Need for Speed: Shift looks and sounds promising

[Queasy]

Link - Granted, most previews make a game sound promising. Still, the screenshots in the link look nice. Reeallly nice. And then you read details like this:

What Suzi is talking about is making you feel like you're actually driving a car, which is SHIFT's primary goal. Tied into this are G-Forces, which the team has attempted to simulate with a variety of clever camera techniques. You'll know what she's on about if you've ever been in a car that's had to slam on the brakes quickly, perhaps because of a surprise red light - you're catapulted forward. Or if you've been a tad too "enthusiastic" with your acceleration - your head is pushed back.

In the game, when you accelerate the camera will pull back, and when you brake it'll zoom in, simulating the driver's head movement in real-time. The camera will shake about when you drive over bumper strips, and, at higher speeds, will almost rumble, giving you a sense of hurtling along the track full throttle. In SHIFT, the camera isn't just a tool through which you get the best view of the action, it's intrinsically tied into the shifting G-Forces at play in the car.

Simulating G-Forces isn't the only gaming mechanic that helps put the sim in SHIFT. Crashes have been paid plenty of attention, too. In games, Suzi says, crashes don't mean much. "In games you don't care. You bounce off the wall, who cares. We want you to be afraid of crashing." In SHIFT, crashes will trigger all sorts of clever visual jiggery pokery in order to simulate the affect they have on your ability to drive properly. Slightly rub against the side of a track, for example, and you'll see very slight smearing of the side of the screen. Smash head-on into another car and the camera will grab you by the neck and virtually shake the eyeballs out of your head. The camera has a fit, there's loads of blur and post-processing effects and you'll even hear your driver's heart beat as his life flashes in front of his eyes. If you crash at a high enough speed you'll even wind your unfortunate driver, and you'll hear him panting for breath as he attempts to recover. The idea is to disorientate the driver and actually punish you for crashing, something we're not particularly used to in the Need for Speed series.

Whether or not these camera tricks make the game more immersive or are just distracting we'll have to wait and see. Still, after reading the entire preview, I'm looking forward to at least trying out a demo of the Need for Speed series' turn into sim racing while at the same time anxiously awaiting Turn 10 to make some kind of Forza 3 announcement. Grid and Race Pro have been kind of disappointing. Both of the demos turned me off but that's likely because I'm just so used to Forza.

edit: Joystiq also got some hands on time and were impressed.

Developed by UK-based Slightly Mad Studios -- home to many of the folks who worked on the critically acclaimed GT Legends and GTR 2 -- the game is 95% pure racing simulation, with a bit of arcade feel thrown in so as not to totally alienate players who aren't actual race drivers. (Though EA Games Euro SVP, Patrick Soderlund, is intimately involved with its development -- and he races for real, having most recently placed fifth in the TOYO 24 Hours of Dubai endurance event.)

At first glance, the game reminded us of Forza 2 -- at least from its visual style (and we don't just mean the real cars on an actual track). NFS tried this route with its ProStreet installment, but the gameplay (and a whole lot more) just wasn't there.

Sitting down to play, we were already sold on the look; gorgeous highly detailed car models, tracks that have a sort of Sega arcade racer vibe to them, a rock-steady framerate. But what, we wondered, would help this game stand on its own? So far we can point to two things: the focus on the "driver experience" (more on that in a sec) and really good opponent A.I. (ditto).

As an advisor on the game, Soderlund says he's not just interested in how cool the cars look or how you can tune them; he told us he wants to make a racer that makes players feel like real race drivers. Neat idea, impressive in execution.

Like PGR and GRID, the game has a very detailed cockpit view. Working gauges, hands on the wheel -- the usual. There's an extra layer of pretty in the form of realtime reflections from within the car. For instance, you can see your driver model's movements in the driver's side window. Another neat touch: the driver actually grips the wheel more tightly at the appropriate moments. This level of detail is important because Soderlund and the dev team want this to be a racer that is, first and foremost, played from inside the car.

