Video Game / Need for Speed: Shift

La nuit du chasseur...

The ones that turned street racing legitimate - again.

Need for Speed: Shift is a sub-series of Electronic Arts's Need for Speed franchise, consisting of Need for Speed: Shift (2009) and Shift 2: Unleashed (2011), mainly developed by Slightly Mad Studios.^note EA Bright Light developed the PSP version of the first Shift, while Straight Right developed the iOS version of Shift 2: Unleashed.

The first Shift is a second crack at realistic racing in the Need for Speed series following Need for Speed: ProStreet, and is devoid of any storyline, although its PSP version includes a story mode recycled from the console versions of ProStreet and brought back some old characters from it along with new ones, basically making an Alternate Universe, while the gameplay is more arcade-like compared to the console and PC versions. A Xbox 360-exclusive DLC pack is also noted for marking Ferrari's only appearance in any of the Need for Speed games following its first "classic" era until making a full return in Rivals.

Following the commercial success of Shift (especially in comparison to its predecessor, Undercover), EA green-lit a sequel, Shift 2: Unleashed, which became noted for its unusual lack of the series' name in the title (although fans still call it Need for Speed: Shift 2 – Unleashed, as it still used the logo the franchise used at the time) and its handling model being massively expanded from the first Shift.

On May 31, 2021, EA announced that download versions of either game would no longer be available for purchase in any online stores, although noting that the non-download boxed EA DVD versions of the game can still be purchased from some online stores until supply runs out.

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The Shift games feature examples of:

