The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
This thread has been linked to the game 'Forza Motorsport 3'.
There are two big name racing games recently released for the Xbox 360 Microsoft’s highly anticipated Forza Motorsport 3 and EA’s not so highly anticipated Need For Speed : Shift.Both games are getting rave reviews pretty much everywhere but which (if any) deserves your hard earned cash ?.
Graphics :
This is one area where NFS Shift does perhaps let itself down just a little.The textures at times look a little bland while Forza 3 is a very pretty game indeed.The cars here look stunning and realistic.Neither game suffers from any noticeable slowdown or frame rate issues but NFS Shift does have some minor pop up in places but it’s hardly noticeable while you are playing the game to be honest. The one area NFS Shift does trump Forza 3 though is when once you have got your hands on the more powerful cars the game runs at a very impressive rate indeed.Its not quite in Burnout territory but it does recreate a real feeling of speed,again the game does this with no slowdown or frame rate issues which is quite impressive.Forza 3 on the other hand looks more authentic but does not recreate the same feeling of speed in my opinion but it is quite a bit prettier !.
Winner : Forza Motorsport 3
Sound :
Like most things Forza Motorsport 3 does it does well.The cars sound authentic as do the screeching of tyres as you attempt to shave fractions of a second off your lap times.In fact at times its all a bit too realistic and doesn’t really seem to really hit you with any kind of ‘wow’ factor.NFS Shift on the other hand is a real workout for any audio system it sounds simply incredible.The howling of your race tuned Audi R8 screaming round the Nurburgring has to be heard to be believed.Do any cars really sound like this ?,who cares because in this game they sound simply awesome.
Winner : Need For Speed : Shift
Handling :
A very hard one to draw any real comparison in my opinion.Forza Motorsport 3 goes for realistic (Gran Turismo style) handling while Need For Speed : Shift lends itself far more to the slightly ‘arcadey’ PGR series.Its pretty obvious what the games developers were aiming for and to be honest they have both succeeded in what I believe they set out to do.Although some of Forza 3’s driving aids are a little too helpful in my opinion,Brake assist is a little unnecessary as the racing line turns from green to red when you are required to slow the car down.I reckon most people would have got by using that.Forza 3 also succeeds in recreating the differing handling styles of each type of car.For example a big V8 American sports car feels like it needs to be bullied around the track while applying the power very gently due to its size and weight while a sporty Japanese hot hatch feels light,nimble and generally easier to drive.As NFS Shift is not really attempting to recreate this I feel it would be slightly unfair to mark it down.The games developers have gone for a more gamer friendly as opposed to simulation approach.The cars do all feel different but you can pretty much drive some cars as if you are playing Sega Rally,getting all 4 wheels screeching round some of the corners.Although it never quite ends up in Ridge Racer or Outrun territory it could hardly be described as realistic.
Winner : Forza Motorsport 3
Gameplay :
Again a very difficult one to call.Forza 3 is at all times very polished and always does everything properly and correctly while NFS Shift is just more fun to play.In Forza 3 you drive correctly choosing the right lines,braking points etc. while in NFS Shift you just jump in and thrash the car to within an inch of its life,knocking anyone in your path clean out of the way.Accidents result in the screen going blurry as the driver fights to regain consciousness.The A.I. is superb,nail a driver into a braking point and he will try to get you back straight away,leave a door open and he will be right back through.Knock someone off the track and they will repay the favour given half a chance.Also the cars in each category are evenly matched,for example a BMW M3 will have tremendous straight line speed while an Audi RS4 will generally corner,accelerate and brake better.This leads to some fantastic on track battles,which if the difficulty level is set correctly can last right up until the very last corner.Forza 3 is a bit more pedestrian in this area,get 2 seconds into the lead and chances are you will win the race unless you mess up.Again this maybe more like motor racing really is but its just not as much fun in my opinion.NFS Shift also has drifting as well as racing events.Again these could be compared to PGR’s (generally despised) cone events but these are actually fun.All cars eligible for these events are tail happy rear wheel drive machines.The handling of these is exaggerated just a little as you slide the cars through a series of timed events scoring points for getting as close as possible (but not hitting) the marked out clipping points.These would not be enough to make a game on there own but there is no doubt they do make an interesting enough diversion from the games racing events.