We noticed the windshield, while it will crack, doesn't place a sort of screen over the graphics, something that's caused us to opt for the third-person in many others racers. A small detail, but it's good to know the team is thinking of stuff like this. There's also a nice looking and helpful effect when driving very fast -- the dash and car interior begin to blur out so that your eyes focus only on the track.

In an early -- but still extremely powerful -- Pagani Zonda, the sense of speed was pulse-quickening. That was combined with opponents who realistically fought for positions, nudged back and would even slip up under pressure, causing a wreck. This didn't only happen when we were "engaging" them; at one point, we came around a turn into a straight-away and narrowly missed a pileup that had occurred moments earlier out of our view.

Even in its early state, SHIFT feels really good. The cars seem to have appropriate weight and noticeable performance differences. There's a perceivable hint of assistance -- hence the dash of arcade-ness -- in the steering beyond the usual traction control and braking assists. We were told that the game will essentially have a driving model that eases new sim drivers into the concept and one for seasoned pros.

What can we say -- we were really impressed by what we played. The two tracks were well designed and looked great in various times of day and weather conditions, the cars handled solidly and the cockpit view was intense and immersive. We're still waiting to learn of a complete car lineup, track selection and, well ... a whole laundry list of gameplay details. But if the team continues down this road, racing buffs are looking at a very good year indeed.

 

[Zim Hosein]

just don't forget the 'f'

:laugh:

Cheers Queasy! :beer:

 

[Kabob]

Just saw the pics on Joystiq, the graphics are gorgeous, hope the gameplay is up to part though.

 

[GCS]

Simulating G-Forces isn't the only gaming mechanic that helps put the sim in SHIFT. Crashes have been paid plenty of attention, too. In games, Suzi says, crashes don't mean much. "In games you don't care. You bounce off the wall, who cares. We want you to be afraid of crashing." In SHIFT, crashes will trigger all sorts of clever visual jiggery pokery in order to simulate the affect they have on your ability to drive properly. Slightly rub against the side of a track, for example, and you'll see very slight smearing of the side of the screen. Smash head-on into another car and the camera will grab you by the neck and virtually shake the eyeballs out of your head. The camera has a fit, there's loads of blur and post-processing effects and you'll even hear your driver's heart beat as his life flashes in front of his eyes. If you crash at a high enough speed you'll even wind your unfortunate driver, and you'll hear him panting for breath as he attempts to recover. The idea is to disorientate the driver and actually punish you for crashing, something we're not particularly used to in the Need for Speed series.

Ok Cat & Mouse would seriously be very bad in this game.

Greg

 

[QuikWgn]

Blocked by my filter so I can't look @ the pretty pictures

 

[Qbah]

Graphics looks amazing! I hope gameplay will be on par with it. I also hope they won't forget the 'f'

 

[destrekor]

Figured I'd update this thread, search filter isn't helping, as I think there was another thread other than this one more recently.

Anyone hear any rumors of when to expect a demo? I really really want to give this a spin, and soon. Got my Logitech G25 and loving it in GT5P, but the whole insanity that Shift looks like, might be amazing to play it with a good wheel and stick. I'm seriously hoping the ex-SimBin crew hold true to their lineage and make this game feel like a heavenly mix of hardcore sim with the pretty from NFS. If this is SimBin's spiritual successor to the GTR/Race series's I'd be extremely pleased, as they needed a refresher. The graphical effects and the whole sense of immersion is awesome, I'm just hoping the racer underneath the hood is on par with what has been established as typical from SimBin. The two developer styles would lead this to be a potentially best ever racer - or find it in the cheap bin in a year.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Got my Logitech G25 and loving it in GT5P

How is the G25 overall? Was planning on waiting for GT5 to hit before picking it up, but may be swayed if Shift comes out as good the previews make it sound.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Car list for the game-

