For the longest time i was put off from gaming because I'd download a game, play it for a few hours then never touch it again but this game changed that for me.

I love talking and rating things i like a lot, so skip this long review I'll be writing about the game if you're not into it.

And a side note, I've never played a nfs game before this.

Also being an massive anime and initial d fan this game couldn't come at a better time for me as i just finished rewatching Initial D recently, I'm not someone who cares about story in games much just give me the controller and let me make my own narratives in my head.

Which i did with this game as well by blasting off eurobeats and customising my cars as similar i could to Initial D cars.

I feel the game has aged incredibly well, i would totally believe if someone told me this game came out in 2010's or later which is crazy for a 2004 game.

Here's a breakdown of things i loved about the game (✓) and things that i didn't like or could be better (X) :

✓ Being an GTA fan, i absolutely loved that the game was openworld (there's nothing better than being able to explore the cities when you don't feel like racing and just want to drive your car at your own pace and enjoy the map)

✓ The handling for both the normal and drift races were super fun even if they weren't realistic i personally feel a game should be aimed towards having a fun experience rather than making it extremely realistic to drive (like gta 4)

✓ Not having cops in the game was an plus for me, the drag races and StreetX racing provided enough of an challenge to not get me bored whatsoever.

✓ The amount of customisation was insane, the fact that i was able to build a car close to initial d cars already blew my mind tbh but you could let your creativity wild with how many options they gave you.

✓ I loved that there were always street racers driving around the map and you could challenge them whenever you wanted (Very initial d like) also the vibes in general were top tier.

X The fact that you have to customise your car to star level 10 to finish the game and in general progress in story was an really bad idea imo.

X Because of which softlock was possible as well in case you run out of money by spending on your car and there aren't any races left in the particular stage to increase star rating (luckily i was informed of this as i was checking the community while playing so i avoided it).

X Stage 5 is where the game gets a bit slow and races do start to feel a bit repetitive.

This is all my own personal opinion as being someone who had absolutely no nostalgia bias i wanted to share how i felt about the game being new to this franchise.

Rating : I would give this game a solid 9/10 it's very close to the perfect need for speed game for me.

And I'd also love to hear what others feel about my review but also the game in general. After finishing this I've also finished most wanted and about to finish carbon which i would love to make a separate post in future about.