Forza 3 vs NFS Shift: a friendly debate

[bcbrad]

I haven't really seen any thread that is directly comparing these two games. Now, we all know the usual things. NFS is known for their big turns at ridiculous speeds and their underground style of doing things for the last few games. NFS does give an awesome feel for actually driving fast but they haven't been too realistic. But i'll be honest here, I really enjoyed pimpin out my cars and making them look way sick. I probably played NFS most wanted for more hours than any other racing game ever.

Now Forza is much more realistic. You have your track, and your well known/ not so well known cars driving at and turning at realistic speeds. You don't have the same sense of speed as you do with NFS though.

So now on to the comparison of the two newest ones. NFS shift and Forza 3. Both priced at about 40 bucks right now. NFS shift is claiming a new designer and a different style of racing than the last games they have done. Driving is supposed to be much more realistic but also give you a great sense for speed. Forza 3 is just a step from the past Forza's. I don't know too much about the newest and that is why I am asking everyone's thoughts. i bought NFS shift and my brother bought Forza 3. We are planning on playing both and just switching after we are done.

What does everybody think? What game is really better/superior/more realistic/more fun to play?

[Hayden]

The answer to all of those questions is forza 3

[Artikgrau325is]

NFS: Shift is very intense, they went in a good direction with the series. The sound alone is absolutely incredible, but the physics are kind of iffy (I literally can't seem to keep my car in a straight line, it's just a ton of minute steering changes), I hear an update has fixed most of the quirks. There is a lot of emphasis on driving aggressively, the cockpits and visual details are spectacular...effect and experience-wise I was impressed with it.

I've had some great races, and was presented with a pretty good challenge and a sense of satisfaction when I beat a race. There's a lot of aggression in races, and a lot of things that wouldn't slide in a real professional race are allowed here which takes away some of the fun.

Forza 3...well, let's just say that NFS: Shift didn't stay in the disk tray for longer than a week because of it. The game looks great, and is a drastic improvement over Forza 2, although I can tell that it still won't be able to compare graphically to GT5. The interior views are mediocre and look rushed, and the damage model is a bit exaggerated. If you so much as sneeze your tail lights will break, haha.

That's all I have to complain about visually, graphically I feel that that NFS: Shift has a clear advantage but considering the vast amount of content and value in F3, that is a comparison hardly worthy of being made. Races are fun, and the game is designed in a way that rewards you for your efforts and compels you to continue on. If you race clean and don't get any damage, you get bonus money. If you race with more difficulties and less assists, you get more money.

You can completely customize the game to your own liking, whether that be Easy mode with automatic transmission and have the game do your braking for you (I'm serious), or having to meticulously balance the throttle and braking, and even depress and engage the clutch. The game rewards those who challenge themselves, and it doesn't ever feel like a chore.

Races are well designed, the tracks seem less claustrophobic than F2 and GT4, the tracks are wider and they have implemented hills and curved surfaces which add a new dynamic to driving. Nurburgring is an absolute blast to tackle in a Porsche GT2 ;)

Get tired of racing? There's tons of non-racing content as well, whether it be buying or customizing your own car decal layout or taking photos of your cars and submitting them. There's actually an "artiste" standpoint in the Forza community that is just so immersed in the decal system that they don't even care about racing, and you will see some amazing designs.

Cars have 187070987987x more customization than in NFS: Shift, although not as many visual addons. From drivetrain to aspiration swaps, you can experiment with everyday cars and make them interesting and fun to drive. That said, each cars feels different and you will begin to get a feel for characteristics and what you like to drive as you go on. I have a 800hp Datsun 510 that weighs 1800lbs, and is absolutely impossible to drive without spinning in circles, but I have a 940hp Nissan Skyline that is one of my best handling rides I've built. Each car is a new experience.

I could go on and on, but I doubt you guys have the patience for it, I'm heavily biased towards Forza 3 because I've enjoyed it so much, however I think that Shift has it's merits too and is a good game for what it is. I personally think both of them are worth a chance, but you will get a ton more out of F3 if you have any love for the automobile.

Oh yea, the E36 headlights look better in Shift than they do in F3.


Cliffs: Out of the two, I'd pick up F3 without a doubt.

[ViniZaoD]

I play nfs shift because it's on pc.

.

[Compactive]

i quit NFS when I got i got NFS: Undercover. EA Games decided to lock decals and charge $1,000 to paint a car. Absurd. However I did download the demo for shift. I thought the physics too were pretty funky. The graphics were pretty decent though, as any other xbox/ps3 game. Forza 3 has a much better community, and the design system is to die for. I remember in the older NFS I could only have so much layors, but in Forza it seems endless.

on another note, I believe GT5 will be a better simulator (I see it as a more serious version of Forza), but in terms of an all around game in terms of community, and the whole storefront thing, Forza gives you better opportunities to venture into every aspect of being a car lover. From driving, to painting, to photography/filming.

[AMDdude]

Forza 3 no doubt, I recently sold my 360 to get a PS3 and now I'm going through withdrawal I miss Forza3 so much! I tried playing Shift on the PS3 and had to turn that garbage off after 5 min. The game looks great and I think the interiors of the cars are done a bit better than Forza but the physics is what kill the game for me, like someone said the cars are unstable and not predictable. I'm holding out for GT5, if it's at least as good as Forza 3 I'll keep the PlayStation, if not I'm going to have to go back to Xbox.

