Need for Speed: Most Wanted

 PlayStation 3
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 564 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 255 out of 564
  2. Mixed: 121 out of 564
  3. Negative: 188 out of 564
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  1. Praxiss
    Oct 30, 2012
    6
    Been playing this for a few hours now and I like the vast majority of the game thus far. The graphics are very nice and the cars look perfect. Most Wanted 2.0 also has many more cars and a more interesting variety, which is awesome. The take-down system from the Burnout games is well implemented and makes racing much more interesting. The streamlined menus are easily accessed from theBeen playing this for a few hours now and I like the vast majority of the game thus far. The graphics are very nice and the cars look perfect. Most Wanted 2.0 also has many more cars and a more interesting variety, which is awesome. The take-down system from the Burnout games is well implemented and makes racing much more interesting. The streamlined menus are easily accessed from the D-Pad for swapping cars, parts, and managing events. However, Criterion's makeover falls short in a few disappointing ways for me, in no particular order: 1) No manual transmission!?!?! That was one of the few pieces of enjoyment I got from racing games, being able to downshift in anticipation of turns and having the added challenge keeps every race fresh; not in this game though. 2) No customization. Basically a cornerstone of NFS was the customization. You can't even pick the color you want it in this one... (aside from zipping through a drivethrough to repair and recolor it randomly). You unlock part upgrades by getting 2nd or 1st in a race and there's basically 2 options per part and allow you to tweak the stats slightly and get a pro-version of that part for completing certain challenges. That's it. No performance dymo, no tuning, just plug and play. 3) No car progression. What I mean by this is you don't save up for that special car you've had your eye on and then make it your own in this game. (In fact there's no currency at all.) You get 5 events to do with each car and then its essentially done, and you move onto the next car and rinse and repeat. That was something I (and I think a lot of people) really enjoyed doing in NFS games was building your baby from the beginning. Sure you might go through 3 or 4 cars on a play-through but you always had that goal to go for. Without being able to progress a car like in NFS Underground 1 and 2 and Most Wanted 1.0 it really takes away from the game by making it too much like the Burnout's. 4) There is no consequence for getting Busted. As you may remember from NFS Most Wanted 1.0, if you go busted you had some options. Using the tokens you got from Blacklist members to get out of jail free or add impound strikes could save you from paying those hefty fines which increased the more mayhem you caused. In this, you go back to the police station. That's it. No money in the game for them to take away, no way to lose your car. Just go back three spaces. Really makes pursuits completely pointless by doing it this way. Just finish a race with cops on you? Just stop and save yourself 5 minutes of trying to evade, it doesn't make a difference if you evade or get caught; sad but true. 5) In NFS: MW 1.0 they had a plot for us for why we were trying to go back up the Blacklist and had some little plot twists and deception going on which was a nice touch. Here in 2.0, the nice lady voice tells you about the list and that you should be #1 and to have fun. I'm not sure what I would ask from Criterion in this department...but it just feels like they should have done...something. *** IN SUMMARY, this doesn't feel like a NFS game as much it feels like a Burnout game and while the game does a lot of things right and it would play fine for a game on its own merits, this just doesn't live up to the original. If anything I just want to play the first one more now, but give it a go and try it for yourself. It's not a bad game by any means just not as good as it could have been by keeping the core and building around it, instead of trying to smash two franchises together in a somewhat disappointing way to both NFS and Burnout fans.… Expand
  2. stevie
    Nov 5, 2012
    8
    A good solid racing game that you don't need to spend 25 hours on just to unlock a half-decent car. Take it for what it is, a pick-up-and-play racer with little to no need for massive time investment. If you want to tune your car, or spend 40 hours unlocking a twin turbo hatchback, then buy GT5 or Forza. If you are married or have kids and just want to spin the wheels for half an hour,A good solid racing game that you don't need to spend 25 hours on just to unlock a half-decent car. Take it for what it is, a pick-up-and-play racer with little to no need for massive time investment. If you want to tune your car, or spend 40 hours unlocking a twin turbo hatchback, then buy GT5 or Forza. If you are married or have kids and just want to spin the wheels for half an hour, buy this game.… Expand
  3. 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
  4. AngeAlexiel
    Oct 30, 2012
    4
    do not listen to the press and web site, who are too king with EA ^^ this NFs is a big deception , mainly because criterion didn't make it out well , all their previous games was great, this one is really far from that . pick Forza Horizon wich is 10 times bigger , and looks great. the only good point of this game is multiplayer , but as there is no story mode, nor real solo play ( so short
  5. Ritual85
    Oct 30, 2012
    0
    I have never written a review in my life, but after seeing some of the reviews here I HAD to write one. It's plain to see that all the positive reviews are written by EA employees or promoters trying to keep the balance in the game. This game is complete garbage and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I can't believe that EA continues to release bad games and steal peoples money with goodI have never written a review in my life, but after seeing some of the reviews here I HAD to write one. It's plain to see that all the positive reviews are written by EA employees or promoters trying to keep the balance in the game. This game is complete garbage and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I can't believe that EA continues to release bad games and steal peoples money with good trailers. You should have called it Need for Speed: We finally ruined the franchise. You can't switch to manual at all and there's no leveling system in the game. There's no story line that drives you to an ending. I played this game for 30 minutes and you would think that the game would at least be fun at the beginning to draw you in. The controls are horrible and each car feels exactly the same with horrible turning. After purchasing this game I went back to the store and exchanged it. I lost money and I am completely disappointed. I was really looking forward to a sequel to the first Most Wanted, which I enjoyed very much. This game gets a 0 from me, because every game has good graphics these days and that's not an exception for a 1.… Expand
  6. millionareman66
    Oct 30, 2012
    1
    WHAT???????? No manual transmission,serious is racing now been down by Automatic cars.Bought it,played 10 mins and extremely disappointing. Graphics is very well done, and that's about it.
  7. bitNine
    Oct 30, 2012
    1
    Nice graphics, but this is a super cheesy game. I played it for 30 minutes or so before I was so sick of playing it, I turned it off, put it back in the case, and promptly traded it in for Forza Horizon. There are numerous problems with this game, but it starts with the driving mechanics. Never have I driven a game where when you let off the stick in a turn, and the car keeps turning inNice graphics, but this is a super cheesy game. I played it for 30 minutes or so before I was so sick of playing it, I turned it off, put it back in the case, and promptly traded it in for Forza Horizon. There are numerous problems with this game, but it starts with the driving mechanics. Never have I driven a game where when you let off the stick in a turn, and the car keeps turning in that direction, even though you're not in a slide. It actually has some sort of mega-over steer. At the very least the car should let up in the turn, but it doesn't. Coming out of most turns you are required to counter-steer just to get the car to straighten out, which results in over-correction. I understand the idea of having to counter steer when the back end of the car is sliding out, but that's not what's happening in this case. It's completely unrealistic, and absolutely no fun. You can get used to it, but it's a terrible way to start out a game. The next thing that drove me NUTS is that every time you smashed into a wall or a car or anything else, the whole screen changes to a 3rd person view and says "CRASHED", all slow motion, but then just drops you back into the car right where you were. What's the point in that? Even if it's a minor enough crash that in most games you could just continue driving, in this game it must make a BIG deal that you crashed, even though you didn't really "crash". Stupid. Next, is how stupid police chases are. There's no reason to get away from the cops, as you don't lose anything by getting caught. There's zero incentive to get away. Next is the lack of manual shifting. This reminds me of Burnout where every car had 847364923 gears, and it just kept shifting and shifting and shifting. Stupid. You can't choose car colors, or make the car special, which is what was so great about the original NFS Most Wanted. The map is the size of a rural crap-hole town with 500 people living in it. I know millionaires with bigger garages than this city (maybe a bit of an embellishment, but you get my point) This is just a barely upgraded version of Burnout, which was another game I played for a few hours, got bored with, and traded in. I play a LOT of driving games, and I'm disappointed I wasted my time with this, and even more disappointed that I didn't just buy Forza Horizon instead. Good riddance, and NEVER again will I purchase a Criterion pile-o-crap driving game.… Expand
  8. Magnesium
    May 7, 2018
    4
    I tried to be optimistic about this game after I started the game, but the only thing I enjoyed was finding the jack spots.
    Cars crash a lot at first but eventually they improve. So you’ll need to repeat the first events.
    It lacks the system of customization and performance upgrade which I believe is a let down. I didn’t get very involved with the game but I couldn’t find drag and drift    I tried to be optimistic about this game after I started the game, but the only thing I enjoyed was finding the jack spots.
    Cars crash a lot at first but eventually they improve. So you’ll need to repeat the first events.
    It lacks the system of customization and performance upgrade which I believe is a let down. I didn’t get very involved with the game but I couldn’t find drag and drift races which I extremely enjoy.
    Since I haven’t had played the game when it was released, graphics didn’t impress me but I’m sure they were incredible back at the time.
    Overally it doesn’t seem to be a need for speed game. But don’t get me wrong, it has a wide variety of high-end vehicles.    … Expand
  9. augustobt
    May 7, 2018
    1
    This is the worst Need For Speed game in the whole franchise, yet it's "critically acclaimed". Could've been released as a Burnout, then I wouldn't care. But not only they choose to sell it as 'Need for Speed', but as a MOST WANTED, probably my favorite of them all, and resembles in NOTHING the original.

    Don't ever buy it, even it's a penny.
  10. LilD
    Nov 3, 2013
    7
    The first Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005) is still my most favorite racing game of all time. The police chases were fast, frenetic, and fun and had a pretty decent story that was the first interesting one in a racing game that I can remember (even better one than the Fast and Furious movies). This game is entirely different, which is bittersweet. With that said, this sequel, reboot, orThe first Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005) is still my most favorite racing game of all time. The police chases were fast, frenetic, and fun and had a pretty decent story that was the first interesting one in a racing game that I can remember (even better one than the Fast and Furious movies). This game is entirely different, which is bittersweet. With that said, this sequel, reboot, or whatever it is defined as has police chases, but they are not nearly as fun or intense as the original. In the original, there were specific sites that your vehicle could hit that would cause explosions, tip towers over, etc. to help lose the police and is sorely missed in this version. The mechanics of the chases themselves just don't feel as exciting. The only way to outrun police in the new version is to find the highway and outrun them. In the older version, going off-roading into the world's golf course or twisting and turning in new directions could lose the police. In typical Criterion fashion, this game does not have any story to it. Also, there is no customization to the cars. When you finally realize this is its own game, you realize how good it is. The game makes up for the disappointments with tons of great ideas. Autolog is back. Unlockables. VERY lifelike city. Very different range of cars from a Ford F150 to Forumala One racing car. You basically had to use a certain vehicle in the original to progress, but you can swap between about 40 or so cars at will using one or many to complete the game. This game promotes EXPLORATION, which is its finest trait. Knocking down billboards, finding cars, and speed cameras are a few of the things that the game rewards you for. With such a nice city, it takes awhile for it to get old. There's nothing like the freedom of an open road trying to find every nook and cranny where a new vehicle may be hiding. Like the previous Most Wanted game, it is just FUN. It is not the sequel I was expecting, but take out the Most Wanted title out and is is very good. Good enough to be my second favorite racer of all time (and I've played alot).… Expand
  11. kartzy
    Oct 23, 2014
    8
    A very nice game (not as good as 2010's Hot Pursuit though) with great graphics, a good selection of cars, nice handling and vehicle mods. Note that this game has only 64 events (Hot Pursuit has 108), and these can be played only as a racer. You can't drop spikes or launch EMPs like you did in Hot Pursuit.
  12. tsakiym
    May 18, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it.................................… Expand
  13. sebastianali
    Jul 23, 2021
    4
    Although many people defend this game saying that if it had not been called "Most Wanted" they surely would not have hated it, to me as a game it still seems pretty bad. Apart from the fact that the game does not give you complete control over the car and less in a curve (or also the lack of speedbreaker mechanic), every minimum hit you crash, a cinematic interrupts the race that lastsAlthough many people defend this game saying that if it had not been called "Most Wanted" they surely would not have hated it, to me as a game it still seems pretty bad. Apart from the fact that the game does not give you complete control over the car and less in a curve (or also the lack of speedbreaker mechanic), every minimum hit you crash, a cinematic interrupts the race that lasts about 7 seconds, the thing is that its so constant and the hitbox and impact force is super unrealistic as it can happen to you even with a low speed crash. The way to get vehicles in the game is absurd, since it eliminates the progression of the previous games in the series which consisted of starting with a bad car and getting better cars, in this one, you start with an Aston Martin and later you pick up a Porsche. Besides that if you get a good car at the beginning you will no longer need the rest, so this mechanic of finding cars in an open world at any time is terrible (and it is not surprising that other racing games do not have it), since it breaks completely the game. With only the Lamborghini Gallardo that you get in the first city and all the missions will be a piece of cake. The easiest way to solve this would be to block certain places on the map, as happened in Underground 2 or Most Wanted and that when you beat bosses they are enabled so you can pass, but no, you can go anywhere at any time, it that leaves the game very badly balanced.
    I would criticize other things, such as the lack of tuning, short lenght, story, the confusing and bad balanced online or the absurd amount of DLC.
    IMO one of the worst in the series.    … Expand
  14. Skyler360
    May 23, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love the burnout style gameplay because the car is damaged with every shock, the graphics are very good, the music is decent, the selection of cars is fine and the cars are very well controlled and the map is very broad and well detailed. But the coup de grace and the reasons why I give it a five are the following; there is no history, there is no garage to store your cars and there are no stores to customize them and there is NO option to tune since you can only repair it, and in doing so change the color that is random and improve the power of the car. I expected something much better, and more knowing that Criterion came from creating Burnout Paradise and having collaborated with the development of the Hot Pursuit of 2010, but I left a gap that I could never fill. Just three words: WHAT, GREAT, DECEPTION.… Expand
  15. Austin36Ween
    Nov 11, 2022
    8
    Great game overall.

