You don't have to take my word for it anymore. Now you can see for yourself whether Need for Speed: Shift is as good as I think it is. The demo for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 goes live today. If you're into racing games, this is one you need to try.

The demo lets you drive a BMW M3, a Dodge Viper, a Lotus Elise, and a Nissan GT-R (pictured). You'll be able to get a sense for how the experience point system rewards you for specific types of driving. You can dig on the cockpit view and the amazing audio. Get a taste of the driving model, which is oddly slippery compared to other games, but can be addressed in the tune-up menu.

The demo lets you race on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps or the London River track. I'm particularly fond of London River. With its long screaming straightaways punctuated by insidious curves, it'll take every bit of speed and handling your car provides. And there's no better way to see the Thames River than as briefly as possible.

If you earn enough stars in the demo, you'll unlock a Pagani Zonda F. I have no idea what that is, but I think there's a Gundam robot with the same name. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how to drive that Viper. She's quite the handful. But, oh, the sounds she makes while I try to wrangle her!

If you just have a PC, you're not excused from checking out the demo as well. It's available here.