Well okay, I suppose Need for Speed at some point had to morph into Fast and Furious. I mean the two are pretty much bosom-buddies just inhabiting different media, but in this latest effort the crossover is far more pronounced.

It probably has something to do with the terrible acting. Gone are the CGI cut-scenes, replaced with actual footage of terribly-stereotyped youngsters looking utterly embarrassed with what the script is forcing them to say.

But whatever, you're here for the racing, not for Neighbours-meets-Scalextric.

And it's all pretty much what you've been offered in previous NFS titles, particularly those of the Underground variety.

You buy a car, you tune it, race, earn cash, watch another godawful cut scene, tune some more, buy some more, cringe further and wash, rinse, repeat.

But golly, it sure is pretty.

It also employs some needless rubber-band AI, which is bloody frustrating when a near-perfect drive finishes with Rear View Idiot belting past at the last minute.

The online-at-all-times approach, horribly employed by Ubisoft's The Crew, rears its ugly head here too, which means if Enid from next door wants to borrow a cup of sugar, the game's unpausable nature will ensure the octogenarian having to go elsewhere to finish her ginger loaf.

There are some other bits and bobs to do aside from accepting missions from two-dimensional youths, but nothing more interesting than French knitting quilts for abandoned voles.

As basic as its title is, so is Need for Speed's guts. It's a beautiful piece of work, especially in the wet, but there's just nowhere near enough under the bonnet.