2006 Aston Martin DBR9
2009 Audi R8 LMS
2008 Audi R8
2008 Audi RS 4
2007 Audi S3
2007 Audi TT 3.2 quattro
2006 Audi S4
BMW M3 E36
BMW M3 E46
BMW M3 E92
2008 BMW 135i Coupé
2009 BMW M3 GT2
2007 BMW Z4 M Coupé
2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4
2006 Dodge Challenger Concept
2008 Dodge Viper SRT10
Vaughn Gittin Jr's 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang GT
2010 Ford Shelby GT500
2007 Ford Focus ST
2006 Ford GT
2006 Need For Speed Shelby Terlingua
1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS
2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
2006 Honda Civic Si
2000 Honda S2000
2006 Koenigsegg CCX
2008 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
2007 Lamborghini Murciélago LP640
2007 Lamborghini Reventón
2006 Lotus Elise 111R
2007 Lotus Exige S
2005 Maserati MC12 GT1
2008 Mazda MX-5
2006 Mazda RX-8
1995 Mazda RX-7
1994 McLaren F1
2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition
2007 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer EVOLUTION
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer EVOLUTION IX MR-edition
2003 Infiniti G35 (V35)
1997 Nissan 200SX (S14)
2009 Nissan 370Z (Z34)
2006 Nissan 350Z (Z33)
2009 Nissan GT-R SpecV (R35)
2008 Nissan GT-R (R35)
2000 Nissan Silvia (S15) spec.R AERO
1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
1972 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R
1992 Nissan 240SX (S13)
2006 Pagani Zonda F
2010 Pagani Zonda R
2008 Porsche 911 GT2
2009 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
2006 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
2004 Porsche Carrera GT
2007 Porsche Cayman S
2008 Renault Mégane RS
2007 SEAT Leon CUPRA
2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2007 Lexus LF-A Concept
2008 SCION tC
1986 Toyota Corolla GTS (A86)
2008 Volkswagen Scirocco
2006 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Really slim pickings there, and some huge holes(Ferrari, Lambo, ZR1, Supra). Still, enough cars to keep in interesting, safe to say this won't be going toe to toe with the big boys though.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Sorry for three posts in a row, track list-

Autopolis International Racing Course
Ambush Canyon
Brands Hatch
Dakota
Ebisu Circuit
Glendale
Hazyview
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
London
Miytomi
Nordschleife
Road America
Rustle Creek
Silverstone
Circuit de Spa Francorchamps
Tokyo
Willow Springs

Week there too unfortunately. Two of the big tracks at least, Nurburgring and Spa, that should help a bit with the light lineup. I'm hoping their holding back a lot, as of right now this game looks like it is more in competition with GT5P then GT5

 

[destrekor]

With those lists - it's helping hold true to the SimBin history. Here's hoping that it plays like a cracked out SimBin game.
The GTR and Race series have never had an astonishing list of cars and tracks. But what they make up for that is in the extreme detail of cars and tracks, the characteristics and behavior of the cars and whatnot.

the Gran Turismo series has always been the show stopped for the insanely expansive number of cars and tracks. No one is going to top that either, Polyphony is just insane like that.

With what is on those lists, I'm happy I'd say - as long as it's the game I'm hoping it is. If it turns out like another hyped NFS that is disappointing, I'll be sad, because with the GTR folks working on it, it has the potential to be a hardcore sim with the approach of NFS fans. With multiple control sets, allowing for easier more assisted driving for those who are fans of the typical arcade/NFS gameplay... it'd be awesome if its balanced with the hardcore, unassisted driving that makes up the core of a hardcore sim.

What is nice is there are 50 circuits across those 18 locations - not all locations have real courses, but real roads combined into a fictional circuit. Better than completely fictional I guess. But some locations have multiple circuits fashioned out of them, not sure how many are from the real tracks, and if any circuits at the real tracks are fictional as well... so that's awaiting review.

As for the G25. Well, I've always had some enjoyment for the GT series, but never got far into it, and had a lot of problems with patience.
I've never driven a stick before in my life, but have been getting accustomed to driving with the clutch and 6+1 stick in GT5P.... I'm actually really enjoying it, and so far just been doing time trials to get accustomed to driving with the wheel and learning to shift properly.

