Shift 2: Unleased

In a word: disappointed. I loved the first Shift tremendously; it's style of racing fit my preference perfectly and it's still a game I can put in the drive and continue playing. Racing games have always been a part of my life, and with Gran Turismo I was at a crossroads. In those games, you are encouraged to tune, simulate, advance through your "career" and earn money, all for what? You would spend quite a bit of time outside the track, and would find yourself grinding more than anything else. I remember playing the same race over and over just to get some money to buy a new car in order to have a slight chance of competing. After a few hours I would become discouraged and give up. And then Project Gotham Racing came about, and my interest in racing games was renewed. The physics and handling were more arcade-style, yet you were racing real vehicles and awarded for doing neat things on the track. You didn't have to technically master anything, and the result - for me - was a ton of fun. So you could imagine my sadness when the series ended, but then Shift came out and I was overwhelmed with joy.

Shift 2 was released recently, and the fact that I actually pre-ordered the title should indicate how excited I was for it. I picked it up, put it in and started playing. And for a time, it was good. Like, really good. The graphics are amazing; the cars are incredible. The sound is loud and immersive. The new helmet cam is innovative but not up my alley; the game's default view is from within the rider's helmet and I found myself switching out to the classic chase cam. I've tried that helmet cam since and it's weird. The drive looks into turns as you approach them and you get a real sense that the car is a separate entity than the driver. You can look around in the cockpit and truly appreciate the developer's love for cars: the detail is amazing.

So what happened? The difficulty has been spiked, is what, and it's been spiked in terms of driver AI and technical racing. In the first Shift was a bit of a postive/negative karma system, in that you could get points for clean overtake (in which you do not touch your opponent as you pass him) or a dirty overtake (in which you do make contact in order to pass). Dirty overtakes were common and fun: you could run someone off the road and keep on going; in Shift 2 if you dare touch another car you are spinning wildly out of control and your race is over. Indeed, the pack is so hard to catch up to that if you fail and run off the course at any moment it's time to restart the race. The driver AI has been ramped up and they are more aggressive; this is advertised as a feature of the game but I don't like it. I need to be battling morons. If I wanted harder opponents I would take it online. The AI will drive out of its way to block you, and in most cases making contact, which as mentioned will quickly take you off the track.

So you've got to be a better racer, but perhaps I don't want to. If I did, I would go play Forza or Gran Turismo. I like the arcade elements in these games; there is a best driving line you can follow to help you master corners but not following it shouldn't mean you lose the race. Perhaps I am incredibly picky: I require that perfect balance between sim and arcade racing. I believe Shift had that, and now Shift 2 is veering ever so softly into an uncomfortable simulation area. Or perhaps I just suck, and need to practice more. I want to race, I want to win (not all the time of course) and continue through the game. Give me credit for finishing third, fine, but make it close and let me advance. I'm at a point in life though where I don't want to grind away at the same track just to win by fractions of a second. I simply do not have the time or patience; there are many other games out there that can grab my attention and entertain me.