    Pros: Great Graphics, Car sounds are beautiful, and map is pretty big.

    Cons: Progression is bad, and DLC is overpriced.

    Verdict: If you find it for cheap, would recommend.
  16. lobeSpace
    Nov 15, 2012
    4
    The game is fun, but compared to what it could be... it's got nothing.

    I was stoked for a new street racing game, I've been looking forward to something in open world street racing since Midnight Club L.A. I have to say Rockstar nailed it with that game. I guess I was hoping for something a bit more like that. A couple main points they missed. Customization - half the fun of street    The game is fun, but compared to what it could be... it's got nothing.

    I was stoked for a new street racing game, I've been looking forward to something in open world street racing since Midnight Club L.A. I have to say Rockstar nailed it with that game. I guess I was hoping for something a bit more like that. A couple main points they missed.

    Customization - half the fun of street racing is customizing your car. In NFSMW you can get mods, but they don't do anything to the car. You can't even keep a color. Pretty lame

    Money - The other half of street racing that is fun is starting with an empty wallet and a POS car, and working your way up. NFSMW has Speed Points... but those are pretty worthless, they don't really unlock anything, you can't use them for anything... they just keep stacking up. Like a bank account you can deposit money into, but can't withdraw. All you can do it show people how much "money" you have.

    Cars - I have to admit, driving around in some of those supercars is a lot of fun. But in a street racing game, does it really make sense? I have more fun rolling in a Mitsubishi Evo X than the Bugatti Veyron, just because it makes more sense to me. It would be great if there were more street cars and a bit less supercar weight. Progression - NFSMW is open from the beginning... all the cars are there, you just need to find them... which may sound cool in theory, but it ruins the game for me. There is no game progression. The easiest part of the game was beating the top ten cars... the "MAIN STORY"

    Story - I put Main Story in quotes above, because there is no story at all. Which is fine. I was expecting more of an arcade racer light on the story... but they play with you... just a little hint of a story... and nothing more.

    Cut-Scenes - One thing I thought looked promising was the seamless gameplay... which is done well at points... but then you start a race by squealing you wheels. You think you should just be able to start the race there, right? Nope, you need to wait for a freaking ridiculous cut scene to play. Even when you skip the scene, you are still forced to sit through the end of it. So lame.

    Crash Cam - This is cool for about 2 seconds, and then it gets real old. Especially during multiplayer (which I will get to in a second). Again the seamless quality of the game is completely ruined by this slow motion crash camera... which you can't skip

    Multiplayer - It seems the whole goal to multiplayer is to smash into other people. I think it would be fine if that was a part of it, but you get more points from smashing people constantly than you do from actually winning the events. I just played a multiplayer speedlist, won each event, and then came in 4th overall... How can you win every event and come in 4th? The three people above you decided to crash into people instead of racing. I was done after than one....

    The idea of the game is great. It looks fantastic, the cars are fun to drive, but the racing and overall enjoyment is mediocre (because of the faults listed)... It's like they had this awesome abstract sculpture that they kept filing away at... getting rid of parts... smoothing out any edges... polishing... making sure it made sense to everyone... making sure not to make it to hard... making sure there were not sharp edges... and what they were left with was a polished statue of a little puppy. Cute and all, but the meaning and meat of the work is gone.    … Expand
  17. Enpatsu
    Jul 5, 2013
    2
    i give a 2 for the graphism because the rest is a fake burnout style. horrible gameplay, horrible police car
    better to pay 5e for burnout paradise than this awful game
  18. PeenApple
    Dec 27, 2012
    4
    Bah This game is heavily Repetitive compared to the 2005 Most wanted. No story which makes the racing pointless. After beating the most wanted which was really easy, The game feels really empty and doesn't really reward much. The multiplayer is quite repetitive as well.
  19. iamevan13
    Dec 15, 2012
    3
    I bought this last night so i have less than 24 hours in with it thus far. i do like that it has the open ended world to it. that is somewhat entertaining and the police chases are fun...at first. after awhile you just want them to end. now really all that is left is the racing. so here is how racing goes, you click on your race and it starts. that gps type map is mostly useless or itI bought this last night so i have less than 24 hours in with it thus far. i do like that it has the open ended world to it. that is somewhat entertaining and the police chases are fun...at first. after awhile you just want them to end. now really all that is left is the racing. so here is how racing goes, you click on your race and it starts. that gps type map is mostly useless or it gives misleading info. so you have to wing it. the checkpoint markers aren't always that easy to spot you realize where they are as you are passing the turn. there is nothing more frustrating that coming to one checkpoint, waiting for the next one and coming to a T in the road at 140 mph with still no sign of the next checkpoint. either let us race from point a to b without using checkpoints and letting us pick our own path or actually mark this well enough to actually run a race. if you want something that resembles a race, this is not the game for you. i'm already bored to death with it there should be a few modes where there are no cops and maybe even more of a track or no traffic. i understand that the premise is street racing and i love the idea of racing in cars you may see on the street. but this is a very flawed game.also, multiplayer absolutely sucks when playing with strangers at least. it's nothing but a demolition derby. not to mention that youd' think there would be some sort of clear controls to quiet or mute the other drivers. i dont plunk down my money to listen to someone's faulty mic. this game is a waste of time and money. the only purpose it serves is to be something you can play for 15 minutes to kill time. but after a weekend of playing this is sure to collect dust. there simply isn't much desire for repeated play with this and when you get down to it that is the only criteria that really matters.… Expand
  20. ktmgtr
    Nov 16, 2012
    2
    Criterion haven't reinvented their formula since at least Burnout Paradise. This is obviously just some tweaks since then with some changes to Autolog introduced in Hot Pursuit. Heck, this is a step back in ways, what happened to being able to drop in/drop out for multiplayer action? Why a loading screen? Lost the guys who knew how to do that? Game has some poor collision, how many timesCriterion haven't reinvented their formula since at least Burnout Paradise. This is obviously just some tweaks since then with some changes to Autolog introduced in Hot Pursuit. Heck, this is a step back in ways, what happened to being able to drop in/drop out for multiplayer action? Why a loading screen? Lost the guys who knew how to do that? Game has some poor collision, how many times have you hit an object at 100+ mph head on and not crashed but stopped dead? Running away from the cops is boring, boring boring. Nothing like spawning into an event wrecked and the AI have a massive racing start, only for the restart option to spawn you like that again. The menus are a bit slow to enter. Why do I have to wait, constantly 15 seconds to see some stupid pointless things about my car before I can set a new checkpoint to drive to the next event, or change the upgrades to my car? I don't care about some stupid little graphic showing the mods on or available to my car, I can see that with the easydrive menu. The messaging for items, is STILL in the middle of the screen, how many criterion game iterations has this been? Nothing like not being able to see ahead of you as you're driving through congested streets at 150mph... The cop detection as you've hidden, or are running away is something of epic legend, they can spot you through walls and over objects without direct line of sight! nothing more fun than having been bored of running away and found a hiding spot, only for the xray cops to catch you and force you to take another 2 mins to try and hide away from them because this town has an unlimited supply of cops so you can't destroy them all.… Expand
  21. 6speedmanual
    Dec 25, 2012
    3
    Crazy how real racing enthusiast are being criticized because they want "manual transmission" option... the mental capacity required for this game is fit for a 9 year old... with all due respect, no story, few options and the inability to simply choose whether I want manual or automatic is atrocious. On a good note, the graphics are about the best I've seen in any NFS games.
  22. eviltruth
    Jan 17, 2013
    0
    I am very disapointed in this game and its developers. I played it 5 min and got shocked by a for this time poor graphic, a unrealistic steering which makes you think that there is somebody else steering your car while you drive, just to make you mad.
    No customization, just a crappy bumper few, no manual transmission, no tuning, no making money, no money needed at all for some strange    I am very disapointed in this game and its developers. I played it 5 min and got shocked by a for this time poor graphic, a unrealistic steering which makes you think that there is somebody else steering your car while you drive, just to make you mad.
    No customization, just a crappy bumper few, no manual transmission, no tuning, no making money, no money needed at all for some strange reason. Its all together a big idiotic dissapointment and not worth it 5 $. Why in hell did i buy this?    … Expand
  23. EV3RLiGHT
    Mar 25, 2013
    1
    Absolutely rubbish. No vehicle customization, terrible game-engine, no realism whatsoever, over saturated filter... Criterion has ruined it and EA is stupid for letting them.
  24. CubicWebs
    Aug 11, 2013
    0
    I'm so happy this was a free game for PlayStation Plus members, because I wouldn't pay a penny for it, it's boring, the cops come from the woodwork, the options for the game are to a minimum. You can't turn off the cut scene's if you crash.

    Bad car handling, no car customization, everything Need For Speed was is chucked out the window. I however admit the graphics are ten times better,    I'm so happy this was a free game for PlayStation Plus members, because I wouldn't pay a penny for it, it's boring, the cops come from the woodwork, the options for the game are to a minimum. You can't turn off the cut scene's if you crash.

    Bad car handling, no car customization, everything Need For Speed was is chucked out the window. I however admit the graphics are ten times better, however that doesn't make a good game. I won't be purchasing a game of NFS again, again thankfully I didn't buy this, I would of sent it back to EA and requested a refund.    … Expand
  25. Nuteboy100
    Feb 26, 2017
    5
    DLC is ridiculously overpriced if you wish to get it for $9.99 on the PlayStation Store. But it its a good game to play online, cause mayhem in police pursuits inside a Lexus LFA or a Porsche, and beating friends. Nothing else really.
  26. Audius
    Nov 1, 2012
    3
    Honestly, this game is pretty mediocre. If you were at all a fan of the older Need for Speed titles, namely, Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2, Most Wanted 1, and aren't particularly a fan of the Burnout series, you'll find yourself pretty disappointed with this game.

    The game shouldn't have the title Need for Speed in it, as it is extremely misleading. As many know, the game was    Honestly, this game is pretty mediocre. If you were at all a fan of the older Need for Speed titles, namely, Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2, Most Wanted 1, and aren't particularly a fan of the Burnout series, you'll find yourself pretty disappointed with this game.

    The game shouldn't have the title Need for Speed in it, as it is extremely misleading. As many know, the game was developed by Criterion, the same people who brought us the Burnout series, which I'm going to say right out I'm not a particular fan of. I like games that have great customization, and a solid progression base. The open world style is great, but there's no unlocking cars, you just drive around and swap cars whenever you want. But there's no customization, you can swap parts around here and there to get minor boosts, but there's no customization to the actual car (you can't even change the color of your car - unless you drive through a shop which repairs your car/changes the color. I found myself disliking the handling a lot, it's extremely "drift" based where making any turn almost necessitates forcing your car into a drift because the handling is so shoddy. One of the things they imported from Burnout which I disliked the most was the wiping out, even after minor crashes your car would wreck/spin out and you'd have to wait for your car to respawn to play again. This gets extremely frustrating when you're trying to outrun cops and because the handling is so poor you almost can't avoid slamming into a car in front of you. When I saw that this was going to be made by Criterion, I thought, why not give it a go, it has the Need for Speed title afterall. Frankly, it just feels like another Burnout title with cops added in. Almost nothing was imported from what made the Need for Speed titles great, especially Most Wanted 1. If you don't like the Burnout style, don't bother with this game, you'll find yourself extremely disappointed like I did.    … Expand
  27. DokHolliday
    Nov 3, 2012
    3
    Let me start by saying that I'm a big fan of both the NFS and Burnout franchises. And as a fan of both franchises, I was severely disappointed in this game, particularly after reading all the critic reviews that raved about it. I know a company like EA can influence some publications, but this one got pretty ridiculous.

    As many others have said, the graphics are great, but in this case    Let me start by saying that I'm a big fan of both the NFS and Burnout franchises. And as a fan of both franchises, I was severely disappointed in this game, particularly after reading all the critic reviews that raved about it. I know a company like EA can influence some publications, but this one got pretty ridiculous.

    As many others have said, the graphics are great, but in this case they're merely polish on a turd. The game plays like a fusion of Burnout: Paradise and one of the blander NFS games, but with all the fun methodically drained from the experience. The vehicle handling is god-awful--NFS: The Run had issues, but at least the cars were driveable. I'm a fan of both arcade racers and simulators, and this game is neither.

