The second installment in the Shift sub series aims to show the players what it is like to be a driver of a racing car as well. Contrary to many other racing games, Shift 2: Unleashed for PC offers the best possible experience when played from the cockpit view. This imitates the head movements of the driver in order for the player to experience different shakings and various visual effects created with the help of professional drivers. Camera work was improved – when a car enters a turn, the driver's head turns slightly as well for example.
Motivated by the warm reception of Need for Speed: Shift, the creators decided to stick to the most important mechanics and the driving physics of the predecessor. Although each car has different specifics, the game does not require hours of practice before the player can achieve something. Thus the driving physics combine simplicity of arcade racing with simulation elements.
As usual, the game does not lack the fastest licensed cars and amazing tracks. This time, the player is given an opportunity to race at night as well, which delivers an interesting visual experience, thanks to the new lighting system. The player visits Shanghai filled with hundreds of neon lights or Belgian forests shrouded in darkness. All the available races are contained within the carrier mode. This delivers many hours of enjoyable gameplay.
Minimal requirements:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz / AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4 GHz
Graphics: NViidia GeForce 8 / ATI Radeon HD3000
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Disk space: 7 GB HD
System: Windows XP (SP3) / Vista (SP2) / Windows 7