Need for Speed: Nitro vs Need for Speed: Shift
Need for Speed: Nitro is a racing game from Firebrand Games (2009) while Need for Speed: Shift is a racing game from Slightly Mad Studios (2009).
Quick answer: Need for Speed: Shift has the higher Metacritic, 83 to 70.
Need for Speed: Nitro
Need for Speed: Shift
What each one is
Need for Speed: Nitro is filed under Racing. In contrast, Need for Speed: Shift under Racing.
Need for Speed: Nitro is a 2009 racing video game and the fourteenth title in the Need for Speed series. It was published by Electronic Arts for the Nintendo Wii and DS platforms. The Wii version was developed by EA Montreal, who have previous experience with Nintendo consoles, while the DS version was developed separately by Firebrand Games' Florida studio.
Need for Speed: Shift is a 2009 racing video game developed by Slightly Mad Studios and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. A separate version of the game was developed by EA Bright Light and simultaneously released for PlayStation Portable. Two mobile adaptations were developed by IronMonkey Studios for Java-compatible devices and iOS and released in 2009, with the latter version subsequently being made available for several other mobile devices. Need for Speed: Shift is the thirteenth installment in the Need for Speed franchise.
Story, characters and reception
Characters
There are 35 opponents with names in the Wii version of the game, although five of them are " leaders ", one for each city, and receive cinematic treatment in the form of a quick intro full motion video when the player first accesses a city in each cup. The street racing leader of Rio de Janeiro is Thiago. He drives a Volkswagen Type 2, 1969 Dodge Charger R/T and a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Need for Speed: Nitro received mixed reviews from critics. Mark Bozon from IGN stated that " Nitro is a blast despite its faults". Although 1Up. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The console versions of Need for Speed: Shift received "generally favorable" reviews, while the PlayStation Portable version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . IGN awarded it an Editor's Choice award and scored it a 9/10, citing among other things the exceptional quality of its driving experience and sound design. Official Xbox Magazine awarded Shift with a 9/10, praising its driver's view… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Need for Speed: Nitro | Need for Speed: Shift | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 70/100 | 83/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 2009 | 2009 |
| Developer | Firebrand Games | Slightly Mad Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Need for Speed: Nitro vs Need for Speed: Shift, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Need for Speed: NitroRacing gameNeed for Speed: ShiftRacing gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Need for Speed: NitroNo descriptive tagsNeed for Speed: ShiftNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Need for Speed: NitroMetacritic 70Need for Speed: Shift ✓Metacritic 83Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
Need for Speed: NitroUnknownNeed for Speed: ShiftUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Need for Speed: Shift takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Need for Speed: Shift (Metacritic 83)
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Need for Speed: Nitro is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Need for Speed: Shift is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
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Common questions
How different are Need for Speed: Nitro and Need for Speed: Shift in scope?
Need for Speed: Nitro lists little scope data. Need for Speed: Shift lists little scope data.
Is Need for Speed: Nitro or Need for Speed: Shift better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Need for Speed: Nitro or Need for Speed: Shift?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Need for Speed: Nitro or Need for Speed: Shift?
Need for Speed: Shift has the higher Metacritic, 83 to 70. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.