Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game

 PC
User Score
4.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1020 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 254 out of 1020
  2. Mixed: 249 out of 1020
  3. Negative: 517 out of 1020
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  1. racergsxr1
    Oct 30, 2012
    2
    This game is more "Burnout" than it is "Need For Speed". Criterion has made great games over the years but they need to stick with their "Crash N Bash" formula with Burnout and not dump it on the NFS series. This game is such a disappointment. Criterion took out all the things that made Most Wanted great and added in a bunch of things that didn't. No more manual transmission, next to noThis game is more "Burnout" than it is "Need For Speed". Criterion has made great games over the years but they need to stick with their "Crash N Bash" formula with Burnout and not dump it on the NFS series. This game is such a disappointment. Criterion took out all the things that made Most Wanted great and added in a bunch of things that didn't. No more manual transmission, next to no customization, no storyline other than "There's ten people who are the best racers in the city. Beat them and I'll give you a cookie". I don't think I even saw a change camera option. What the hell happened? And the so called "Find it, Drive it"? What the hell is that? What happened to doing races for money and using the cash to buy cars and parts? That's a proven formula and everyone knows that, why take it away and replace it with something as stupid as driving around looking for exotic cars that are (for whatever reason) sitting around a city? I'm glad they brought back free roam instead of "drive on a long curvy road with high-speed corners". But at such a cost! This game isn't even Need for Speed anymore. It's like Burnout Paradise City with Frostbite 2 and a different name. It's not even as great as Paradise City, it's like a hybrid that takes all the worst case scenarios EA and Criterion could made each game into (but didn't thankfully) and combines them all into one fustercluck of unrecognizable programming. If you're looking for a fun, freeroaming, street-racing game, try NFS Underground 2 or if you also want great graphics, try NFS Undercover.… Expand
  2. razgriz10000
    Oct 30, 2012
    1
    Horrible. I give it a 1 because the graphics are good. Other than that the game is absolute crap. There's no feeling of leveling up. You are handed everything. No buying anything. No customization. Stupid camera angles. The cars feel like you're driving 20 ton dump trucks with cheese for wheels. You can't even pick between an automatic or a manual transmission anymore. The run was a badHorrible. I give it a 1 because the graphics are good. Other than that the game is absolute crap. There's no feeling of leveling up. You are handed everything. No buying anything. No customization. Stupid camera angles. The cars feel like you're driving 20 ton dump trucks with cheese for wheels. You can't even pick between an automatic or a manual transmission anymore. The run was a bad blow to NFS. This game has killed the series for me. Time to go back to midnight club where I can at least have some fun and have a personalized car and stuff.… Expand
  3. Cylon
    Nov 2, 2012
    3
    A discrace for the NFS series, I can't believe this. This is a horrible pc port, what a slap in the face to the pc users. It's like Dark Souls! Not only the fps drops, random crashes and bugs, the controls are so bad as well. Why do they release a port like this in this state? It boggles my mind. The gameplay of this game is quite good though, especially the multiplayer which has a wholeA discrace for the NFS series, I can't believe this. This is a horrible pc port, what a slap in the face to the pc users. It's like Dark Souls! Not only the fps drops, random crashes and bugs, the controls are so bad as well. Why do they release a port like this in this state? It boggles my mind. The gameplay of this game is quite good though, especially the multiplayer which has a whole lot of variety in it. One thing I don't get is why between events everyone keeps crashing into other cars. As a result you'll be watching so many crash screens in a short amount of time, it's insane. I want a button that makes me neutral between events, I just want to enjoy driving around! Sigh. Fifty bucks wasted, AGAIN.… Expand
  4. GPReS
    Oct 31, 2012
    0
    I always hated trolling, and this game is nothing but trolling from Criterion...
    1) Most Wanted? Seriously??? Do they ever played MW by BlackBox? Obviously not, otherwise the game would not be such facepalm...
    2) NFS??? Seriously? I see nothing but very bad replica of Burnout: Paradise City... 3) Graphics sucks on HD screens as NFS:HP2010 earlier, seems that Criterion is still has no    I always hated trolling, and this game is nothing but trolling from Criterion...
    1) Most Wanted? Seriously??? Do they ever played MW by BlackBox? Obviously not, otherwise the game would not be such facepalm...
    2) NFS??? Seriously? I see nothing but very bad replica of Burnout: Paradise City...
    3) Graphics sucks on HD screens as NFS:HP2010 earlier, seems that Criterion is still has no arms to develop smth worthful
    4) Controls - fuuuuuuuu!!!!
    This is the the 1st game I give such a low score. The way not to go Criterion... But better - get your arms off NFS title, go develop next BRNT...    … Expand
  5. smarteck
    Oct 31, 2012
    4
    ///
    I really loved the original Most Wanted, I tried this and it was a "huge" disappointment. Is terrible, it should not be called Most Wanted, has nothing to Most Wanted, is terrible, all is a business maneuver to fool the people, someone should prohibit this kind of practice.
    In summary: - If you like Burnout Paradise, buy this. - If you liked the "original" Most    ///
    I really loved the original Most Wanted, I tried this and it was a "huge" disappointment. Is terrible, it should not be called Most Wanted, has nothing to Most Wanted, is terrible, all is a business maneuver to fool the people, someone should prohibit this kind of practice.
    In summary:
    - If you like Burnout Paradise, buy this.
    - If you liked the "original" Most Wanted, DO NOT BUY THIS,You will see it as a fraud

