I really enjoyed this game back when my main console was my Wii U, and, after finally picking up an Xbox 360 in March of last year, knew I had to give the main version of the game a go when I found it for $6 in a used games store.
Overall, the core gameplay elements are exactly as enjoyable as I remember them being, with a good selection of cars at your disposal and a decently interactive open world to explore.
That being said, not everything here is perfect.
The racing gameplay is a lot more unforgiving than I remember from when I was younger. Races happen at incredibly high speed, especially against the Most Wanted boss cars, and with no rewinds available, one crash can completely ruin an otherwise great run. This issue is compounded by the fact that the Most Wanted opponents have a tendency to rubberband, never being more than a second or two behind you no matter how perfectly you drive.
Also, going back and playing this game after playing something with a higher framerate, such as Forza Horizon 5, can be a bit jarring as the framerate does stutter from time to time and the 30fps combined with the high speed of the races can lead to slow reaction times and annoying wrecks until you get the hang of things.
Overall though, once you adapt to some of the game's unique quirks, it is a very fun racer you can easily spend a good amount of time with.