Josh

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I have to hand it to Criterion and EA, it's alot better than the last few entries into the series but there's one major thing stopping it from being a must buy arcade racer. The horrible physics they've been stuck on for the last few (numerous) entries. Bring back the feel of Carbon, Most Wanted (2005), heck even Underground 2, etc. This weighted car thing or whatever it is just isn't it. It does not feel natural in the slightest and seriously kills the vibe of the game. The story so far seems interesting and I am loving the customization options (50 state license plates with registration tags and such in the correct places is a nice extra touch) and the art style additions to lights, tire smoke, and drifting are neat in their own right (however I recommend fine tuning some of the graphic options to your liking) the realism of the textures and renderings of the cars themselves however is not the best nor do I think it even qualifies to be called current gen especially compared to other arcade racing games such as Forza Horizon 5 or or even CarX. More on the level of 2004- 2007 graphics if I'm honest. The difficulty of the police is fantastic on all 5 levels of heat with a nice addition being different tactics are necessary to defeat each type of pursuit vehicle although there is something lacking in the execution that I can't quite put my finger on. I know it stems from there only being one type of vehicle assigned to each heat level but at the same time it adds a layer of thought to how far you want to take things in each day and night cycle so I'm not quite sure but something definitely feels off. Car selection, while limited, is decent enough and I'm sure they will expand on it in the future. Final thoughts. I will not be purchasing this entry. While the ten hour trial was interesting, my friends and I all agree, the physics of the game ruin it. Maybe the next entry or when the game is deeply discounted or a full version on EA Play, it will be worth picking up. Pros: -Customization -Soundtrack -Map and open world in general -Neat graphic additions to lights and tire smoke help define it as a casual arcade entry along with the cartoonish drivers -Event variety -Story -Day and Night cycle is interesting Cons: -Physics are horrid, cars feel like there's a 1 ton ball rolling around inside of them or something (if you've tried the last few entries, it's more of the same if not worse) - Graphical fidelity of vehicle rendering reminds me of much older games or a basic remaster of such -Limited police interaction of different types. A bit too many on 4 and 5 star Heat levels slows down progress massively in being able to access events or get back to the garage -Vehicle selection is pretty limited but I'm sure they'll add more and what is available is decent enough Overall- 3.7/5 Xbox Series X