    :/
    //////    … Expand
  6. polko-m
    Oct 30, 2012
    0
    this is half done game without any story and challenge, where every car is avaliable from the begining without any motivation to play and unlock anything. As criterion said for people which does not have time to play few hours to unlock something, with forced multiplayer against signgleplayer where is nothing to do... If they can imagine there are player which want to play singleplayer andthis is half done game without any story and challenge, where every car is avaliable from the begining without any motivation to play and unlock anything. As criterion said for people which does not have time to play few hours to unlock something, with forced multiplayer against signgleplayer where is nothing to do... If they can imagine there are player which want to play singleplayer and I don't want to put my face to each banner in the game… Expand
  7. souravb26
    Nov 1, 2012
    4
    I agree with most of the user reviews here...really disappointing game for me...first of all there is no fluidity in the game..it runs slow even on lowest resolutions and settings, which makes the game unplayable...EA needs to fix this soon....i can play BF3 and MOH :War fighter at high settings without any problem but this is just unplayable... next, about the game play, well, it suxI agree with most of the user reviews here...really disappointing game for me...first of all there is no fluidity in the game..it runs slow even on lowest resolutions and settings, which makes the game unplayable...EA needs to fix this soon....i can play BF3 and MOH :War fighter at high settings without any problem but this is just unplayable... next, about the game play, well, it sux even more...no story, no varied game types and the most irritating one are the crashes... No matter how well u drive, u r bound 2 crash from minute to minute n no, m not a rookie in driving games, have been playing them for years and well dis is the worst i have played so far i think...the game should have been renamed need for crash...i have beaten d first guy in the road to being the most wanted and well, m fed up....can not tolerate this game any more...… Expand
  8. kryator
    Oct 30, 2012
    4
    This game is poorly optimized for PC, a straight port, constant fps drops make the game unplayable. The car handling is too "heavy", the camera choices are horrible.
    All in all, wasted money.
  9. Turbobutts
    Oct 30, 2012
    5
    I weep for the Need For Speed series, and I weep because EA seem to force Criterion to make mediocre Burnout Paradise clones instead of decent Burnout games. If you want a good NFS game, get the new Hot Pursuit. Otherwise get Burnout Paradise. Plain and simple. ---- Now for the sake of the responsibility I carry as a reviewer I will go into detail a little more. The map is small andI weep for the Need For Speed series, and I weep because EA seem to force Criterion to make mediocre Burnout Paradise clones instead of decent Burnout games. If you want a good NFS game, get the new Hot Pursuit. Otherwise get Burnout Paradise. Plain and simple. ---- Now for the sake of the responsibility I carry as a reviewer I will go into detail a little more. The map is small and boring. The cars all seem to handle and perform almost the same, and earning them feels underwhelming because it's so easy. Also there's no visual customization and you can't even pick your paintjob freely. Then there's the annoying crash cam and less than appealing soundtrack. All in all a bittersweet experience, especially for people who know what Criterion are capable of if they're not handcuffed by EA.… Expand
  10. rentbox
    Nov 2, 2012
    2
    New NFS! GREAT! Right? Typically when you see a massive number of negative user reviews, people are just complaining to complain right?

