funny to see the visual style from the 2000s making a comeback amidst the sea of high saturation youtube thumbnails and deconstructed internet culture. maybe i’m skewed by nostalgia hard but i'm genuinely enjoying this game. although the race events feel a bit short, they add to a more punchy and fast paced gameplay. the donut media tie in actually makes sense here in comparison to the donut media update in forza horizon, where they should have doubled down on top gear. the arcade physics are forgiving enough that you can full throttle the entire race for dumb fun, yet drifting around corners feels engaging and satisfying. the soundtrack is genre appropriate and adds so much flavor to the game. i appreciate how it fully embraces itself as a concussion of colors and aesthetics, which might be a turn off but at least it has a distinct identity and isn't afraid to be self referential. it's truly a breath of fresh air in an industry where many racing games have become stagnant and even regressed in pursuit to become palatable to the masses.