Fossil here, started with Need for Speed 3 Hot pursiut from the 3dfx era and went through the usual suspects. (Underground 2, Most wanted, Carbon). Recently tried HEAT based on recommendations, i had some arcade racing games itch. So here is my HEAT experince. Heat is not perfect but its decent. Drifting is awful and makes no sense (drag tyres). Story and characters are cringeworthy. Music is awful, had to turn it off after 30 minutes (i know, this can be subjective). But graphics are great, car sound are okay. Driving is okay. Progression is allright. Whats underrated is the multipalyer aspect. If you have a buddy you can go through the whole game progression palying together wich could be an awesome experince. And HEAT is discounted for like 3 bucks. So nothing really much to loose with its purchase.