    So lets break this latest NFS down. It runs - check. You can drive different cars - check. There are cops, races, and other side mission like things to do - check. The graphics are decent (more on this later) and you have teh dubstep soundtrack!    New NFS! GREAT! Right? Typically when you see a massive number of negative user reviews, people are just complaining to complain right?

    So lets break this latest NFS down. It runs - check. You can drive different cars - check. There are cops, races, and other side mission like things to do - check. The graphics are decent (more on this later) and you have teh dubstep soundtrack! If you've played NFS before EA turned into a completely soulless company, there were some fun moments. You could get past the small flaws and cheater AI that were part of the experience because the core game was fun. Now looking back at every NFS since PU, we have a complete and total failure to produce a game that is even worth playing. This latest entry is full of the same crap and somehow, people keep buying it. Do you want to dominate a race and then lose in the last tenth of a second because the AI magically caught back up? Do you want to drive cars that handle without a bit consistently? Do you think a sandbox racing game should just be a check list of races? After an hour of attempting not to be infuriated by this game, I lost, and decided that I would rather stab myself repeatedly rather than carry on. The PC version is an obvious port, and poorly optimized. You want particle effects? WE'LL GIVE YOU SO MANY EFFECTS THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE RACE! You want to complete that billboard challenge? We'll make sure a the "randomly" generated traffic t-bones you. So what does this boil down to? EA Games beating a long dead series because for some reason, people keep buying these steaming piles of crap games. Save your money, or better yet, find a copy of the first NFS : Hot Pursuit and Porsche Unleashed.    … Expand
  11. the_kracken
    Oct 30, 2012
    3
    I was hoping for a story game like the first one. What I got was a crappy knockoff that tossed everything cool about the first one and replaced it with garbage. There is no work to get the best cars. They are just given to you to pick up off the street. There is no sense of accomplishment or any story at all. It is just simply cool cars driving around in a city avoiding cops. The onlyI was hoping for a story game like the first one. What I got was a crappy knockoff that tossed everything cool about the first one and replaced it with garbage. There is no work to get the best cars. They are just given to you to pick up off the street. There is no sense of accomplishment or any story at all. It is just simply cool cars driving around in a city avoiding cops. The only thing nice about the game are the decent graphics. Thanks for another half-assed typical EA release.… Expand
  12. rentonB
    Oct 30, 2012
    3
    This is the worst Need for Speed game i have ever played, i was like "uh" first 30 minutes and i dont wanna come back to this game, its so boring. Even Undercover was much better.
  13. masiao
    Oct 30, 2012
    2
    This is the Worst Need for Speed Most Graphics ever Made, It's pure graphics, game play sucks, handling sucks, no **** view, just 2 bump and chase, physics are beyond arcade, cops have X ray vision, you can destroy your car 100 times and it's still working, no wheels no nothing, no clutch, no h shift, purely automatic arcade crap, no customization, all cars are free to use, no story, it'sThis is the Worst Need for Speed Most Graphics ever Made, It's pure graphics, game play sucks, handling sucks, no **** view, just 2 bump and chase, physics are beyond arcade, cops have X ray vision, you can destroy your car 100 times and it's still working, no wheels no nothing, no clutch, no h shift, purely automatic arcade crap, no customization, all cars are free to use, no story, it's A Criterion Game. Welcome to the Need for Speed Most Burnout.… Expand
  14. Vasot
    Oct 30, 2012
    5
    Need for Speed: NOT Wanted. Where can i start from the annoying camera that you have deal every time you pass a roadblock or the car handling that feels like driving a brick with wheels. And what is with the cops I am driving with over 300 km/h and still the cops always stick with me even if i am dealing with average police cars. How is it possible a average police car run with the sameNeed for Speed: NOT Wanted. Where can i start from the annoying camera that you have deal every time you pass a roadblock or the car handling that feels like driving a brick with wheels. And what is with the cops I am driving with over 300 km/h and still the cops always stick with me even if i am dealing with average police cars. How is it possible a average police car run with the same speed with a Super car that runs almost 300 km/h ?!!? (smells like cheating AI to me). As for the rest there is no Single player story or any real purpose just running around some city trying to be number 1 in some list and doing similar races every freaking time (very boring !!!). Only good thing about this game are the graphics which are pretty good as for the rest it is a disappointing game that gets boring really fast… Expand
  15. iseeall
    Jul 26, 2013
    3
    I haven't played Need for Speed in a long time (since 2005 or so), and this game was a disappointment to me. First, why is the menu keyboard-only controlled? No mouse?
    The game starts without even telling you the controls.
    The turns feel not responsive enough. I just kept crushing and bumbing into all kinds of stuff. After a while i just didn't care since it seems nothing can happen to    I haven't played Need for Speed in a long time (since 2005 or so), and this game was a disappointment to me. First, why is the menu keyboard-only controlled? No mouse?
    The game starts without even telling you the controls.
    The turns feel not responsive enough. I just kept crushing and bumbing into all kinds of stuff. After a while i just didn't care since it seems nothing can happen to the car even if you crush into a wall at 300 km/h. The game forces you to go some place to start a race, then drive some other place. This felt just idiotic. I ended up just driving randomly across the city for a while and then uninstalling.
    And yes, the starting cutscene made me lose all hopes in today's generation. Are players really that dumb? I mean "10 drivers dominate the city and police can't find them", and collect all those stupid cars across the city? I don't remember myself being so dumb to enjoy a story like this even in the age of 12 (if that's the age of the target audience they had in mind).
    Overall, a bad joke and a disgrace of a good name.    … Expand
  16. genericreviewer
    Jun 30, 2013
    0
    Beautiful graphics and cars.
    Horrible soundtracks, horrible handling, horrible camera angle.
    It's a NFS, I just want to drive 250km/h and corner at full speed, not crash every single time my cars run on a chewing gum.
    And seriously what's wrong with you putting 5 seconds crash animation in a racing game
  17. petemundy
    Jul 5, 2013
    3
    Graphics are great, Jackspots are a cool idea, cars are awesome.

