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Okay, so for the past several days, I have been tinkering around with this game. I've raced, roamed, explored, and poked around. One can consider this a review of sort. But don't take my word for it and take it with a grain of salt.
As mentioned, the game works with Eyefinity, seemingly providing you with a wider field of view. Since the quick beta run that I got into only netted me some small playing time, I thought their updated and world-open "beta" is going to show some improvement over it. Plus I had to uninstall the old version and install their new client to get it to run. However, the game suffered the same issue the first time around: incorrect FOV w/ the resolution it started up with. Once I had the resolution set, everything appears to be normal.
Controls is basic and minimal, as well as controller support. It's no surprise that my Xbox 360 wireless controller worked fine with this. But there's no way to customize the controls to suit your preference. This is a major letdown since I had originally thought that their update and move to a more "public beta" would mean these basic functions would be added in. Nope. I was wrong on that part. Controls and steering is done using the WASD and arrow keys. Hard/emergency break is set to the Space bar.
Network system appears to be fine but there are a few odd cases of cars rubbing against other cars in multiplayer matches as well as visual rubberbanding (them, not me). A few times a multiplayer match would end up delayed for minutes on end due to other player's poor networking connection. But there's never a word as to whether or not the process is done on a peer to peer connection or that everything takes place on the server. This is something that I have no data on nor did I bother to investigate. But when matches do start and everyone is loaded in, it feels fairly smooth. 3D physics seems to be on and off at times (ie. random). Sometimes when rubbing against an opposing car, it would bump you ahead and other times slow you down. Car location also seems to be not very consistent, often showing that the car would be taking angled turns rather than smooth ones. So it's likely to be a quirk in the networking subsystem for the game.
The car physics feels hard and is not "drift" friendly. Since all cars are spec'd to automatic transmissions, there's no way to fine-tune your controls if you have a more fancier setup. Even in automatic, I cannot get the car to slide at all. There may be times where you do slide but only by a small margin. I'm not a crazy driver nor do I undertake those kind of little stunts with real cars so I do not know on how accurate this is.
When you're in the world, you have free reign over where you want to go. The actual world is fairly large for a starter and will take some time of getting used to. Participating in races is simple and you have 3 choices -- single player matches (you vs 7 AI/bots), private matches, and multiplayer matches. Single player matches provide a great way to get to know the track and any shortcuts along the way. And it helps you get accustomed to the controls of the game. Once you know the tracks, you can test your driving skill against other players in multiplayer. But since you gain "xp" in single and multiplayer, some may just grind it out by playing single player all the way. There is also a Pursuit mode of play, which is initiated by ramming a cop car and driving away. But it seems like that mode nets you the least amount of "xp" compared to the rest.
Since this is a form of MMO, and one that is open and free to others to partake in, there is a need to generate a form of revenue. In this, there are two sides to this "game." The free side lets you partake in races and let you roam around. However, you are capped at level 10. Once reaching this level, you cannot gain any more XP until you purchase a "starter pack" for US$20. The paid side nets you everything the game has to offer beyond this level 10 cap, which includes additional cars you can buy via in-game money, better performance upgrades, more race tracks, and additional vinyl decors.
But this is where things start to break down for me personally. I understand that they need to make money on this. I understand that certain limitations need to be set in order to get people to pony up their hard-earned cash. Yet despite knowing this, I cannot see how all that is worth 20 bucks. Let's look at a few things to give you an idea.
Maple Story, Silkroad Online, Rappelz, or any of those free MMO games out there. All of them can be played for free. So where does the paid stuff come in? Only in aesthetics, appearance, and apparels. Players pay to have fancier accessories. There were no level cap. There may even be items that can be had early but can still be acquired naturally through progression. Still, players have the option of paying to get these things. Virtual items for cash. Given time, a person can reach a high level all by playing the game without paying a single cent.
So how does that compare to what NFSW? You get a 3rd car slot at Level 12. At level 15, more vinyl decors are made available. At level 12, a higher tier of performance upgrade is available for purchase and use. At level 20, faster cars are available. And all of that can go on. Yet players who opted to not to pay will soon hit a wall at level 10. Once there, there's little else to do other than roam around some more or race some of the same ol' tracks that you've played several times. There's little incentives to really plunk down US$20 just to gain access to everything else. Custom controls are not implemented. Customizing the interface has yet to be implemented. The HUD are placed on the farthest edges of your screens. And you're stuck at level 10.
Should this really be called a game? Or a MMO? It feels like a fancier virtual chat world than a game right now. But that's not saying much since the public chat channel is plagued with foreign languages that I cannot understand (and I am not talking about foul or vulgar language). NFSW is very far from being called a game. If I was to measure the state of the game as a scale rating of 1 to 10 where 10 is completely finished and 1 is "alpha/unstable", I'd give it a 3.5. There are other ways of generating revenues and their level cap hinders that. Once hitting that level 10 mark, I fear most would end up growing bored and eventually uninstall the game.
Lastly, I leave you all with a 4-image album: http://img155.imageshack.us/g/nfsw2010080704371051.jpg/
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