The forgotten prodigal child of the NFS series.
WELL YOU MISSED YOUR CHANCE!
Aside from Hot Pursuit 2, this was the last great game that EA will EVER make in my opinion. The arcade-style action was proof that EA was at the height of its life during this time. The AI wasnt hard, but it wasnt easy. The ability to customize your car with new parts, new hubcaps, new bumpers, new paintjob, etc. was nice. But not too in depth. Because it wasnt about customizing, it was about racing.
The graphics are some of the most impressive Ive ever seen since High Stakes. The villages of the European countries (or is it just Germany?) are fun to take a Sunday stroll through. The lighting was excellent and the lens flare wouldnt blind you like nowadays. The cars are full and you may rarely see a small slit of a glitch.
The sound was original. The music was done by Rom Di Prisco and the others that worked on the previous games. They could have added Junkie XL in there and made this kickarse. The cars of the past sound weak, but thats what they sounded like back then. The ones from 2000 sound like true Porsches.
Ive played this game for some time now. And it really ticks me off that EA got rid of the servers to make room for underground. I honestly dont see why rice burners are so much more important than a car with a long line of history.
People need to stop marveling over cars with loud mufflers (all noise, no power) and get back to the TRUE sports cars. Those people like me that are left are eager to see the return of them in Need For Speed games. Until then, goodbye EA.
(Sports cars in Most Wanted? No. Those arent sports cars. Those are just customizable POSs that Id never race.)