    Handling is TERRIBLE. Just shocking. I cannot complete one race without crashing a dozen times. It COMPLETELY ruins the entire game. I have played one hour on this game and won't be playing any more. Handling just RUINS all the fun you expect from an NFS game.
  18. Avadon
    Feb 20, 2013
    2
    I hadn't played a NFS game in years and had really missed it, so I got this with very minimal expectations. I just wanted the usual post-Underground NFS game, with silly storyline and enjoyable driving. Even with non existent expectations however, this game is bad. When I can run Far Cry 3 on high and I need to turn this down to low details, you know there's a problem. Also, the handlingI hadn't played a NFS game in years and had really missed it, so I got this with very minimal expectations. I just wanted the usual post-Underground NFS game, with silly storyline and enjoyable driving. Even with non existent expectations however, this game is bad. When I can run Far Cry 3 on high and I need to turn this down to low details, you know there's a problem. Also, the handling is so terrible that I couldn't stand it for more than an hour. You press the stick to turn and at first the car doesn't respond and then it immediately takes a 90 degree turn straight into the nearest wall. I can't believe Criterion made this game, wtf happened to them? I don't think I need to add anything else, when you've got a sluggish racing game that handles terribly, it's done, nothing else matters. Huge disappointment.… Expand
  19. Akuma698
    May 7, 2013
    3
    OMG this game is a load of utter B.S! Don't waste your money! This game is lazy boring and easy. You "Hijack" cars. This means driving around and parking next to a car such as a Lamborghini and pressing E. I mean what the hell. No saving cash to buy a awesome car. No car customization. Cops are just retarded. You can hit another car right in-front of them and they don't do about it.IOMG this game is a load of utter B.S! Don't waste your money! This game is lazy boring and easy. You "Hijack" cars. This means driving around and parking next to a car such as a Lamborghini and pressing E. I mean what the hell. No saving cash to buy a awesome car. No car customization. Cops are just retarded. You can hit another car right in-front of them and they don't do about it.I didn't even care about the racing cause there was no POINT!… Expand
  20. Nineball
    Jun 30, 2013
    1
    Pathetic.