• Absurdly Low Level Cap: Since Shift's maximum level is 50, Shift 2 dumbs down to level 20 as the maximum level cap.
• Anachronism Stew: Since Shift 2: Unleashed announced the Legends Pack, it includes tracks from the '80s and earlier and it has no problem bringing a modern car to it. It can result in such weird sightings as bringing an SLS AMG to Hockenheimring 1982 or even bringing a Bugatti Veyron or a GT1 car around the 1958 version of Monza. The same trope would apply to Slightly Mad Studios's future games such as Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends & the Project CARS series.
• Anti-Frustration Features: The driving assists.
• Artistic License – Cars:
  • In Shift 2, the game featured the "Honda S2000 CR", but it clearly uses the AP1 model.
  • Both games claim that the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX that appears in them is an "MR-edition" despite the fact it has the looks and the performance of an Evo IX FQ-300.
  • Shift 2 features the Pagani Huayra, and such a big deal was made out of it, the car's reveal trailer has no music aside from its exhaust note... except that's not what the actual Huayra sounds like.
• Artistic License – Sports: The FIA-GT1 Championship takes an amount of artistic licenses that go way past the actual one in Real Life:
  • The rounds are 1-hour endurance races each. However the game instead uses lapped races (approx. 3-4 laps each round).
  • Monza, Dubai Autodrome, Suzuka Circuit, Laguna Seca and Mount Panorama were never used in the real life calendar.
  • The final race of the championship is set in Circuit Zolder instead of the Potrero de los Funes Circuit in Argentina.
• Boring, but Practical: Take any stock Tier 1/D-Class car on any track and you can attain a 100% Best line and master all corners with ease. Mastered corners and attained 100% best line are marked permanently and there is no need to do these tasks again when you race on the same track.
• Car Fu: Go ahead and race in the Hazyview's figure eight track. Good luck T-boning each other.
• Cool Car: While the franchise lives on this trope, the Shift games seem to be intent on trumping 'em all.
  • The first Shift has the Maserati MC12 Corsa and the Lamborghini Reventón, along with the McLaren F1, Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron, the Koenigsegg CCX, and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Still no Ferraris, but the Maserati MC12 Corsa uses the engine, chassis, and other internals of the Enzo Ferrari, so it'll be good enough... unless you have the Xbox 360 version of Shift, then you have the option of downloading a content pack that brought back the Ferraris for the first time since Hot Pursuit 2. Ferraris would fully return for all platforms in Rivals.
  • Shift 2: Unleashed has the Pagani Huayra, a 235 MPH Italian supercar. In fact, said game had the exclusive rights to the Huayra before it would become available to other games outside of the Need for Speed franchise. It's so awesome, the car's reveal trailer needs no music aside from the exhaust note... although that's not what the actual Huayra sounds like.
• Darker and Edgier: In contrast of the Lighter and Softer approach of the first Shift, Shift 2 takes a dark and gritty step further than the former. When you start the game, you are greeted with an introduction of a very still but disturbing scene of a brutal car crash during a night race. And not to mention night races alone are also introduced in the game, a first for a simulator-style Need for Speed game (ProStreet and the first Shift took place during the day), which also adds up to the danger factor.
• Experience Booster: In Shift, filling the XP meter during the race (maneuvers such as driving in ther racing line, mastering corners, drifting, slipstreaming and overtakes) will trigger a x2 XP multiplyer for a limited time.
• Game-Breaking Bug The PS3 version of Need for Speed: Shift Need For Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed has a bug that sometimes the game crashes in the loading screens.
  • Also, this game has a bug that speeding in the night while driving the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR VIII Speedhunters Edition, the game will crash. This bug only occurs while doing the last race of Works League Championship in Mount Panorama and the Endurance Championship and Endurance Challenge of Champions in Nürburgring Nordschleife.
• Hard Mode Perks: Shift 2: Unleashed rewards more cash for races depending on the difficulty and the numerous assists disabled.
• Impairment Shot; Shift takes this trope and runs with it. Driving at a car's top speed blurs your vision, and a collision simulates the disorientation from the shock of impact.
• In Name Only: The PSP version of Shift is odd in that it has nothing to do with the console versions. If anything, it has more in common with ProStreet, as its career mode closely mimicks what ProStreet had, even featuring alternate versions of its Street Kings.^note Although several Street Kings and other ProStreet and Most Wanted drivers do appear in the main version of Shift, they appear only as random opponents there. It also adds elements of, of all things, Burnout Dominator (as it was developed by the same team, it runs on the same engine, and even recycles a few assets and mechanics).^note Ironically, the PSP version of ProStreet was the inverse of this, having plain career mode which had no plot at all, as opposed to the console and NDS versions' story mode.
• In-Vehicle Invulnerability: Downplayed. The Player Character can actually groan or writhe in pain (in addition to rapid breathing) after a big collision if you're playing with the full damage model turned on.
• Interface Screw: Damaging your car will cause the screen to distort and to go black and white.
