Need for a Camera The first thing that will catch your attention here is the graphics. The night-time lighting at times is superb and will have you taking some screenshots. There is a bridge I went over early into my playing time that wowed me. The series has always been graphically sound but the nocturnalism of this is a winner. I remember similar feelings with Need for Speed: Underground, that had flashy night-time visuals as well. The gameplay takes it back to that Underground/Underground II feeling where you are racing illegally, earning cash to improve your ride, with free roaming available. There are other collectables to find like attractions to take a photograph of, cars that have free gear to collect and areas to donut in. The racing mechanics are fine; it's fun enough, and at times challenging. Once you have an upgraded ride you can afford some mistakes though. Catch up is on. If you crash, the AI seem to slow down, and if you are in front, they race faster not allowing you to get too far away. There are police but they are the most pointless of any racing game with police that I've played. There are challenges such as escaping a pursuit after building up a certain amount of fines, and I had to race at half pace so the pursuit wouldn't be over before I could accumulate that amount of fines. It's like trying to run at the same pace as a child. There is a mixture of time trial events, sprint, circuit, and drifting. I've never been a fan of drifting events in racing games, even when they're easier to do than they are here, and the thing is that there are many of them that are needed to progress the story which is told through live action cut scenes. This isn't the worst or most difficult drifting mechanics and I got the hang of it, but they are rarely my thing. Another annoying thing related to drifting is that you will probably want to change your set-up depending on the event. As it's constantly changing between racing and drifting means the set-up needs to change constantly and you have to travel to the garage to do that. Lastly, I'm tired of saying this and maybe there is something I am missing, please someone enlighten me if I am, but why do I need to have a connection to play against AI on an installed game? It does my head in. The game can't be paused and you get kicked if your connection drops out for a minute. I hope this common feature that has been in games the last number of years disappears. Gran Turismo Sport had it when you were only trying to complete license tests...An update corrected it but why was it there in the first place? End rant. All in all it's an open world racer that doesn't do a lot to set itself apart from the rest but won't leave you disappointed if you feel the need for some fun arcade racing with picturesque visuals. Gameplay 3.5/5 Graphics 5/5 Sound 3.5/5 Difficulty 4.5/5 Originality 3/5

I completed this on normal difficulty and enjoyed the game. However, like Naughty Dog's previous creation, Uncharted, this game is made well, but does originality mean anything anymore? There is little if anything this adds to the gaming experience. I felt engaged with the story but the gameplay never really wowed me. I think the best of the best games provide memorable/wow moments. I felt immeasurably more attached to other games I've been playing around this time like Heavy Rain. Although it's probably unfair to compare it to that as I found Heavy Rain to be a rare gaming experience. Things don't quite make sense sometimes either, like when the need to reload goes out the window at certain times. The whole find a ladder or a pallet co-op with Ellie is incredibly repetitive and surely Naughty Dog could have mixed it up more there. One or two checkpoints are not well-thought-out either, with the game placing you right in the thick of it straight away. I also disliked the ending... They should have provided the gamer with a choice in my opinion. On a positive note, the AI is good. Unlike in many stealth orientated games where enemies will walk around in circles, they are less predictable which is perhaps its biggest original gameplay feature. It also offers a good mixture of stealth, third person shooting, storytelling and a near frightening moment or two. To finish, shame on the developers for copying Ellen Page's likeness when she was featured in a game to be released not long after this! 7.5-8/10

This is a truly great game. It's one of the few RPGs that has ever really grabbed me and that has stolen my time. One of the best games on PSX and maybe ever. Engaging story line, characters, an amazing soundtrack and FMVs/backdrops make this a masterpiece. The only downside was that it was a tad difficult at times to work out where I actually needed to go. It benefits you to gain a lot of experience throughout most of your team, which I didn't, which made getting to the final boss great, but to beat almost impossible. But after a number of tries it was done. The card game is fire as well. One of those games and experiences I regularly think about. Gameplay 5/5 Graphics 5/5 Sound 5/5 Difficulty 4.5/5 Originality 4.5/5