    FACT: Mustangs are not faster than Aventadors. These guys cannot into reality. Random traffic appearing out of no where to ruin your fun? Pathetic. This is supposed to be a racing game. Not a crashing game. Good thing i didn't pay for it. Uninstalled and forgotten. Need For Speed: Most Wanted? more Like Need For Speed: Glad I Torrented It Instead. This proves    Pathetic.

    FACT: Mustangs are not faster than Aventadors.

    These guys cannot into reality.
    Random traffic appearing out of no where to ruin your fun? Pathetic. This is supposed to be a racing game. Not a crashing game.

    Good thing i didn't pay for it.

    Uninstalled and forgotten.

    Need For Speed: Most Wanted? more Like Need For Speed: Glad I Torrented It Instead.

    This proves to me, once again, that Japanese games are just better.    … Expand
  21. taxmanfan
    Jan 15, 2017
    1
    the key input makes no sense, for example when you would think you just move with the WASD keys, you need to hold A to accelerate and and use the arrow keys to move and you bring up the menu with backspace, you have no control over your car it always ends up crashing into something and the cinematic that shows that you crashed makes you lose time if you're on a race, and the FPS drop isthe key input makes no sense, for example when you would think you just move with the WASD keys, you need to hold A to accelerate and and use the arrow keys to move and you bring up the menu with backspace, you have no control over your car it always ends up crashing into something and the cinematic that shows that you crashed makes you lose time if you're on a race, and the FPS drop is horrendous, the races aren't fun at all. I thought playing this game would be as fun as playing need for speed carbon for the PS2, but no. Those 13 dollars weren't worth it.… Expand
  22. emmanuelbriceno
    Jan 20, 2013
    7
    Multiplayer = frustrating derby, just crash, crash, crash, and more crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, stupid!!!!!!
  23. shanad1998
    May 26, 2013
    0
    I bought this game over joyed that they were finally making a need for speed most wanted 2. But all that joy went away when I played it for the first 10 minutes. Especially when I found out my first car on the game was a Porsche! I'd rather work my way up to a Porsche than get one right off, its so stupid. Next, there is no story line like I thought there was going to be, bigI bought this game over joyed that they were finally making a need for speed most wanted 2. But all that joy went away when I played it for the first 10 minutes. Especially when I found out my first car on the game was a Porsche! I'd rather work my way up to a Porsche than get one right off, its so stupid. Next, there is no story line like I thought there was going to be, big disappointment. But anyway I just decided to keep playing to see if it'd become more fun as i completed some missions, but after that i actually found more wrong with the game. The map was too small, there were no ordinary cars(tuners, muscles) just plain old super cars and all you had to do was find them and you owned them! And there is many more wrong with the game. After about an hour, my mom came i and asked if i liked the game, i didn't want my mom t think it was a waste of money so i told her i liked it. A couple of months later, i got Forza Horizon and it was way better. I wish i would have bought that one earlier. Anyway, I beat MW2 in just one day of playing it.… Expand
  24. morfil
    Nov 1, 2013
    4
    This is one the worst NFS game, if not the worst No story, terrible V-Sync, random races, no adrenaline, no rush, no passion... I've never played more than 10% of the game because it's so utter crap I totally hated it I'm curious I still have it on my HDD I deleted it right now...
  25. TheFlameBoy4
    Jun 1, 2021
    1
    This game has the WORST CAR HANDLING EVER. It's literally unplayable because of that. When I played it, I wanted to throw my PC out of the window and jump myself. I just hate it so much.
  26. karcael
    Jun 11, 2021
    5
    Oyun pek iyi değildi. Düzgün çalışmadığı çok zaman oldu. Hikayesi herhalde o kadar kötüydü ki hatırlamıyorum bile. Bu oyunda hikaye var mıydı?! Grafikleri fena değil, oynanışı kötünün iyisi.
  27. DiyarAdo
    May 25, 2023
    10
    Very underrated title. Graphics, soundtrack, car selection, handling and the sense of speed are phenomal. The upgrading system is surprisingly fun and I like the open world very much, there are many shortcuts, jumps and diverse roads to take. Very much replay value.
  28. mrkartofel1
    Nov 17, 2012
    3
    One of the worst high-budget game I've ever played.The races are totally frustrating, the cars don't want to turn (or turn only slightly). The graphic and audio is fine, but the soundtrack doesn't. In Burnout Paradise soundtrack was great (rock/metal), in this Need for Speed is **** (only 'cool DJ's', Skrillex). I don't play multiplayer, because I don't like play online, so I can't review it.
  29. Toad_004
    Dec 4, 2013
    3
    I'm not happy (to say the least) about this product. So how did EA and Criterion manage to mess up Most Wanted? They didn't. They didn't mess up Most Wanted because this isn't Most Wanted. I think Criterion must've mislabeled some games they developed, because this is clearly Burnout Paradise 2: Now with Cops!

