SRS should be a controlled substance, it's addictive!

Overview:
Basically, you are a fledgling street racer. Your first race is in your buddy's car, you win his race for him and get paid enough to buy your own set of wheels from a list of the currently unlocked cars. The point is to tune cars, win a ton of respect on the streets of 3 major American cities, and be the best. There's a bunch of extras in between all that too.

Features:
-Street mode (the story mode)
-40 Cars from half a dozen or so manufacturers
-15 licensed manufacturers of aftermarket parts
-18 real import models to win over by racing
-Online gameplay, and offline multiplayer
-Race across LA, Philly, and Miami
-Real time car damage!
-Cops are out and about!
-and more...

Graphics:
The graphics are amazing. The slick roads look shiny and wet like it just rained. The signs and neon lights all stand out and make the streets glow in the middle of the night. The cars are perfect recreations of their real selves, and look awesome stock as much as they do totally decked out in colors and decals. When you use the nitrous oxide the game really looks sweet. All the effects from ground effect lighting, as well as the surroundings, all reflect nicely off the streets. The graphics are the total package. I honestly did not see a single thing to complain about. VERY sweet graphics.

Sound:
The music selection is very good. It's not the kind of stuff I typically listen to, but for this game it is perfect and helps create the atmosphere.

The car noise is the bread and butter of the sound. The engine noises are totally amazing. Just genuinely well done.

The voicework, considering the title at hand, is actually pretty good. I mean it's not Metal Gear Solid quality or anything, but for a racing game it really impressed me. At no point did I want to laugh at, or make fun of it. It just fitted.

Gameplay:
The driving itself is well done. Namco has experience with racing games, their flagship series being Ridge Racer. This game is no exception to their level of quality. On the wet roads, you have to know how to not slide around too much (because you can lose it and spin out if you don't know what you're doing). Each car handles independently, so if you are used to one, you won't necessarily be good with another. The nitro can adversely effect turning on wet roads also. There's many factors to consider when driving... the road conditions, your speed, obstacles like walls or traffic, and so on.

The customization is phenominal in this game. There are performance and cosmetic improvements. You will also have to repair your car should you ever encure damage during a race. It will effect performance and appearance. All sorts of catagories can be modified, from the electronics to the suspension, to the nitrous system, and beyond. They all have a bearing on performance. The cosmetic alterations that cost money are found within the performance screen, things such as spoilers and body kits make sense, but ground lighting? It does nothing... The stuff under cosmetic is equally entertaining as the other customizations. I was surprised to see that paint, decals, and stickers were all free. It made me happy because it's nice to be able to change your car's look a lot and not worry about blowing money needlessly if you get a set up you don't like anymore. There's a good selection of colors. The best stuff is all the decals and aftermarket manufacturer stickers to place on your car. It's really neat.

There's several modes to choose from. Various versus race types for multiple players, as well as the online mode for players with Xbox Live, where you can literally lose your car in a race for pink slips.

The "street mode" is the main part of the game. It's the story. You start off with $30,000 your friend gives you for winning his race. You have to buy your first car and accept challenges for money, respect, and women. You upgrade your car, and shoot to be the best, all the while having fun racing in various themed races. Point races where you have to hit all the check points in a time limit, standard 1-4 car races, and other stuff like "keep up with the other guy" and so on.

The cops are also out on patrol most of the time. There are certain races where you and the other racers will be the only people on the road, then there's the unsanctioned ones where you have to avoid traffic, and should any cops come by, you will have to flee and hide from them until the heat's off. If you get busted you will accumulate points that may be paid off. If you get too many, you get your car taken away until you buy it back.

The controls themselves are good. They are mapped nicely, and respond great. No complaints, it's all good.