A very pretty game to showcase the 360.
Gameplay: Overall, I was pleased with the driving model. The racing mixes arcade style physics with simulation aspects that is friendly to Need For Speed fans yet rewarding enough for the Gran Turismo fans as well. Most of the cars are quite easy to drive but the game also offers "expert" class vehicles for higher skilled players which generally tend to oversteer more often. This by no means is a realistic game, but it is fun. My only gripe is that the driving model is not complicated enough for me to spend hours trying to exploit the limits of the car.
AI is pretty good too; from what I've seen, they react the way you treat them. So when I was abusing them, they would try to fish tail me in return; likewise when I used cleaner driving techniques they also kept their honour.
The games economic structure is poor at best and feels tacky. Money is plentiful which is good, but lacks reward or personal satisfaction. In short this game is good for players who just want to pick up their favourite car within 2 races without any saving of funds since it's really simple. But back to purchasing vehicles; inarguably clumsy. You basically sort the cars based on their price brackets; given that there are about 4-5 brackets, there are roughly 30 or so cars in each bracket making sorting these long lists is painful.
Graphics: Absolutely gorgeous. Stunning detail to every car as well as their environments, lighting, reflections, motion blur, etc. The game demonstrates the power of the 360. The game further flaunts this with their walk around garages which allow you to peer into all the little details of every car; I'm impressed. The geometry of the vehicles seems pretty accurate but some look a bit off, in general they all look good though.
Sound: Music to the ears? Engine notes are full of character and are pronounced and positioned very well. For example the Aston Martin V8 Vantage sounds very subdued while inside and on bumper views. Once on the third person trailing view you hear the wonderful raspy note of the engine which for any auto enthusiast brings a tear to their eye.
Music, I just switched on my own tunes or turned it off completely to hear the engines.
Value: Solo career mode leaves much to be desired; the game is designed to be online and truly benefits when you race online as well as ghosts. The reward and satisfaction is at the end of every race when you see how you rank based on your performance with the rest of the world. You can also purchase new vehicles from the xbox live marketplace which is fine, but most people should find what they are looking for in the standard list. Overall: A definite requirement for any racing fan who owns a 360.