Winner : Need For Speed : Shift
Specific good and bad points of Forza Motorsport 3 :
First off as already mentioned there is no doubt that Forza Motorsport 3 is a very polished,competent and graphically impressive racing game but there is one feature of it I think does spoil things just a little and that is the ability to rewind time.If you mess up its no big deal as you simply rewind time to before the incident and race on as if it had never happened……………………………………WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.Yes this is supposed to be a semi realistic simulation style which is so true to life that it allows you to alter time itself !.I thought NFS Shift was supposed to be the fun non realistic game here ?.Forza 3 developers have made a huge mistake with this feature in my opinion as it goes some way to destroying the credibility of what is otherwise probably the best game of its kind.Also there are some monster installs (via a 2nd disc and also large download) required to get all the features of the game.I found this annoying to be honest,If I have bought a game I just want to stick the disc in my console and play the damn thing.After opening the cellophane on the game it was 40 minutes before I was able to play it,I was not impressed by this.Have to say though other than those points there is nothing really not to like about Forza Motorsport 3 it is an excellent racing game.
Specific good and bad points of Need For Speed : Shift :
Firstly as already mentioned the graphics are a bit of let down at times but other than that this is as good as any arcade style racer I have ever played.Its not too silly,there are no ridiculous power slides or nitro boosts which make you feel like you have jumped to light speed nor is it in any way realistic or believable but it is a huge amount of fun.It recreates a sense of speed and exhilarating door handle to door handle racing better than any game in recent memory,who cares if its not true to life ?.
Overall :
I cannot really pick an overall winner as both games which at first glance appear to be very similar are in fact worlds apart when you get into them.Both are excellent racers I would recommend Forza Motorsport 3 without reservation to fans of the series and also to Gran Turismo lovers as this game is very similar.Need For Speed : Shift on the other hand will be more attractive to PGR (and maybe even Burnout) fans as it sacrifices realism in return for a fun gaming experience.Forza fans will probably not really care for its arcade like feel but if you find Forza and Gran Turismo games a little bit dull then this may just be the racing game you need.
Winner : Draw
Both games are equally as good but in different ways and both earn a very respectable 8.5/10 from me.
Graphics :
This is one area where NFS Shift does perhaps let itself down just a little.The textures at times look a little bland while Forza 3 is a very pretty game indeed.The cars here look stunning and realistic.Neither game suffers from any noticeable slowdown or frame rate issues but NFS Shift does have some minor pop up in places but it’s hardly noticeable while you are playing the game to be honest. The one area NFS Shift does trump Forza 3 though is when once you have got your hands on the more powerful cars the game runs at a very impressive rate indeed.Its not quite in Burnout territory but it does recreate a real feeling of speed,again the game does this with no slowdown or frame rate issues which is quite impressive.Forza 3 on the other hand looks more authentic but does not recreate the same feeling of speed in my opinion but it is quite a bit prettier !.
Winner : Forza Motorsport 3
Sound :
Like most things Forza Motorsport 3 does it does well.The cars sound authentic as do the screeching of tyres as you attempt to shave fractions of a second off your lap times.In fact at times its all a bit too realistic and doesn’t really seem to really hit you with any kind of ‘wow’ factor.NFS Shift on the other hand is a real workout for any audio system it sounds simply incredible.The howling of your race tuned Audi R8 screaming round the Nurburgring has to be heard to be believed.Do any cars really sound like this ?,who cares because in this game they sound simply awesome.
Winner : Need For Speed : Shift
Handling :
A very hard one to draw any real comparison in my opinion.Forza Motorsport 3 goes for realistic (Gran Turismo style) handling while Need For Speed : Shift lends itself far more to the slightly ‘arcadey’ PGR series.Its pretty obvious what the games developers were aiming for and to be honest they have both succeeded in what I believe they set out to do.Although some of Forza 3’s driving aids are a little too helpful in my opinion,Brake assist is a little unnecessary as the racing line turns from green to red when you are required to slow the car down.I reckon most people would have got by using that.Forza 3 also succeeds in recreating the differing handling styles of each type of car.For example a big V8 American sports car feels like it needs to be bullied around the track while applying the power very gently due to its size and weight while a sporty Japanese hot hatch feels light,nimble and generally easier to drive.As NFS Shift is not really attempting to recreate this I feel it would be slightly unfair to mark it down.The games developers have gone for a more gamer friendly as opposed to simulation approach.The cars do all feel different but you can pretty much drive some cars as if you are playing Sega Rally,getting all 4 wheels screeching round some of the corners.Although it never quite ends up in Ridge Racer or Outrun territory it could hardly be described as realistic.
