Need for Speed: Shift PlayStation 3
Need for Speed: Shift Image
Metascore
84 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 55 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.1 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 82 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: Need for Speed SHIFT brings a true driver's experience to some of the world's most iconic racing tracks, including the storied Brand's Hatch in the UK. The game also features the largest roster of high-performance cars in Need for Speed history including race cars such as the Pagani Zonda F, Porsche 911 GT2 and Lotus Elise. Players are thrust into the loud, intense, and athletic experience of racing a car from the driver's perspective through the combination of perception based G-forces, the hyper reality of the cockpit view, and the all-new brutally disorienting crash dynamic. Need for Speed SHIFT features an accurate, accessible physics-based driving model that allows you to feel every impact, every change of track surface and every last bit of grip as you push yourself to the edge. [Electronic Arts]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 55
  3. Negative: 0 out of 55
  1. GameSpy
    100
    If you're a number-munching automotive aficionado with a penchant for judging games the way an accountant judges a financial portfolio, know that this is a racing game dedicated to the act of racing rather than the actors, more intent on refining the experience of driving rather than celebrating car culture with scads of vehicles.
  2. XGN
    86
    Need for Speed Shift doesn’t only provide a great shift within the NFS-franchise. In fact, the game is also an extremely good racing game.
  3. 3DJuegos
    86
    Shift revitalizes the Need for Speed series with an amazing mix of arcade and simulation.
  4. GameSpot
    70
    Shift is neither an arcade racer nor a simulation; it's stuck somewhere between the two, and while there's plenty of good racing to be had here, it's unlikely to completely satisfy fans of either.

See all 55 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 33
  3. Negative: 3 out of 33
  1. SnaggyD
    10
    Really good driving game, recent patch has cleared up the previous problems and regularly get 12 player races now..
  2. Syriamn
    8
    It´s a pretty good racing car game it looks and sounds great and the overall concept is well built. It only lacks the x factor that DiRT 2 has for example. Not comparing both of the games since they're different. Having said that it's a good car game.… Expand
  3. Palp
    7
    Need for speed SHIFT can be seen as either a departure from what the NFS series had been trying to establish by way of releasing illicit street racing games such as NFS Carbon and Undercover for years, or can be seen as a refinement and cleanup of the uneven and heavily flawed NFS ProStreet. The result is a gorgeous attempt at a racing simulator that doesn't quite have what it takes to compete with the best on a gameplay front.

    The best part about this game is easily the graphics, which were the best ever in an NFS game at this time. The tracks, cars, and environmental effects such as lighting all looked incredible on an HD tv, and made this game a graphical showpiece for the multiplatform market, and in a way, the graphical aspect of this game is the only part that really made this game stand above the only other high profile racing sim at the time in the form of Forza 3.

    The gameplay in SHIFT is where Slightly Mad Studios decided to cater to newbies and racing sim vets all in one go with mixed results. While the cars do handle somewhat believably, the sense of speed is absurdly exaggerated, giving the game an awkward blend of both realism and arcade. The result of this middle ground makes gives the game a hard time satisfying either the arcade fans, who want something more along the lines of NFS Most wanted and those who want something more along the lines of Forza 3.

    Had this game committed to being one genre, it could have been so much greater, but it ended up being a solid racer sandwiched between two genres that that ultimately feels disappointing to both the arcade and simulation crowd.    … Expand
  4. johnl
    2
    the best racing game i have ever played was burnout 3 and burnout revenge which was the follow up...the reason i liked them so much was because they were fun!!!! nfs shift plays horribly i gave it a good hr before giving up on it...it looks amazing and thats why im giving it a 2....… Expand

See all 33 User Reviews

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