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Shift tries to ease players into the experience using a tutorial lap, during which the player can get a handle on, well, the handling. After the lap, the game will automatically assign a skill level based on the player's performance. It's a great idea, but as with other games that have used the concept, it isn't very accurate. Racing a car around an unknown track with an unknown physics engine is bound to result in a few mistakes, and as a result the automatic settings are far too easy. They're easily fixed by opening the options menu, but that defeats the purpose.
Getting into Shift is easy. The first tier cars are difficult to crash, and the first tier tracks are fairly simple. What becomes quickly obvious, however, is that EA has been conducting a little false advertising. There is no question that Shift is more realistic that previous Need for Speed games, but it is still an arcade game at heart. Besides taking first place, the game also places an emphasis on an arbitrary experience system. Players can gain points for all sorts of things, but their very inclusion makes it obvious that while Shift does include a somewhat realistic physics engine, the arcade elements are noticeable if not dominant.
The lame damage modeling drives this point home. On one early track I over-cooked a turn badly and crashed into the barrier at 80 miles per hour. I thought I was done for, as I had simulation damage turned on. In fact, the concrete encounter left me with a few scratches. This can become absurd at times, as there are certain turns on certain tracks where it is actually quicker to run into the wall full-speed and bounce off than to try and take the turn properly. Simulation? I don't think so.
