This game is very underrated. It is more of a fast paced arcade racing game than a driving simulation.
If your already familiar with the ridge racer series, then I have to say Ridge Racer 7 is THE BEST in its' series without a question. You still have the same drifting gameplay, with NOS, only this time you can upgrade your car to have different types of NOS. Theres an option where you can upgrade your car to fill up all 3 NOS bars, and blast away to have a long lasting and explosive NOS boost! Also, you can upgrade the way your car looks and performs by buying bodykits, rims, suspension kits, engine tune ups, and different paint designs, as well as decals. Never before has Ridge Racer allow you to change the way you car performs and looks. If you played or own ridge racer 6, then you'll see a lot of the same tracks. If you don't own Ridge Racer 6 then for sure get 7, theres really no reason not to.
Graphics & Sound: The graphics are SUPURB! There is sooo much detail in the road, environment, cars, and well... everything! It truly shows how next generation systems take gaming to a whole other level. Sometimes I found myself in ah when racing, and I would almost always view the replay of my races because of the great clarity and graphics. The sound was good, clear engine and tire screeching when drifiting. The music was good too, it works well with the racing.