What kind of activity you want on the forum? The developers are finalizing the game. First reviews are likely to appear around the release date of shortly after it and i'm sure you'll get all the required info from independent sources if you are on the fence about purchasing it.
No, there is no free roam to my knowledge. For example, in trial you must follow a narrow path just because of nature of it, even the multiplayer functions differently in this mode (cars of your competitiors are ghost-like so you won't get in the way of each other and can compare your performance to others in the same time). In sprint and trophy you have much more room of course, but you'll need to pass checkpoints anyway. I'm not sure of exact technical limitations that prevented the developers from allowing full free-roaming, but i'm sure they didn't do this to piss you off.
Final (major) features of the game:
- Leading international off-road championships in 6 regions of the world: Thailand, South Africa, Russia, Malaysia, USA (North California) and Australia: sprint, trophy and trial
- 42 unique off-road tracks
- 20 off-road SUVs, including the most popular off-road racing vehicles and custom-built unique prototypes
- Vehicle customization: paint, adjustable suspension, variable tire type and size
- Special off-road equipment and accessories: lowered gearing, front/rear locking differentials, winch, sand tracks etc.
- Realistic vehicle damage system
- LAN/Internet multiplayer for up to 4 players
P.S. What makes multiplayer more interesting compared to usual racing games is interactive terrain response IMHO. You have a harder time following a leader here since a passing vehicle can change road conditions from bad to worse by creating a rut and so on.