By now, the Need For Speed brand has come to mean little more than 'EA-published video game featuring cars'. It's an umbrella term broad enough to encompass everything from the Burnout-inspired cops-and-robbers thrills of last October's Hot Pursuit to SHIFT, a simulation racer with its eye firmly on...

Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth most people's time and cash.

Shift 2 Unleashed builds on the true drivers experience by introducing the driver's battle, an even more authentic and primal feeling of power and speed which elevates the fundamental competitive race into a struggle for supremacy against other drivers and even the track itself.

Overall Shift 2 is an excellent racing game that really tries to throw you behind the wheel of a professional driver. With great graphics minus a few debris issues and impressive car mechanics, Shift 2 will challenge the best of drivers during the single player campaign and online.

Autolog = Awesome feature; A good solid racer; Lengthly career mode

Drifting is really frustrating until mastered; Online driving is infuriating at times; A few bugs here and there

The team at Slightly Mad Studios has done a pretty good job of addressing some of the first game's problems - but not a perfect one. The massive pre-race load times have been reduced to about 20-30 seconds on the 360 version, and thankfully, unlike the PS3 version, there is no mandatory data...

For those who missed out on the original Shift, this is a series that tackles the realism of racing from a different angle to the likes of Gran Turismo, Forza or any of the PC sim racing games.

First Impressions My reaction is Latest Videos Shift 2: Unleashed – Trailer, release date announced The lack of "Need for Speed" in the name of this game shows how far this it deviates from the original series.

Almost two years ago, Slightly Mad Studios delivered a new way to experience Need For Speed with the introduction of SHIFT, a less-in-your-face but still ferocious, violent and noisy racing game for Electronic Arts.

At this point, EA has effectively split the Need for Speed franchise into two separate branches. While games like Hot Pursuit focus on cop chases and high-speed takedowns, the team at Slightly Mad Studios has worked to build Shift 2 Unleashed as a more true-to-life experience that captures the...

Shift 2 unleashed. This is the second Track only game from Need For Speed Franchise and published by EA. Developed by Slightly Mad Studio.