    BP's takedowns were a ton of fun, but without the slo-mo and the terrible wrecks, they seem pretty boring and uninteresting. As many other users pointed out, the cop chases are a huge letdown as well--NFS:MW nearly perfected the cop chase/escape formula--why wouldn't you crib some ideas from that?

    I'm thankful I got this game as a rental from Gamefly and didn't buy it. If you haven't bought it yet, definitely give it a rental before plucking down the $60.    … Expand
  28. LadyJane
    Oct 31, 2012
    6
    This is the review to explain all the other reviews! Perhaps my background might help you judge how valuable this review is. I am a huge NFS fan, and I have been playing it since Porsche Unleashed, before the first Hot Pursuit. I have not played every NFS game because many have been duds. I am not a huge fan of sim-racing, I do prefer arcade racing, so Burnout: Paradise was one of myThis is the review to explain all the other reviews! Perhaps my background might help you judge how valuable this review is. I am a huge NFS fan, and I have been playing it since Porsche Unleashed, before the first Hot Pursuit. I have not played every NFS game because many have been duds. I am not a huge fan of sim-racing, I do prefer arcade racing, so Burnout: Paradise was one of my favorite driving games to date. Hopefully that gives you an idea of where I'm coming from.

    The original Most Wanted was one of my favorite NFS games that I ever played. I could tell early on that this was not a successor to that in so many ways. For example, no interactive environment. You might remember the original MW had police chase breakers, where you could drive into areas on your map listed with a triangle and it would slow down cops by a giant plastic donut dropping from a restaurant logo, or perhaps a gas station blowing up. Well, nothing like that here.

    I wouldn't say that the police chases are non-consequential as others have said, but they're nearly non-consequential. They exist merely to entertain and/or irritate. The cars handle reasonably well, although still not as arcadey as they did in Burnout: Paradise, and they don't have a wealth of difference between them all, other than the feeling of weight, and of course: speed.

    So why the sharp difference in reviews? Perhaps some felt that this would revive the NFS franchise after The Run? It certainly won't do that. While it doesn't have a clunky narrative that gets in the way like The Run, it doesn't have... anything. Any story at all. Yes, I know this is Criterion and they never promised a story, etc. But it does feel sorely missing, especially in a game called Most Wanted where they took a game with a decent (albeit cheesy) story and attempted to remake it. So for fans that are looking for a reboot for NFS, it sadly does not start here.

    What about for those looking for the successor of Most Wanted? Again, no! This is not it. Most Wanted (the original) was a really great game. You jumped in, and you felt part of the game. The story held it all together, and the cop chases were great. You really were interested in lowering your heat level, or driving around for 10 minutes to find a pursuit breaker and then a cool-down spot, only to be detected at the last minute. Paying huge fines or customizing your car really made you feel like your character... you were invested! There was gain and loss, so winning felt like success, not simply the "next step". In short: there is none of that here. No customization, which personally I can live with in Burnout, but it doesn't fly here! The single-player campaign which was so exhilarating in MW (original) barely exists here. While they matched the joy of simply driving around and taking in the sights, not much else meets the 7-year old marker left by the original, which is sad given the age difference between the two products. Junior should be beating up the dad, but it just doesn't happen.

    So then, that leaves us with one last group of people... the group of people I fall into: people looking for a spiritual successor to Burnout Paradise. Before even buying the game I knew all of the above. None of that surprises me... but I was looking for the next Burnout Paradise. Even after 100 solid hours of gameplay on Burnout Paradise to get all your trophies, etc, you still had a lengthy online play-life because helping others complete their challenges or stunt runs with new challengers was always a joy. Hell, it still is! And now Criterion are coming out with a brand new game where they've focused EVEN MORE energy into multiplayer. Sign me up, amirite?!? Well - multiplayer has some advantages here and some disadvantages. Advantages is that competition is drummed up much more through results being everywhere, and of course the famed billboard pics. This is great - perhaps it would be more great if I played online with my known friends, but since I play online more with random people it doesn't pack the same punch. Be that as it may, online multiplayer is where this game is at... although without the longevity of challenges stunt runs and gameplay elements like this, I can't see it matching Paradise for long. It should be noted that MW doesn't have individual Freeburn challenges like in Paradise either, but speed lists which are a lot more clunky, and frustrating should people drop out. No more 1 minute challenges... you're signing up for 10 - 20 minutes each time.

    So, why the vast difference in reviews? Perhaps someone was expecting one of the above scenarios to be true. The fact is, this isn't a turning point for NFS, it's not a better game than Most Wanted (original) and it's not better than Paradise. Still, the amalgum here is still good in it's own right. Great graphics, new challenges online, fun competition, but still: an overwhelming missed opportunity. See Praxiss review for everything I couldn't write here!    … Expand
  29. Jaybo
    Nov 6, 2012
    4
    This is hands down the best Need For Speed ever. Well sorry to burst your bubble. Graphics for this game are very impressive, however the physics and how the cars handle are horrible. cops blow past you and AI is incredibly aggressive to the point where police and racers stop every positive thing you have in a race. handling is by far the worst part of the game. when braking you continueThis is hands down the best Need For Speed ever. Well sorry to burst your bubble. Graphics for this game are very impressive, however the physics and how the cars handle are horrible. cops blow past you and AI is incredibly aggressive to the point where police and racers stop every positive thing you have in a race. handling is by far the worst part of the game. when braking you continue in the straight forward direction and then finally the car will break loose in to sliding any direction. when driving slow your car will turn sharper than you want regardless of your tilt on the joystick. it seems that all effort was put into the game looking good and was not focused on creating a good and balanced game for gamers. Fans of the NFS series were given the open road again but no longer have the feeling of accomplishment since the developers have essentially put cars around the city for you to find. No customization options for car color, drive through repair shop and hope you get the color you want if not try again. Parts are basic but nothing in terms of building the car how you like it. Options wise there are none for steering sensitivity or AI difficulty which may leave more novice fans or beginners of the series feeling like they wasted their money on this one. The game soundtrack is ok nothing spectacular at all especially given this a racing game. All-in-all I have been a fan of the series but the past 2 games have me questioning if I would get the next title release for the NFS franchise.the in game menu is to much to navigate through when trying to drive to various locations and navigating around the city and in races is not user friendly. They needed to put some sort of turning system in the game to warn you of approaching turns. So much is going on on screen that wrecks happen to frequent and the road bumps move the screen up and down not just the cars.… Expand
  30. 55dmax
    Nov 9, 2012
    1
    NFS fans like me won't like this game, it has the title "Most Wanted" which reminds us of the awesome 2005 NFS, not some sort of Criterion "good idea" concept. Criterion should just stop making NFS' and go back to Burnout.
  31. Sesshomurai
    Nov 2, 2012
    2
    I was a huge fan of the first release of NFS:MW. Great cars, customizability, a narrative, awesome graphics, etc. That game was great in many ways, but especially because you had to earn your cars or earn money to buy them. They were yours. You could customize them in countless ways. Want to buy a car and make it look like one in your driveway? No problem. Pretty cool. In this version ofI was a huge fan of the first release of NFS:MW. Great cars, customizability, a narrative, awesome graphics, etc. That game was great in many ways, but especially because you had to earn your cars or earn money to buy them. They were yours. You could customize them in countless ways. Want to buy a car and make it look like one in your driveway? No problem. Pretty cool. In this version of NFS:MW, all that make-it-yours glory is gone. Now, you just find cars willy-nilly. Hop in and its yours. Don't have to buy them. They're just sitting around in the open for you to "take". Huh? Oh, you want to paint your newly "found" Porsche red because its your favorite color? Ok, well, go to a repair shop and drive through it. Wait, it turned your car a random color? Huh? WTF? No problem, just put it in reverse, back up and drive through again. Keep doing this until you get the color you like. Who the hell thought of that retarded system?! There is NO customizability of cars in this car. Camera views? Only 2. Not even an interior camera view. How lame is that? Graphics are great, but the roads are always wet. Another WTF moment. There is no narrative AT ALL. And the cutscenes before a race are real head-scratchers. Have nothing to do with the race. One cut scene shows you go up the side of a building (presumably in some kind of elevator you can't see) and when it gets to the top, it free falls to the ground. Then you're in your car. WTF? What idiot thought up that as a good cutscene before a car race? Makes zero sense at all. It's as if they took stock footage from the bargain bin of lost games and pasted it in to fill in the lack of creativity here. A real shame and another NFS game down the tubes....… Expand
  32. Phintias
    Nov 5, 2012
    4
    I'm a little torn how to rate this. I play with my family and cousins online and we were all very excited about this game. Each of us had differing opinions on games, but we all enjoy playing together when we can. First, why call this Most Wanted? It clearly isn't and the idea they posted it under the NFS franchise suggests they were looking for sales based off the Title alone. NFS:MWI'm a little torn how to rate this. I play with my family and cousins online and we were all very excited about this game. Each of us had differing opinions on games, but we all enjoy playing together when we can. First, why call this Most Wanted? It clearly isn't and the idea they posted it under the NFS franchise suggests they were looking for sales based off the Title alone. NFS:MW was/is one of the better racing games made. It catered to both Sim fans and Arcade fans. This is back when it mattered to EA if they released a good game or not. I personally thought with Criterion involved even EA couldn't mess it up.
    So when my cousin won a copy, we were all pretty excited. We went over expecting to find a great game the rest of us would want to buy and play together. We found some really fun aspects, which could equate to a lot of fun racing online. But after a few days playing, I think we all kind of decided it just wasn't worth the money. It's certainly not a racing Sim, which is fine since a few of us don't really care for racing sims. But the lack of camera views was annoying. I don't care about manual/automatic but my brother did. I do care about fun, and every car had it's unique qualities, which is ok, but they also all were pretty much the same. You could win with a little 4 cyl compact as easily as a super sports car. This is fun, at first, but after awhile it gets annoying. Especially if you get a car you think looks cool, because you're only allowed so many races per car.

    Really, you can read most reviews, aside from the "This is the best game ever, get it now!!!' and the "WTF, no manual transmission? This game sux don't buy" reviews. There are plenty of people who actually spent time to write what's good and bad about this game. Most of the better reviews gave it lower scores, but they explained it. Many of the 9 and 10 reviews seem to write how everyone else is wrong and the game is really good but they don't really go into details why. Just from what I've seen anyway. I strongly recommend you read more than a few reviews to get a better idea of the good and bad points. Because this game definitely has some great features and some not-so-great features.

