Shift 2 gears up a notch
Shift 1 was EA's attempt branch off NFS into a driving simulator and it was met with quite a good success where there was a focus on simulation, but it was balanced well with arcadey feel which helped it make its mark.
Shift 2 pretty much in every way does this better, with more tracks, more conditions, and now with autolog where your performance is automatically measured with your friends to encourage social networking.
Definitely a much for those who enjoyed shift 1, and also a must for any driving game enthusiasts.