Namco takes the city streets of Ridge City to generate six unique tracks, plus an additional oval track at a nearby airport. Each of the six tracks has a stretch in common with the other tracks. Thus, you quickly recognize how to take certain twists and turns. To some this may be a turn-off, but I found the course similarity great. Namco did a tremendous job with the course design.
Courses have a good mix of turns from gentle curves to hairpins.
Throw in some elevation changes and you will be catching some air in no time. The opponent AI is some of the best around. All cars start at the same time but some quickly accelerate such that it takes some time to take the lead. If you make a mistake, the cars behind you are aggressive enough to overtake you. In addition, some of the cars play nasty - opponents will sometimes block and bump to gain the advantage.