Need for Speed is back, better than ever. One of the best new features included in NFS4 is car damage. Your car can be ruined completely when you crash too often. And damage doesn't have visual concequences only. The car's performance and road behaviour are really affected. In the carreer mode, a new game mode, you even have to pay to repair your car. So you'd better watch out and brake in time before taking a hairpin!

Graphics
On the graphics part, Need for Speed: High Stakes¹ doesn't differ much from its predecessor. Not that the graphics needed to be changed, since NFS3's graphics already were great. What has changed is the car detail. The cars now include fully 3D interiors, viewable from outside and inside of the car, with a real active driver behind the steering wheel. Not much more to mention about the graphics, they're just top-notch.

Sound
The sounds of the engines of cars in race games have never been perfect, and they aren't either in NFS: HS. In my opinion in-game engine sounds almost always need a bit more grunt... Nevertheless, NFS: HS' cars sound quite good, if not best I have heard in a long time. The game-sounds match the sounds of a real sportscar quite a lot. They are definately better than they were in NFS3.