If you like Need for Speed, definately get this game.
The graphics in this game aren't the best in the world. Some of it is pretty good, while other parts are disoriented and unrealistic. You will see some good graphics in some buildings and objects that you can crash into. The cars also sometimes offer some good sights. After that, it isn't too pretty. Walls are blocky, water doesn't look like water, and the game after that is pretty much a mess. The Xbox and Playstation 2 have much better graphics for this game then the Gamecube does. If you are looking next-gen, the Xbox 360 has great graphics for this game, although it has a then dollar increase in price. I would say it is worth it because they are spectacular.
The sounds are as you would expect from a racing game. The individual humming of the many different engines is a nice touch that they added. The crashes sound realistic and deadly. The game is pretty good when it comes to sound. The music on the other hand isn't so good. EA must not have been thinking when they chose the songs for this game. They are some of the worst in any EA game. Other than that, sounds aren't a problem.
Now comes the main reason for this game, the gameplay. First off, the controls are simple to learn and shouldn't give you any trouble. The game itself has three main modes right off the bat. Career, challenge series, and quick race. Career is the main mode and sets you through to a city called Rockport as a new racer. You are brought through career mode with gorgeous looking cutscenes that are hilarious to watch. The problem is, there are only a few of them. The most talking is done through text messaging. The career mode itself has you racing to the top of the blackilist in order to challenge the guy who stole your car. Along the way, you will play many challenging races, complete milestones, and last but definately not least, you will get to evade the cops. The next mode is chaellenge series in which you have to perform a certain milestone for each event until you beat them all. Quick Race is the mode where you can set up a custom race just for fun, let the computer randomly pick everything about the race, or play multiplayer. The multiplayer is pretty good, but not is fun as the single player mode. Besides, there are no cops in multiplayer.
Overall, this is a great game that is worth every penny. I think anyone who like video games would enjoy this game but escpecially the people who are fans of the Need for Speed Franchise.