Strangely, I recently viewed some quite negative comments about NFSHP2. For me, there's not many negatives and is quite easily one of the best racing games I've owned.

The game is essentially a street-racing game with two main methods of play, namely 'Hot Pursuit' mode where you race against others and have to deal with the police and traffic, which makes it slightly harder. The other mode is a kind of 'Career' mode where you race purely against other racers in similar situations. The races you are in are sometimes delivery missions, where you must complete them within a certain time, and sometimes simply races, and sometimes themed races (like 'German Power Race'). There is also a multiplayer option, and this is extremely fun and adds to the longevity of the game tenfold.

So how does it play? Well, the car physics can be a bit manic at times, and can be very frustrating when you're flying throught the air at ridiculous velocity which simply wouldn't happen in real life. Luckily, there is an option to 'right' yourself on the track, which is sometimes a lifesaver! The control can seem a bit twitchy, but I like it that way. Sometimes the car physics are good, like a simple tap on the right or left rear can send you spinning (I know - I watch world's wildest police videos). As always, you have to have a steering wheel to appreciate the game fully, and fortunately I have a force feedback one. There is also an option to 'Be The Cop', where you have to ram racers off the road, and often these are part of the 'Career' mode. This is quite fun, and racing a Lambo (Diablo or Murcielago) with the sirens on is pretty fun. By completing these challenges in any mode (Career, Hot Pursuit, Quickrace) you earn money, which you can spend buying cars (the normal or the Need For Speed versions - slightly better) or unlocking tracks, either forwards, backwards or mirrored.

The grap
hics are excellent, but you have to have a decent machine to really appreciate it. The car models are very good, although there is one major criticism in terms of damage modelling. Some cars simply don't get damaged (visibly), and others just loosen their bonnet and emit green/black (?) smoke. The grass also appears as a green smoke, but it's not even a smoke - this is by far the weakest grass/smoke/dirt I've ever seen in a PC game. The sound is not bad either, with a fairly lively rock soundtrack.

None of the disadvantages take away from the fact that it's an immensely challenging and entertaining game. The licenses EA have paid out for the cars is also good, these are the kinds of you want to drive in a racing game. AM Vanquish, Ferrari 360, Lambo Murcielago, McLaren F1, Porsche Carrera GT, the list goes on. I want to race these cars, I want Americans talking to me about BHP and torque, I want a hard game that takes me a few days to complete, I want a game that looks the part. NFSHP2 delivers on all this, and it's the kind of game you just want to pick up and race.