Product Features
- Genre
- Racing
- Publisher
- Electronic Arts
- Release Date
- November 02, 2012
- Available Platforms
- PC, PlayStation 3, XBox 360
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Need For Speed Most Wanted Limited Edition
To be Most Wanted, you'll need to outrun the cops, outdrive your friends, and outsmart your rivals. With a relentless police force gunning to take you down, you'll need to make split second decisions. Use the open world to your advantage to find hiding spots, hit jumps and earn new vehicles to keep you one step ahead.In true Criterion Games fashion, your friends are at the heart of your experience. In an open world with no menus or lobbies, you'll be able to instantly challenge your friends and prove your driving skill in a variety of seamless multiplayer events. Your rivals will do everything they can to stop you from getting to the top. In this world, there can only be one Most Wanted.Key FeaturesOpen World Action - Lose the cops, your way. Hit jumps and shortcuts, lay low, or...
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Rizwan Nazir December 04, 2012 360
I had high hopes for Criterion's next racer as if it was anything like their previous masterpiece (Need for Speed Hot Pursuit) then I was in for a hugely entertaining time. Unfortunately this wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, it's a great game but not quite up to the stellar standards for which Criterion are known for.
It's probably easiest to highlight the good points and then explain why overall I was disappointed.
PROS
.Excellent graphics with lots of activity around you in the virtual city of Fairhaven;
.A great selection of exotic, super and concept cars all of which are available right from the start - you just need to find them within the city;
.Lots of security gates, billboards and speed cameras dotted around the city which you need to crash and speed passed;
.Improved Autolog 2.0 feature allowing you to upload a photo of yourself which then gets placed onto in-game billboards whenever you have beaten a friends recommendation. Letting you crash through their photo for an extra laugh;
.Pretty extensive map with a mixture of city streets, long motorways, rough terrain and winding cliff edge roads;
.A revamped multiplayer focusing on challenges of skill as well as straight forward racing.
.Autodrive menu system to access everything within the game as opposed to using dedicated menus.
CONS
.They removed the amazing weather effects that were present in NFS HP. The superb day to night transition is in, but no more notable rain effects or thunder and the mountain sections where snow would drift across the track are all gone;
.Criterion have decided to only have 2 views available to the player, one directly behind the car and one in car which is so low you feel you are lying down and driving the car. It makes is next to impossible to see what is happening up ahead and more often than not will mean you end up crashing into traffic, a barrier or a brick wall. NFS HP had 4 views and gave the player more choice on what they were comfortable with. It seems a huge step backwards to remove this useful feature;
.The soundtrack is OK, but most players will want to turn this off or use their own custom soundtracks;
.The ELIMINATION of player controlled Police chases! One of the best things about NFS HP was that it allowed you to play as both the racer or the Police. It totally changed the dynamics of the game and by removing this crucial element has meant the game suffers immeasurably as a result;
.No Turbos or other upgrades. Would you believe that Criterion decide that they would remove all the upgrades from the cars which you could use to deal damage to the Police chasing you. You can no longer drop spike strips, jam their radars or activate a Turbo. A huge step backwards;
.The 10 most wanted cars are effectively the games version of "bosses". Yet they can easily be beaten and once done, that is it! No other real incentive to carry on playing. It's possible that Criterion are holding back on some DLC to extend the gameplay but again, the number of boss cars to take down is pretty poor;
.Multiplayer is a farce. You initially get posted into a group and have to drive up to the race meeting point. During this time, you will no doubt come across nuisance drivers who will try and crash you at every opportunity rather than focusing on driving a proper race. It might be OK if you were in a dedicated crash mode, but is a chore when all you want to do is race other players. Again, the one to one Police versus Racer which you could do with one friend in NFS HP has gone.
I could go on, but I don't have the strength. I was waiting 2 years for this game and even wrote to Criterion praising them for their efforts and a list of suggestions for any follow up to NFS HP but it seems as if nobody was monitoring the inbox that day....
In summary, I will say that whilst enjoyable NFS Most Wanted 2012 falls far short of what Criterion are capable of and if like me you were expecting an improved version of NFS Hot Pursuit with the open world mechanics of Burnout Paradise, you will be slightly disappointed.
I'm glad I didn't trade in my copy of NFS HP.