Platforms
- PCSep 15, 20097.8playscore8.68 Critics7.33.48K Players
- PlayStation 3Sep 15, 20097.9playscore7.911 Critics8.12.30K Players
- Xbox 360Sep 15, 20098.0playscore7.811 Critics8.543.8K Players
19 critic reviews · 9 community reviews across all platforms
Critic Reviews
- Need for Speed: Shift is a great reboot for the NFS franchise. The new focus on simulation-style racing combined with the fast-paced arcade elements that we've come to expect from NFS form a perfect marriage that makes this a great title to play. However, my only complaint is that there just isn't enough there. Nevertheless, tearing up the track and leveling up your driver is great fun, and the experience alone makes this title worth checking out.
Amanda L. Kondolojy · Nov 15, 2009 Reviewed on PCRead full review - All the better for being gimmick-free
OXM Staff · Oct 17, 2009 Reviewed on X360 - On the audio front, Shift features load roaring engines and environmental effects that send the sweet piston songs echoing back at you as you pass by shipping containers or other hard surfaces. It's wonderful overall. Need for Speed Shift is a surprising turn for the series, pushing away from flashy street racing to compete with the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo. Its feature-set still has room to grow, but the tight driving experience stands up with the best.
Game Trailers · Oct 12, 2009 Reviewed on PS3, X360 - Need For Speed Shift is certainly a competent racing game with an intriguing cock-pit view. Sadly, slightly iffy physics and sterile navigation place it a few steps away from excellence.
Sammy Barker · Sep 21, 2009 Reviewed on PS3Read full review - Need for Speed: Shift has a good selection of cars and plenty of varied tracks (ranging from small ovals and a figure-eight track to lengthy street and grand prix circuits) to race them on. Other than a somewhat interesting experience system, though, it offers nothing that hasn't already been done better elsewhere. 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.
Justin Calvert · Sep 16, 2009 Reviewed on PS3, X360Read full review - SHIFT may not have snatched the yardstick from Turn 10, Polyphony Digital or Codemasters, the damage model might not be the best in the genre, and nor is it the absolute, final word in realistic driving. But it has reignited our affection for Need for Speed – and that alone is a real achievement.
Shaun Curnow · Sep 15, 2009 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Need For Speed: Shift is a brilliant new start for the franchise and has clearly been built by a team that loves racing. It's got shortcomings, as you'd expect from a new entry in the genre (notably a fairly basic online offering and a catch all career mode), but the on-track action is worth the price tag. Shift comes highly recommended to all racing game fans, even if it may well end up serving as a stop gap release until console exclusive heavy hitters Forza 3 and GT5 turn up.
Tom Orry · Sep 15, 2009 Reviewed on PC, PS3, X360Read full review - The game feels like it's stuck between two worlds, and it doesn't execute well enough on either side to fully satisfy any type of racing fan. That said, if you're a fan of racing sims and you're looking for something to tide you over until the next big thing comes along, Shift certainly isn't a bad game. But you'd probably be better off with some older, more serious racing sims.
Jeff Gerstmann · Sep 15, 2009 Reviewed on PS3, X360Read full review - Need for Speed Shift is a glorious return to greatness (and even excellence) for EA's seminal racing franchise. Slightly Mad Studios has delivered a driving experience that, while not completely accurate in terms of its simulation aspects, is practically dead-on in terms of what it's like to race around some of the world's best racing circuits. The career mode could (and should) have been a little better, but the act of driving is basically phenomenal.
Chris Roper · Sep 10, 2009 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Shift is really one of the gems of the racing genre this generation. Slick presentation, great graphics, very fun and accessible gameplay, and a ton of things to unlock. You’ll spend hours addicted to the racing alone, but you can also collect cars, customize their performance and look, and then compete with your friends - not only online but in the career mode as well. Racing sim fans should really enjoy this game and racing fans that have never gotten into the sim genre before should find this title to be a great starting point.
VGChartz Staff · Nov 10, 2009 Reviewed on PC, PS3, X360Read full review
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Community Reviews
- Rated on PC
- Rated on PS3
- Rated on PS3
- Rated on PS3
- Rated on X360
About the game
Trailers & Screenshots:
Need for Speed™ SHIFT is an award-winning authentic racing game that combines the true driver’s experience with real-world physics, pixel-perfect car models, and a wide range of authentic race tracks. Need for Speed SHIFT takes players in a different direction to create a simulation experience that replicates the true feeling of driving high-end performance cars. Players are thrust into the loud, visceral, intense, athletic experience of racing a car on the edge of control from the driver’s perspective through the combination of perception based G-forces, the hyper reality of the cockpit view, and the brutal experience of a first person crash dynamic.
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios