This game is terrible. I'm not even going to try to make it seem any less so. My PC was the best that I could buy at the start of the year and can play all the latest games with no problems. However, this game just keeps lagging. It will freeze for a couple of seconds, allow me to drive for a few metres, then lag again.

The graphics are average at best when compared to other games released at a similar time. The physics are terrible with the opponents cars being bricks and your car bouncing off them. The AI is basically no existant. It's like the opponents follow a fixed path, all the time.

About the only nice thing I have to say about it is the fact that the story cutscenes were mostly done by actual actors, as opposed to CGI.

Overall – Rubbish.

Overall, I enjoyed the game. It attempts to meld all of the best parts of the previous games in the series into one package, and does a not bad job of it. But they could have done better.

The biggest thing they did wrong was fall into my biggest peeve in any game – the AI does not play by the same rules that players do. One particular mode this can be seen on is the Highway Battle. The goal is to get 300 yards in front of the opposition while weaving through traffic. Trouble is, the opposition accelerates faster than the player, can corner faster, and doesn't suffer the same speed penalties for turning. In one race, I watched the AI car in front of my plow into 3 cars (or at least, they went spinning accross the road, not into my path) without being slowed down. You try that, and you are starting the race over.

Get the AI on the best line through any course, fine. Give it knowledge of when to dodge. No problem. Even let it cheat by souping up cars more than the player could. But don't cheat on the actual gameplay – thats just lazy.

Another drawback is the inconsistent difficulty. Some high level races are so easy it is not funny. Some low level ones are so hard it will take 10 or 15 attempts even with the most souped up car it is possible to get before one dominates it.

My last gripe is with the ‘driver skills’. Dominate a race and you will recieve an increase in your ability to tune your ride. Does it do anything? Didn't notice it. My ride has its drivetrain 2.0 points towards top speed. When I souped up my car it had a top speed of 404kph. After I maxed my driver skills, it still went at 404kph. I will be happy to admit I am wrong, but I think this area of the game is a con.

Those negatives aside, I actually quite enjoyed the game. There were a number of races I loved – one noticable one with a Domination time of 2.12.34. I must have finished it 10 times with times between 2.12.50 and 2.14 dead. The sense of achievement at the end was great.

Race modes are varied, with something for everyone. There is a story, though again the pacing could have been improved. Cities were good, roads varied and fun. Graphics were good, engine sounds not bad, and I didn't really mind the interface. Game music left something to be desired, but that was solved by turning it off and firing up the stereo.

Was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. But it isn't one of the greats.

I'm a need for speed fan and i'm terribly disappointed at the last few games (carbon, pro street & undercover). Need for speed seems to have fallen down the roads because the game is terrible now.

The story is alright i guess but the AI is so stupid they follow a fixed track i think, they don't try to bump you or anything. The physics aren't good and the game keeps lagging but i have a new comp… The games seems quite fun in the beggining but it gets so boring because the races seem the same but when you get to a special job it gets fun again (although the jobs are quite hard).

The game is so stupid because when you hide under a tunnel or carpark the helicopter still follows you. You can't really ditch the helicopter until it runs out of fuel.

Conclusion- only buy this game if you've tried the demo and think its alright.