I feel the need for speed.
The graphics are fantastic, especially for a launch game and still hold up against the likes of Forza Motorsport 2, DiRT, and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. The textures are top notch, everything is super shiny and colorful, but I think the biggest standout is the lighting which is some of the best I've ever seen. There's a large draw distance as well, with some very well done backgrouns. I didn't notice any technical problems at all, no pop-in, smooth frame-rate, and no glitches that I'm aware of.
The sound is great as well. All the cars sound accurate and unique, the sound much more like their real life counterparts than they do in either Forza or Gran Turismo. Any car freak will tell you the sound of the car, that thunder-like growl, is definitely an awesome feeling, and this game accomplishes in bringing that feeling to your living room. On another note, the soudntrack itself is awesome. It includes music from just about every genre and it all fits the fast paced racing theme very well. I even found myself searching for some of these songs to download, if that tells you anything.
The game-play is where this game trumps it's competitors. It's still a racing sim, but the developers have made it a little more arcadey than traditional racing sims. This is a risky move that payed off in my opinion and I ended up really enjoying the feel of the cars. It takes the realistic feeling from racing sims and adds in a little bit of the fun a leniency from arcade racers. Another risky move that some may find off-putting is that there is no customization at all. No, instead they want i to all fall on you as the driver to win races. No more grinding to buy upgrades for your car, it all relies on skill now. There's still the staple feature of the franchise, Kudos, which you earn by winnign races and performing stunts. The cars included in the game are pretty sweet, and any true car aficionado would be pleased with the selection. There's also plenty of very cool tracks to race on, as well as online play. You'll definitely get your money's worth with this racer.
To sum this all up, this is an amazing racing game that should appeal to most racing fans. If you can get past the fact that you can't customize your car then you should have a blast.