    So everything you loved about Most Wanted? Gone. Car Customization and    I'm not happy (to say the least) about this product. So how did EA and Criterion manage to mess up Most Wanted? They didn't. They didn't mess up Most Wanted because this isn't Most Wanted. I think Criterion must've mislabeled some games they developed, because this is clearly Burnout Paradise 2: Now with Cops!

    So everything you loved about Most Wanted? Gone. Car Customization and winning races to buy new engines to upgrade your car? In this game, upgrades are given out for winning races there is no money, and there is no store. Furthermore, there are only a few upgrades the tire choice are "on road" and "off road". Just oversimplified, bullet point options. Forget spending hours in the garage getting your car just right. You can't even choose your car's color. I have more control over the visuals of this text than my car in "Most Wanted".

    So how do you obtain new cars if there's no money and no stores? Do you unlock them as in Hot Pursuit, getting gradually better and better cars as you progress through the missions? No. You unlock them by finding them. With the exception of the cars the "bosses" drive (more on that in a minute) all the cars in the game are available right from the start, you just have to find them around the city. In fact, the city is littered with ridiculous collectables lifted from Burnout Paradise such as speed cameras, billboards, and "jack spots" (spots where you find cars). In fact, there are roughly 3 times as many Jack Spots as there are cars in the game, just to give you more pointless crap to find. "Collect-a-thon" type games haven't been in style since the N64 era, yet here we are in 2012 preforming extra fetch quests... in a racing game.

    And what of the famous Story from Most Wanted and it's sequel, Carbon? The interesting characters, the backstabbing gangs and the bounty hunter constantly after you? All gone. The "story" here begins with you driving towards the city and a narrator explains that you're trying to become the Most Wanted. That's it. Seriously, that's all there is that makes The Run look like a masterpiece of storytelling. There are no other characters no, not even the bosses the final boss is literally named "Most Wanted #01".

    Let's not forget that Criterion apparently stole some design secrets from Zynga this game constantly badgers you to badger your friends to buy the game. The autolog is here, but unlike the previous 2 games where it was a nice extra to the racing, this game seems to be an extra to the autolog, rather than the reverse. You are annoyed by the game to add your friends to such an extent that you might as well be playing Farmville EA, if we wanted to play a "Social Game" (PR speak for "Bad Single-Player") we'd go on Facebook.

    But what of the actual events? Well, before you start an event you need to drive to it. That's right it's just like Most Wanted... if it lacked the "Jump to Event" feature. You need to have played an event once before you can jump to it. EA tried every trick in the book to pad their game, didn't they. At least the game gives you a way to set your destination, so you know where you're going. Every car has 5 events set up to it. But when you realize there are 40 something cars and only 60 something events, you realize that yes, EA wants you to race the same events again, that you have already defeated, using a different car.

    Once you actually get there (if the cops don't stop you) there are five different events it can be Circuit Race, Sprint Race, Ambush, Speed Run, and "Most Wanted" (Boss). The races are Burnout style with takedowns and crashes. The races aren't as fun as Burnout Revenge or Hot Pursuit because of one mistake the racetrack. There are checkpoints on the course to tell you where to go, but it can be quite easy to get lost during a race. Keep in mind that in these races, crashing costs you a few seconds, but a wrong turn can assure you last place. What happened to the "arrow barrier" present in every other Need for Speed and Burnout title? It only shows up when it wants to. Yes, it's in the game, but it's not on every turn. It's like they didn't even finish the game yet.

