Shift 2 Unleashed - establishing the "FPR" genre?

[Uli]

wow, the game is out end of March already - so i guess it's time to start a thread. seems there's not much hype here for the sequel to the self proclaimed starter of the FPR (first person racing) genre... but taking into account the many bugs and flaws that plagued the first game i can understand it did not generate a big fan base. unfortunately and wrongly in my opinion as Shift easily wipes the floor with Forza 3 and GT5 in terms of providing close to reality audio-visual racing thrills. i loved Shift despite its initial buggyness and shortcomings and i am very much looking forward to Shift 2 and it's efforts to establish the FPR genre.

the latest Shift 2 trailer can be found here

[nakamura]

unfortunately and wrongly in my opinion as Shift easily wipes the floor with Forza 3 and GT5 in terms of providing close to reality audio-visual racing thrills.

the latest Shift 2 trailer can be found here

This is true. If anyone played Shift not int he cockpit cam it is just missing the point. Best feel of racing a car in any game in that camera view.

[englishbob]

I liked Shift too, although as the cars got faster cockpit view and the handling became a bit of a handful. Still I am interested in number 2.

I can't believe this is out in Q1 of 2011, so soon after Hot Pursuit. Seems odd, hopefully the product is finished on release in March (what are the chances!) as it could of easily waiting until November IMO.

[merf]

I'm looking forward to this but really don't think it's a new genre, looks pretty good and hopefully will hit the sweet spot for me between sim and arcadey

[nakamura]

I liked Shift too, although as the cars got faster cockpit view and the handling became a bit of a handful. Still I am interested in number 2.

The main issue was the frame rate. It just couldn't cope with such a small viewing window at sub 30fps in the faster cars.

We need 60!

[Uli]

i don't know about Shift's frame rate but i had no problems with it on my 360. but with Forza 3 and GT5 in terms of lacking speed feeling despite supposedly being 30+ fps. nonetheless, 60 fps is a good idea for Shift 2.

[nakamura]

To be fair I think the lower frame rate actually helps Shift obtain the more realistic feel as it is harder to focus on the track when it is bumpy as it is in real life. Just makes it a lot harder at really high speeds.

[TheForce]

it's a shame they released the first game half finished..... This has to be bloody awesome if I will spend money on this again. (it did have an awesome incar expierence)

[Legendary Wolf]

I concur with the views here, I really liked the racing experience of the first game but the handling was not as good as PGR 4 or Forza 3 which let the whole game down.

If they have fixed the handling then this could be a very good racer. I will definately wait for a demo and some reviews first though.

[Uli]

cockpit view seems to have been improved with different settings or is very flexible to set up.

however, i'm done with GT5 - mostly. so Shift 2 can't come soon enough

[Uli]

it's a shame they released the first game half finished..... This has to be bloody awesome if I will spend money on this again. (it did have an awesome incar expierence)

the late patch didn't fix everything but the broken tuning got fixed. also, key to having fun with the game is to get into a works converted car a.s.a.p.

here's my final thoughts on the game...

i decided to finish career mode while waiting for my Halo Reach to show up... and Sirs, i am delighted to announce that my patience with Shift finally paid off big big time!

i probably can't underline enough how much better the game got as soon as i got myself one of the works converted cars. my first investment into a works conversion was a Nissan 370Z and all of a sudden the driving and racing got a lot better. the car performed predictable according to it's specs and drive concept, so much that could even use throttle to cycle the car around corners.

bottom line: Shift surely isn't a perfect racer but it gave me some of the most thrilling races i ever had the pleasure to virtually experience. and it is and will definitely remain the benchmark to overcome for future racing games in terms of audio-visual feedback. everybody who took a lap around Nordschleife from the cockpit view of a Pagani Zonda R in Shift will know what i speak of. all others probably wont.

[PeteJ]

I have to agree with Uli on Shift, it was such a shame it was released too soon as under the poor finish was a sublime racer. May not be the most realistic around but nothing else captures the spirit of racing like this did.

The sequel is looking amazing.

[englishbob]

Actual game footage inside...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPuaLOsNFDk&feature=player_embedded

Hopefully this will turn out to be a proper racer, unlike that "other" driving game.

[nakamura]

This is typical EA presentation but a cool vid none the less.

[Uli]

Laguna Seca Hot Lap