Winner : Forza Motorsport 3
Gameplay :
Again a very difficult one to call.Forza 3 is at all times very polished and always does everything properly and correctly while NFS Shift is just more fun to play.In Forza 3 you drive correctly choosing the right lines,braking points etc. while in NFS Shift you just jump in and thrash the car to within an inch of its life,knocking anyone in your path clean out of the way.Accidents result in the screen going blurry as the driver fights to regain consciousness.The A.I. is superb,nail a driver into a braking point and he will try to get you back straight away,leave a door open and he will be right back through.Knock someone off the track and they will repay the favour given half a chance.Also the cars in each category are evenly matched,for example a BMW M3 will have tremendous straight line speed while an Audi RS4 will generally corner,accelerate and brake better.This leads to some fantastic on track battles,which if the difficulty level is set correctly can last right up until the very last corner.Forza 3 is a bit more pedestrian in this area,get 2 seconds into the lead and chances are you will win the race unless you mess up.Again this maybe more like motor racing really is but its just not as much fun in my opinion.NFS Shift also has drifting as well as racing events.Again these could be compared to PGR’s (generally despised) cone events but these are actually fun.All cars eligible for these events are tail happy rear wheel drive machines.The handling of these is exaggerated just a little as you slide the cars through a series of timed events scoring points for getting as close as possible (but not hitting) the marked out clipping points.These would not be enough to make a game on there own but there is no doubt they do make an interesting enough diversion from the games racing events.
Winner : Need For Speed : Shift
Specific good and bad points of Forza Motorsport 3 :
First off as already mentioned there is no doubt that Forza Motorsport 3 is a very polished,competent and graphically impressive racing game but there is one feature of it I think does spoil things just a little and that is the ability to rewind time.If you mess up its no big deal as you simply rewind time to before the incident and race on as if it had never happened……………………………………WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.Yes this is supposed to be a semi realistic simulation style which is so true to life that it allows you to alter time itself !.I thought NFS Shift was supposed to be the fun non realistic game here ?.Forza 3 developers have made a huge mistake with this feature in my opinion as it goes some way to destroying the credibility of what is otherwise probably the best game of its kind.Also there are some monster installs (via a 2nd disc and also large download) required to get all the features of the game.I found this annoying to be honest,If I have bought a game I just want to stick the disc in my console and play the damn thing.After opening the cellophane on the game it was 40 minutes before I was able to play it,I was not impressed by this.Have to say though other than those points there is nothing really not to like about Forza Motorsport 3 it is an excellent racing game.
Specific good and bad points of Need For Speed : Shift :
Firstly as already mentioned the graphics are a bit of let down at times but other than that this is as good as any arcade style racer I have ever played.Its not too silly,there are no ridiculous power slides or nitro boosts which make you feel like you have jumped to light speed nor is it in any way realistic or believable but it is a huge amount of fun.It recreates a sense of speed and exhilarating door handle to door handle racing better than any game in recent memory,who cares if its not true to life ?.
Overall :
I cannot really pick an overall winner as both games which at first glance appear to be very similar are in fact worlds apart when you get into them.Both are excellent racers I would recommend Forza Motorsport 3 without reservation to fans of the series and also to Gran Turismo lovers as this game is very similar.Need For Speed : Shift on the other hand will be more attractive to PGR (and maybe even Burnout) fans as it sacrifices realism in return for a fun gaming experience.Forza fans will probably not really care for its arcade like feel but if you find Forza and Gran Turismo games a little bit dull then this may just be the racing game you need.
Winner : Draw
Both games are equally as good but in different ways and both earn a very respectable 8.5/10 from me.
There are two big name racing games recently released for the Xbox 360 Microsoft’s highly anticipated Forza Motorsport 3 and EA’s not so highly anticipated Need For Speed : Shift.Both games are getting rave reviews pretty much everywhere but which (if any) deserves your hard earned cash ?.