    From a racing sim fans point of view, this game just isn't worth the money for me. It feels like they went for an over-the-top attempt and glitz and decided that a high production quality makes a good game. And for those who like that kind of racing, it will be a very fun game. Because, even though I won't buy it, it would be fun to play from time-to-time in smaller doses. For me, I don't think this really fits what I would call a racing game. I don't need full out realism, but I do need a challenge when I race and this game isn't challenging. It's a smash-up game, and they could substitute the cars with tractors, bicycles, old people pushing carts, just about anything that moves could be swapped out. My brother said it best "It's Mario kart but with kick butt graphics and very cool cars." And Mario Kart is a very fun arcade game, so maybe EA does have a hit on their hands. Just not with us. I think we all wanted to like this game, but it just is lacking in too many areas. Too bad.    … Expand
  33. Vudar
    Nov 8, 2012
    2
    I was extremely excited for this game since the original NFSMW was an amazing game! This however was purely and absolutely terrible. The driving mechanics make me feel like I am trying to guide the car where I want it to go instead of controlling it. I'm driving a 1.2+ million dollar car and I have to fight to keep it on the road? I mean, come on. This is not to say that I don't likeI was extremely excited for this game since the original NFSMW was an amazing game! This however was purely and absolutely terrible. The driving mechanics make me feel like I am trying to guide the car where I want it to go instead of controlling it. I'm driving a 1.2+ million dollar car and I have to fight to keep it on the road? I mean, come on. This is not to say that I don't like more difficult racing games that require much more skill (GT, Forza, Etc), but this game is neither fun to drive in or realistic. Overall, I only beat this game because it was short enough that I could finish it without breaking anything.… Expand
  34. Blink
    Nov 9, 2012
    4
    One of the things that saddens us is the lack of a storyline, a plot that accompany us during our progress towards the top of the "blacklist", if its name is still this, of Fairhaven City.
    Only 10 cars, and no more "opponents" or "racers", to beat in a simple race 1 vs 1. All this makes the single player banal because, running in front of a camera and jumping like kangaroos through    One of the things that saddens us is the lack of a storyline, a plot that accompany us during our progress towards the top of the "blacklist", if its name is still this, of Fairhaven City.
    Only 10 cars, and no more "opponents" or "racers", to beat in a simple race 1 vs 1. All this makes the single player banal because, running in front of a camera and jumping like kangaroos through billboards, like in Burnout Paradise, becomes boring after the first 30 minutes of gameplay.
    The handlings are really embarrassing at first, but once you get used becomes "just" horrible! Being able to control a car becomes a mission impossible in certain situations. You can't avoid traffic cars like you want, it's all about being lucky! And, the worst thing is that the difference between the various cars is imperceptible: physics, speed, control, and all the rest are almost identical regardless of the car on which we stand, regardless of the changes that we apply to them.
    Police in Fairhaven will not be so hard as everyone might think. Their only advantage is to have trucks and Corvettes that drop spike strips like in Hot Pursuit, in order to stop your run, however, those vehicles will be available only when you reach heat 6! But even with the heat 6 is still too easy to run away!
    The other things that the Criterion team has taken from his best creation, Burnout, are Takedowns and how to change color and repair your car. The takedowns were a good thing before coming to Need for Speed​​: here, every single hit, even the most trivial, over 60km / h turns into a f**ckin' "takedown moment", and after the first half hour of play they become very annoying! And we can't do anything to disable those takedowns!
    The AI ​​is less involved than the previous titles.
    The multiplayer is well structured and it's very funny, like Burnout Paradise. But even this becomes boring a lot in about 2 days!
    Good things: graphics and sounds.
    Bad things: almost all the rest: handlings, takedowns, no storyline, easy AI, boring, no tuning, etc...    … Expand
  35. Psychobabble
    Nov 2, 2012
    3
    If you want a driving game....this is not the game for you! This is more like Pinball on wheels! This game has great parts but they just do not mesh together to make a cohesive whole. The story/reason just isn't enough to make you believe in the world they are trying to create and finding cars randomly is how you you get better vehicles?....then you have to get the same upgrades for eachIf you want a driving game....this is not the game for you! This is more like Pinball on wheels! This game has great parts but they just do not mesh together to make a cohesive whole. The story/reason just isn't enough to make you believe in the world they are trying to create and finding cars randomly is how you you get better vehicles?....then you have to get the same upgrades for each damn car! PAINFUL! The original NFSMW does all of these things much better. There is no feeling of progression and therefore lacks the reward of leveling up and robs you of that sense of achievement! Deciding were to spend your hard earned rewards/resources and on which car is essential to identity within the game and this just doesn't happen here. The user reviews are superb on Metacritic and are nearly always right and no more so than in this case. Get Forza Horizons if you have the choice...a much better game were you actually feel like you are in control of how you progress/upgrade.… Expand
  36. wtfmen
    Nov 1, 2012
    0
    This is the supposed to be a similar game to the original Need for Speed Most Wanted, but it lacks a lot of the most important aspects. There is no car customization, no manual transmission, no in game currency, and the worst part of all is that you can't own a car! Who thought it would be a good idea to remove one of the best parts of the original NFS MW, owning and customizing a garageThis is the supposed to be a similar game to the original Need for Speed Most Wanted, but it lacks a lot of the most important aspects. There is no car customization, no manual transmission, no in game currency, and the worst part of all is that you can't own a car! Who thought it would be a good idea to remove one of the best parts of the original NFS MW, owning and customizing a garage full of cars? The driving mechanics are mediocre. It feels like they were made for "fun" but it makes driving more repetitive. Another extremely annoying thing about this game is the stupid slow mo- zoom out camera that happens when you crash. I just want to keep driving not waste time looking at my stupid crash without being able to go anywhere.… Expand
  37. the_kracken
    Oct 31, 2012
    1
    I did not like this game at all. It is not optimized for excellent hardware and it does not follow the formula of the first game. The only think that is "OK" about this game is the graphics but again they are not optimized well.
  38. etome
    Nov 2, 2012
    0
    This game is a disgrace to bearing the name Need for Speed Most Wanted. If you have played the original NFS MW, you would really feel angry about this rubbish new one. If you have tried this game and come here to read the reviews just like I do, you would know those who give this game low scores are giving honest opinions, and those who give this game 9 or 10 are so Criterion or EA employee alike.
  39. Megadeth9299
    Nov 6, 2012
    0
    I've never written a game review before and created my account specifically in hopes that I may be able to save someone else the trouble of wasting their money like I did. The graphics of the game are good however everything looks like a cartoon, the cars all seem to handle and drive the same except they just accelerate at slightly different speeds, there is only car customization throughI've never written a game review before and created my account specifically in hopes that I may be able to save someone else the trouble of wasting their money like I did. The graphics of the game are good however everything looks like a cartoon, the cars all seem to handle and drive the same except they just accelerate at slightly different speeds, there is only car customization through performance parts and so many terrible things about this game these aren't even the things that frustrate me the most. The crash cam shows you a slow motion replay of yourself crashing into a wall every time it happens and then when you're in a race it puts you in a rolling start from there so as to keep you from losing too much time. From what I've seen of the cops in the game their cars are made of fine china because one moderately solid hit destroys them and removes that fun aspect where you get to beat up on their car because if it only takes one or two shots you could probably take out their whole police force without much problem. Finally, the game gives you every car from the start which sounds appealing if you want to just find the best car in the game and stick with it however if you want to find every car you end up getting ADD trying to find every car and hit all of the speed traps and smash the signs and the whole thing is just a cluster_____ (you can fill in the blank). All in all this is probably the worst game I've ever bought. Just buy Forza Horizons or Gran Turismo unless you want to destroy cop cars, then wait for GTA: V.… Expand
  40. undaunted1
    Nov 4, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The overall driving mechanics and game physics are not too shabby. Although the game can often be very blurry and hard to see even on a 50 inch HD screen. My biggest problem is that I loved Most Wanted for ps2. In fact it is still my favourite need for speed game ever made. If that is what you were hoping for in this game you will be VERY disapointed. There is virtually nothing for customization options. Besides winning new tires or having nos or not. That is the extent of customization, which previous need for speed titles were known for. The fact that you dont start from scratch but actually start the game in a porsche is also a dissapointment. Half the fun of the game was having a worthless car and competing and EARNING your way to better cars and better races. Speaking of earning better races, the autolog racing system is stupid. There are only 5 races for each car. After that you have to abandon your favourite car and drive some peice of crap. There is virtually no structure of progression in place to take you further. You just wander aimlessly untill you earn enough points to race the guy above you. After that, back to wandering aimlessly. Overall as a remake this is a total failure. A piss-poor attempt at customization. No sense of how people like to enjoy video games and progression, or earning something. A measly 10 people on the most wanted list ahead of you compared to 25 from the original. I hope this helps anyone who was considering buying this game because its CALLED "Most Wanted" The name is selling this game, and nothing else. Avoid this game or be disapointed.… Expand
  41. Lord-Xaffax
    Nov 2, 2012
    6
    I have the X-box 360 version. It runs smoothly and looks good. The main problem with the game is that it doesn't live up to its name. I am a Most Wanted 2005 fan. And this game misses the mix of basic elements that made that game so much fun.
    It does have an open world and cops, but that's all. It misses the story line, cheesy but fun cut scenes with the funny characters, the sense o    I have the X-box 360 version. It runs smoothly and looks good. The main problem with the game is that it doesn't live up to its name. I am a Most Wanted 2005 fan. And this game misses the mix of basic elements that made that game so much fun.
    It does have an open world and cops, but that's all. It misses the story line, cheesy but fun cut scenes with the funny characters, the sense o achievement, the pimping of your ride, the building of you car collection, and the general sense of building up your rep. Most Wanted 2005 had an open world but also well defined goals. This game misses all that. But most of all it doesn't suck you in like the original.

    I would have given it a 7 if it wasn't called "Most Wanted" but because it's false advertising I give it a 6.    … Expand
  42. bigslicksly
    Nov 3, 2012
    8
    Ok everyone, take a deep breath. What about the 10 and the o !!! First, before writing a review, try to play the game more than 10 or 30 minutes. Second, every gamer on the planet knows that this game is the legetimate successor to BURNOUT and not MOST WANTED. finaly, stop comparing it to Forza, its a totaly different experience. Forza is a sim racer that let you pay outside of the track.Ok everyone, take a deep breath. What about the 10 and the o !!! First, before writing a review, try to play the game more than 10 or 30 minutes. Second, every gamer on the planet knows that this game is the legetimate successor to BURNOUT and not MOST WANTED. finaly, stop comparing it to Forza, its a totaly different experience. Forza is a sim racer that let you pay outside of the track. The other is clearly a fast pace adrenaline pumping arcade racer with over the top jumps and crushing crash. For my part, this is a excellent game. It got its flaws but every game does. Its realy Burnout with real cars. Once you get used to the controls and the weight of the car it plays like a charm. Its clear that the single player is not as chunky as Burnout but you got plenty to keep you busy even if you dont play online. It could take you weeks juste to find all short cuts and billboards. I love that i can pick any car i want and try it. Changing cars on the fly is great to. There is no real customisation. Its more like tuning your car to fit the next race. If your a tuning freek and like to spend hours working on you car, look elswhere, this is not a game for you. If you liked Burnout paradise and other arcare racer, you will love this game.… Expand
  43. Gar
    Nov 2, 2012
    4
    This is a half breed for Burnout and Need for Speed. Bad thing is that they picked the worsts parts of both so its really really bad. They use the stupid "always in-game menus" Criterion seems obsessed with. Those menus are both annoying an slow to use. Handling is awful. When your handling has a totally different "mode" for going fast/straight lines and a separate "drift" mechanic, theThis is a half breed for Burnout and Need for Speed. Bad thing is that they picked the worsts parts of both so its really really bad. They use the stupid "always in-game menus" Criterion seems obsessed with. Those menus are both annoying an slow to use. Handling is awful. When your handling has a totally different "mode" for going fast/straight lines and a separate "drift" mechanic, the switch between those has to feel right. Its feels awful which ruins the whole handling. Things are made even worse by bad lightning which sometimes blocks your vision causing you to miss judge your turn-in point. AI is cheap since it uses rubberband so its always close to you. Soundtrack is so bad that the 4th most used button after gas/brake/steering is "skip track". Yeah, cant say anything good about this game expect for the fact that it works and boots up. Please EA, stop making these dumb excuses for a NFS game.

    In short: RIdge Racer Unbouded is a better Burnout expiriecen, Forza Horizon is a better racing game if you want real cars. Blur is also a much much better game.    … Expand
  44. OoTB77oO
    Nov 2, 2012
    7
    OK. I wasn't signed up for this site and I only went on it for the first time today. I only signed up because i was angry at some of these scores and feel I should write my honest review. Some of these reviews are ridiculous, the amount of 1/10s and 0/10s given to this game are beyond stupid. This game, after playing several hours, is a new concept from the starting from scratch type ofOK. I wasn't signed up for this site and I only went on it for the first time today. I only signed up because i was angry at some of these scores and feel I should write my honest review. Some of these reviews are ridiculous, the amount of 1/10s and 0/10s given to this game are beyond stupid. This game, after playing several hours, is a new concept from the starting from scratch type of storyline given with most racers. For me, that is a relief. I love driving around in the best of the best cars, and searching for them all over the map is sooo rewarding. The scenery of the city is amazing, a massive improvement to previous need for speeds, with graphics being just as impressive. The car handling starts off difficult, however unlocking new parts help to eventually turn your favourite car into drift king, being able to do maneuvers which leaves you in awe. The most wanted list brings back memories from the old most wanted, which was my favourite racer of all time, being able to wipe out the most wanted list members and take their car to eventually become the number 1. However, I would understand why people may dislike this game due to not being able to customise the car as much as in the previous games. But not for me, the slick glossy colours of the cars look so sweet I coudn't care less if I don't have some kind of dragon on it. Actually, it probably would ruin it. An issue I did have with the game was the amount of cop cars. They are everywhere. Starting a pursuit by hitting a cop is easy, and could come annoying. But that's not a problem for me, because I love cop chases. Unfortunately, they took away the crashing objects to take out the cops, which i did enjoy. It does however make the pursuits more challenging.

