Our very first Reader Request centers around two high-profile racing games coming out this holiday: EA's Need for Speed Shift and Microsoft's Forza Motorsport 3. Shift is just the latest in what has become a mediocre annual franchise for EA, but this is not your cookie cutter Need for Speed game. Shift is being developed by the London-based Slightly Mad Studios, who have created the highly-acclaimed GTR racing series. With this new NFS (Slightly Mad's first), the studio is shooting for a much tighter, more realistic experience that has a lot more in common with its old GTR games than its Need for Speed brethren.
As far as the actual game goes, Shift can be described as similar to the way that the Project Gotham Racing series feels in terms of its mostly realistic handling; in other words, cars drive much more realistically than games like Burnout Paradise or Need for Speed Undercover, but not as nauseatingly pin-point accurate as the likes of Gran Turismo or Forza (more on that in a bit). Slightly Mad has also put a lot of work into the dynamic cockpit mode so that players can actually use it without feeling like they are just blocking off half the screen. Early talk of this game has been extremely positive and its clear that EA knows they have a legitimate racer this year as evidenced by their aggressive marketing campaign and one of the prettiest graphic engines to date.
Forza Motorsport 3 is a completely different beast. As mentioned earlier, Forza is essentially Microsoft's equivalent of Sony's Gran Turismo series, though many people would argue that Forza has eclipsed GT at this point. You can expect hundreds of cars and tracks rendered incredibly photo-realistically, including the interior cockpit, and a proven car damage engine thats the best in the business and actually affects the performance of your vehicle. You can also expect hyper-realistic handling, meaning that there's no motion blur to make it seem like you're going extra fast and you're going to have to practice your cornering, braking, downshifting, and other basic driving skills. Just like Gran Turismo, the hyper-realism means that this game is best played with a wheel, and if you really have deep pockets you can hook up extra TV's together for extra view panels (i.e. you can have 3 TV's projecting a panorama image, or surround yourself 360 degrees with 8).
The Verdict: Both look to be very good games, but it must be warned that Forza's extreme realism is not for everybody. Again, investing in a wheel is definitely recommended in order to truly appreciate what developer Turn 10 has built. Need for Speed Shift is definitely the more accessible option, but both are definitely worth rentals and even a purchase if you are really into them. Shift in on store shelves now and look for Forza 3 on October 27. (Note: if you have a PS3, Gran Turismo 5 is essentially the same beast as Forza 3).
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