Shift 2: Unleashed Review Round-up

EA's Shift 2 Unleashed may not have been as widely anticipated as Gran Turismo 5, but the game has quickly earned a good reputation for itself with its early reviews.

9.2

mondoxbox.com review
No Synopsis Available
Read Full Review

9.0

oxmonline.com review
Though we wish the career had a little more overall pizzazz — especially with the strong focus on some of the racing disciplines — the ambition to rank up and unlock everything can easily keep speed junkies occupied for dozens of hours. Shift 2’s online modes are pretty much the same as the first game’s — albeit with support for 12 players now, instead of eight — so those expecting something new beyond the various race types and driver duels may end up feeling a bit shortchanged.
Read Full Review

9.0

videogamer.com review
There's an argument that racing games are becoming stagnant. With this generation of console, graphics and car handling are reaching a plateau, and innovation needs to come from elsewhere. To my mind, Autolog is doing more for the genre than anything else right now, and other developers are going to have to conjure up something similar to remain on equal footing with EA. Shift 2 is technically very impressive, but like Hot Pursuit, it's the social features surrounding the game that define it as an experience. If you're a serious fan of the genre, know that Shift 2 does several things better than anything else on the market right now, which makes it an essential purchase.
Read Full Review

9.0

bit-tech.net review
Shift 2 is an unapologetic, highly polished racing sim in a genre that’s gone more than a little soft over the last few years. If you make a mistake you’ll be punished and overtaking isn’t something that just happens - you have to work for it. You can’t really recover from screwing up a corner, your engine will blow up if you push your car too hard around the Nurburgring and the AI wants to win as much as you do. These aren’t faults, however, but strengths – Shift 2 is a great game and it’s great because it does all of the above. Shift 2: Unleashed is a racing game that pushes you to be a better racer, as well as a game for which it's worth learning to be a better racer.
Read Full Review

9.0

everyeye.it review
No Synopsis Available
Read Full Review

9.0

gamesradar.com review
has been spliced with a big dose of arcade adrenaline. All the gloriously anal retentive upgrading and tweaking is there for the die-hards, but the real focus has been shifted to the racing itself. Shift 2’s greatest triumph is its loud, angry and realistic presentation. Engines roar, tires wail in agony, brakes whine, transmissions clatter and slam into gear, while rocks and dirt are kicked up from the track on to your windshield. You never feel like you’re watching a bunch of slick polygons gliding across a bump mapped track; you get to feel the true brutality of driving a race car.
Read Full Review

9.0

eurogamer.it review
No Synopsis Available
Read Full Review

9.0

spaziogames.it review
No Synopsis Available
Read Full Review

8.8

vandal.net review
No Synopsis Available
Read Full Review

8.6

digitalchumps.com review
has two main components: Career and multiplayer. EA did a good job of bringing these two modes together with the edition of Autolog, a sort of social networking component that allows you to check up on accomplishments and record times set by your friends. A Speedwall is maintained that shows how you compare and you can also earn additional XP by beating your friends' times. I liked how the Autolog feature was always present while I was in Career mode, but it was never in the way. In most cases, you just have to press Back to bring up the Autolog window.
Read Full Review

8.5

gameinformer.com review
Shift 2 defines the franchise in a way that the first one didn’t. Although the cars can feel like they swivel on a center axis, the racing is pretty good, and the overall experience gets a boost from the graphics and the erratic nature of the AI racers. It doesn’t blow by the competition, but by improving its lap times, Shift 2 is on its way.
Read Full Review

8.4

cheatcc.com review
Shift 2 boasts a helmet cam that's completely different from any other camera view of any other console racing game. The helmet cam mimics the movements of a professional race car driver. This means that, for example, when you approach a corner the driver begins to shift his gaze toward the apex like a real driver would. The way this was implemented is nothing short of remarkable. The happy side effects of the helmet camera aren't limited to the benefits of looking into the apex, either
Read Full Review

8.1

3djuegos.com review
No Synopsis Available
Read Full Review

8.0

oxm.co.uk review
Throwing accessibility out of the window like a misjudged motorway Ginsters, Shift 2 is an unashamedly stoic love-letter to hardcore driving fans. For casual fans of the genre, though, it's the kind of correspondence that leads to restraining orders.
Read Full Review

8.0

eurogamer.net review
SHIFT 2's cars have a twitchy, unruly feel in the hands. There's none of the slick grace of Forza's cars, nor the dry, studied realism of Gran Turismo's cast. There's still a great deal of oversteer, and cars will spin out at the slightest provocation. This certainly gives races a taut, sometimes fraught feel, but there's a harsh edge to the driving that takes some getting used to.
Read Full Review

8.0

computerandvideogames.com review
Shift 2 Unleashed's developers might have a passion for tuning and racing exotic sports cars (we can tell this because we don't understand a word of what's being said in the cut-scenes), but their real talent lies in wrecking them.
Read Full Review

8.0

electricpig.co.uk review
Shift 2: Unleashed clearly hasn’t had any of the hype Gran Turismo 5, or even to a lesser degree, Forza Motorsport 3 had. Don’t let that fool you. Shift 2: Unleashed delivers one of the best racing experiences around. By constantly rewarding players for playing it’s also one of the most rewarding.
Read Full Review

8.0

metro.co.uk review
An extension of the cockpit view from the first game, the helmet cam is situated much further back in the car than normal for a racing game - giving you a real sensation of being behind the wheel, not scrunched up over the top of it. The camera turns automatically as corners appear, to simulate turning your head, and when you crash - or do anything more energetic than keeping a straight line - the view lurches and leaps around like, well… like someone driving dangerously fast in a hugely powerful racing car.
Read Full Review

8.0

multiplayer.it review
No Synopsis Available
Read Full Review