Quite Good Overall
There will definately be some mixed opinions about this game. On one hand, not everyone likes the tuner culture, since the NFS series had traditionally been working with the exotic car culture. On the other, the thrill of illegal street racing has just been brought closer to the comfort of your own home.

I have only a 2 gripes with this game, both pertaining to the online mode. The first is that the Japanese version has voice-chat capabilities REMOVED. That is, you cannot plug in your PS2 USB headset and then trash-talk your opponents in the lobby. The second is that there is no USB keyboard support. This makes chatting quite a chore, obviously.

Actually, I have one more gripe: The Japanese and European versions do NOT have the Honda Civic and Acura RSX Type-S available. Instead, they have the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa and the Peugeot 106. I personaly wish they just simply include them all, but vehicle licences are probably what got in the way.