It's that nice blend between an arcade style racing game and a full-on simulator that I enjoy. Large variety of cars to choose from but the upgrades are all usually pretty much the same. Every car you'll end up likely putting in a turbo or upgrading to a bigger turbo, changing exhaust,intake,cams,flywheel etc. It's obviously all optional but I wish they would have added more variance in the upgrades like for example drivetrain conversion. That's just nitpicking though, still a great game for how old it is and pretty much NFS' best game. 8/10

Note: 7/10

First of all, I think this game deserves better reviewing notes.

Is it an excellent driving simulator? No, it is not. But it isn't arcade.
Does this version present problems (like invisible vinyls, loss of captures...)? Yes, it does.

Can you spend time driving classic tuned cars, drifting with them, competing in real circuits with GT cars and have fun during more hours than with many other game' campaigns? Of course yes.

Between old kings Undergrounds and Shift saga there is 'awesome' sh*t!
Better this than Burnout-police-tuning experiments...

I've played NFS: HS (Road Challenge), PU (P 2000), HP 2, MW '05, MW '10 and this - a true NFS fan, that is.

Pros:
- Physics, realistic loss of traction at high speeds (aye, I've also driven a real car at high speed and lost traction, so I would know).
- Lots of interesting game modes.
- Lots of interesting tracks, specifically I like how this game doesn't do cheap stuff like track mirroring or obnoxious night time ice skating to bump up difficulty. I also like how some tracks have several variants with common bits.
- No catch-up! You actually get what you deserve as far as I can tell. Difficulty is dynamically adjusted in the beginning of each race according to your performance but never mid-race as it used to be.
- Graphics are stunning, camera options are good and make a lot of sense (e.g. two different in-cockpit cams with different settings).
- Background graphics because no flux were given :D
- Lots of settings for the car*
- No DLC ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, existing cars are all good enough to beat the events, your friends and even clock some serious records.

Cons:
- Loads of CTDs and sound bugs. For me the source of CTD persists over the CTD, e.g. if I was playing track A with settings XYZ and it crashes, it's gonna crash with track A and XYZ no matter how many times I restart the game. Then again, it fixes itself if I play A with settings XCV or if I play track B.
- ...loooong intro videos, yet to look into disabling them. This would be tolerable if for not so many CTDs.
- General handling settings. I play with KB and like many people have mentioned, there's a lot of input lag. This, however, is not a true con, because you can always disable the "stabilising" setting:
=> Edit DampeningEnabled="1" string to "0" in vehicleset_pc_custom_[controller name here].xml
Also the default settings for tuning are very very loose and unresponsive at times, do not forget to edit.
- While settings are plenty (see pros), the poor default settings force you to make your own. There are a lot of settings there and the explanations for each setting are decent at best - a bit of a learning curve to get them right and you'll need to tap into actual tuning guides for real world cars to get the most out of your ride.
- Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 is a Limited Edition only car by default. There are guides to unlock LE cars and events, though, but it's a bit of a nuisance and you'll need to edit the master .exe to achieve this.

TL;DR: To get everything out of this game lots of fiddling with game files, game settings and car settings is involved. For this reason I'm going to give 9/10. Otherwise a brilliant, brilliant game.

The graphics are sharp and the gameplay is awesome this is one of the best need for speed games ever. The music rocks and i also like the selection of cars.

Game : 8.0/10
Graphic : 8.5/10

Excellent racing game, played the hell out of it on Xbox 360 and had to pick it up on PC. The handling of the cars takes a bit to get used to but overall great game.

Someone decided that having input-delays greater than a second long was a perfectly fine way to code a game and didn't deserve patching more than a year after the game was released. Do NOT support this terribly-made afterthought of a console port.

Lot of people complaining about the handling. IMOH I love it. It is suppose to be like that. Body roll. Takes a little getting used to but thats part of the fun. It can be adjusted anyway.
Learning not to give it to much throttle in corners or on undulating track is again a chalenge but awesome fun. If you are after an arcade type racing game or a spot on sim then maybe not for you. I think it hit the spot of not to arcady and not to much of a simulation.