The wheel is supported but not entirely properly supporting in GT5P - it's possible its going to have completely full support in GT5, so I'm hoping that is the case. Right now everything works - with the G25, you have to press triangle once you actually get control of the car to allow the use of the clutch and stick. I have the Force Feedback setting in the game set to max (goes from 0 to 10), and feels great... but some have said there is a button combination that can be used in the game that makes the feedback feel like it is set to 20. The G25 allows for some serious Force Feedback apparently.
The pedal set is amazing. They have a nice resistance to them. The throttle feels great, the brake takes some good effort to depress fully, and the clutch is a little easier than the brake, but requires more than the throttle. All metal, and playing with shoes, it just feels right. No feeling of going to break the pedals any time soon. The force feedback in the wheel greatly translates what happens on screen into the wheel.
I have the game set to no assistance in anything, and the feedback really conveys a sense of tires meet pavement the whole circuit - until traction is lost and that's felt. I might try that hack to see how much more it adds, but right now it feels just 'right' to me set at the default 10 without added force.

It's nice, because when you come out of a high speed turn and into a straight line, and if you exited at a little too sharp, you feel the wheels really wanting to do their own thing, and it's conveyed excellently in the steering wheel. You have to maintain a strong grip on those occasions, else the car goes where it wants, and not where you want. Other times, where holding a line isn't hard, it's easy to maintain control with one hand while holding the stick waiting for the moment to shift.
Going to probably do some full races today, so it'll be interesting to get the feedback when other cars bump you. But the feeling from the rumblestrips and other uneven surfaces is amazing.

In the game menu, there is no setting for the G25, though there are pre-config settings for other wheels. The settings of the Driver Force Pro, iirc, is the one that matches up perfectly on the G25.

Logitech just announced the G27 wheel. Essentially it is the exact same as the G25, but they added 4 more buttons on the wheel. That would be nice, give more options for controls accessible at all times. I find it difficult to try and use the buttons that are located on the shifter unit, because it requires moving the eyes a lot, and having a hand off the wheel - I imagine this might be tricky if I want to look at different directions in the game.

edit:
I just cannot wait for GT5, btw. So stoked for that, after the last tease. Still not complete official word, so hoping more is discussed at the games convention in the next few days.
But, it appears full damage, WRC, NASCAR, and maybe WTCC or at least that style along with F1 style it appears, are completely supported. That is just amazing to have that kind of full support, and if full damage... rock on.

And the in-cockpit view of GT5P, completely makes the game. The above the car view just feels so sterile, and the camera-on-front view equally feels just strange. In the cockpit view though... just makes it all feel so right. I'm hoping there are a few improvements in GT5 over GT5P for the immersion factor, but the addition of damage will definitely make the in-cockpit view that much more awesome.

The one thing I'm stoked for NFS: Shift, is the whole immersion factor for the cockpit view. The blur, the other post-processing effects, the videos have made it look nuts when going full speed. If the Force Feedback is done right, and it's a solid sim, it's going to be a pulse-raising racer like no other.

 

[Razgriz]

If I wanted to play a sim, I'd play Forza or GT. Need for Speed has gone down the toilet for sure, just look at Undercover last year. I had such high hopes for that game...that last NFS I've really enjoyed was Most Wanted.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: Razgriz
If I wanted to play a sim, I'd play Forza or GT. Need for Speed has gone down the toilet for sure, just look at Undercover last year. I had such high hopes for that game...that last NFS I've really enjoyed was Most Wanted.

Need for Speed is just a brand name. They've had numerous approaches to the feel of racing, and the type of racing.
But importantly, different devs are working on Shift, so that changes things big time. If all goes right, this could top Forza or GT. Just because it has a brand name that meant different things doesn't mean it cannot be far different from the norm for that brand. Forza has never been the real go-to for sim, GT has been on consoles. GTR and Race have been the go-to on PC, and devs from those games are working on this one.
I'm stupid to have my hopes up so high for this game, as my dream is only going to be shattered most likely. But in the event my wants are met, I'm going to be ecstatic like no other.
I'll probably be filling up the Console forums with numerous posts about Shift if that's the case. Though still not certain what platform - PS3 or PC.
If I could get some damn demos I could try it on both and make that decision. Though it'll require breaking down my shitty little driving setup I made for the PS3, but it's only a matter of clamping and unclamping so no biggy. Could have a nice desk setup at my PC, so I'm going with whatever one feels right.