Graphics :
This is one area where NFS Shift does perhaps let itself down just a little.The textures at times look a little bland while Forza 3 is a very pretty game indeed.The cars here look stunning and realistic.Neither game suffers from any noticeable slowdown or frame rate issues but NFS Shift does have some minor pop up in places but it’s hardly noticeable while you are playing the game to be honest. The one area NFS Shift does trump Forza 3 though is when once you have got your hands on the more powerful cars the game runs at a very impressive rate indeed.Its not quite in Burnout territory but it does recreate a real feeling of speed,again the game does this with no slowdown or frame rate issues which is quite impressive.Forza 3 on the other hand looks more authentic but does not recreate the same feeling of speed in my opinion but it is quite a bit prettier !.
Winner : Forza Motorsport 3
Sound :
Like most things Forza Motorsport 3 does it does well.The cars sound authentic as do the screeching of tyres as you attempt to shave fractions of a second off your lap times.In fact at times its all a bit too realistic and doesn’t really seem to really hit you with any kind of ‘wow’ factor.NFS Shift on the other hand is a real workout for any audio system it sounds simply incredible.The howling of your race tuned Audi R8 screaming round the Nurburgring has to be heard to be believed.Do any cars really sound like this ?,who cares because in this game they sound simply awesome.
Winner : Need For Speed : Shift
Handling :
A very hard one to draw any real comparison in my opinion.Forza Motorsport 3 goes for realistic (Gran Turismo style) handling while Need For Speed : Shift lends itself far more to the slightly ‘arcadey’ PGR series.Its pretty obvious what the games developers were aiming for and to be honest they have both succeeded in what I believe they set out to do.Although some of Forza 3’s driving aids are a little too helpful in my opinion,Brake assist is a little unnecessary as the racing line turns from green to red when you are required to slow the car down.I reckon most people would have got by using that.Forza 3 also succeeds in recreating the differing handling styles of each type of car.For example a big V8 American sports car feels like it needs to be bullied around the track while applying the power very gently due to its size and weight while a sporty Japanese hot hatch feels light,nimble and generally easier to drive.As NFS Shift is not really attempting to recreate this I feel it would be slightly unfair to mark it down.The games developers have gone for a more gamer friendly as opposed to simulation approach.The cars do all feel different but you can pretty much drive some cars as if you are playing Sega Rally,getting all 4 wheels screeching round some of the corners.Although it never quite ends up in Ridge Racer or Outrun territory it could hardly be described as realistic.
Winner : Forza Motorsport 3
Gameplay :
Again a very difficult one to call.Forza 3 is at all times very polished and always does everything properly and correctly while NFS Shift is just more fun to play.In Forza 3 you drive correctly choosing the right lines,braking points etc. while in NFS Shift you just jump in and thrash the car to within an inch of its life,knocking anyone in your path clean out of the way.Accidents result in the screen going blurry as the driver fights to regain consciousness.The A.I. is superb,nail a driver into a braking point and he will try to get you back straight away,leave a door open and he will be right back through.Knock someone off the track and they will repay the favour given half a chance.Also the cars in each category are evenly matched,for example a BMW M3 will have tremendous straight line speed while an Audi RS4 will generally corner,accelerate and brake better.This leads to some fantastic on track battles,which if the difficulty level is set correctly can last right up until the very last corner.Forza 3 is a bit more pedestrian in this area,get 2 seconds into the lead and chances are you will win the race unless you mess up.Again this maybe more like motor racing really is but its just not as much fun in my opinion.NFS Shift also has drifting as well as racing events.Again these could be compared to PGR’s (generally despised) cone events but these are actually fun.All cars eligible for these events are tail happy rear wheel drive machines.The handling of these is exaggerated just a little as you slide the cars through a series of timed events scoring points for getting as close as possible (but not hitting) the marked out clipping points.These would not be enough to make a game on there own but there is no doubt they do make an interesting enough diversion from the games racing events.
