This is a great game to have released with the launch of Xbox 360. The graphics are spectacular for an intro game on this system. They are noticeably better then its clones on the Xbox and PlayStation.
The game starts you off in the city of Rockport. You're a newcomer in town and the word on the street is that you're a hot racer. You have an insane BMW M3 that supposedly can not be beat and everyone knows it. You smoke everyone in your path for about three races until you come up to their boss, a hot shot named Razor. He is crazy enough to challenge you to a race and halfway through the race your car starts to die out on you because he messed with you car. Your assistant, "Mia" -- the stereotypical hot chick that every need for speed game has -- tells you to end the race quick. Razor gets away and gets your pink slip and the cops arrest you.
Now you're back on the streets with no car but luckily Mia hooks you up with a new ride. It's a bit of a downgrade but better then nothing. She and your friend Rog help you rise in the ranks, beating all 15 members of the blacklist. The blacklist is a notorious racing elite that will stop at nothing to keep you from taking their pink slips, getting all the way to the top again and reclaiming your car.
The gameplay seems a bit repetitive at times. Although, it is incredibly fun to be racing down the street at close to 200 mph while weaving through traffic and obstacles. Most of the courses seem the same and the scenery hardly changes. Its not too much of a problem though because the gameplay will keep you addicted. The game has beautiful graphics that have every thing on the map in detail. Your car glimmers like a pearl. So, it doesn't really matter too much and you won't hear too much complaining.
The sound effects are mediocre. It's the standard brake sounds and roaring engines. The soundtrack has interesting mixes of hip hop and rock that surprisingly seem more "underground" than the last game. The game is up to date with fresh rock artists like Bullet for My Valentine. It also has and some less heard tracks from Avenged Sevenfold that don't usually get too much radio time.
The pursuit modes are amazing because cops can come out of corners at anytime. They aren't really a threat at all, but can be quite annoying when you just beat a really hard race and they ruin it. The bounties near the end of the game are just get ridiculous. You'll be having to drive around evading cops for 30 minutes sometimes, before you can get the requirements. They are ridiculous claims like get a $1,000,000 bounty score, tag 84 cops, avoid 30 roadblocks, etc. These can sometimes take forever and really piss you off when you lose because of a spike trap or something. They give it an interesting twist though. By putting multiple units in, like SUVs, rhino units, regular cops, undercover civics, special forces, helicopters, road blocks, and spike traps. These all add unique elements. The challenge series will have you doing the exact same missions over that you did in the story. You will often feel cheated because you have already done it in the campaign.
The real strength of the game is how you can customize all of your cars and take the race online. The online gaming is strong and is extremely fun to have that kind of racing against other people. You have to unlock the best cars through playing the career so it roots out all of the less skilled players that you might find online.
Although the game can get repetitive the gameplay is extremely addicting. It leaves you with endless possibilities to customize your rides. The pursuits always seem tense. Its a great buy for the Xbox 360. I prefer it over the bland style of Project Gotham Racing 3. It doesn't look like another good racing game will be coming out for a while, so i would go ahead and buy it now.
