Forza 3 Demo VS Shift - The Game Experience

After having played the Forza 3 Demo extensively, I feel confident enough to compare the two games core gameplay, the driving experience.
 
Forza 3 is sooo much smoother than Shift. It's sooo gentle. The driving feels like a little a cute kitten, with soft fur, purring from pure joy. The only thing, that has some bite, are the brakes. If anything goes wrong, redemption is just one buttonpush away. Sooo relaxing. Forza almost starts to feel like a puzzle game at times. How do I take this corner to overtake this dude? Like this? No. Rewind. Like this. Yes! Sweet. The AI acts like gentlemen in a gentlemens competition.
 
Shift is like wild stallion trying to rape your ass. It's sooo hardcore. The volatile, borderline nervous steering. The overwhelming, raw sense of speed. The unforgiving reality of having no way to undo any mistake made on the track. The AI - out for blood. Rear-ending, blocking, bumping off, spinning out the player at every opportunity. Real assholes. Acting just as aggressive as real humans act online. Only the braking is a little more forgiving than Forzas. 
 
It's a very wierd situation. I like Forza 3 better, because it treats me better. It's just gentler, smoother. It's kinda zen. But Shift nails the actual driving experience. The sensation of racing crazy powerful cars down a racetrack. Shift outdoes Forza 3 tenfold. It's sooo much more exciting. In fact, it's often aggrivating. Shifts drivers experience can be too much. To enjoy Shift, I have to be zen myself. Forza 3 is zen from the get-go. I really like Forza 3 much more. Forza 3 could be my friend. I can see me spend a lot of time with it. A good buddy to spend a lot of quality time with. But fuck, Shift is the better ride.
 
If only Forza had Shifts racing experience or Shift had Forzas zen gamedesign. Being friendly with Forza or the love/hate relationship with Shift, both are lacking the others best qualities. What a dilemma.
 
What's you guys take on these games? Do you share my views?

I freaking love how you described these games. I've only played Forza and it plays exactly how you described it. I love the rewind feature though - I seriously think this feature will make me buy the game. I used to get so fed up with having to be so perfect in Forza 1 and making just stupid little mistakes and having to start the whole race over. Now I can take each part strategically and not be afraid. It really is something else.

It was a good read. 

Best Sentence ever "Shift is like wild stallion trying to rape your ass."

You actually put this better than most people I've seen trying to compare these games. 

Wow, that read was pretty good man. Nice job on the comparison, enjoyed it.

A much rather like Forza over Shift since real life racing isn't about slamming your cars into each other but good driving and over taking your opponents. I seriously hate the online in shift since I feel like I'm playing mario kart instead. Give me full damage and penalties for hitting each other any day since it means I can focus on the driving and not that blue shell/car trying to hit me.

Thought Shift was a terrible buggy mess so I brought it back then downloaded the Forza 3 demo and had more fun there than I could ever of had with Shift.  Can't wait for Forza 3 to come out and I've been an avowed Gran Turismo fan up until this point.

@Seppli:
I like how you compare Shift and Forza since both games are (almost) out, and many gamers might want to know which one is better or more fun. Having played both games myself i have to say that i disagree with some of the points you make.

My time playing shift was not that long but during that time i kept getting annoyed by a number of things. Shift does feel really nervous and fast but not in a good way.. most of the time i didn't feel like i was in control of the car i was driving, the handling felt loose and cornering was just a matter of steering in and powersliding through every bent. The other cars would just drive into you instead of trying to avoid a crash, what i found really unrealistic. That brings me to another point which is that everywhere i look Shift is considered a sim racing game and compared to GT and Forza. If i had to compare Shift, i would compare it more with  Grid and Project Gotham Racing. Since it isn't really arcade but it isn't sim driving either.   