 

[BenSkywalker]

If I wanted to play a sim, I'd play Forza or GT.

That is the market that EA is going after with this NFS. The development team is new to the series, they have in the past done PC style "sims". They are clearly trying to position the franchise as an alternative to GT or Forza, perhaps they will end up lining up on the off years from the big two in terms of releases. I think EA killed off the NFS franchise by not decidnig which way to go, if you want pure arcade you have Burnout which is exceptional. If you want a more sim style racer you have GT or Forza. NFS tried to walk down the middle road and just ended up sucking at both. EA figured this out, and instead of pushing NFS into going head to head against another one of their games, they decided to take Polyphony/Turn10 on and see how they could do in that segment.

Clearly they have lost credibility with the mass market, but I think they are relying on people like destrekor and myself to help give them credibility back. Get the hard core racing guys in your fold, and the masses will follow. GT/Forza have proven this rather profoundly. I don't think EA will plan on monster sales for Shift, but are considering more of a reboot for the franchise and hope to win a different audience then what they have been going after for many years. Hell, when GT first came out it was mainly just a much better version of NFS, the series lost direction, now it is getting it back(or at least, that is EA's goal).

As for the G25.

Hmm, was about ready to go pick it up, then you had to go mention the G27 As far as the full game having support, check out GT5TV(it's in your game menu)- they have a full segment about how the whole game is being built around the wheel. They were showing off some stuff like the ability to tune your car on the fly using the G25- the test rigs they have for the game with the Recaros are all using G25s in the vid, so I would wager that support in GT5 will be ideal for that wheel(hmmm, G27 or G25....). I was just curious to hear some feedback from a real racing enthusiast, general gamers may give you their honest impression of a wheel, but the subtle things like feeling when you car starts to drift via the wheel they totally miss(and of course those things make all the difference).

 

[Kabob]

I remain skeptical but still hopefully. Will be it a Forza or Gran Turismo? No, but hopefully it'll be a solid racer. I heard pretty dissappointing things about SimBin's newest console sim, Race Pro.

 

[RedRooster]

The only problem with this game if it turns out as good as they say, is that we'll have two really good 300+ hour sim games to play and it'll be impossible to split the time between the two both offline and online. You're pretty much going to be forced to pick one and stick with it. That'll probably affect sales too.
I'm excited though, small chance it'll replace Forza for me, but if it actually does it'll be a fresh spin on racing I'm sure.

 

[BenSkywalker]

The only problem with this game if it turns out as good as they say, is that we'll have two really good 300+ hour sim games to play and it'll be impossible to split the time between the two both offline and online.

Because of this I can see Shift doing much better on the PS3 this year then the 360. Shift comes out in a couple of weeks, we still don't even have a release date on GT5 yet. Obviously going directly against Forza3 is going to hurt them a lot on the 360 side.

 

[RedRooster]

Originally posted by: kabob983
I remain skeptical but still hopefully. Will be it a Forza or Gran Turismo? No, but hopefully it'll be a solid racer. I heard pretty dissappointing things about SimBin's newest console sim, Race Pro.

Race Pro with the presentation of an NFS game would've been one of the best racers to come out on consoles in a long time. They just couldn't make a menu or anything else outside of racing, at all.

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

I have a feeling that while this looks pretty on the outside, it will be a pale pale comparison to either Forza 3, and GT5. Hasn't it been in dev less than a year?

 

[viivo]

I'm trying to get excited about this game, but it seems to just be a slightly prettier Forza 3 with fewer cars, tracks and tuning options. Now if there is a way to turn off all sim stuff and make it a pure arcade racer I can see it replacing Burnout in my "arcade fun as hell racer" playlist spot.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: viivo
I'm trying to get excited about this game, but it seems to just be a slightly prettier Forza 3 with fewer cars, tracks and tuning options. Now if there is a way to turn off all sim stuff and make it a pure arcade racer I can see it replacing Burnout in my "arcade fun as hell racer" playlist spot.

