Is racing in LA better then Paradise?

I have had my first proper session on Midnight Club: Los Angeles, not enough to know everything about the game, but enough to share my first impressions.

There are a few cool touches which make navigating the city and focusing on the race at hand really easy.

1) The Mini Map rotates.

2) The Mini Map is in the bottom left hand corner.

3) The Check Points have visual representations with arrows in them, so you can see what way to go without looking at the mini map.

4) None of the races I have tried so far have 90 degree corners, so I can drift all the turns without using the handbrake, without braking at all really (although I do hit the odd wall!).

5) The HUD is clear except for the bottom corners, so there is nothing to distract you from the race.

There are also some other things that I really like about the game:

1) The controller is mapable, so I can put boost on A which is obviously where it should be!

2) The night time is bright and colourful, I can see where I am meant to be going.

3) The AI traffic cars are realistic in their speed and behaviour, and there's lots of it!

4) The boost is dramatic, I get that old rush of adrenalin! "WooHoo!!"

5) There is Rain, but No Fog!!  

6) There is a restart option for the races, and the way it zooms to the overhead view and then into the start of the race really works, and doesn't take you out of the gaming experience, and it only takes a couple of seconds.

7) There isn't just win/fail, if you don't win you still gain experience points and the event is completed, there are different races/challenges which you have to win to complete, but if you fail you can come back to it at a later time.

8) The city feels alive with movement, sounds and colour. The pedestrians really help to make the city feel real.

9) You don't have to drive to the Garage, just hit start and Go To Garage. Being able to change your car that quickly and easily is sweet.

So far I really like MC:LA as an all out arcade racing game it is ticking the boxes for me, and getting my adrenalin pumping. I haven't taken it online yet, and these are only my first impressions, but it is a lot of fun so far!