Ok, forget the rest, this is by far the best racer on the PS3. One thing to remember though is that this is first and foremost a SIMULATOR! The car handling is spot on, the car handles better than anything on any other PS3 racer. The one thing I think that puts people off is the difficulty, it can be hard, but you really need to learn the tracks and how to drive the car.
Graphically, the game has it's ups and downs, some of the tracks are just breath-taking, and some are very average, but they all seemed to be modelled very accrutely. The rain effect is the best I have ever seen in a racing game, and it really does effect the way you play.
Sonics on the game are good, some great tunes and some better engine noises, though I wish the engine noises were louder by default. The 5.1 mix is really amazing, and you can tell where all the other cars are around you just by listening to the sound-field.
I think too many people are thinking this is going to be just another arcade game like the cool "Grid" and the awesome "Sega Rally", however, this is much, much more! If you prevail you will encounter a much deeper, fun game than anything else on the PS3.
I've been playing racing games since before the dawn of time (yes... the 70's!) so it really takes alot for a game to impress me these days. This one, once played for a little while, really did impress me, and grows on me day by day!
:) Mark