    The sad fact here is that EA and Criterion might've actually made a pretty good game if they took out all the padding sure, it wouldn't be Most Wanted, but it would be a well-designed game. The Races, Cop Chases, and other fun events would be fantastic if they stood alone. There is fun to be had within this game, but it's buried under mountains of tedious collecting, "Social" pestering, and events you need to drive to. It's the equivalent of me adding another 5 pages to this review, but there's nothing but gibberish on them.    … Expand
  30. Audius
    Nov 2, 2012
    3
    Honestly the lead designer behind this game needs to face some repercussions, because games repeatedly being released this poorly for such a 'major' title is getting old. The title should read Burnout: With Cops, or if they were so adamant about it containing the Need for Speed title it should've read Need for Speed: Least Wanted. There is absolutely NOTHING innovative about this game.Honestly the lead designer behind this game needs to face some repercussions, because games repeatedly being released this poorly for such a 'major' title is getting old. The title should read Burnout: With Cops, or if they were so adamant about it containing the Need for Speed title it should've read Need for Speed: Least Wanted. There is absolutely NOTHING innovative about this game. This game is the product of cross-breeding between two titles, containing the worst possible genes and deformities between the two. There is absolutely no story-line, you're kind-of just thrown in a bright colored open-world. What to do now? Want to drive a Lamborghini Gallardo but don't feel like doing any work to get it? Great, just go find it on the mini-map and hop in it! Want to customize it? Sorry, those features were overlooked. Want to change the color to your favorite color? No worries! Drive through the magic repair shop where your car is instantly repaired and your car is randomly given a color. Don't like the color? No problem, just reverse through the repair shop and repeat until you get the color you want! Now, aside from the horrendous customization options, the handling in this game is among some of the worst racing games to date. The steering feels extremely clunky, heavy, and delayed. Say you try to avoid a car in front of you by slamming your throttle to the left, then try to correct yourself after you've avoided the car, you'll usually end up slamming into the wall to your left before your car even begins to acknowledge the fact that you corrected yourself. This NORMALLY wouldn't be that much of an issue in a NFS title, but Criterion felt they had to add in their ridiculous "slow-mo crash cam" every time you so much as bump into something. In which case you'll be forced to watch your car flop about, and in some cases watch your car sit motionless after a pathetic accident. This is the kind of stuff that belongs on Arcade machines where you don't expect to be playing the same game for more than a couple repetitions. If you're not a fan of the Burnout series, save yourself the headache and frustration afterwards and avoid purchasing this horrendous title. Don't take my word for it if you don't believe me. Try it yourself either by purchasing or via trackers. I'm pretty sure you'll come to a similar conclusion. If you want to play a similar title that's free-to-play without the terrible design choices by Criterion, try out Need for Speed World, as it is at least 10x better than this steaming load.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best PC Game of 2012
28
#28 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
22
#22 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 30, 2012
    60
    Just pick one of the beautiful cars, hop in and drive. But do not want anything else. NFS: Most Wanted is average fun for all car lovers. [Dec 2012]
  2. CD-Action
    Nov 29, 2012
    70
    Most Wanted works best when you treat it like mobile games – switch it on for 15 minutes, do a random race with a random car and then turn it off. It's a good arcade racing title closely resembling Burnout: Paradise but it's not exceptional. [CD-Action 13/2012, p.52]
  3. Worth Playing
    Nov 25, 2012
    92
    Most Wanted's biggest strength is that it feels like a cohesive whole, rather than some amalgamation of a reboot tacked on to another game's engine. The gameplay emphasizes as little downtime as possible, which is a good thing as it's an absolute blast whether or not cops are involved. It's not a reboot as much as it is a reimagining of the original game, taking the bits that worked and wrapping them in a completely new package. Surprisingly enough, it does so in a way that works, and the new Most Wanted ranks up there with the original.
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