Need for Speed: Heat Review (-disconnect)
TLDR : Only buy NFS Heat when it is on sale, it isn't worth it full price. If you want simulation, this is not the game for you. Skip the DLCs.
I enjoy an arcade racer from time to time, and NFS Heat is a great game to scratch that itch. If you're looking for simulation style racing, don't bother with this game.
I can only recommend this game when it is on sale because it lacks content. The main story is way too short, as it takes about 30 minutes to complete all of the missions, which is then artificially stretched over a few hours because you need to improve your cars performance in order to complete them. You improve your car by grinding reputation through racing at night time to level up and unlock better parts, then you do races during the day to save up money to afford the parts you unlocked access to. Progression wise, the game is balanced and it doesn't take too long to progress, though if you want a couple of the more expensive vehicles in the game, it'll take some time to save up for them.
Objectives on the map can take quite some time to complete, but are entirely optional. These objectives being speed traps, drifts, jumps, graffiti collecting, running over neon flamingos, and destroying billboards. Completing objectives give you a bit of money or reputation (depends on day/night and the objective), and completing them all will unlock the ability to obtain iconic cars (cars from past NFS titles like the M3). These cars can be adjusted for performance, but cannot be altered visually. If you don't want these iconic versions, you can always buy the stock version of them in the dealership.
Last I checked, there are 134 cars you can use in the game from the dealership, which is closer to 120 if you exclude K.S/iconic cars/cabriolet versions of cars. There is a pretty good selection of vehicles that can be used for a variety of different things (drift, rally, track, off-road). My only nit-pick here is that I feel there are way too many Porsche/Lamborghinis. More off-road, muscle cars, tuners etc would have been nice.
Skip the DLCs, they are not worth it. Keys to the map is a rip off, you're paying money for them to show you where objectives are on the map, which should have been free. The McLaren DLC is not worth it either. Unless you really like the car and must have it, it doesn't perform better than the RSR which is the most overpowered car in the game.
Unfortunately, they cut support to this game fairly quickly. Unlike previous titles, NFS Heat got abandoned real quick, and its due to EA's mismanagement, on top of the fact they didn't monetise the game with the awful lottery system in Payback. And so, with the game not raking in as much money as the previous title, support for it got axed within a few months.
NFS Heat is still a great game, and I would recommend it for $20, no more than that.