Need For Speed: Shift – Time to Get Real

Need for Speed has always been one of those franchises that said to players: Yeah, we have some realism in there, but we like to make sure you have fun, too. This allowed the game designers to subvert the laws of physics and engine mechanics a bit in order to make some of the most popular racing/driving games around.

The new installment, ‘Shift’, takes a hard left turn toward realism. Consulting with real race drivers in their chosen discipline, striving for as close to a real-life feel as they can get. Hopefully, they can pull this off without pushing the difficulty so far that casual players won’t enjoy the experience.

I’ve been personally playing ToCA: Race Driver 3, a hyper-realistic game, lately to get myself ready for September 9th’s release of Colin McRae: DiRT2. Looks like I made a good choice now that Shift is coming later that month, as well.

Looks like my wheel is going to get a real workout soon. Good times ahead.