Feedback from a long time fan

[Valka]

I think the game overall works great, but there is some issues that could be ironed out :
1. The ai follows its path too strictly, when avoiding traffic they tend to switch lanes and ignore the player's existence as fact, and just end up ramming you into the wall.
2. Models quality is very inconsistent and looking at some of them (trough the eyes of being a 3d modeler) causes me pain, modeling was never genki's strenght (cough cough txr3) but I think this should be pointed out anyway. A lot of tuning parts have obvious shading and reflections issues which I assume are caused by shady topology, it shouldnt take long for one person to go trough them and fix it.
3. It would be nice to have some camera customisation, the default rear camera works good enough but adjusting FOV, position and stiffness would be a nice addition.
4. My friend related to me that wheel support is sketchy, while it is an arcade racer thats ideally played with a pad, issues with wheel controls should be ironed out nonetheless.
5. AI cars sometimes spawn on top of eachother
6. The game runs perfectly fine on high settings but running it on ultra makes it slow down more than it should, Im not aware of what causes this but I felt I should point it out.
7. Livery editor is a fantastic addition (and works great) but there is one quirk, when editing for example the left side of the car, parts of the sticker can also apply to top part of the car and morph in weird ways, this can be simply fixed by making the sticker cut off when leaving the area you're editing.
8. Livery editor lacks manufacturer stickers which is just a bummer.

Now, I dont want to be all negative so I'll list what I like ;
1. Car list is great, has a lot variety and most cars are nicely modeled, genkl did an especially good jobs at making the car lights look great.
2. Progression is imo the best in the series, being able to choose what upgades and cars you want to unlock first is a fantastic idea, that allows for a lot more replayability.
3. Handling is in general very good, it feels like a mix of txr3 and ITC handlings and I generally have no issues with it.
4. Optimisation of files is AMAZING, I mean the models are decently low poly while looking good (I will not state the amount of polygons cause I totally didnt check), the textures for vinyls are ALL in 4k but weigh basically nothing. Other companies in the industry could seriously take notes from genki on this one.
5. This game takes a more story oriented focus compared to previous games, and it works really well. While Im already emotionally attatched to old characters, newcomers were very likeable and Im intrigued in how the story will continue in the full release.
6. Livery editor is great.
7. Game has very little bugs, aside from the ones I listed above, the game ran perfectly fine and I didnt have any weird pop-ups or T-posing cars.
8. Graphics and art direction is really good, the map does look like a recycled version of wangan midnight ps3's map but I cant blame genki for it, it gets the job done.
9. Car balance is for the most part handled well, aside from a few oddities, like an FC rx7 doing less power than an 180sx (when fully upgraded ofcourse).
10. Being able to see how much wear your tires experienced is a great addition.
11. After finishing a battle, the game no longer pauses to annoy you with an race end screen that just gets in the way and slows down the pace, instead you're allowed to seamlessly go back into freeroam which I LOVE.
12. Soundtrack is absolutely PEAK, I already have nostalgia for old txr OSTs but the new remixes (especially of txr0 songs) are fantastic.

I guess after all that text you'd be expecting a conclusion.
I have to be honest and admit that I was very skeptical towards this game, while I am the biggest txr fanboy alive, I didnt think genki could make a worthy successor after all these years, but now I have to say that this game absolutely blown my mind, and I cannot wait for the full release.
9/10, keep it going guys.