[360, PS3] Need For Speed: Shift

Yes and no.

Yes, Criterion Games had a hand in SHIFT's development (they are more than just the Burnout team ). No, they weren't the sole developer.

The Burnout team has a 2010 deadline for their pet project, with Black Box returning to develop the franchise the following year. (Apparently EA wants to keep the property's annual release schedule but doesn't want to burden a single developer with the task.)

Slightly Mad Studios is standing in the limelight (to legitimize what would have otherwise been a laughable proposition: a Need for Speed sim brought to you by the arcade ancipital, Black Box and Criterion Games), but they aren't the only ones on stage.

Offstage, a destitute genius Blimey! Games, a mysterious investor who kept them afloat (let's call them 'EA' for lack of a better term), Criterion Games, and Black Box have worked to make Patrick's vision of a driver-based experience a reality.

 

If my hunch is correct, this isn't a downgrade at all but a change in methodology from serial solutions to more distributed ones. I imagine it would be akin to moving graphics rendering from a CPU to a GPU.

Slightly Mad Studios' physics model seems to have parallel scalability.

And this is a prerequisite for Criterion's (distributed computing) game platform. Once the model has been bolted on, it should be a lot easier to tune within a distributed environment as opposed to a non-distributed one. So the pervasiveness and/or complexity of a physics system would boil down to the allocation of resources.

 

Not necessarily. As with graphics, realism has to do with the complexity of the model(s). A non-real-time simulation may not update quickly, but it is more accurate than one operating in real-time.

Again (like graphics), the speed that an engine is running is a rough indicator of continuity. A swift physics engine, like those in F1 simulations, is less likely to fall back on slight-of-hand (impulses) and more likely to manage the interaction of forces over time.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNTpMqn8apQ

 

I like the direction EA is steering the franchise, and its ambitious attempt to provide a 'one size fits all' solution for an entire genre with a title that tries to encompass everything from arcade antics to sobering simulation.

I like the company's renewed commitment to quality:

But the game's potential and kinetic synergy is not as cohesive as I had hoped it would be.

SHIFT is billed as a pick up and play game™ for everyone—an arcade game that, when cornered, will mirror reality more believably (and enjoyably) than the iconic GTR2. But the opposite seems to be the case: you will have to put it in a straight jacket first.

I doubt its mainstream audience will want to be force-fed obsessive gameplay, and SHIFT seems to be serving it by the plateful ...

Turning off all assists is like letting the bogeyman out of the basement (or a simulator out of its cage). And we all know what THAT means. Some of us are going to be stars in a new horror flick.

Never mind all of the N00bs in busted BMWs; it won't be pretty for sim enthusiasts either when they are caught with un-calibrated steering wheels, foot pedals and such.

Surely there is a better way to introduce a new IP to consumers without pissing them off.

For casual players especially, the first few outings are about everything BUT racing. It is a time for exploration and sightseeing and, when they finally come around to it, getting a feel for how to control the car. It is about testing boundaries—seeing how much damage you can inflict or be afflicted with—and learning how to stay within them.

Arcade games hide convoluted play mechanics behind a (default) level of difficulty that is best suited for amateurs. I think SHIFT should have followed suit.

The only rational explanation I can think of for a casual sim to begin as a full-on simulation is to fulfill the requirements of a licensing agreement. BMW first—first in marketing; the first selectable car in demonstrations; first to the cover shoot; and the first vehicle players drive in-game. It is a spoiled celebrities' list of demands normally associated with Ferrari and Porsche.

You will probably be able to keep the BMW M3 (whether that's the GT2 racecar or a production car remains to be seen), though it is unlikely to be useful in Career mode until you have climbed the racing class food chain. And it makes sense. There are plenty of starter cars in the game's portfolio.

 

Nice ... Looks almost like my McLaren at home—the 1/18 scale Franck Muller on my bedroom dresser!

Car of the Week

 

A few guys at Slightly Mad have Ferraris, but I doubt if anyone can afford the $1.5 million down payment on a Lamborghini Reventon.

In these videos, a drunk driver attempts to pilot this stealth plane around the Ring. The icy gameplay is reminiscent of Gran Turismo 4. (It looks like Damage is OFF; and Drift is ON)

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH67vn9LEFE

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj6MVzsc2Vk

 

You're right. SHIFT could be an even friendlier game than Gotham. But it's not.