    Overall, I am really happy with this game and am enjoying it, however it doesn't quite live up to the name of the 2005 version. Oh, and the soundtrack is awesome, much better than previous NFS soundtracks.    … Expand
  45. mewshiny
    Nov 7, 2012
    6
    This is not Need for Speed. They should named it Burnout. It has nothing to do with the old NFS Most Wanted. It feels like that even the police is just in the game so they could named it Most Wanted. If you get busted you dont looe any money, nothing, no consequencces for getting busted. The game has good graphics and nice sounds. If you play it without thinking that this is a NFS game,This is not Need for Speed. They should named it Burnout. It has nothing to do with the old NFS Most Wanted. It feels like that even the police is just in the game so they could named it Most Wanted. If you get busted you dont looe any money, nothing, no consequencces for getting busted. The game has good graphics and nice sounds. If you play it without thinking that this is a NFS game, its pretty good and fun to play. So finally, the game itself would be a good sequel for Burnout Paradise but because they had to name it NFS Most Wanted, which has nothing to do with the old Most Wanted or even with any NFS this game isn't worth to buy.… Expand
  46. Xxovich
    Nov 3, 2012
    0
    Worst racing game ever.Steering forces you to drift since its impossible to just do a decent turn and even you did drift you would end up crashing which get you in a 5 second crash cutscene everytime (that annoys the hell out of me) even if its just a side crash which you did on purpose to get your car straight.The physics aren't right at all , you could end up rolling 10 times from a slowWorst racing game ever.Steering forces you to drift since its impossible to just do a decent turn and even you did drift you would end up crashing which get you in a 5 second crash cutscene everytime (that annoys the hell out of me) even if its just a side crash which you did on purpose to get your car straight.The physics aren't right at all , you could end up rolling 10 times from a slow tbone by a police car but you would get a straight jump if you'd hit a ramp with just 2 wheels.Optimization is crap , it gives 20-40 fps in the city and 50 in some areas on my system which gives a stable 60 on any game including BF3.There is no real progression , story or anything , yes you have to work your way through the list if you want a bugatti or a koenigsegg but you can find all the cars around the map except the most wanted ones.I was really excited about this game , I pre-ordered it , couldn't sleep the day before it's release... I was shocked to see what a piece of crap this was. Customization is my favourite thing in racing games and a racing game without customization is not worth to play in my opinion , NFS was the last title for me to expect that situation. I mean WHAT THE HELL?? At least let me choose the paint!? It does let you choose paint in multiplayer but that requires you to do extremely long tasks for a selection between 5 colors.I couldn't believe the crap I was playing so I kept playing for 4 days , I waited for a patch to solve the steering and fps problem , I became the number 1 most wanted in singleplayer (which is the end of the storyline , If you could call that a storyline) and played a few hours on multiplayer.I gave this game too many chances and it failed me every time. I would give it a 0.5 for the good selection of cars but there's no such score in the chart so I give it a 0 and promise not to buy another NFS title made by criterion.… Expand
  47. Andyaaaa
    Nov 3, 2012
    1
    wht a 3rd class game ...wrosted game aver...seen nfs whole series............................................................................................
  48. finnh
    Nov 3, 2012
    5
    The biggest mistake I made going into this game is making the presumption that this would be a Need For Speed game. I also foolishly presumed it would be in the same vein as its namesake, the 2005 hit Need For Speed: Most Wanted. I'd like to start by first listing a few things that game had that made it so appealing.

    -A storyline that was illustrated through both CGI and live action    The biggest mistake I made going into this game is making the presumption that this would be a Need For Speed game. I also foolishly presumed it would be in the same vein as its namesake, the 2005 hit Need For Speed: Most Wanted. I'd like to start by first listing a few things that game had that made it so appealing.

    -A storyline that was illustrated through both CGI and live action cinematics, text messages and voicemails.
    -Characterisation of adversaries that provided incentive.
    -Unscripted police presence and chases during races.
    -Unique and inventive racing modes.
    -Varied destructible environments including vivid large-scale props to break up police chases.
    -A well balanced currency system.
    -A stripped down (compared to Underground 2) but still highly in-depth customisation system that included car performance, visual alterations and body modification.
    -An ongoing heat system that related to specific cars in a realistic manner.
    -Easy access to in-depth chase records.
    -Clear, relevant and varied police chatter.
    -A wide range of police tactics and vehicles.
    -Excellent AI scaling.
    -Repercussions from getting BUSTED.
    -A prologue that adequately explains game mechanics and allows players to trial as they are eased into free roam gameplay.
    -A city that felt varied, inspired and easy to navigate.
    -A sensical GPS system that allowed instant and easy navigation.
    -A choice between automatic and manual.
    -A small degree of music player customisation.

    Go into Critereon's Most Wanted knowing that it has none of this. What you're getting is a bland and decidedly dated feeling free roaming racer. It follows mechanics more akin to Burnout than NFS. This isn't a huge problem, but it is so grating when expecting a different franchise. The city is uninspired, more like something from a GTA-knock off than one of the beautiful cities from Carbon, Most Wanted or even Underground 2. They have stripped back any customisation in all facets to nil for the bro audience. Their alternative is drive-through repair shops (much like the Pay 'n' Spray spots in earlier GTAs) which choose a new car colour for you and repair the small visible damage.
    Most of your time between races is spent eliminating 'collectibles'. These are repetitive billboards and fences half-assedly hidden around the boxed in game world. What's more, the billboards all promote EA and its bought companies. They couldn't even bother creating fictional in-game companies and the few little sparks of character around the world are repeated to the point of mundanity. Seeing 'FML' on a building isn't funny the first time, it won't be the next hundred times either.

    The visuals are good if not at the level expected of a 2012 game but the load times will remind you of how far this game stretches to meet these standards. The cars handle like cartoon vehicles, more like Mario Kart handling than anything NFS have done previously and players will suffer from bizarre unpredictabilities in the nuances of turning corners that the rival racer AI (which never seems to change) never suffer. The police chases are awful. Easy and unvaried. The time it takes to build heat (which resets every time a pursuit ends) is not worth it just to get into a fulfilling chase.

    What really hurts this game is a lack of story. I know that, as a racing game it's not required, but what replaces it is a weak, tinny intro speech that tells you nothing before you're thrown into your first car. After this point, you can do whatever you want. Some people may like the sound of this, but keep in mind doing 'what you want' involves either finding another insta-gain car, smashing one of four possible environment props, entering a chase, or racing in one of the three staple racing modes (time trial, sprint and circuit. yawn). This is fun, don't get me wrong, but for three hours. You have no incentive to race the 10 cars on the Most Wanted list (a pale impression of 2005's MW Blacklist which involved characters with visually unique vehicles) other than to collect another car that feels almost no different and can't be customised to look any differently to the rest.

    The game fails on some very basic mechanics too. Terrible mini-map system, difficult navigation in and out of races (you will lose so many races because there is NO INDICATION to turn unless it's extra unclear in which case the devs popped in a little band-aid arrow border) and the GPS doesn't help at all. You cannot even choose between automatic and manual. It's automatic all the way with uncustomisable music so you can nod your head to 2009's top 20 bro-tunes while you bro-steer through a cardboard cutout environment.

    In short, this game isn't worth your money. It's about $30 worth of solid fun and there's still something to be said there. This game isn't entirely awful, but it's unfinished and there's no reason to have ever called it NFS or MW. It feels like false advertising.    … Expand
  49. beyriq
    Nov 3, 2012
    3
    this game is a horrible abomination of the original. it is not worth half the purchase price and i have never been more disappointed in a game. Hot Pursuit was close, but at least i had no real expectations from that total departure from the success of the earlier versions.

    Why is it so hard to have a game where you can be "naughty", drive a stick, and customize your car? Tuners are    this game is a horrible abomination of the original. it is not worth half the purchase price and i have never been more disappointed in a game. Hot Pursuit was close, but at least i had no real expectations from that total departure from the success of the earlier versions.

    Why is it so hard to have a game where you can be "naughty", drive a stick, and customize your car? Tuners are undoubtedly one of the most popular classes and yet NFS acts as if they don't even exist.

    I am so utterly disappointed.    … Expand
  50. razorice
    Nov 6, 2012
    1
    Nice graphics,rest CRAPPP.Horrible game,do not listen the press specially PSX extreme pl version and others,boring gameplay,old nfsmw 2005 its very good game,NEW mw crap.Do not buy this game,LOST MONEY
  51. sobaka770
    Nov 5, 2012
    3
    I'll make it simple: this game is worse than the previous Criterion outing (NFS Hot Pursuit) and it is worse than the original NFS Most Wanted. This is unacceptable. I know that this is a sequel to Burnout but if Burnout was that boring then I wonder why the sequel was even needed.

    Positives: graphics are sumptuous even if slightly blurry at high speeds. Car selection is respectable and    I'll make it simple: this game is worse than the previous Criterion outing (NFS Hot Pursuit) and it is worse than the original NFS Most Wanted. This is unacceptable. I know that this is a sequel to Burnout but if Burnout was that boring then I wonder why the sequel was even needed.

    Positives: graphics are sumptuous even if slightly blurry at high speeds. Car selection is respectable and the handling is arcadey and easy, which is what everyone should have been expecting (all those comparing it to Forza really should not be reviewing anything).

    And here a long list of negatives:

    - Almost every car has to be found in the city, and no unlocks. This effectively removes any porgression system (that MW list is a joke) and honestly without racing, driving around the city is not fun, and therefore collecting cars from garages, sewers and under the bridge is boring. Let's face it: city is not something that's needed in any racing game. NFSU2 introduced a city and was criticised for it because the city makes everything much less streamlined and who wants to drive around a mesh of buildings? Open city is often a bland place where you can just drive around. Leave that stuff for GTA at least in that game you can run over people, steal all cars and do a gazillion of other things.

    The city in this game only works as an open environment during Police chases. But talking about those:

    - Police chases are too hard and at the same time unfulfilling. If you drive a Ford, you can't win. If you drive an Atom, the chase is over in 10 seconds. The city element doesn't matter. The Police are overly tenacious and the cooldown phase doesn't have hiding spots anymore. You get points for the chase as for racing, but you onlybuild up any consistent heat level that would make the police more alert or send more troops during the same chase. After the chase is over, everything is reset. Once again, the chance to make a consistent progression system has been abandoned. - No customization. How come I could choose the color of my car in Hot Pursuit but in MW it's all random? Compared to the original MW it's a disaster. - Just random weird stuff: police helicopter doesn't exist anymore apparently, you can't drive police cars or use any gadgets from Hot Pursuit. Each car can only participate in 4-5 races to get a fixed set of unlockable upgrades.

    Look, if you want a good arcadey NFS game. The Hot Pursuit released 2 years ago is much more fun and is now probably sold for 10-20$. If you want a good game with cop chases in the city, take the original Most Wanted for 0-5$ and despite the older graphics, it still rocks!! This game is a disaster and while I think that it didn't follow up on its predecessors' success as to not to compete with it, well... that made for one hell of a boring and derivative game.    … Expand
  52. BSEI
    Nov 5, 2012
    2
    The game is a bad, bad fail. Do not spend your money on the game, you will regret it. It is however fun and enjoyable for small children or mentally challenged, the same as Mario Kart is. 1. Graphics. This is something positive about the game, it has great graphics..... if you have the hardware to enjoy it. There are severe frame rate drops, it feels chunky in most areas of the map, but,The game is a bad, bad fail. Do not spend your money on the game, you will regret it. It is however fun and enjoyable for small children or mentally challenged, the same as Mario Kart is. 1. Graphics. This is something positive about the game, it has great graphics..... if you have the hardware to enjoy it. There are severe frame rate drops, it feels chunky in most areas of the map, but, it looks great. 2. Story line: non.
    3. Customization: just above 0.
    4. Handling: horrible, and I mean horrible. Horrible with a racing wheel, horrible with a gaming pad, horrible with a joystick and even more horrible with the keyboard. You can not even adjust the sensibility of the controller to try to compensate for the horrible handling. 5. Races: in case you manage to deal with the handling issues of the game and not crash, you actually can win. If some random car in the traffic does not hit you. The AI of the other racers is ok, but they posses some paranormal ability to jump through space right beneath you, but this rare, most of the time you will crash. 6. Cop chases: the cops have the ability of 360 degrees X-ray vision and, most of the time, can overtake you when you drive a Lambo, have better traction on dirt than you on asphalt, and their cars handle much better than yours.
    7. The playing: well... it is somewhat fun and you get to drive all cars around the small map. With drive I meant crash allover the place. If you plan only to drive around, crash, and deal with super cops in super cars, this game is for you. The rest of the game is worthless. Another positive aspect is that my kids really enjoy the game (age 6 and 8), they are familiar with the start and race style of the game from Mario Kart and do not need any help form grownups. Although I bought the game for myself, which I utterly regret, because my kids play it, only 90% of the price is a waste of money, which is better than 100%. If you do not have kids, are not slow minded of retarded, or have such in your family, do not buy the game! You where warned.    … Expand
  53. StealthWraith
    Nov 10, 2012
    0
    Stick with 2005s NFS most wanted try it on PC with new textures and car mods cause criterion should stop making racing games. the promblems with it is there frequent crash cam breaks the flow of the game to a point where it becomes frustrating to play. they also left out what made the original so good, a decent story with progression, customization, drag racing, speed breakers as wellStick with 2005s NFS most wanted try it on PC with new textures and car mods cause criterion should stop making racing games. the promblems with it is there frequent crash cam breaks the flow of the game to a point where it becomes frustrating to play. they also left out what made the original so good, a decent story with progression, customization, drag racing, speed breakers as well as pursuit breakers and choppers. w/o the pursuit breakers the cop chases in this game are lifeless and you have no real way of escaping them especially with the rubber banding. the ps3 version also suffers from longer load times graphics are the only positive thing bout the game… Expand
  54. TheTouch
    Sep 5, 2013
    4
    This game is simply not enjoyable in any way other than the visuals, which are the only reason that it didn't get a lower score. The handling of the cars is truly abysmal even the Ariel Atom handles like a boat. And escaping the police is an exercise in frustration, often escalating to the point where the most you can do is lower your wanted level a little before an eagle-eyedThis game is simply not enjoyable in any way other than the visuals, which are the only reason that it didn't get a lower score. The handling of the cars is truly abysmal even the Ariel Atom handles like a boat. And escaping the police is an exercise in frustration, often escalating to the point where the most you can do is lower your wanted level a little before an eagle-eyed patrolman positively identifies you through a crack in a fence from 2 miles away.

