GS gave this an overly harsh review...
OK, so most of what GS said is true, however the flaws in this game are mostly easy to get past, and once you do it's a hoot.
The good:
1. Best cockpit view I've ever seen. I think this deserves a special mention, and I can't believe there was nothing about it in the GS review. The car interiors are highly detailed. The lighting effects and reflections on the windscreen are excellent. The camera movements mimic how your head would move with the G-forces if you were actually driving, ie. zooms back a little upon acceleration, zooms in slightly when braking. This adds to the sense of speed and really makes you feel like you're in the car. Also, I found it alot easier to play in cockpit view.
2. Fantastic sense of speed.
3. Earning stars is addictive.
4. Cool-looking cars.
5. Great track variety.
6. Excellent sound effects.
7. Fantastic graphics, as good as any of the racers out at the moment (despite what GS says).
The bad:
1. Default control settings are crap and need adjustment before playing.
2. Progression in career mode is far too easy, new tiers and events unlock too soon.
3. Vinyl creator is unusable.
4. Drift races are impossible without the steering assist on.
5. Tier 4 & 5 cars are quite hard to handle and are best avoided on the tighter less forgiving tracks.
So yes it's not perfect, but it is definitely the best NFS game to come out in a long while (the best since Most Wanted in my opinion). The racing is solid, and I think the NFS team should be given credit for having the guts to take the series in a new direction, taking a risk to keep things fresh, rather than continuing to spew out the same tired crap in an attempt to recapture the success of Underground 2 & Most Wanted (Carbon? Undercover? Anyone?).