As a 360 owner, there are some distinct things I don't like.
The default control scheme is unnatural (I changed my control type to "classic" within the first 5 minutes, and have never looked back).
Cars handle like river boats. Terribly slow, on all but the highest speeds. Hitting the normal brake while cornering seems to do nothing, sending your car into corner mailboxes, pedestrians and buildings. Hitting the handbrake does the opposite, sending your car spinning out of control. The only redeeming factor of the handbrake seems to be that it's possible to actually spin completely around in the direction you were originally traveling, (360degrees) pulling off a James-Bond-esq type escape. The Escalade look-alike for example, was so heavy and unyielding it was barely drivable. Take a turn at more than 5-10mph, and the shocks sway wildly to the left and right, while tires spin out of control. All this at a variable snails pace. In real life this would occur of course if you tried to take a turn going 20-30mph in an SUV, but the people at Rockstar have apparently applied this to the point of overkill. There’s nothing fun about desperately trying to escape hoards of cops, and having your in-game SUV take an entire 4 lane road to correct and complete a basic turn at low speeds, while simultaneously dodging oncoming traffic. If I wanted straight simulation feel such as this, I'll play Gran Turismo, where you WILL put yourself in the dirt for taking a turn too fast just as you would in real life. I was hoping the cars would behave more like the Burnout series for example, where simple taps result in spectacular, life saving and most importantly, CONTROLLABLE drift maneuvers at high speeds..much more suited to this kind of game play.
Graphically, the game has an obvious level of polish and refinement compared to previous installments, but all the prettiness in the world can't cover the inevitable truth: You'll still see the same cars on the same street by the dozens, and there are far less variety of them in numbers. I would have at least liked a *simple car customization option, like the ability to change car color, or some basic wheel selections. I don't think that would have been too much to ask, considering the scale of this game. The peds will continue to stand and gawk at you in unnatural ways, and behave erratically. The car physics and targeting system are a moderate improvement at best. What you’re left with is a game with more flash, refinement, and a deeper character-driven story, but without the cool gadgets, customization options, and sheer size that made the last installment so much fun, and kept you coming back long after the main story and side-quests were completed.
That being said, I am really enjoying the story so far, and the multiplayer for 360 is a blast.
