Even though it doesn't carry the famous racing name in its title, ‘Shift 2 Unleashed' will still roar into store with the same ‘Need for Speed' next summer.

Gamereactor's number one petrolhead has taken Shift 2: Unleashed for a spin or two. Or 756 spins. Who's counting anyway?

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...

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...

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.

Shift 2: Unleashed is a highly challenging and exciting racing game which improves greatly on its predecessor. New features, such as the first-person helmet cam and the reworked graphics engine, make the driving seat a more thrilling place to be than it was in the first game.

Immersive first-person experience in helmet cam; Big graphical improvements; AutoLog creates lots of competition with friends; Fast-paced Career mode

Handling can be extremely unpredictable; GT3 & GT1 championships are not entirely authentic

The competitive online mode contains a selection of traditional race types. The new race type is Catchup, where one player is given a head start in a slow car while the rest of the field chases him or her down in more powerful supercars.

Shift 2 is one of the very few driving games where we'd actually prefer to boot-up its predecessor rather than this new iteration. It's still a thoroughly decent and innovative racer but fans of the original may be justifiably disappointed by the many missed opportunities here.

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.

With a flair for the dramatic you will hear the line, "so you wanna be a professional driver" as you hit the career option from the main menu. Introduced by a banging entrance movie, you will learn about the non-stop battle between man and machine that is "Shift" racing.

Excellent appeal to both racing purists and casual fans, Constant feedback helps to motivate progression, Social acceptable; Autolog is back, Helmet Cam adds an extra level of immersion, Lots to do, lengthy career mode

Load times longer than expected, Some jaggies are poking around the edges, Difficult feels like it fluctuates, A Blended affair; not a true simulation racer