Winner : Need For Speed : Shift
Specific good and bad points of Forza Motorsport 3 :
First off as already mentioned there is no doubt that Forza Motorsport 3 is a very polished,competent and graphically impressive racing game but there is one feature of it I think does spoil things just a little and that is the ability to rewind time.If you mess up its no big deal as you simply rewind time to before the incident and race on as if it had never happened……………………………………WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.Yes this is supposed to be a semi realistic simulation style which is so true to life that it allows you to alter time itself !.I thought NFS Shift was supposed to be the fun non realistic game here ?.Forza 3 developers have made a huge mistake with this feature in my opinion as it goes some way to destroying the credibility of what is otherwise probably the best game of its kind.Also there are some monster installs (via a 2nd disc and also large download) required to get all the features of the game.I found this annoying to be honest,If I have bought a game I just want to stick the disc in my console and play the damn thing.After opening the cellophane on the game it was 40 minutes before I was able to play it,I was not impressed by this.Have to say though other than those points there is nothing really not to like about Forza Motorsport 3 it is an excellent racing game.
Specific good and bad points of Need For Speed : Shift :
Firstly as already mentioned the graphics are a bit of let down at times but other than that this is as good as any arcade style racer I have ever played.Its not too silly,there are no ridiculous power slides or nitro boosts which make you feel like you have jumped to light speed nor is it in any way realistic or believable but it is a huge amount of fun.It recreates a sense of speed and exhilarating door handle to door handle racing better than any game in recent memory,who cares if its not true to life ?.
Overall :
I cannot really pick an overall winner as both games which at first glance appear to be very similar are in fact worlds apart when you get into them.Both are excellent racers I would recommend Forza Motorsport 3 without reservation to fans of the series and also to Gran Turismo lovers as this game is very similar.Need For Speed : Shift on the other hand will be more attractive to PGR (and maybe even Burnout) fans as it sacrifices realism in return for a fun gaming experience.Forza fans will probably not really care for its arcade like feel but if you find Forza and Gran Turismo games a little bit dull then this may just be the racing game you need.
Winner : Draw
Both games are equally as good but in different ways and both earn a very respectable 8.5/10 from me.
Graphics :
This is one area where NFS Shift does perhaps let itself down just a little.The textures at times look a little bland while Forza 3 is a very pretty game indeed.The cars here look stunning and realistic.Neither game suffers from any noticeable slowdown or frame rate issues but NFS Shift does have some minor pop up in places but it’s hardly noticeable while you are playing the game to be honest. The one area NFS Shift does trump Forza 3 though is when once you have got your hands on the more powerful cars the game runs at a very impressive rate indeed.Its not quite in Burnout territory but it does recreate a real feeling of speed,again the game does this with no slowdown or frame rate issues which is quite impressive.Forza 3 on the other hand looks more authentic but does not recreate the same feeling of speed in my opinion but it is quite a bit prettier !.
Winner : Forza Motorsport 3
Sound :
Like most things Forza Motorsport 3 does it does well.The cars sound authentic as do the screeching of tyres as you attempt to shave fractions of a second off your lap times.In fact at times its all a bit too realistic and doesn’t really seem to really hit you with any kind of ‘wow’ factor.NFS Shift on the other hand is a real workout for any audio system it sounds simply incredible.The howling of your race tuned Audi R8 screaming round the Nurburgring has to be heard to be believed.Do any cars really sound like this ?,who cares because in this game they sound simply awesome.
Winner : Need For Speed : Shift
Handling :
A very hard one to draw any real comparison in my opinion.Forza Motorsport 3 goes for realistic (Gran Turismo style) handling while Need For Speed : Shift lends itself far more to the slightly ‘arcadey’ PGR series.Its pretty obvious what the games developers were aiming for and to be honest they have both succeeded in what I believe they set out to do.Although some of Forza 3’s driving aids are a little too helpful in my opinion,Brake assist is a little unnecessary as the racing line turns from green to red when you are required to slow the car down.I reckon most people would have got by using that.Forza 3 also succeeds in recreating the differing handling styles of each type of car.For example a big V8 American sports car feels like it needs to be bullied around the track while applying the power very gently due to its size and weight while a sporty Japanese hot hatch feels light,nimble and generally easier to drive.As NFS Shift is not really attempting to recreate this I feel it would be slightly unfair to mark it down.The games developers have gone for a more gamer friendly as opposed to simulation approach.The cars do all feel different but you can pretty much drive some cars as if you are playing Sega Rally,getting all 4 wheels screeching round some of the corners.Although it never quite ends up in Ridge Racer or Outrun territory it could hardly be described as realistic.
