Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005) thoughts: Currently #8 on the Blacklist and I truly enjoy how much personality this has! Granted, it's '00s gritty and the color balance is far too orange for my liking, but it at least has an identity of its own, more than you can say about some other games in the series. I also both actively despise Razor and wish every moment of video had him in it to some capacity
I've realized recently that I prefer games that get harder as you go (as opposed to trivializing the difficulty with new upgrades and abilities). I only now noticed the indicators on the upgrade screen that show where you're expected to be at your rank, I'll be tuning my main car (a pink Renault Clio) to meet it as best I can going forward.
A friend (@-pegasus) recommended listening to the radio during police chases, and that was the right call; you get to hear specifics of the chase (what you're driving, where you are, and what you just did) voiced by cops who are well out of their depth. A remarkably forward-thinking feature for a game this age