✓ Fits the racing sims cluster, with deep simulation, racing gameplay and single-player focus
≠ Its own twist: open world exploration, exploration and discovery and visual first person, while skipping sports simulation
Shift is the thirteenth Need for Speed game. It is considered one of the most hardcore installments of the series. Unlike many of its predecessors, it is oriented towards the actual driving simulation rather than arcade racing.
Where it drifts furthest from Rush Rally 3: visuals.
On reception: its Steam reviews are mostly positive, against very positive for Rush Rally 3.
It predates Rush Rally 3 by 10 years, with what that implies technically.