The strongest reactions I had to my surroundings were in the parts that most evoked Rockport, from the sainted Need for Speed : Most Wanted - a tunnel in Frontera Hills or the boardwalk in downtown. Palm City is a varied open-world racing environment, though, again, it does seem to lack character. ThereвЂ™s a sensible progression to the story missions, which didnвЂ™t involve a lot of grinding old races, as was the issue with Need For Speed Payback in 2017. No matter what else the game does well, all these issues make the whole thing feel rushed and barely finished.ДЄll of the systems seem fine, challenging even, as I re-acclimated myself to the cornering and feather-braking techniques that arenвЂ™t used in the simulation-style games that seem to define todayвЂ™s racing genre. There is a lack of polish - close draw distances and pop-in, cars visibly spawning and bouncing at the start line, weird audio issues, the list goes on. IвЂ™m still troubled to explain why the game doesnвЂ™t grab me. The car fleet is varied and the means of painting, detailing, and tricking out these rides is deep, and none of it is exposed to microtransactions.

Its premise and main character are a little tentative - yet another outsider trying to make it big - but you donвЂ™t come to a celebration of street racing culture for big character arcs.

The game, otherwise a crowd-pleasing open-world arcade racer, gives the impression that it doubts itself, too. Why are we still seeing this franchise? Why are we seeing a new one, now?

IвЂ™m just not sure what makes it a necessary one.

Initial d need for speed