Graphics are pretty good, sound, I have no complaints.
Thumbs UP 9/10

Hands down one of the funnest driving games to play. I delivers in all the areas when it comes to the visuals and gameplay. Besides the first grid this is one of my favorites when it comes to racing on pc. 10/10

I just want to make this as clear and understandable as possible

So there is this game GTR 2 witch is FIA racing simulator - and there are many of these games, but GTR 2 stands out from all of them... till this game came out... you see... I've been playing simulators for a long time (with wheel) and when I got my hands on this game... it was on spot, perfect driving experience from the first minute as I started the try-out laps with Nissan GTR... I had no complaints about handling, or physics... just watch some actual, real racing championship events, and how intense it really is, and feels as a spectator all alone, when you watch the race from cockpit... this game has no comparison to any other... and trying to copy this game - well Forza and Gran Turismo won't do it... but they know, that this game is the real deal, when it comes to experiencing real racing adrenalin rush - my first thought was "damn... I am moving" I was so gripped by the sound, the feel, the "helmet cam", that I forgot about track, and next thought was "ow a corner - trajectory, apex, brake, follow-trough, and accelerate" and it did so well at the first time hands-on, that there was no need for assistants - in this game, everything is so seriously over-thought that it blew my mind - I really felt like playing GTR 2 but with that adrenalin rush and confusion and body movement that game physics provide as you are driving... you can't get that in GTR 2, Forza and Gran Turismo...

When developers made this game they thought - "This is REAL racing" "Racing Simulator" - do some of these players here even understand how serious that is? to actually be able to drive with high-tech FIA racing car....? .... forget the car.... do some of people can imagine how advanced your level of self-control has to be in your mind alone, to be able to compete in that sport...

And when some over-rated company (EA) takes their budget and allows some under-rated racing simulator company (SlightlyMadStudios) to take charge on this project, just to bring all missing pieces - for EA it is physics and driving experience - and for SlightlyMadStudios it is flashy graphics... it just blows off so much that you just can't approach this game as you are used to approach the Gran Turismo or Forza.... it takes huge amount of patience and dedication to be able to just drive quick and fast...( I just got lucky because I am GTR 2 racer, and my driving is not moveable at all from some twitches and flashy graphics - this is GTR based physics game witch is realistic as it can get and complain, I was hands down used to controls from the first corner ) to be able to know when to overtake... you have to read the track every time differently because opponent makes the track a different piece every time... you need to practice driving in the group... you have to start, to re-think how racing actually is meant... in Forza and Gran Turismo - it's meant like "overtake me, if you are moving faster then me, but please, my dear friend" but RACING is a competition and the first competition you have to overcome, is yourself... you have to find out what kind of racer you are, and if you want to get to the finish line, then the most aggressive move you can pull off is "the nose-dive" - and if you think that in this game AI will give up the 1st place easily, you are fooling yourself because just like in real life you have to EARN IT and THEN you can TAKE IT... not the other way around, like it is in Forza and Gran Turismo.... and I wont say that Forza and Gran Turismo is a bad games... but to this game, Forza and Gran Turismo is just another test-drive game in the market.... if you want some real thrill then pick this game up... You have to approach this game seriously, otherwise you'll be another mad-man on the comment section... don't mind that I am writing like a mad game-fan - I am not.... I am just cabined furniture designer who likes to play games a bit in my free-time..... but I am just tired how this game is being treated...you have to be serious, otherwise you get much different opinion then it's meant... this is FIA Racing Simulator - and for the last words... Just watch the real-life race...

This is a fun, realistic racing game. If it keeps crashing on you like it did for me, then go to the game's .exe file and set to Windows XP Service Pack 3 in Compatibility Mode. Haven't had a CTD since.

