a fine game really. the controls are good, the drift feels really good and there's a solid sense of speed here. it also looks great, super colorful and fun to look at! there's some funny little jokes and the cutscenes are cute. the world isn't too big and not full of particularly interesting things to do. almost all the races take place in the open world which i don't particularly love. makes them feel a little repetitive, i know forza horizon does a similar thing so maybe it won't bother you but that just isn't really my style. the 4 main grand brick races are pretty solid and the highlights for sure. i don't love the level requirements to work towards them, it's not a huge deal because it doesn't take too long to level up but it was a bit annoying.

i played it for free which probably helps my overall thoughts because it's absolutely not worth 60/70 dollars. i could have spent about $20 and felt happy with my purchase but 60 is a lot. i finished every race and side quest in about 7 hours, there's plenty of smaller things to do and collectables to find in the open world but it's not engaging enough for me to want to go back to do. i could see this being the best game in the universe for some kid out there, pouring hours into driving around the world and doing every little thing there is to do. it didn't connect with me on that level but i'm not mad i played it cause i had a good time running through the story!