Pretty Cars Doing Nasty Things.
Shift 2 is extremely hard and will always keep you on your toes. The suspense is unbearable, in a good way. It's much better than it's predecessor. The helmet cam and night time driving are great new features that totally immerse you into the game. The graphics are jaw-dropping and it'll make driving cars more fun.
The main problem is the handling. I always ended up crashing because the car just wouldn't freaking turn. The lack of a rewind feature meant that I had to start from the beginning of the race.
The physics system is odd too. The cars, somehow, get magnetically attracted to each other when they drive too close. Cars also tend to stick to the walls. The damage physics are great though. It's scary when there's a crash and you flip over and lose a few tires, but it's extremely satisfying when you make your opponents crash.
The career mode starts off with slow cars and gradually gives you access to the top dogs such as the beautiful Lamborghini Reventon and the Bugatti Veyron. Alongside normal races, there are drift races, Hot Laps, Eliminators, Driver Duels and more. You can also customize your cars' performance and visuals.
The graphics have improved significantly. The cars and tracks are extremely detailed. The interiors are a joy to behold. When the cars crash, parts fly everywhere. The tracks include cracks, tire marks, and dirt which make them look more realistic.
The cars sound great! The voice-overs from the real life drivers are good, but get kind of annoying. The music is really boring and sounds cliched. It includes orchestra remixes of bands like Rise Against, Switchfoot, and the Stone Temple Pilots. The music sounds like something you would find in an extremely serious thriller film, which is out of place.
Shift 2 is kind of like a survival horror game. You never know what never happens next. Will somebody hit you and make you swerve off the road? The suspense adds a lot to the atmosphere and totally immerses you into the game. The game looks great and sounds great, but the handling is downright frustrating and unpredictable. Simulator fans will find a lot to love in Shift 2: Unleashed.
