This year admits its split personality and creates three separate games. Shift is the first Need for Speed game allowed to focus purely on simulation racing. At EA's Spring Showcase event we were impressed by both the impact and freshness resulting from a game that finally knows who its audience is.

The previous Jekyll and Hyde nature of the series meant that you never quite knew what to expect when you opened the box. Carbon returned to the open world and illegal street races of earlier iterations, then Pro Street cleaned up its act in preference of high performance track races before Undercover headed back to police chases and leggy detectives.

This year, rather than trying to cram both arcade and racing modes into one game, have split the franchise three ways. Need for Speed Shift on 360 and creates a track-based simulation experience that can hold its own next to the likes of GRID, and Gran Turismo. Need for Speed Nitro holds the arcade race and chase space on and DS, whilst Need for Speed World Online offers a free to play front door to the franchise on the PC.

Sitting down for the first time with Shift you can't help but be impressed with the visual and audio quality. Maybe slightly enhanced by the mocked up cockpit and clamouring crowd of games journalist, my adrenaline was soon pumping. And happily, the game seemed to be able to offer a drive that I could pick up and play in minutes.

The first thing that hits you is the sheer feeling of speed and impact (when you crash). This not only comes from the nippy frame rate and high number of vehicles, but from a range of visual tricks. Although not immediately noticeable these work together to create the illusion of velocity and g-force. They are most effective in the cockpit view that makes its first appearance to the series since Porsche Unleashed some years back.

The dash, for instance, blurs as you put your foot down - something that focuses your attention on the road ahead. This same effect is applied to your main view if you clatter the scenery or other cars, meaning that it takes a while to recover from the carnage. It's the sort of trick that made Burnout Paradise so graphically impressive and it is great to see EA bringing their other successes to bear here.

Then there are the camcorder-like shakes and rolls when you accelerate, corner or impact with other cars. This comes from the decision to attach the cockpit camera to the driver's helmet rather than the car. It's a simple but a very effective move. You see the surrounding vehicle pitch and roll around as you accelerate through the gears and throw yourself into corners. It works much the same way as Skate's low slung shaky cam, adding the same sense of connection here as it did in EA's skateboard title.

As I played, the PR guy talked me through the journey they've had with the franchise. Needing some fresh impetus with the series EA brought in Slightly Mad Studios who (as Blimey! Games) have a prestigious racing history with the likes of GT Legends and GTR 2. He was also careful to point out that this isn't a decision they have taken lightly, and that the game has been in the works for a good two years.

As I clocked up some laps I started to get a feel for the physics. Shift seems to sit somewhere between the realism of Forza and the more twitchy controls of Burnout Paradise. Whilst this meant I could easily pick it up and play without a problem, it also reduced the sense of realism. Particularly when viewed from outside the car, the connection between rubber and tarmac was a little questionable. This build of the game exhibited a slightly floaty feel to driving that would disappoint the more hardcore racing fans.

Details like this will be important for the new game if it is to stand alongside the likes of GRID, Forza and Gran Turismo. The already crowded simulation racing genre is very competitive so it is even more important for Shift to come out of the gates with a strong first showing. But with still ongoing there is still time to finesse details like these, so fingers crossed.

These concerns aside, there is no denying that Shift is a thoroughly enjoyable drive. The only nod to its street racing history is the drift brake that allows you to easily hang the back out around corners. Purists may again balk at this but it wouldn't be a Need for Speed game without some exaggerated sideways cornering. This just needs to be kept in balance with the rest of the driving to ensure it retains its simulation edge.

EA didn't have the career and progression modes available for our hands-on and could only hint at what was coming in that respect (we imagine driver progression and car customising must be in the mix here). The fact that they are focusing on the driving gameplay rather than novelties and bells and whistles hopefully bodes well. The rhetoric of the franchise seems to have genuinely turned a corner and to some extent grown up.

Prolonged playtime on a finished build will reveal if this promising start holds up under rigorous race conditions. First impressions certainly bode well as long as NFS maintains its focus and avoids the spectre of its previous split personality looming in the rear-view.

Need for Speed: Shift is out on PS3 and in September.

By Paul Govan