Looks and smells like a sim. But acts and feels like an arcade racer. An odd game with potential for the patient gamer.
Up to par with racers of this gen with some speed effects to add to the atmosphere. The cockpit view is the highlight here. I personally don't like the crash effects though. I am glad that they are there, its just that it makes the cars look like they are made of play dough.
Sound:
Highlight of this game. Fantastic engine sounds of nearly all cars. Music is good too. In fact the sound effects are largely responsible for the atmosphere of this game.
Game play:
This is where the game tells you that its still a NFS game and not a sim. The career system is fine, much like Grid.The challenges in each race are a great idea, but I hate it that it promotes bashing into your opponents. That's what Burnout Paradise is for.
The driving feels a lot like its on rails. Very arcady in my opinion. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. Its just very far from being a sim. I personally feel that most cars do feel the same which is a let down, even with the tuning.
Online:
Good enough I guess. But it doesn't do much really. There is too much bashing into each other that is far too distracting to actually try and race. It makes it feel more like mariokart, where everyone is just trying to take each other out. The game just feels to complicated to and doesn't transfer to online that great, in comparison to something like dirt2.
Cons:
Great atmosphere in cockpit view and the sound cranked all the way up. It really puts you in the action and keeping this on the road at high speeds is challenging and fun.
Pros:
It doesn't do what its sold to do, and that is be a proper sim. It is a little too unbalanced to really flow and be consistent. It doesn't translate online that well either, muchly because of the promotion of spinning opponents to gain points. That's just not racing to me, which the game was sold as.
Overall:
But besides my gripes with this game, it does have great potential for the patient gamer to sink there teeth into and is definitely enjoyable. As long as they remember this game is an arcade racer, not a sim. There is quite a lot to do with a heavy career mode, lots of cars and tuning for the ambitious gamer. Online to boot which can't hurt. If you see it on special, give it a go.