""""This is going to be long winded.
Im going to begin by saying I am no hardcore sim racer by no means, but i do race Go Karts in real life and have countless hours on Forza and Race Pro and i do like racing games to be serious and realistic.
Yesterday i had the chance to play Shift (even won myself a key ring and an EA pen, but that is besides the point). Basically it was a competition thing and you had 2 practice laps and then a flying lap. Alas the steering assist, brake assist ABS, SC, TC & racing line were on (physics set at normal) for the purposes of the competition and i wasn’t aloud to take anything off. So, I was in a Nissan 350Z (the prize if you win the comp) on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, which is a track i have virtual miles on and real time miles on, so i was confident i would be cool with it. I got there early and i think was the 4th to have a go and the best time up until then was a 1:07.xxx i think, and suffice to say, i destroyed that on my first practice lap with a 1:04.xxx, then a 1:03.xxx and then on my final lap a 1:02.995 or something. But that isn’t important!
The car, the track, the feel….well. Even with the assists on, it was brilliant, i mean i felt sooo tied in with the assists on, but it felt good, REAL good. You drop into Paddock Hill bend and you just feel the car wanting to push wide, holding onto that fine level of grip and the back wanting to break free, the weight transfer coming through Surtees and up to Clearways, it was fantastic. Again, an issue as i was having to use a pad and im used to a wheel, but it still felt good. And the cockpits? Man they were amazing, the dials and everything just look beautiful.
Now, it doesnt end there, Seeing as it was early and no one was even interested or even heard of Shift, i got talking to the guy and asked if i could have a cheeky look round the game and maybe have a bash in an Aston or something, NO ASSISTS. Dude not only agreed to this, but even let me in his pink Veyron round Spa (it was savage to say the least), which handled well, but the back end (as you can imagine) was snaky, but could be contained.
All in all i played for like 2 hours on varying tracks and cars, different levels of assists and what have you. i drove:-
V8 Aston Martin Vantage (@ Spa & Indy Brands) - No assists
Veyron (@ Spa) - ” ”
Subaru Impreza (@ Willow Springs? Not sure) ” ” - Against a hard AI apponent
The Veyron was savage, yeah.
The Vantage….stunning. The cockpit was alive, it was like i was there, it felt poised, planted and so SO nice to drive, just what id imagine (key word) a Vantage would drive like.
The Impreza also very nice. Not a lot of tail action or drama as the 4WD system gave me some nice grip, but it felt brilliant. And the AI were challenging to say the least, i took a little too much curb and he pounced and got me and i really had to fight to get my position back, he was no pushover.
Despite the fact i was on a pad didnt ruin the experience, as you could tell the potential, and with the wheel i could imagine it would be even better.
Something that did and didnt surprise is that i was able to do like a 1:00.233 i think with the Vantage (Brands Indy) with all the assists on, and then a 0:58.xxx with everything off, however i think this had a lot to do with the start as the TC just ruined any sort of good start.
I was very optimistic for this game, and cant wait for its release so i can use my wheel and really give it some stick. ""
""Thanks man, glad to know my opinions/preview of the game is appreciated!
Now i do have some more info which i should have posted first time round, but by time id typed that block of text, id lost the will to live a little!
A few, maybe minor details i witnessed in the game i liked:-
The blurring of the screen at high speeds:-
I did notice the blurring of the screen, but less as a distraction, more because i wanted to see it as i like the idea of that effect, and even at 180mph in the Veyron down the Kemmel Straight at Spa, i didnt notice it that much, it just added a nice feel to the game.
The blurring as far as i know (for the 360 version) cannot be turned off, as i did sift through the menus alot.
Gravel traps:-
Now its no new thing, gravel traps should be “sticky” you shouldnt be able to continue through at race pace thats for sure. The ones in Shift are really good, you dont get beached like in real life as that would be no fun, but you do get rather stuck. Another note is that as they use the old Spa track, the Pouhon corner still has that massive gravel trap which i actually went into and flipped the Veyron! Which brings me onto my next point….
Crash blurring/effects:-
This was awesome. I “discovered” after my flip at Pouhon that if the screen goes into black & white and everything goes way out of focus…get this…the car will not move again until the screen has cleared! Just like in real life! I mean, if you glance a wall in real life and the car is somehow still able to move, you wont be moving away to the pits as soon as you know which way is up you will be shaken, sore maybe and will be stunned to say the least, so it will take some time to move off again, and the game does this. I was very impressed.
Demo:-
I asked the guy about the demo and he said it should have come out on August 28th, however they still have some bugs to figure out. He told me that the HUD some times went off, the times are out of wack and they round down instead of up or something. So there is still some work to be done.
Head movements:-
The in car view really gave me a feel of being in the car and that a real person was behind the wheel, under braking, during cornering, going over bumps, everything you would feel in real life is replayed to you via the head movements. Although there is no FFB with a pad, i could tell the tracks were bumpy as the head moved and the car shook.
Comparability:-
There is none. Straight up. Im not sure who said it, but i saw in a developer interview or something that the physics cannot be compared to anything, and its so true, the game feels like nothing ive felt before, its sensational.
Those worried about an arcade racer dont have to worry, with the assists on, it is kiiind of arcade like but with the assists off it could reach full sim potential. But, i cannot be 100% as i didnt use a wheel and only had a limited time on the game with limited settings.
The game IMO is worth all the attention (good or bad) it is getting as it really does seem like a fun, and great game to play.
If anyone has any questions, i’ll try my best to remember stuff and answer them!
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....Verschwörung auf ganzer Linie!