Forza on the other hand has more realistic handling, and the AI isn't trying to run you off the road at every corner. Also the difference between two cars is more significant in Forza, and a RWD car will require a different driving style then a FWD or AWD car. I'm not saying that the driving doesn't feel nervous in Forza3 (just take the Porsche and turn off all assists), but its more like how the actual car would handle in real life. Outside of driving i think Forza 3 has a lot more to offer than Shift does, with the upgrading, tuning and livery editor being more robust in Forza 3.  
 
Still both games are great if you like driving, but if you want a more serious and realistic game, Forza 3 is the game for you (i my opinion).

 SHIFT offers tactile subwoofer support. I.E, the subwoofer channel in Dolby Digital (or PC 5.1) sound formats offers feedback according to engine rev, pavement/offroad/rumble strip/curb tire grip as well as collision. Forza 3 (at least demo) does not --(only a little bit when you collide).
 
 @Seppli: 
As a fellow Battlefield fanatic, I'd seriously recommend a tactile transducer, such as the BKGR -- Buttkicker Gamer (available for both NA and Euro electricity interfaces) at least for Frostbite engine games in proper DD surround sound. BC and 1943 have excellent tactile support for when you get bombarded or a tank drives near you. You feel the shellshock of the explosive or the traction of the heavy equipment driving by. Top-notch sound deisgn at DICE.

" @Bouke:    The thing about the steering, accelerating and braking in Shift is, that it rewards/punishes the smallest inputs. In other words, you really need to use the full width of the analag input - mindfully.  As for the extensive powersliding - I guess, it's the tribute to the arcade heritage of the Need for Speed franchise, that the game allows it, the way it does. Same goes for the non-punishing braking - which Forza definitly simulates better. It nails, how a car handles, while your foot is on the breaks. A car tends to go straight while braking, no matter where you try to point it at - just like in real life.   Other than the braking simulation, I have to disagree with the realism of Forzas driving experience. I've crashed two cars in my youth. One was a full rollover. Don't worry, I got lucky both times. Not a scratch on me. Anyways - cars don't react as tame in real life, as they do in Forza. Especially at such high speeds. The faster you go, the less error it tolerates. I've never gone as fast in real life, as the supercars go, that we get to drive in videogames, but I'm certain, they won't handle anything like the cars in Forza - Shift seems to be much closer to my experiences with driving cars fast. Forza neuters the driving physics to allow for smoother, gentler, more agreeable gameplay.  Racing is about being at the edge. It's about nailing the very thin line between being in control and plummeting into catastrophe. Shift definitly nails that feeling. More than Forza does. Forza is the better designed game though, for sure. "

Am I the only one who found that the Forza 3 demo was complete pants? After playing through Dirt 2...the environment surrounding the car seems artificial...or...dead even. 
 
Shift however was a breath of fresh air....for the NFS series anyway lol

Why does everything have to be "This game vs that game"? Why can't you play BOTH games and enjoy them in their own ways?

I actually really enjoyed the Forza 3 demo. From the options screens to the actual gameplay. Music, tone, colors and all. Everything feels perfectly zen. In balance. It has a very inviting, smooth and relaxed vibe to it. I can see me spending a lot of time with Forza 3 without it ever pissing me off. A kind spirited game. Good times.

I was completely sold on Shift until I saw the Forza Ferrari trailer now i'm thinking Forza.
 
If you drive in manual is there a clutch in Shift? I read that there is one in Forza (I'm not at home this week, so I can't check).
Also how does the car physical customization in the two games compare? I would guess its abit more limited in Forza in terms of body-kits and spoilers etc. I know for paint jobs Forza wins cause of that whole community and painter thing.

Shift was -20% off Fullprice at my fav eShop. It's on top of their bestseller list for PS3 and on 3rd place for 360. As long as you don't pay fullprice, Shift is definitly worth the scratch. Forza 3 seems like a solid full price day 1 one purchase. As for the clutch - I don't know. Never picked up stick shifting in videogames. I don't know anything about the upgrade and tuning system of Forza 3. Shift offerings are solid in that department. Some rides have up to 3 bodykits & a total race conversion.