True dat. I kinda wish NFS HP was more of a semi-sim / semi-arcade like the old NFS games. Instead it's just flat out arcade... Beats simulation though. Much like they did in Burnout Paradise Criterion also seems to have forgotten the basic features of a racing game.
-A reset key.
-Quick Race mode where you can select individual options (time, track, A.I., traffic, cops etc...) instead of just pre-made challenges. Kills the game's replay value.
-Decent controls?
And also added some shit that really wasn't needed:
-Cinematic camera for crashes... god I hate it, and what's more, they did the dumbest thing possible with it: they added it on MULTIPLAYER.
-SpeedBook / Autolog instead of working multiplayer, or a chat system...