[bcbrad]

NFS: (I literally can't seem to keep my car in a straight line, it's just a ton of minute steering changes), I hear an update has fixed most of the quirks. There is a lot of emphasis on driving aggressively, the cockpits and visual details are spectacular...effect and experience-wise I was impressed with it.

I totally agree with that. The reason I bought NFS shift is because of the review that IGN gave it. That said it was probably NFS's best game in years if not the best that they have ever made. The cockpit views and sounds are amazing but I do have that feeling of 'why am I fish tailing at every little movement I make?' It kind of bugs me and hopefully the update will help out.

I am anxious to give F3 a go here soon and then be able to really make a comparison myself.

[328Mike]

oneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee sided

[Skinfaxi]

I too tried the Shift demo and thought the cars handled strangely. I've been enjoying Forza 3 quite a bit. I think GT5 will be a more realistic sim, especially since even GT5 Prologue feels more "mature" as a racer, and it's been out for quite a while.

Forza 3 is still immensely entertaining, but when GT5 drops next year I probably won't touch it again.

[kornkid8600]

NFS Shift is crap.

[bennyfizzle]

You're comparing two different genres.

Shift is an arcade style racing game.

Forza is a simulator.

[stowe9man]

Didn't read the thread, and I haven't even played Forza 3, but I voted for it anyway. NFS Shift is just terrible IMP. It's not a simulator, and its not a fun arcade game. It's just bad.

[Pudmunkie]

NFS Shift was the worst game Ive played on the XBOX yet.

Its some lame ass hybrid between simulator and Arcade. It is just Arcade-ish to make trying to drive 'correct' impossible, and just 'real' enough to make arcade driving feel wrong.

[kornkid8600]

You're comparing two different genres.

Shift is an arcade style racing game.

Forza is a simulator.

yeah and shift is a garbage arcade racer too.
an unoptimized pile of piss

[Artikgrau325is]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaterrrrrrrrrrrs!

[Fart]

I used to be obsessed with NFS 1 back in 1996 or 1997

[BobSalawalatski]

The last half-decent NFS game was Hot Pursuit 2.

[bennyfizzle]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaterrrrrrrrrrrs!

Dude, I've played the shit out of it.

You can not call yourself a car enthusiast and enjoy driving in Shift.

The simple fact that it is TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE to accelerate from a dead stop without spinning the tires, regardless of throttle input, makes that game not worth it's weight in dog shit to me.

[Dat Aus]

i too, thought shift was absolute rubbish. i got bored of it after only a few days. it's not a simulator and it's not an arcade game. it's right in between and it just doesn't work at all

[Skinfaxi]

The last half-decent NFS game was Hot Pursuit 2.
Word. That game was great. The first Underground was good just because it was new and everyone was high on the F & F fad.

And, technically, Motor City Online was a NFS game, and a freaking awesome one at that. That game had such a good community and it was so deep and addicting. That game was truly ahead of it's time.

[rGrissM3]

hot pursuit 2 was so much fun, but yeah comparing NFS shift and forza 3 is a big joke.

[Hayden]

i had hot pursuit hahaha the graphics!

[Pierre3400]

hot pursuit 2 was so much fun, but yeah comparing NFS shift and forza 3 is a big joke.

Its just not possible, shift is for sure an arcade game, theres not alot of sim about shift compared to Forza.

Im die hard Forza fan, but i do have shift, and i played it for abit. Then i stopped playing all together and just waited for Forza 3. Shift really is useless in my opinion. I havent played since well i dont even remember. Useless game.

Edit, i gotta ask, people voting for Shift, have you tried Forza?

[Fart]

http://ben.bacchus.com.au/vpcblog/images/nfs1.PNG

[Xiphos]

I vote for GT5

[Tony Soprano]

the answer would be GT. and im not a forza fan, but forza NFS all day. NFS is an arcade game.

[AMDdude]

http://ben.bacchus.com.au/vpcblog/images/nfs1.PNG

This, and I'm not joking, has better physics than Shift. Soo much fun back in the day I still have the original box and everything. One of the tag lines is.. cars behave like they should.. so you can drive them like you shouldn't:buttrock

[TheM3nsah]

i bought shift foolishly thinking they had cleaned up their act and made a proper sim, but ended up selling it back to gamestop in credit for FM3. the games are a world apart.

[SeattleBMW325i]

Shift is complete garbage, I can't believe so many people on here enjoy it. It reminds me of Enthusia.


I totally agree with that. The reason I bought NFS shift is because of the review that IGN gave it. That said it was probably NFS's best game in years if not the best that they have ever made. The cockpit views and sounds are amazing but I do have that feeling of 'why am I fish tailing at every little movement I make?' It kind of bugs me and hopefully the update will help out.

I am anxious to give F3 a go here soon and then be able to really make a comparison myself.

HELL no. Maybe best in years since they haven't even made a respectable game for a while, I liked Most Wanted ok, but it was all downhill after HP2, Most Wanted was the last one I had any fun playing, and the last one I actually bought.


The last half-decent NFS game was Hot Pursuit 2.

This man knows what's up, an 09 too.