NFS has become increasingly dire over the last few years...
Played the original when it was new on the Saturn (think I played it on a 3DO as well, remember those?)
It was brilliant!
I liked High Stakes (1998) on the PC as you could play cops vs racers on splitscreen)
Hot Pursuit 2 (2002) on PC was pretty good, no nonsense fun as well.
Underground was good with all the modifying, but Underground 2's free-roam system was buggy as if you had no cash, you couldn't race, and without racing you couldn't earn cash!
Ever since the free-roam idea came in (with Underground 2), the series went to pot. Then Autolog came in and finished it off!
The new Hot Pursuit (360) was so buggy it wouldn't let me play more than the first 2 races, it would just constantly hang.
The Run (360) was OK but too much emphasis on having a storyline. I don't want stories, I just want to pick a car and race on the road! Too much faffing around.
Bring back the original; proper exotica, no free-roam or Autolog B.S., trying to outrun the police, and SPLITSCREEN! It's not too much to ask.