Well to be fair, the reviews I was mentioning were from long time GT fans who've been playing the series since GT1 {such as myself}, so I do feel like their reviews are credible and the complaints are valid. And while I would personally rather have the graphical detail focused on the cars and the actual road, it's just disappointing they have not done away with the cardboard cutout backgrounds. There's really no excuse for it as even Xbox racers had 3d backgrounds. But really, it's a small complaint and I am very pleased to hear they finally added damage and some great cockpit views! I just need these paychecks to start rolling in so I can get this sucker grrrr!