TAKE IT FOR WHAT IT IZ!!!
the most IMPORTANT thing you need to know before purchasing this game is that you are buying a REMAKE of the classic HOT PURSUIT for xbox, ps2 or game cube, with that being said this game far exceeds it predecessor.
appearance/ game play/ and important stuff
. first of all there are only luxurious cars (no tuners or Honda's), and no car customizations. although initially disappointing you tend to get over it fairly quickly because the game supplies you with a wide variety of cars (already customized) and a vast variety of colors to chose from (trust me, ull be happy with the selection). the police cars on the other hand come standard with one custom paint job. there is also a photo mode where you can take pics of different cars and attach them to ur wall of send them to friends.
the graphics are AMAZING and the crashes are always exciting and fresh (different). EA also took the time to put a large amount of detail into the scenery as well. theres not too much you need to know about the controls or anything, just your typical racecar game layout. however when playing as a cop you get spike strips, road blocks, helicopters and emp's (basically an invisible lightning streak). when ur a racer u get spike strips, turbo (rapid boost), emp's, and emp jammers.
this game is a classic cops vs racers game and therefore (just like the old hot pursuit) has 2 single player campaigns, a COP campaign and a RACER campaign which both basically teach you how to play (prepare you for the multi player) and give you exp points to help you level up (20 levels for cops/racers). these campaigns are really fun, but for some reason there isn't any sense of story (yeah i know, a game w/o a story... wth?) and after a while you tend to get (really really) lonely, and that is where the multi player kicks in!!!
this is where you get to apply all the knowledge of the maps (short cuts), cars (best cars are Porches, Lambo's) , and experience, against some other gamers who, for some reason believe there better than you lol (keep trying, imma natural) while talking the most crap possible. what i like most about the MP is that everyone has a mike!!! the multi player is where NFS really shines and is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE, there are 3 different modes Hot Pursuit (4 racers competing while 4 cops chase them down), interception (1 racer running from a cop), and a standard race (8 racers competing)
the only down side to the multi player is that it has been known to have server problems and kick ppl out beginning, during, or after a race. lately it hasn't been that bad but still gets frustrating when it does happen. besides that, this game is GREAT and i give it 8.5-9 (maybe a 9.5 on a good day) and is a must buy for anyone who likes car games or knows what a car is!!!