Great graphics and damage effects, taut gameplay, vast career and achievements make this fun with but a few flaws
Then comes the solemnity of the game. When playing and you ram into another car or smash into a wall--let alone even scraping it--your car takes damage. The visuals are so realistic that even the affected damage is realistic--your vehicle will start reacting to the physical damage accordingly; so maintain a healthy ride and you won't be driving on your rims or suddenly racing a convertible. Just the same, repairs don't cost money--but time. So take that into consideration for your pit-crew too.
As far as the actual gameplay goes, it's rather intense. Classic time-attacks range from simple wins to nail-biting closures, depending on your varying difficulties as-selected. General races are especially exhileratingwhen driving on muddy or dirt tracks such as Chula Vista where the crooks and bumps can either be fun or game-defining--in a bad way.
All and all it's a great game, with a couple notable flaws being: below-mediocre online gameplay, no offline multiplayer, and incredibly lengthy loading times. Putting those aside, though, it's an excellent rally-racer to boot.