 66%.

Their reason being that the game was virtually unplayable due to 'laggy controls' and they saw that as a huge flaw in a game EA had aimed to deter people away from Gran Turismo 5 by labelling their new racer as 'realistic'.

Having played the game myself I do see where they're coming from at a degree but I also find myself quite enjoying the game nevertheless although I must say it's far from my favourite racer this gen.

Please read the article I took from PSM3's blog and reply your thoughts as I'm curious to see what others feel

SHIFT 2 ARTICLE

[BazTardo-UK]

First few days of playing was brilliant, even with the controls the way they are. I use the wheel and this is the first game I've had to spend over an hour tweaking all the settings to get it to feel something like. I even tried controller to see if that was any good and couldn't use it at all, which after years of using wheels it's no surprise.

Once sorted I thought the game was challenging me, hard steering, lots of throttle and brake control. Then, last night I went back on GT5 for a bit and it blows Shift out of the water. So much smoother, responsive and just generally feels better.

I won't let this put me off the game as there is still something I really like about it, but it would have been nice if they'd put more effort into the controls.

[nalaboy]

I agree BazTardo-UK . I too went from shift 2 to GT5 and back again and it just annoys me how different they both are ( in terms of steering ). Has there been any news of a patch ? i have only driven my Silvia as it owns atm lol, and it has a handing rating of 2. something does it get better with better handling stat cars ?

[thebluegaloo]

I see shift2 as an arcade game and hence use the pad!  gt5 is more of a sim hence the wheel is better, my only gripe with the game is that most times i rank up i never get any of the moneatary rewards last one was lvl 12 and i waited for the 120k to appear in my bank but no lol i hav bought two cars both under 20k each and only have 140k available

[ll-50DUK-ll]

Exactly how I feel about it.

He was bang on with his old lady megaphone analogy. It was the same problem I had with KZ2 (not as bad as shift 2) It's like I was telling the guy where to point his gun and when to shoot, it never felt like I was "the guy".

Same goes for shift 2. You over correct ALL the time because there seems to be a delay with your input, like a blind guy is driving and you're in the back seat telling him when to turn. I've played a load of racers (including a few NFS titles) and pretty much know how a good one should play.

This could have been a 85% game, but I'd give it 55% the way it is now.

The driving in GTA4 is better than this, and that's not even a racer!

[atalayant]

That is weird... I just started shift2, yesterday, and had a few races at the career mode. I use Logitech wheel, and I can say that the driving is real! I really loved the handling of the first trial at a 2 lap race with the Nissan Skyline. Wheel was very responsible, no latency taking directions, and I loved the way it feels.

The game is very different in terms of driving from GT5, yes. But, Nissan behaved very real to me. Yup, I had a chance drive some supercars in real life such as Ferrari Testarossa, 458, 360 Modena, Viper GTSR, BMW M3, Ford Focus rally car, and Aston Martin DB9. So, Nissan felt so good that I got the best time in the game in my first trial...


I don't know what will happen in the next races in career mode, but I give %90, so far.

[jordan579]

I got the game on tuesday when gamestation had it for £25, I read some comments on here about the steering or lack of it and thought if I should cancel the order.

I put it in and was expecting an unplayable game. But after a few hours racing I can say I personally like the handling. I can see where people are coming from, it is very different to GT5 but to say you can't drive in a straight line is a bit strong.

The handling to me is spot on and far more enjoyable than GT5 in my opinion. I spent around 30 hours playing GT5 and races felt more like a chore, there was no excitement and I would switch off and do pretty much exactly the same lap every time, hitting all the apex's and I'd wake up on the last lap.

With Shift 2 I need to concentrate through every corner otherwise I'll end up in the gravel or smashing into a wall. It feels good when you link a few good corners together. Sure it's not as refined as GT5 but SM didn't have years to re-build the game engine and to try and perfect every detail.