Winner : Forza Motorsport 3
Gameplay :
Again a very difficult one to call.Forza 3 is at all times very polished and always does everything properly and correctly while NFS Shift is just more fun to play.In Forza 3 you drive correctly choosing the right lines,braking points etc. while in NFS Shift you just jump in and thrash the car to within an inch of its life,knocking anyone in your path clean out of the way.Accidents result in the screen going blurry as the driver fights to regain consciousness.The A.I. is superb,nail a driver into a braking point and he will try to get you back straight away,leave a door open and he will be right back through.Knock someone off the track and they will repay the favour given half a chance.Also the cars in each category are evenly matched,for example a BMW M3 will have tremendous straight line speed while an Audi RS4 will generally corner,accelerate and brake better.This leads to some fantastic on track battles,which if the difficulty level is set correctly can last right up until the very last corner.Forza 3 is a bit more pedestrian in this area,get 2 seconds into the lead and chances are you will win the race unless you mess up.Again this maybe more like motor racing really is but its just not as much fun in my opinion.NFS Shift also has drifting as well as racing events.Again these could be compared to PGR’s (generally despised) cone events but these are actually fun.All cars eligible for these events are tail happy rear wheel drive machines.The handling of these is exaggerated just a little as you slide the cars through a series of timed events scoring points for getting as close as possible (but not hitting) the marked out clipping points.These would not be enough to make a game on there own but there is no doubt they do make an interesting enough diversion from the games racing events.
Winner : Need For Speed : Shift
Specific good and bad points of Forza Motorsport 3 :
First off as already mentioned there is no doubt that Forza Motorsport 3 is a very polished,competent and graphically impressive racing game but there is one feature of it I think does spoil things just a little and that is the ability to rewind time.If you mess up its no big deal as you simply rewind time to before the incident and race on as if it had never happened……………………………………WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.Yes this is supposed to be a semi realistic simulation style which is so true to life that it allows you to alter time itself !.I thought NFS Shift was supposed to be the fun non realistic game here ?.Forza 3 developers have made a huge mistake with this feature in my opinion as it goes some way to destroying the credibility of what is otherwise probably the best game of its kind.Also there are some monster installs (via a 2nd disc and also large download) required to get all the features of the game.I found this annoying to be honest,If I have bought a game I just want to stick the disc in my console and play the damn thing.After opening the cellophane on the game it was 40 minutes before I was able to play it,I was not impressed by this.Have to say though other than those points there is nothing really not to like about Forza Motorsport 3 it is an excellent racing game.
Specific good and bad points of Need For Speed : Shift :
Firstly as already mentioned the graphics are a bit of let down at times but other than that this is as good as any arcade style racer I have ever played.Its not too silly,there are no ridiculous power slides or nitro boosts which make you feel like you have jumped to light speed nor is it in any way realistic or believable but it is a huge amount of fun.It recreates a sense of speed and exhilarating door handle to door handle racing better than any game in recent memory,who cares if its not true to life ?.
Overall :
I cannot really pick an overall winner as both games which at first glance appear to be very similar are in fact worlds apart when you get into them.Both are excellent racers I would recommend Forza Motorsport 3 without reservation to fans of the series and also to Gran Turismo lovers as this game is very similar.Need For Speed : Shift on the other hand will be more attractive to PGR (and maybe even Burnout) fans as it sacrifices realism in return for a fun gaming experience.Forza fans will probably not really care for its arcade like feel but if you find Forza and Gran Turismo games a little bit dull then this may just be the racing game you need.
Winner : Draw
Both games are equally as good but in different ways and both earn a very respectable 8.5/10 from me.
I hope you don't mind pete, but i might try this myself. It's a great way to compare games, just going through each general category (ie. sound, graphics, gameplay etc.) Top stuff my friend! :D
Go for it Chris.If as this instance 2 similar games are released close together there is always going to be a 'which one is the game for me' scenario.If this is the case than I reckoned this was a good idea and decided to give it a try.Rumours that I couldn't be arsed to write 2 separate reviews are not true ! :D
haha! I might go on a different route, and compare a new version of a game to an old version, and see what improvements have been made etc.