Great Games, sound is spot on and the handling is superb, the AI put in a great challange

So I bought this game off of literally a flip of a coin. That coin flip was easily one of the best I've ever made. As of this writing I've only put in 2 hours yet I cannot recommend this game enough. Being a huge fan of sim games, but not the biggest car nut I was able to set up the difficulty exactly as I wanted it, and needed it. No HUD (I always try to get rid of this whenever I can in a game) with Medium AI, but I cannot do without on a racing sim is the guide lines which is my lifeline in a game like this, so it really really really aided me to be able to have it enabled despite going through the game without any HUD whatsoever. The handling of the cars feels extremely realistic to my nooby racing sim hands, and the sounds made by the cars have forced me to change my underwear 4 times already. I cannot stress enough how ♥♥♥♥ING SEXY these cars sound, It's like angels screaming death metal at me through the voice of sirens, I love it so much. In the end. This game is so worth it.

Great sequel, intense car racing simulator and lovely new features. Definitely a pick for NFS fans.

great game: call it what you want sim/ arcade: Is a stand by when i feel the need the need for speed... had some crash's early on. but they seem corrected now: up dated all windows drivers and graphics driver: Please note: I have been using a xp pro 32 bit os with 4 gigs of 1066: Windows shows as 3.25: Since I have changed back to two gigs: Wallah, no more crash's to desk top: Hot rod lincoln,,,,, Driving views are great... you get used to the car leaning into the turns,, Career mode can be steep with certain cars on certain tracks,, haven't tried on line...Got my monnies worth,, deff recommend

I'd love to write an actual review but I can't because the game doesn't even work. Tried all the solutions I could find with a google search but I couldn't get it to work. EA can't even get it right for Windows.

The sequel of the masterpiece NFS Shift done right but not perfect

Overal (8/10)
First of all, this game is racing simulator (you don't say!) so the real time action is needed like handling, brake and throttle to enjoy driving experience as real as possible, Shift 2 is fail to realize that aspect, lag input, a little unaccurate handling like its successor NFS Shift. For what i experience, NFS Shift handling is more good than this one from this aspect. But it doesn't mean it's not fun at all! Really good environment and cars detail, good racing experience and AI, amazing soundtrack make NFS Shift 2 enjoyable.

Graphics (8/10)
A bit annoying particles and dust on the screen, like no realistic at all, particles is not real time, dust not realistic at all, the cars is like hovering in the dark place with no light source. The reflection on the car is not real time too. Although annoying things like that exist, this game had a really good environment and cars detail.

Gameplay (7/10)
Like others and its successor, what do you expect from racing simulator games? my personal opinion, Shift 2 Unleashed deliver a good racing experience and AI, not too easy to beat, although theres bad handling and lag input, it is still fun and enjoyable.

Music (9/10)
Hell yeah!!! one of the best soundtrack i ever heard!!! No one would complaint about this.

Not the best simulator but a very good game!!!

If you played the console version, well then you were stuck with what EA gave you (i know i had PS3 version). However, the PC version can be modded and as such can turn this game from what some say a crappy arcade to a compelte SIM as SMS intended it to be. Althought he game plays fantastic on a pad, and is easy to drive which in some cases is more fun than tedious simulation, with a few mods and wheel it can pose an amazing challenge. I have uploaded videos from two races and have made a mod available to download @ nogripracing (check the forums sub section for SHIFT). Download, extract, inject and enjoy racing once more!

Check out my videos to see how the game is with the mods I am running. NOTE: I took SEVERAL tries to get the clean video, there were a many crash, flip, bump, oversteer, understeer, you name it happend.

I recommned this game no matter what, especially if you want a simulation, just install the mods I mention :)

Great game drivng ever in sereies of NFS real simulation driving game

if you think to buy it buy it now!!!!

The developers of this game seems wanna chase ultimate realism but fail badly first of all all of the cars understeer and oversteer at almost all time the tracks looks arent amazing choice of cars should be pretty satisfying but with lack of exotic supercarscars it sort of for me spoils it a bit the conclusion its a an unfinished great game