    I want to love this game, but I absolutely cannot stand to play it for another moment.    … Expand
  55. mvh2011
    Dec 1, 2012
    0
    if you are expecting NFS MW from 05 you will be highly disappointed. the name itself is selling this game not its plot. there is literally NO story line, no sence of completion, no customization, or even a drive to win.
    although the graphics are good, the physics are poor. pacman gives this games storyline a run for its money. you can start of with a ford gt or a lambo, so it takes away    if you are expecting NFS MW from 05 you will be highly disappointed. the name itself is selling this game not its plot. there is literally NO story line, no sence of completion, no customization, or even a drive to win.
    although the graphics are good, the physics are poor. pacman gives this games storyline a run for its money. you can start of with a ford gt or a lambo, so it takes away the fun in racing your way up from a junk car to a supercar, to be honest its HARD to find a car from the start with a 0-60 thats slower then 3 seconds. customization is limited to 5 things with 5 races to unlock them for EVERY car. who wants to do the same thing over and over for the same part for a different car... all you ever do is the first race to get nos... finally the is no drive to get away from the police considering if you get caught you don't lose a thing or even inconvienianced in any way. this game truly is a failure and a disgrace to the gaming community. this is quite possibly the worst game i have ever purchased, and seeing as how its such a poor excuse for a game it will probably be on the $20 rack soon. if you want to give 60 bucks to a bum, give it to the alcoholic on the side of the road, not these criterion guys, they're a joke.    … Expand
  56. polalion
    Dec 22, 2012
    3
    I haven't found myself frustrated at a NFS game since Prostreet. Trying to mash Burnout mechanics into the game was a **** move and the cam that happens every single time you even touch something is frankly irritating. The focus on the "social" aspect in the game has ruined it. I don't want to compare stupid times with friends, I just want to race clean races without having to restartI haven't found myself frustrated at a NFS game since Prostreet. Trying to mash Burnout mechanics into the game was a **** move and the cam that happens every single time you even touch something is frankly irritating. The focus on the "social" aspect in the game has ruined it. I don't want to compare stupid times with friends, I just want to race clean races without having to restart every event 20 times.

    You can say I suck at the game but I don't remember having this problem with previous titles in the franchise. So far I've spent about 2 hours on it and having to change cars all the time and repeating events in all of them are frankly mind boggling. Climbing the Most Wanted list does not feel like a significant achievement at all.

    Glad I borrowed it from a friend instead of buying this piece of ****    … Expand
  57. Greng
    Dec 30, 2012
    7
    This is a sublime street racing game, one of the best of it's kind. The autolog is more innovative than you may realise and allows fluid transitions between different cars and locations (races).

    The only truly frustrating aspect is the way DLC content is forced into the game itself. You see a new car-jack spot and head over to claim your new car only to be taken to the in-game store    This is a sublime street racing game, one of the best of it's kind. The autolog is more innovative than you may realise and allows fluid transitions between different cars and locations (races).

    The only truly frustrating aspect is the way DLC content is forced into the game itself. You see a new car-jack spot and head over to claim your new car only to be taken to the in-game store to buy the right to use the content. DLC is here and can actually be used to breathe new life into titles but to have it severely impact on the fluidity of the game unless you pay for it is a real let down.    … Expand
  58. JJMY
    Apr 3, 2013
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I get myself into a chase by cop, I've found it pretty much impossible, I get out of the circle of sight, but I don't enter Cooldown?
    I've tried running on the highway, no good tip toeing around the construction area, no good hanging around a repair station, turn off engine.... no good!!

    IF I do ever manage to break sight of the cops, they have such a wide area of sight I'm finding it impossible to "hide". There also seems to be an infinite number of cops around?!

    Please tell me I'm doing something wrong as this is not fun at all    … Expand
  59. TheDeadSerious
    Oct 14, 2013
    8
    I thoroughly enjoy this game. Once I got a hang of the reward and open world mechanics I found it immensely satisfying to gather the points needed to unlock the next Most Wanted challenge. The cars really have different handling, and the power-ups like different gear ratios that you unlock by winning races have a huge impact on them. The graphics are impressive, the controls feelI thoroughly enjoy this game. Once I got a hang of the reward and open world mechanics I found it immensely satisfying to gather the points needed to unlock the next Most Wanted challenge. The cars really have different handling, and the power-ups like different gear ratios that you unlock by winning races have a huge impact on them. The graphics are impressive, the controls feel responsive and the engines roar when attached to a stereo. What I find somewhat frustrating is the amount of luck involved sometimes: The police and traffic appear somewhat randomly, and if you're out of luck you'll crash without any chance of avoiding it shortly before the end of a 5 minute race. The uncertainty does add some additional thrill on the other hand. Also, the rubber-band is somewhat annoying. While it is very hard to win a race when you accidentally crash more than a 2-3 times, opponents are always close behind you even if you do a perfect display and should be way out front, so any mistake leads to a lost race. What I also found annoying is the aggressive promotion of DLC-stuff. It is in all the regular menus and the DLC-cars can be found around town just like the other ones, just until you approach them to switch and see a "Hit Button to go to store" instead of "to switch cars". All in all a very fun arcade racing game.… Expand
  60. dkracing
    Jul 22, 2013
    0
    I have owned and played every NFS game since NFS 2 SE for PC, and I'm probably the biggest racing-junkie out there. I don't come out and write reviews too often, but this game really made me want to come out and express my displeasure.

    When I first heard about Criterion making a "sequel" to the original Need For Speed Most Wanted, I was extremely excited. Criterion made Burnout Paradise    I have owned and played every NFS game since NFS 2 SE for PC, and I'm probably the biggest racing-junkie out there. I don't come out and write reviews too often, but this game really made me want to come out and express my displeasure.

    When I first heard about Criterion making a "sequel" to the original Need For Speed Most Wanted, I was extremely excited. Criterion made Burnout Paradise (Once of the funnest racing games this generation), Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (Another great game), and here they are making the long awaited sequel that fans have been begging for YEARS (Youtube, Facebook. Every video fan asked for a new NFS MW)

    Boy, they really let all of them down.

    Of course, no one knew any better before it came out. Positive reviews were coming out a few days before launch, and I would even check Google news every few hours for any new info on it. I pre-ordered the Limited Edition for $60.

    It came in 2 days after launch, and I immediately put it in. And was immediately disappointed.

    There are examples of the devs being CHEAP everywhere you look. There are only 2 car views (compared to the original: 4 views) The licensed soundtrack is HORRIBLE (I turned it off after about 5 min) The "career mode" is NOTHING. It is far too easy, and didn't make me want to come back to play the game. You just drove around doing random races for not real purpose. Oh and no split-screen! If that isn't cutting corners, I don't know what is. The freaking GAMECUBE ORIGINAL HAD SPLIT/SCREEN! Seven years ago! And they can't do that today!

    Probably biggest letdown though: Overall, it was not fun to play. Cars handled like TANKS. While in Burnout Paradise it took SKILL and good reflexes to get by traffic at blazing speeds, here you will crash out in random situations. MANY TIMES. I consider myself an excellent racer, and when I keep crashing for BS reasons too many times, there is a problem. (There is also too much traffic, as if they want you to continue to keep crashing out.)

    You drive around, "hijacking" whatever car you see. You get no feeling of "accomplishment" and again is extremely boring. No visual customization (but you can change the paint by going through repair shops. Its random too. Common, this is so pathetic that they completely IGNORED the BEST PART about the original game!)

    Cop chases was the best mode in the original MW. It was very dramatic, and was it was fun smashing into cop cars (WITHOUT "CRASHING OUT" YOUR OWN CAR EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH SOMETHING) and knocking donuts shops over, blowing up gas stations. It was very cool. In this game however, it is a total JOKE. There is no dramatic music, no things to knock over. If they replaced those with something else, I would be happy. But no. The cops are SUPER DUMB, and will try to take yo out no matter what (the original, they also tried to spin you out, but again you wouldn't get "crashed out".)This makes for REAL BORING cop chases. I didn't even try in them, because nothing happened to you if you were caught! (The original had cool videos, and you would have to pay with money or impound you're car.)

    Looking at the online stuff, it's obvious Criterion spent most of their time here. And I admit, I give them some credit for making a somewhat decent system. Too bad they ENCOURAGED players to take each other out(Yes, they give you points for this)! I wouldn't go 30 seconds without someone smashing into me. This is not real racing. And no way is fun. Anyone who says otherwise is either brainwashed from all the mediocre games lately, or works for EA.

    In the end, this is more of a "reboot" and new interpretation of the term "Most Wanted". If they tried to make something original that was fun--they failed. If they intended to make a direct sequel--COMPLETE FAIL. This game gave me no enjoyment, and is currently sitting on Craigslist for $30. (Funny fact: the game was $35 everywhere 2 weeks after it came out. Thanks guys!)

    I will never pre-order a NFS game again. EA had every reason in the world to make this a fun, enjoyable game. And failed. They are ANNIHILATING the fans that have been here for them since the beginning. While the original game was fun, and overall a well-polished AAA game, here we have a over-rated CR@P that is a COMPLETE disgrace the Need for Speed series and racing games nowadays. Criterion must be INSANE to think they made a great game. The "professional" critics have not played the earlier NFS games: back when they were well-polished fun, long-lasting experiences to realize that this is total CR@P. They are praising mediocre games that do not have any heart or soul (I guarantee the older NFS games had a bigger budget and had more man-hours into them. That's why they are still great today!)    … Expand
  61. GunnerNiv
    Nov 10, 2013
    1
    Worst driving physics of any racing game. I got the game free from PS Plus so can't complain too much, however I'd be gutted if I'd paid for it. When driving you feel as though you only have 50% influence on what happens to the car when doing races, you kind of need to guide the car rather than drive it and hope it lurches and bounces in the right direction.

    Need for speed has never    Worst driving physics of any racing game. I got the game free from PS Plus so can't complain too much, however I'd be gutted if I'd paid for it. When driving you feel as though you only have 50% influence on what happens to the car when doing races, you kind of need to guide the car rather than drive it and hope it lurches and bounces in the right direction.

    Need for speed has never been known for realism but this sets the standard for woeful driving experiences. Avoid if you're buying, but if you're getting it for free, don't expect anything close to a driving sim, it's awful.    … Expand
  62. Lewa
    Feb 22, 2014
    8
    Don't trust the other reviewers. This is a great game, and a big improvment from Hot Pursuit. I like how it is open world, doesn't feel to linear, and the races and chases are mega intense. The speed point system is good, and not to complex. And contrary to popular belief, there is a consequence for being busted by the cops. During the pursuits, you rack up speed points, but they only giveDon't trust the other reviewers. This is a great game, and a big improvment from Hot Pursuit. I like how it is open world, doesn't feel to linear, and the races and chases are mega intense. The speed point system is good, and not to complex. And contrary to popular belief, there is a consequence for being busted by the cops. During the pursuits, you rack up speed points, but they only give them to you if you escape. If you are busted, you gain NOTHING. For example, I was saving up speed points for my next most wanted race, and this one particular pursuit ran very long, about 40 minutes. Sounds boring, right? No. This one was filled with epic moments and high speed. I had about 40,000 speed points in the pursuit, the heat levels were in 5 or 6, and I knew that if I was busted, all that hard work would lead to nothing. I escaped by going up into a train track and waiting it out. One of the best feeling you can get from a game. Sure the handling feels a bit vague, and it can get really frustrating really quickly, but this is one of the best racers on the market so far.… Expand
  63. AndiD018
    Dec 15, 2013
    0
    I'm a huge fan of the first NFS Most Wanted, but the 2012 one is just awful. Graphics wise it is great, but the gameplay is horrible. It's almost impossible to win races and there is absolutely no sense of accomplishment in this game. You have all the cars unlocked from the beginning, but that doesn't even matter, since the AI opponents are always right behind you, no matter what car youI'm a huge fan of the first NFS Most Wanted, but the 2012 one is just awful. Graphics wise it is great, but the gameplay is horrible. It's almost impossible to win races and there is absolutely no sense of accomplishment in this game. You have all the cars unlocked from the beginning, but that doesn't even matter, since the AI opponents are always right behind you, no matter what car you drive or how many times you crash into them.… Expand
  64. RC140
    Feb 10, 2014
    1
    This is stupid, I had the impression it was a remake of the original PS2 game to be greatly disappointed, the PS2 game is even better than this garbage. Only good if all you care about is graphics and lacks story based reason or motive for becoming most wanted.
  65. mclure
    Aug 23, 2014
    10
    Criterion did a good job, altough it differs from PC, it's about gameplay, the graphics of the PS3 is good and the cars are really great to drive, though crashing happens but it doesn't really stops you from completing the game, unless you're looking for a harder challenge of getting gold medals and unlock all parts. There is also different parts and you can combine them to make yourCriterion did a good job, altough it differs from PC, it's about gameplay, the graphics of the PS3 is good and the cars are really great to drive, though crashing happens but it doesn't really stops you from completing the game, unless you're looking for a harder challenge of getting gold medals and unlock all parts. There is also different parts and you can combine them to make your customized car and unlock their pro variants for a bigger boost. I specially like the Subaru WRX STI Hatchback which is the one I first did customize fully to my taste, and Lancer, more specifically everyday cars, they are also fun to race with and doesn't crash as much.… Expand
  66. Explicit0ne
    Sep 23, 2014
    1
    Let me start by saying this is not a "need for speed" game at all. It's a burnout game that they slap the N.F.S title to it. There is no story unlike the original, although this iteration keeps the premise of racing all ten most wanted racers. To obtain cars, they are scatter through out the entire game and you must find them to use them. Also when when you beat any of the most wantedLet me start by saying this is not a "need for speed" game at all. It's a burnout game that they slap the N.F.S title to it. There is no story unlike the original, although this iteration keeps the premise of racing all ten most wanted racers. To obtain cars, they are scatter through out the entire game and you must find them to use them. Also when when you beat any of the most wanted racers to get their car you must crash into them to receive them. I pretty sure am beating a dead horse here but there is no customizations to make your vehicle stand out, just a minor change up in the performance section which all it really is slapping on new tires, nos, and changing the gear ratio. In the original most wanted to escape from the cops you had traps when triggered a giant doughnut would crush any pursuing officers and many more. There was also cooling spot where you would hide from the police which helps to decrease the heat. In this version to escape from the fuzz you have to out run them and no matter where you hide they will always check where you're hiding as well. Not to mention this no incentive to run from the cops anyways since they don't impound your car or fine you. One of my pet peeves within this game is the big crash scene, as you're racing you tend to make mistakes and one of them is crashing into other cars or other immovable objects. Then cue the third person version while watching your car rolling over and over again. Now this feature is cool for the first time but not thousandth which they should've made an option to turn this off or on. The driving mechanics is unbearable you tend to drift most of the time and most races tend to go "off-road" which makes you car really slow and the track is made up half of pavement and half dirt roads. While the A.I. is flying through the dirt section you have the option to put on the off-road tires but it's slides when driving on asphalt (Big catch 22). There are few cars in game and if you want more, what do you know you have buy the DLCs which i am not a big fan of. All am saying is i rather get "grid auto-sport" or "gran turismo"… Expand
  67. DerpyFanta
    Dec 30, 2014
    0
    Race around... Do all that stuff... Annoy the cops... Get them chase after you... Be the ultimate racer... Get bored five seconds later... Put the game back in the box... That's it... Leave it alone... Maybe forever...
    Ok.. My point is - Its not the best =/.
  68. Andjelico95
    May 26, 2015
    3
    Yeah, this game have nice graphics, excellent car sounds, cool cinematic effects and sounds, but it seems EA forgot the gameplay. It's too repetitive, and there is no interesting goals. The only goal is to be the number 1 on the Most Wanted list, and that is not so interesting for me.

