Video Game Review: ‘Shift 2 Unleashed’ For Hardcore Drivers Only

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CHICAGO – Having played racing games since the days when I would go to the arcade and drop quarters into a “Pole Position” game, I’m at the point where I’m somewhat exhausted by the genre. There’s some variety in style, but racing games aren’t really that different from one another, especially ones that take the art of driving as seriously as “Shift 2 Unleashed.” This is a good game from the “Need For Speed” team that still feels like it doesn’t add enough new to a genre that could use an overhaul.

Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0

Don’t get me wrong. “Shift 2 Unleashed” doesn’t do anything particularly poorly. But you should be warned that it’s a game for hardcore driving fans. You have to love cars enough to notice the difference in handling between not just this game and less refined ones but between cars. You have to be more excited about a clean corner than trading paint with your race mates. And don’t expect power-ups like “Blur” or environmental disasters like “Split/Second.” “Shift 2 Unleashed” is about DRIVING, not speeding, racing, or crashing.

Shift 2 Unleashed
Photo credit: EA

The main draw of “Shift 2 Unleashed” for those hardcore driving fans is in the realism of the presentation. The default view is first-person with your hands on the wheel. You’ll feel every turn, every gear change, and when you nick another car going 100 MPH then you will definitely notice more than most racing games where you can spin out and keep on going. The first-person driving experience takes some getting used to and can be downright nauseating. The game’s best asset is the way in which it translates the intensity of actually trying to take a sharp corner at insane speeds.

As far as handling goes, everything feels weightier in “Shift 2 Unleashed,” especially when compared to the high speeds of the last “Need For Speed” game, “Hot Pursuit.” You can feel the weight of the car underneath you at all times and speed will get you killed. Unlike a lot of cartoonish racing games, you can’t merely speed through every corner. You’ll have to learn to brake, corner, drift — and the handling elements of the driving are excellent. The way the car moves — acceleration, cornering, passing, etc. — is the title’s biggest draw.

Shift 2 Unleashed Photo credit: EA

And yet it wasn’t quite enough for me. I respect what Slightly Mad Studios has accomplished with “Shift 2 Unleashed,” but I couldn’t help feeling like, other than the realism of the first-person perspective, that I had played it before. The tracks look great — the graphics are excellent — and the game is remarkably deep with a wide variety of cars and upgrades, but you have to be the kind of auto lover who can spend a half-hour fine-tuning your Lamborghini to really get a lot out of the experience. And the game falls victim to the standard trap of racing games in that it gets repetitive for those of us who can’t tell the difference between two cars with a tenth-of-a-second difference in acceleration speed.

So how does “Shift 2 Unleashed” compare to other sim racing games like “Forza” or “Gran Turismo.” It’s not quite as enjoyable as either of those titles, mostly due to the organization of the menus, garage, and track design. It’s the little things that separate sim games from one another in the ’10s as they all have deep garages and intense customization. There are also fine differences in the A.I. for “Shift 2 Unleashed” that can be a bit frustrating. There were times when a competitor caught up with me that are simply unexplainable other than trying to enhance the race. The arcade-esque A.I. can sometimes deflate the attempt at realism.

The “Need For Speed” team also import the “Autolog” function that allows you to compete with friends who also have the game and earns point by beating their time. It’s a nice feature that has been seamlessly incorporated into the franchise after being a more prominent part of “Hot Pursuit.”

I can only be honest with my reaction to a video game. I respect what the developers attempted with “Shift 2 Unleashed” but I think I’ve reached a point of exhaustion with a new racing game coming out every couple months. Some are serious, some are goofy, some are more like sims, some are just silly, but they all follow the same essential formula. They can all start to blend together into one endless loop. If you can appreciate subtle differences from one loop to another and have exhausted “Forza” and “Gran Turismo,” you will enjoy this ride. If you’re getting kind of burned out on the racing genre, “Shift 2 Unleashed” won’t get you behind the wheel for too long.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com