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.