    Another thing is crashing with your car on this game, it's so annoying. You need to see a small crash    Yeah, this game have nice graphics, excellent car sounds, cool cinematic effects and sounds, but it seems EA forgot the gameplay. It's too repetitive, and there is no interesting goals. The only goal is to be the number 1 on the Most Wanted list, and that is not so interesting for me.

    Another thing is crashing with your car on this game, it's so annoying. You need to see a small crash cutscene Everytime you crash on a wall/car.

    Racing on this game is absolutely boring. You don't need skills, only luck. If you are on the first place, the cars behind you will become much faster, even the "slow" police cars that are chasing you are much faster than your supercar.

    I will not play this game again.    … Expand
  69. ty92
    Mar 21, 2020
    0
    The original Most Wanted is my all time favourite racing game. So I'm giving this game a 0/10 for calling it the same thing. I haven't even played it. I heard it's like Burnout and I love Burnout Paradise. But calling it Need for Speed Most Wanted is just confusing for people now... When I tell people my favourite racing game is most wanted now I have to make sure I tell them it's theThe original Most Wanted is my all time favourite racing game. So I'm giving this game a 0/10 for calling it the same thing. I haven't even played it. I heard it's like Burnout and I love Burnout Paradise. But calling it Need for Speed Most Wanted is just confusing for people now... When I tell people my favourite racing game is most wanted now I have to make sure I tell them it's the original Most Wanted... And with this new one I hear it doesn't have a story or blacklist? Wtf… Expand
  70. DeeZaster
    Nov 1, 2012
    2
    This game is one of the worst driving games in the series of NFS racing with super cheesy adverts. To start with the adverts, all the billboards you smash through are labelled with EA bought companies like DICE, BIOWARE etc... and this is far from a NFS title, its a Burnout title and I want my money back this game is just horrid. First while your driving your constantly blinded by theThis game is one of the worst driving games in the series of NFS racing with super cheesy adverts. To start with the adverts, all the billboards you smash through are labelled with EA bought companies like DICE, BIOWARE etc... and this is far from a NFS title, its a Burnout title and I want my money back this game is just horrid. First while your driving your constantly blinded by the super whiteout sun 25% of the time and even using the calibration, its subpar after calibration is still used for brightness and contrast, this is unacceptable. Second is the lag with controllers. Your usually hitting a lot of things because the car continues to turn even after you've readjusted your stick on your controller, it just seems to still steer for a second after a lot, not always but a lot which makes driving unpredictable. Having no customization options just sucks, whatever happened to need for speed underground where you could soop up your ride the way you wanted, with the parts you wanted and even the style. This joke of a game you just drive through a gas station and your ride is instantly fixed and colour changed, COME ON can you get any more mickey mouse job of making a game than this? The graphics are decent, nothing spectacular but this game is a MAJOR rush job and just quickly put together with social features nobody uses. The cop chases usually last for an hour because they constantly are on your tail and so many keep respawning, its a joke. I've been parked by the side of the road my first time in the game, no heat on me, while I was setting up the settings and got back to game and BOOM a cop just busted me, this was f**ked! The other annoying thing about this game is while your driving and hitting objects its like a cop's cherries are flashing behind you each time you hit an object, its very distracting and not sure why they are flashing white and blue when you hit any object like a light pole.

    SERIOUS GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK! After these few hours I seriously can't take it no more, this game is in the trash. This game isn't even better than the RUN (the last NFS game) when it first game out and that is VERY BAD. I really miss the games last the old most wanted where it had a story, if this game even had a story it would be something to play for, in its current state I don't ever want to play this game again.

    This game only gets a HURTING 2/10, I gave it 1 extra point cuz I didn't crash to desktop once at least.    … Expand
  71. ststst
    Nov 2, 2012
    0
    Ничего не понимаю
  72. dante01
    Nov 3, 2012
    1
    worst game ever for need for speed they just spoil the name of the best series most wanted it a horrible word they give customization to show off in reality there is no customization every looks same...................dnt spoil the name of most wanted if u don't know how to make a better sequel.......
  73. Neutro
    Nov 3, 2012
    1
    totally disappointed nxt level of gamin fun was xpected
    visual effect r well enough rest its jus a waste of tym
    EA should have work more before realeasing it
    dis game might have work for sum graphics lover but disatisfied many gamers around d globe
    PEACE-
  74. thwack
    Nov 7, 2012
    0
    I'm writing this because I see there are more positive reviews than negative ones. I don't believe they had ever played the game. I would rather trust they are some criterion hired morons posting positive reviews to get more people on bait.
    This is the WORST racing game I ever played . I play from NFS1 and I love the NFS5Porsche and NFS9MW. After play 30min of this CRAP I simply want to    I'm writing this because I see there are more positive reviews than negative ones. I don't believe they had ever played the game. I would rather trust they are some criterion hired morons posting positive reviews to get more people on bait.
    This is the WORST racing game I ever played . I play from NFS1 and I love the NFS5Porsche and NFS9MW. After play 30min of this CRAP I simply want to uninstall this piece of **** The speed meter shows 200km/h but it feels like 40km/h and it is struggle to overtake even the street cars. And it feels like you are skating on the ice when taking the turns. And the SUN REALLY MAKES YOU BLIND. YOU CAN SEE NOTHING ON THE ROAD WHEN DRIVING AGAINST THE SUN. DO I NEED TO WEAR SUN GLASSES?
    Makes me wanna puke.    … Expand
  75. STR_Launch
    Oct 30, 2012
    1
    A 1 on graphics, they're pretty good. Otherwise the game is just not worth buying. No change in auto or manual and the cars feel ultra clunky. I'm not sure why they even release this, the 1st NFS Most Wanted was way better.
  76. Sykopath79
    Oct 31, 2012
    0
    Waste of money. I don't understand how EA could allow Criterion to develop such a steaming pile of dung like this. Reading the 10 rated reviews, I'm asking myself if most of them have even played the game, or are they just posting 10s cause of the name. Here's a quick breakdown:

    Pros: -Graphics are incredible, this is a very pretty game. -Large selection of cars. -Allows you to    Waste of money. I don't understand how EA could allow Criterion to develop such a steaming pile of dung like this. Reading the 10 rated reviews, I'm asking myself if most of them have even played the game, or are they just posting 10s cause of the name. Here's a quick breakdown:

    Pros:
    -Graphics are incredible, this is a very pretty game.
    -Large selection of cars.
    -Allows you to compare races, events, etc. with friends.

    Cons:
    -Incessant flashing of the speed cameras and transitions gave me a headache.
    -Glaring lack of customization options, and what few are there, don't amount to much.
    -Play camera options are either a bumper position with a slightly upward angle, or your standard close rear overhead.
    -Crash camera is annoying simply because I have no choice but to watch a slow motion video of my car crashing, it was cool the first few times, but now I just want to turn it off.

    Overall this game feels like it's still in beta. EA should have waited another couple of months development before releasing this.    … Expand
  77. DiscardingSkin
    Nov 1, 2012
    6
    If you're a fan of Burnout Paradise. You'll like this game. From everything I saw about this game. Told me about the customizing. Like an old NFS game. None of that is in this. Sure, you can "tune" your car. Kind of. To select a car, you cant just buy it. You have to find it. And painting. No choice. Drive through a random booth and it does a random color. Plus the steering.. Turn right.If you're a fan of Burnout Paradise. You'll like this game. From everything I saw about this game. Told me about the customizing. Like an old NFS game. None of that is in this. Sure, you can "tune" your car. Kind of. To select a car, you cant just buy it. You have to find it. And painting. No choice. Drive through a random booth and it does a random color. Plus the steering.. Turn right. Pull off the analog stick. And it's still turning right. In my opinion, if you had to choose between this and Forza Horizon. Forza it is..… Expand
  78. Cartteros
    Nov 5, 2012
    9
    I'll be serious here. People don't know what they want. Actually, they do. THEY WANTED A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL MOST WANTED. They're so biased by that idea they don't even try to enjoy the present Most Wanted that, by the way, is an awesome game. People put all their efforts on hating a game that's actually good just for the sake of the game not being what the first was. I know, it lacksI'll be serious here. People don't know what they want. Actually, they do. THEY WANTED A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL MOST WANTED. They're so biased by that idea they don't even try to enjoy the present Most Wanted that, by the way, is an awesome game. People put all their efforts on hating a game that's actually good just for the sake of the game not being what the first was. I know, it lacks aesthetic customization of the car, there's no time break, or whatever that thing of slowing the time is called, BUT Most Wanted 2 has a sweet gameplay, astounding graphics and is **** fun. People **** about this game are just haters and don't deserve attention. I say, if you like arcade racers, Need For Speed included, this is a must play for you. It has much little in common with the previous Most Wanted, but is still a remarkable game, awesome to play with your friends or to spend hours wandering in its open world. The cars are gorgeous, the EasyDrive menu is easy to use and functional and the game takes a 9 from me. It doesn't take a 10 because it don't have body customization. But it doesn't spoil the fun.… Expand
  79. DonMega
    Nov 1, 2012
    0
    Horrible graphics, boring gameplay, absolutely no story, boring soundtrack and too easy to get any car. The handling is weird and heavy / loose, very hard to describe but you crash a lot. Sometimes I go very slow and the car still crash. The races force you to take out opponents and if you race a bit ahead of the other AI they sling shot on the mini map right behind you which is justHorrible graphics, boring gameplay, absolutely no story, boring soundtrack and too easy to get any car. The handling is weird and heavy / loose, very hard to describe but you crash a lot. Sometimes I go very slow and the car still crash. The races force you to take out opponents and if you race a bit ahead of the other AI they sling shot on the mini map right behind you which is just retarded. The last nfs I loved in the series was NFS Most Wanted the first. Also the graphics are so bad sometimes and jagged at night that you can't see anything ahead and end up crashing. This game is a huge disappointment. All the high ratings like IGN and others are definitely paid reviews as there is no way in hell this game is any good.… Expand
  80. bigdaddyswoll
    Nov 4, 2012
    3
    Unless you enjoy frustration avoid this game. Everyone has already touched on the lack any sort of customizing and the retarded way of attaining cars. Also the rubber band AI in off line play is horrible. Cops blowing by you when you are driving some of the fastest exotics in the world. Online play is by far the worst disappointment. I loved hot pursuit, and when criterion took overUnless you enjoy frustration avoid this game. Everyone has already touched on the lack any sort of customizing and the retarded way of attaining cars. Also the rubber band AI in off line play is horrible. Cops blowing by you when you are driving some of the fastest exotics in the world. Online play is by far the worst disappointment. I loved hot pursuit, and when criterion took over for this game i was very excited. Wow what a letdown. Online sucks. First there is no rhyme or reason to who wins in take downs with other players. Sitting still and they hit you, they get a take down, running wide open and smash them while they sit still..they still get a take down. There is no logic to it at all. I found 90% of the time it didn't matter what the situation was whoever i was involved in a crash with got credit for the take down. Next is the total lack of variety. After about 5 times playing online i was playing the same lame challenges over again already. Racing online and off it is very confusing to keep up with where to go while driving. Some challenges require you to be on different levels of a building and don't make it clear. Retarded king of the hill type challenges when mixed with my earlier complaint about take downs become a real nightmare to your nerves. I swear you could be in a tank and they hit you in ford focus and somehow you will see your tank fly through the air and them get take down credit. I am going to bite the bullet and trade this in tomorrow...no fun, and no sense to this game at all. Music was horrible to top it off.… Expand
  81. AustraliaMan
    Nov 7, 2012
    9
    A lot of people have INCORRECTLY said that there is NO penalty for being arrested, this statement is very WRONG.
    I just had a car chase with the police that lasted over 40 minutes, during the chase, I gathered 53,872 speed points (experience) that I LOST when the police manged to put and end to my city wide rampage by taking out my tires and trapping me in a rail tunnel...
    Had I managed    A lot of people have INCORRECTLY said that there is NO penalty for being arrested, this statement is very WRONG.
    I just had a car chase with the police that lasted over 40 minutes, during the chase, I gathered 53,872 speed points (experience) that I LOST when the police manged to put and end to my city wide rampage by taking out my tires and trapping me in a rail tunnel...
    Had I managed to escape them I would have been given those points for the car I was driving and would have been able to upgrade it in many different ways.
    A 40 minute car chase may sound boring but I can tell you, it was some of the most amazing and thrilling action I have every witnessed in a video game with stunts and crashes that would have put Hollywood to shame.
    I strongly recommend this game, give it a chance, you wont be sorry.    … Expand
  82. GeeRodKee
    Nov 4, 2012
    8
    I
  83. Reverz
    Oct 31, 2012
    8
    The graphics are what they should be, the sound is good and game has imo the best soundtrack any EA has had in the last 5 year. The handling seems a bit stiff at first but after a good hour of play you pretty much get used to it and it's no longer an issue. Lastly the autolog 2.0 is everything autolog 1.0 was and more: it basically keeps track of everything you do in the game, not justThe graphics are what they should be, the sound is good and game has imo the best soundtrack any EA has had in the last 5 year. The handling seems a bit stiff at first but after a good hour of play you pretty much get used to it and it's no longer an issue. Lastly the autolog 2.0 is everything autolog 1.0 was and more: it basically keeps track of everything you do in the game, not just race times but also the speeds at which you pass a traffic cam or the distance you jump through a billboard. It's all there so for pretty much everything you do in this game, you can see how you're doing compared to your friends.