This. After playing Forza 2 for too long, I no longer care about sim racing. It's just too difficult and I don't have the patience for it. NFS used to be great for fun arcade racing, but Burnout Paradise has displaced it for me. I don't want to have to do any tuning, nor do I care about apexes or exit speeds. So I agree; I think the sim crowd will naturally gravitate towards Forza 3 or (if it ever actually comes out) GT5, while people like me will stick to Burnout. I mean, if you're going to buy a sim racer, why not get the one that offers more cars, tracks, and gameplay for the same price?

 

[Sadaiyappan]

Isn't burnout also made by EA? Seems like EA is making too many arcade racers, they need more clear distinctions, one sim racer and one arcade racer.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: Sadaiyappan
Isn't burnout also made by EA? Seems like EA is making too many arcade racers, they need more clear distinctions, one sim racer and one arcade racer.

I think that's why we can be safe to assume this is going to be more hardcore sim with arcade flash. They've got other Need for Speed games, not to mention the Burnout series.

From the way they've discussed the game, it sounds like it will be able to be played somewhat like an arcade game if using a certain control preset with various driving assists, but there will be the option to turn all that off, or use a different control preset, for pure sim driving. It just appears the graphics and style will make it more arcade-flashy, but I think those same visuals will lead to an amazing hardcore sim experience, since it's all about helping the player perceive the speed, and immerse them in the experience... notably by visual cues from impacts and stuff.

It sounds like it could be amazing. Or it could just be a let down with too much arcade influence left. But I cannot imagine the dev's working on it, ones who have only made sims, would be creating too much of an arcade experience. I think the end result is going to be based on whether it all came together into a great product, and not whether it had too much arcade style.

 

[Razgriz]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: viivo
I'm trying to get excited about this game, but it seems to just be a slightly prettier Forza 3 with fewer cars, tracks and tuning options. Now if there is a way to turn off all sim stuff and make it a pure arcade racer I can see it replacing Burnout in my "arcade fun as hell racer" playlist spot.

This. After playing Forza 2 for too long, I no longer care about sim racing. It's just too difficult and I don't have the patience for it. NFS used to be great for fun arcade racing, but Burnout Paradise has displaced it for me. I don't want to have to do any tuning, nor do I care about apexes or exit speeds. So I agree; I think the sim crowd will naturally gravitate towards Forza 3 or (if it ever actually comes out) GT5, while people like me will stick to Burnout. I mean, if you're going to buy a sim racer, why not get the one that offers more cars, tracks, and gameplay for the same price?

That's the point I was trying to make...I'd rather play NFS if it's arcade not sim. There are sims out there if I wanted to play one, just give a pure FUN arcade NFS (hot pursuit, most wanted, etc) like years past.

 

[viivo]

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: Sadaiyappan
Isn't burnout also made by EA? Seems like EA is making too many arcade racers, they need more clear distinctions, one sim racer and one arcade racer.

I think that's why we can be safe to assume this is going to be more hardcore sim with arcade flash. They've got other Need for Speed games, not to mention the Burnout series.

From the way they've discussed the game, it sounds like it will be able to be played somewhat like an arcade game if using a certain control preset with various driving assists, but there will be the option to turn all that off, or use a different control preset, for pure sim driving. It just appears the graphics and style will make it more arcade-flashy, but I think those same visuals will lead to an amazing hardcore sim experience, since it's all about helping the player perceive the speed, and immerse them in the experience... notably by visual cues from impacts and stuff.

It sounds like it could be amazing. Or it could just be a let down with too much arcade influence left. But I cannot imagine the dev's working on it, ones who have only made sims, would be creating too much of an arcade experience. I think the end result is going to be based on whether it all came together into a great product, and not whether it had too much arcade style.

The point is that there isn't room for a hardcore sim so limited in scope. I mean 75 cars, really? They can include all the camera gimmicks and flashy graphics they want, they're going to alienate the arcade racers with the realism aspects, and the pure sim racers with the limited cars, tracks and arcade elements.