Simply the best Need For Speed as of yet!!
First of all lets look at the Storyline. You are an out of towner comming in to do street racing and avoid getting busted while working your way up the blacklist to the # 1 position. Sound like fun but becomes very difficult as the game progresses. You are befriended by a girl names Mia and a guy named Rog. They will help you in your quest to get to the #1 position and reclaim your car.
You have the option to just do free roam as well. Going about the city while being chased by the cops for destroying property (Light poles, Bus Stops, Doughnut Shops, Cars and more!!!) make free roam just plain fun to do. There is also the Challenge Series which features several different types of races (Sprints, Toll Booth Challenges, Knockouts and more) that is separate from the game so you can just go and play around some days and other days work on your progress in the Career Mode. As you advance in the game you will acquire more money for races you run and things you do. With the money you earn you can purchase new, faster cars! You also get to upgrade the parts on them as well as paint them and change the total appearance of them to your liking.
Graphics... one word... WOW!!! I am just overwhelmed by the graphics in this game. The realism of the city and countryside is just amazing. Texture and lighting is just outstanding. Everything from shadows being cast off of the standard buildings to the reflections of the other buildings and weather on the glass in the buildings. The cars also take on damage as you get hit if you turn on that feature. Smoke from your tires to gas pumps igniting and smoldering up in the air to glass being shattered and many many more awesome effects await you in this game! I personally love the weather effects as it is not just your standard game that it is always sunny all of the time. You can do the same race over and over and the weather will change in the beginning or in the middle of it to a pouring rain shower.
The sound is as well awesome too! If you have a high end sound card you are in for a treat as you will hear every little cry of the tires as you go around a corner at speeds well over 130 plus. If you have sound surround you will hear the cops coming up behind you from a great distance as well as the rev of your opponents cars too! I am running a Sound Blaster X-Fi and I can hear the pitter patter of the rain as it hits the ground like I am standing right outside. I personally love the Ford Gt. After getting it all decked out and and the high end parts on it... it sounds just like Elanor in Gone in 60 Seconds when it idles and revs!
In conclusion... this game is just simply the best as far as gameplay, graphics, & sound! Value wise it is a little on the expensive side as it retails for about $49.95 but it is slowly comming down in price. There are also two versions you can purchase. The standard and then the Black version. The Black version comes with some additional cars right out of the box and a DVD of the making of the game. I love that because you are getting more than just a game... but an actual feel for what the developers went thru as they made it. If you don't already own this game... GO AND GET IT!!! :)