• Karl Marx Hates Your Guts: Averted and almost Inverted in Shift 2: Unleashed; cars and upgrades could be purchased and sold at exactly the same price, meaning that there's no wasting money if a Works conversion or other upgrades didn't turn out as expected or you want to sell one car for a different one.
• Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: The Riviera track's Monte Grande layout blatantly resembles the Circuit de Monaco. Possibly the reason why the real deal isn't used is to avoid sparking tensions from Formula One.
• Lighter and Softer: Downplayed in that, in comparison to Undercover, which is the closest a Need for Speed game plot has come to being a straight-up action movie, the first Shift doesn't feature a plot at all, being simply a racing simulator.
• Marathon Level: Endurance races in Shift 2: Unleashed count as this, with each race averaging from 30 minutes to about an hour to complete.
• Mission-Pack Sequel: Shift 2: Unleashed is basically almost every content from the first Shift, just with added new cars, tracks and features.
• Money for Nothing: While this is a common issue in Need for Speed games (ending up with a big bank account from winning races, yet having none of the higher level part tiers open up so you can buy new swag with your loot, so by the time you have the option of buying new parts, very often they won't dent your funds enough that you'll care), Shift 2: Unleashed is even more so, as cars and upgrades in it are sold at exactly the same price as they're bought, meaning you'll wind up with ever-increasing amounts of money.
• No Fair Cheating: You cannot cut the track, because doing so will lead to having your lap time deleted and repeated infraction could lead to disqualification.
• No Plot? No Problem!: While the games from Underground onwards were famous for featuring a story mode, the Shift games don't care about those; you're just doing a driving sim.
• Old Save Bonus: Similar to Hot Pursuit (2010), Shift 2: Unleashed offers "loyalty bonuses" if you played a previous game in the series, usually in the form of additional experience points. Having played Hot Pursuit (2010) also unlocks two additional cars in Shift 2: Unleashed: a Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster in "NFS Edition" colors, and a Lamborghini Reventon in a Seacrest County PD livery.
• Reformulated Game: The PSP version of Shift is a generic Burnout Dominator-style game.
• Rice Burner: Subverted with Chris Rado's Scion tC AWD, considering it's a time attack car and ain't an easy opponent to race against. The Twins Turbo Motorsport Viper GTS also subverts this as well.
• Sensory Abuse: Sometimes unpausing the game, the volume will crank up to eleven for a short period of time.
• Shout-Out:
  • In certain events in Shift, the other drivers are called Isabel Diaz, Karol Monroe, Nate Denver, Gavin May or Hendrik Dehn amongst others, names you encountered in earlier NFS games: Isabel Diaz was one of the members of the Blacklist in Most Wanted, Karol Monroe and Nate Denver were two of the Street Kings from ProStreet, and Gavin May and Hendrik Dehn were among the names of the AI opponent drivers also in ProStreet.
    • Speaking of other drivers, did we mention there is an opponent◊ named Jimmy Neutron?
  • Some of the Works conversion body kits resemble as Real Life race cars:
    • The Audi S4's and the BMW M3 E92's Works conversions resemble as its DTM counterparts. For the latter's case, the M3 DTM wasn't used until a year later after the game's release.
    • The Supra, Acura NSX, 350Z, R34 Skyline and the GT-R (R35)^note The vanilla GT-R and not the SpecV variant are all based on its Super GT counterpart.
    • The Dodge Charger R/T takes cues of the Dodge Charger Daytona.
    • The E46 M3 bares a striking resemblance to the highly-known M3 GTR, where as the C6 Corvette Z06 strongly resembles the C6.R. Not to mention the Ford GT's Works conversion resembles its GT3 counterpart.
    • Finally, the Volkswagen Scirocco's Works conversion takes nods to its Nürburgring GT24 variant.
• Spin-Off: The Shift games noticeably appear to draw a divide between themselves and the rest of the Need for Speed franchise, with the second game dropping the name and being called simply Shift 2: Unleashed, albeit still using the stylized "n" logo the franchise used at the time.
• A Taste of Power: In both games, you get to drive a powerful car during the game's tutorial before you're off to buy your starter car. Shift puts you in the BMW M3 (E92) around Brands Hatch, while Shift 2 puts you in the Nissan GT-R NFS Edition around the Suzuka Circuit.
• Tyop on the Cover: In the PSP version of Shift, one of the Race Kings is called "Wade Johnson" in his intro and in his bio ("Johnson doesn't party..."), but the name on the board of his bio page calls him "Wade Johnston."
• Version-Exclusive Content: The Xbox 360 release of Shift adds the Ferrari Racing Pack featuring 10 Ferrari cars such as the FXX, 3 variants of the F430 and the F50 GT. It also counts as The Bus Came Back due to Ferrari itself returning since Hot Pursuit 2 to this console-exclusive game.
• Video Game Cruelty Potential: Remember in ProStreet where you can wreck down an opponent intentionally and not get a penalty? It also applies here, since the game sometimes enforces you to drive dirty to spin out or force drivers off the road to get XP (Aggressive).
• Villain Protagonist: Averted here, as these games are focused on sanctioned track-racing, as opposed to the illegal street-racing usually featured in other installments.
• World Tour: Both Shift games have a sanctioned take on this trope (similar to the previous sanctioned racing-themed game, ProStreet), with races held on fixed FIA-certified race tracks and drag strips as well as street tracks in different countries around the world.

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