Freakin' SWEET!!!
On the down side, racing in the free-roam environment can be frustrating. One wrong turn can possibly cost you the race. But it's not that hindering. It adds to the intensity of the races and if you drive carefully you end up doing just fine. It would have been nice if there was a feature that would bring you to a certain location instead of having to drive all the way back to the event that you want to attempt. But at the same time I think it encourages you to try out other events and it gives you a feeling of spontanaeity. Other things from previous burnout games, like the after touch and the traffic checking, would have been nice, but I really didn't notice that they were missing until I read another review that pointed it out. So even some things are missing, it really doesn't detract much from the game. The soundtrack isn't that great, the DJ can get annoying, and the constant slow-mo can slow things down, but thankfully there's options to turn them off or at least keep them to a minimum
Overall, this game is A LOT of fun. Definitely give this game a try!