Buying this game at 75% off 6 years after it's release, I wasn't expecting much. All of the faults you would expect from any modern NFS game (or arcade racing game) are present and in full force. So I'm only going to point out the two biggest dealbreakers:

The worst issue is the control and overall car handling. NFS really needs to move away from this disjointed "drift, or no drift" two-gear cornering mechanic when it comes to how all the cars drive. Just when you think you've figured out how to drive smoothly in this game, the physics go wonky, and the car starts doing the exact opposite of what you intend. Never mind if it's realistic or fun in the way you prefer a driving game - It's just plain inconsistent. The game can't even agree with itself!

You can mitigate this a little by futzing around with each car's "tuning" settings in the Garage (I suggest going for Max steering speed and range) but every car will still either wildly under-steer or break out completely sideways at the most ridiculous and unpredictable moments. Controller, keyboard - it doesn't matter what you use to drive, the steering in this game is just too clunky and slow to feel like you are ever actually in control of the vehicle.

Also, you CANNOT turn off the super-bright, obnoxiously distracting and USELESS RACING LINE that is present on the road in front of you when racing, always! For a game that takes place 90% during night-time environments, this turns driving into a nightmare! You're telling me I can toggle off the MINIMAP if I want, but they couldn't add a simple feature to turn off the most aggressively detrimental and annoying HUD feature?!?!

Overall, if you're reading this and trying to decide on some cheap racing thrills, just get Heat or any game made after this one in the NFS series. Trust me, the newer games are much more refined. Don't waste your time on this one, there's neither worthy innovation, nor nostalgia to be found here...

Buying this game at 75% off 6 years after it's release, I wasn't expecting much. All of the faults you would expect from any modern NFS game (or arcade racing game) are present and in full force. So I'm only going to point out the two biggest dealbreakers: The worst issue is the control and overall car handling. NFS really needs to move away from this disjointed "drift, or no drift" two-gear cornering mechanic when it comes to how all the cars drive. Just when you think you've figured out how to drive smoothly in this game, the physics go wonky, and the car starts doing the exact opposite of what you intend. Never mind if it's realistic or fun in the way you prefer a driving game - It's just plain inconsistent. The game can't even agree with itself! You can mitigate this a little by futzing around with each car's "tuning" settings in the Garage (I suggest going for Max steering speed and range) but every car will still either wildly under-steer or break out completely sideways at the most ridiculous and unpredictable moments. Controller, keyboard - it doesn't matter what you use to drive, the steering in this game is just too clunky and slow to feel like you are ever actually in control of the vehicle. Also, you CANNOT turn off the super-bright, obnoxiously distracting and USELESS RACING LINE that is present on the road in front of you when racing, always! For a game that takes place 90% during night-time environments, this turns driving into a nightmare! You're telling me I can toggle off the MINIMAP if I want, but they couldn't add a simple feature to turn off the most aggressively detrimental and annoying HUD feature?!?! Overall, if you're reading this and trying to decide on some cheap racing thrills, just get Heat or any game made after this one in the NFS series. Trust me, the newer games are much more refined. Don't waste your time on this one, there's neither worthy innovation, nor nostalgia to be found here...