Finally got this right after Christmas and decided to jump in and give it a go. I've not progressed far into the game, but at this point I'm wondering how far I'm going to get, as the game's not very good.
I've been pleased with every NFS game from III to Carbon, but something just doesn't sit right with me on this one. Maybe it's going from sandbox-style racing to a menu-driven system. Maybe it's the shoddy handling. Maybe it's the fact that there are so few vehicles available from the outset. Maybe it's the atrocious soundtrack. Maybe it's all of those things together. I don't know.
It's not all bad...the damage modeling and graphics are good, as are the sound effects. The upgrades/customization system is well done. Inclusion of the newly-announced R35 GT-R is also wonderful. Matter of fact, that very well may be the only thing that keeps me playing-just so I can customize and drive it.
I guess I'm just disappointed. I'm sure all of the typical EA Haters will chime in with their "Madden Syndrome" rhetoric, but I think they've done a decent job up until now. I'm glad I didn't drop retail price on it.
One other thing I found kinda odd is that you can use MS Points to unlock cars in the game without progressing through the career mode. Not like a collector's edition, mind you(even though there's one available), but just the regular cars you'd buy at the virtual car lot.