Need For Speed Shift 2: Unleashed

I have re-written this review after playing it quite abit for the past 2 weeks and think I was a little harsh on first impressions. Online is great apart from the usual morons who always crash you off the track and the career is long and mixed cars/events, if a little shorter than the original.
All those who arn't sure about buying this because of the handling you can on advanced options again tweak the wheel/controller down to 1% differences of clutch/steering and breaking sensitivity and now i have found the right setting that suits me. on par with codemasters and forzas and it is fast I mean really shaking/g-force fast once you get inside GT3bmw or a FIA GT1 Lambo this is where the game excels especially racing 10 GT3 cars around Monza GP for example in hemet cam mode. The graphics are 30fps on the xbox and move quick and nice details and exact tracks I think around 30-40 including new tracks like bathurst (Australia) and DubaiGP and keeping alot of the originals. Some look stunning others are a little poor (trees etc). The night time racing feels like night time and you can see your shadow infront of you so you know someone is chasing you the city ones are lighter but SPA/Road America/Bathurst are great in the dark or at dusk. The car interiors are again outstanding in detail and now have less blur and softer and I think the Helmet cam is for me now and i know it blocks some apexs but it feels fast and real.

I think this game has pure racing sim in its heart (developers are Slightly mad studios and are race track mad!) but tweaked for the EA nfs franchise and hence the arcade feel to some of it. If you can accept it isn't 60fps and smooth and want something different and have time to mess with the steering options and only use the Interior cams (sim) then my opinion is you will not regret buying/renting this especially side by side as an option to forza/GT5 this is racing but 'fun and enjoyable'. Don't listen to other sites/reviewers or people who want to drive at 250mph into corners this is a sim and if driven carefully a worthwhile purchase. If you have the original and enjoyed that then having now played that again I think it is worth upgrading purely for the new cars and loads more new tracks. I hope this helps anyone who hasn't brought it yet as I don't think there is a demo of this yet.

Well bought this game on saturday after completing crysis 2 and what can i say i think this game is truly imense, the graphics and headcam are out of this world. The car sounds are all pretty near as and the car dynamics are really good for example the focus rs, it has alot of torque steer as in the real car. Amazin 10/10

having played this game from the day of its release i gave it 4 stars after a week of playing it. i said it should deserve 5 but i could only give it 4 stars at the time because of some minor issues that are about to get fixed by a patch that is coming out shortly. so i'll pretend that the technical faults like game crashes have been fixed for this new review.

so why 5 stars well i've played many driving games from fun arcade games like split second to your supposedly sim driving games like forza. but shift 2 unleashed meshes the two together. its complete and utter fun and a blast hammering it around corners and down long straights while feeling completely in control of your car at all times. now some reviewers have complained about car handling and also not being able to take a corner very fast or your spinning of the track. well yes when you first start off in a rubbish ford focus you will find these things happening but bear with the game and once you unlock the GT3 series which is the start of the pro racing then you will also have cars that will stick to corners like glue and travel at such rapid speeds that you will let out a wow wow sound before slamming on the brakes and then throwing your car into the next corner confident it will respond to your every command.
this game is not for drivers or racing fans that dont like a challenge. to unlock the GT3 series you will find it hard going. you will not win a race first time you will get frustrated and you will feel the same delight that a real driver probably feels when he wins a race in real life. your emotions and skills are constantly tested. but you will be rewarded with your patience once that GT3 opens up to you. because at level 15 you will get the free Porsche 911 GT3 that will leave all other cars eating its exhaust fumes. this car like many of the cars in this category are outstanding in performance and handling. trust me you will love them.

now for the car handling this is a major talking point with this game i use the official xbox force feedback steering wheel and i spent at least 2hrs messing about with the settings using the F1 Mclaren car to try out the settings on because its one of the best cars for handling and super fast and you also get to use it in the early stages of the game. you do need to get the settings just right for the game to really come alive. if you cant be bothered with doing this then dont buy the game. but if you are dedicated to your driving and racing games then getting the steering wheels settings right is a must in this game. i've also played it with the game-pad and its also alot easier than with the wheel so dont think just because you like a driving game but dont have a wheel you wont get alot from this game you will and i completed may races in 1st place with the pad so dont be put off with all my wheel talk.

the in game car A.I. is aggressive if you bang into them or shunt them from behind. so dont be surprised when they do the same back to you but it adds to the realism and character of the game.

the graphics are good and the sound is excellent. but remember its a driving game that means fast frame rates and with all the car and track damage that remains throughout a race your xbox is doing well to produce everything you see considering the xbox is running on outdated software these days.

i've not played online that much only about 2 or 3 games so i'm not going to say if its good or bad just that its pretty much like every other driving game when you play it online. it all depends on the other drivers whether you'll have a good time or not.

so if you've been unsure about renting or buying this game you have to give it alot of time and patience. but i love it

Ignore the 1 star pillac, this game is simple quality the ability to be in headcam view and feel as if your inside the car yourself is out of this world, the feel of the car is unreal, one wrong move and you flip your car. Computers on this game are agressive they dont hesitate to knock into you.!! 5 star rating all the way.

love this game very addictive, on the edge driving a must buy if you like racing cars, helmet cam brilliant