Need for Speed: Shift

I really wish you people would love racing games the way I do. They are a TON of fun. Most of the time. The NES didn't hold my attention when it came to racing, but when the SNES arrived on thee block, it was a racing haven. F-Zero, of course, requires no commentary. Super Mario Kart, is deadly. Then the Playstation came out with Ridge Racer whispering all it's polygons into my home, and I was floored. Even though it only had one track and a handful of cars, it had me addicted. But then came Gran Turismo, which took the world by force. I proceeded to buy and play the next three Gran Turismos onto the PS2, but they got a little too into simulation, and moved away from the arcade racers I knew and loved.

I just want to throw out Speed Devils on the Dreamcast as probably the most fun I've had playing a racing game in the early 2000's. You know who you are.

So now racers keep coming with more polygons and advanced physics, and the love for them decreased gradually. I needed a very specific style of racer, and only a few satisfied me. Project Gotham, all four of them, consumed my life. I tried some of the Need games but they were too glossy, too shiny and too graphical. Those street racers just looked confused. I even played Most Wanted a little bit, but I don't believe that I will ever do an open world racing game again.

Need for Speed Shift fits the bill perfectly. Structured, beautiful, quality controls, tons of tracks and cars, and lots of little bits to go right. The thing that always makes me smile is when you smack into a wall and your vision is blurred. The effect is gorgeous and I have to wipe my eyes clear because I feel like I'm going blind. Then it all comes back and you're into it again. The HUD moves elegantly like it's part of your car. The cars handle uniquely and can handle me whipping them around like I'm in an arcade, but have enough of a simulation touch to make it worthwhile to hone my skills.

I could go on and on about how great this game is, but I'll leave that up to the professionals. What makes me sad, is that the game will show you who "owns" an event: you or your friends. All my icons are solid green, as not a single friend of mine has played this game. And that, is the most upsetting thing in the world I can imagine whenever I sink myself into the couch and harness the power of hundreds of horses, listening to the screams of cylinders and tires.