    So much for the good things. The game has one major downside... it just lacks any sense of progress. The least they could've done is wrap the singleplayer up in a storyline. It didn't even have to be a super exciting story, just ANY basic story (like in the previous Most Wanted or Carbon) would've been fine. Instead, all you do now is drive around the map, looking for new cars. Once you get a car you win 5 races with it and you go on to the next car, rinse and repeat. The only thing that interupts this routine are the 10 Most Wanted drivers you can challenge, altho challenge is a bad word, destroy seems to be the better option.

    I have not yet tried the multiplayer part of the game. I am assuming, like usual for me, that this part of the game will be more exiting.

    All in all, it's a good game but they missed quite a few chances here to merge Need for Speed & Burnout together into a fantastic piece. Instead the game just feels like a dumbed down version of Burnout with the Need for Speed cars instead of fictional ones. Neither of the two fanbases will be extatic with how this game turned out.

    PS: I would like to say: people that complain about the lack of manual transmission should shut up. This is an arcade racer, if you want manual transmission go play a simulation. Arcade racers aren't supposed to have all kinds of fancy crap like detailed **** view or steering wheel support, they are about hitting the gas as much and often as you can and Most Wanted gives you exactly that.    … Expand
  84. as-per-chief
    Nov 2, 2012
    2
    After playing Forza horizon and having loved hot pursuit, I can honestly say that Most wanted is terrible. This game should have been purchased for $20 as a play while waiting for a new release to play. This is the kind of game thats 90% hype 10% fun to play. After 1 hour I was bored.
  85. EternalDragon
    Nov 3, 2012
    0
    Really disappointed with Most wanted, boring easy single player, you are handed everything, just holds your hand through everything
    A RACING GAME DOESNT NEED TO BE OPEN WOLRD, they focused on that too much, No split screen, online police chases, random cut scene before each race whats that about? random paint jobs dont know who thought that was a good idea that you cant chose you color.    Really disappointed with Most wanted, boring easy single player, you are handed everything, just holds your hand through everything
    A RACING GAME DOESNT NEED TO BE OPEN WOLRD, they focused on that too much, No split screen, online police chases, random cut scene before each race whats that about? random paint jobs dont know who thought that was a good idea that you cant chose you color. Theres too much focus on online multi player my mates dont play racing games and online i keep playing with people who dont speak the same language.
    Unstructured races miss a checkpoint and game over, races are like GTA races, No helicopter, EMP, Turbo, only 2 camera angles, No manual transmission, bland and boring map    … Expand
  86. Critique_101
    Nov 3, 2012
    2
    This game was not Need for Speed. I'm not sure why they're trying to achieve similarities with a title that is no longer active (Burnout). The graphics of this game are astounding but other than that the game falls flat. There is no story line, a very lame excuse for a customization system and no heart to the game whatsoever. In single player mode you're essentially racing against a listThis game was not Need for Speed. I'm not sure why they're trying to achieve similarities with a title that is no longer active (Burnout). The graphics of this game are astounding but other than that the game falls flat. There is no story line, a very lame excuse for a customization system and no heart to the game whatsoever. In single player mode you're essentially racing against a list of numbers and the multiplayer mode can be fun but again, the visual customization to the cars are nonexistent therefore it feels as if you're driving generic cars and that takes all the fun out of it. I miss the good old days of the original Most Wanted and Carbon where one could be completely immersed in the storyline and overwhelmed by the level of unique customization. The majority of the positive reviews you see on this website are from Burnout fans and there is nothing wrong with that but this game isn't Burnout. As fans of the Need for Speed title we continued to support the game due to its unique qualities and completely one of a kind gameplay both of which are completely absent from this title… Expand
  87. bears
    Dec 9, 2012
    10
    If you're looking for a replica of the PS2 title, save your money and your review. That being said, if you're looking for one amazing racing game on all fronts (gameplay, presentation, graphics) then this will blow your mind. I've logged hours upon hours and keep finding nuances that make my heart race while I maintain a huge smile on my face. Outrunning the cops has never felt this good.If you're looking for a replica of the PS2 title, save your money and your review. That being said, if you're looking for one amazing racing game on all fronts (gameplay, presentation, graphics) then this will blow your mind. I've logged hours upon hours and keep finding nuances that make my heart race while I maintain a huge smile on my face. Outrunning the cops has never felt this good. Well done!!… Expand
  88. projectahmed
    Nov 24, 2012
    9
    This game is CRAZY. The open world is so big but lost, The cars are hottest, The pursuit is massive but dangerous and is more experiancble then The Run. This is the only need for speed game i love, since hot pursuit and shift 2 unleashed.
  89. McCorkhill
    Nov 9, 2012
    9
    It is very, very hard to rate this game. I'll admit that. Let's start with the bad things. There is no storyline in this game, just the basic ladder of Most Wanted Cars to climb, defeat and claim. There is no visual customization whatsoever in single player, and Paint only in multiplayer. Also, and this is personal, I much prefer the regular style of collecting money and leveling up toIt is very, very hard to rate this game. I'll admit that. Let's start with the bad things. There is no storyline in this game, just the basic ladder of Most Wanted Cars to climb, defeat and claim. There is no visual customization whatsoever in single player, and Paint only in multiplayer. Also, and this is personal, I much prefer the regular style of collecting money and leveling up to unlock, buy and upgrade new cars.
    HOWEVER.
    The way you truly rate a game is based on how much fun you have playing it, and NFS:MW is an absolute blast. I bought it along with AC3, and this game has taken most of my time. It's a really solid title with a compelling race style. Now, I love Gran Turismo for its realism, but I'm also a fan of arcade racing. I mean, why are people knocking this game for not being realistic as far as physics? It's a CRITERION GAME. And it's no secret that this is more of a sequel to Burnout: Paradise than any Need for Speed title. It's a fun game, with a well-structured multiplayer. The only drawbacks in that department are a) idiots who don't show up to the meet-up and waste our time and b) too many challenges about parking on roofs and near-missing and not enough real racing. But as I said, I can't put this game down quite yet. A solid 9. Wish I could give it a 9.5, if Metacritic would let me.    … Expand
  90. SLaRionov
    Nov 4, 2012
    8
    Приветствую, Земляки! Первое впечатление от игры - самоеПриветствую, Земляки! Первое впечатление от игры - самое положительное, это именно то, чего ждали от Criterion Games (CG). Геймплей горячий, нагнетающий, лихой, передающий всю гамму чувств от езды на мощных авто, каков восторг! Я за игру вообще не переживал, CG знают свое дело.
    Система Easy Drive просто порадовала, отлично вкручена в геймплей. Погони с полицией - просто бомба. Копы стали очень агрессивными, умными и хитрыми, а еще очень быстрыми, просто так теперь не уйти. Азарт во время погони просто зашкаливает! SoundTrack в игре просто отличный, почти так же гармонично вписывающийсяв игру, как это было с NFS Hot Pursuit 2 далеком 2004.
    Вообщем то об игре вы все и так знаете, я лишь пишу подтверждение всему вышесказанному в СМИ. Игра имеет полное право поселиться на десктопе каждого кто любит лихие гонки!    … Expand
  91. mearlam
    Nov 3, 2012
    8
    I should first say that I am only a few hours into this game but I feel the need to post a review because some of the ridiculous user reviews on here giving it a bad score.

    This game is an open world and as such seems not to have much structure to it but it does and I think it is quite clever. I actually dislike open world in pretty much every game because it is a cheap way of making a    I should first say that I am only a few hours into this game but I feel the need to post a review because some of the ridiculous user reviews on here giving it a bad score.

    This game is an open world and as such seems not to have much structure to it but it does and I think it is quite clever. I actually dislike open world in pretty much every game because it is a cheap way of making a game seem big when it isn't.

    This open world works and lets you decide what to do. Getting from A to B is very fun and the cops won't bug you if you slow down when they are around, pretty easy.

    The racing is simply arcade fun where you can smash into things and still win...it depends what you want really. Controls are a little loose but that is entirely on purpose.

    I have to say ignore all the bad user comments because they were expecting a different game and come here to complain.

    Get this game if you liked hot pursuit or burnout paradise, do not get it if you didn't.

    The only thing I don't like so far is that the take downs you do does not have a slow mo camera thing like ALL the other burnout games, which is pretty annoying.

    FYI:the logitech wheel works great for this game.    … Expand
  92. CypherQ
    Nov 11, 2012
    7
    You know when games used to simpler? When things were about purely having fun? Easy to pick up and play for a couple of hours? Well here we have such a arcade racer. The key term in there is *arcade* racer. This has no pretension of being a Forza or a GT5. This is about clean arcade entrainment and about having FUN! It's insanely addictive and packs a whole load of action from the outsetYou know when games used to simpler? When things were about purely having fun? Easy to pick up and play for a couple of hours? Well here we have such a arcade racer. The key term in there is *arcade* racer. This has no pretension of being a Forza or a GT5. This is about clean arcade entrainment and about having FUN! It's insanely addictive and packs a whole load of action from the outset it's very easy to loose a couple of hours to this game! From the get go at the start of the game everything is open to you nothing is locked. New cars are scattered around the open world for you to collect when you discover them. No areas of the world are locked off. So basically you start the game by being dropped into an open world to do as you will! Race? Do it! Burn up the streets trying to whizz past speed cameras scattered around as fast as you can (and beat your friends scores handily shown on a billboard near the camera) just do it! Find the craziest jump to attempt and smash through a billboard to beat your friends distance go for it! Have a play with the Police? Tap a Police car and off you go for an insane chase around the city. The whole game engine moves at a fantastic pace (as can be expected from a Criterion game) and considering the speed it runs looks very nice indeed, reflections of puddles on the ground, lens flare effects etc. all looks very pretty! Soundtrack is great too not as garish as some Need For Speeds and tastefully put together. The other aspect of this is multiplayer. This is insane fun and will provide endless hours of carnage and fun! There are a multitude of challenges availalable which the CPU or hosting user can create play lists from. This will basically set up a list of these challenges that happen one after the other with intermissions between each where everyone can have fun getting to the next challenge maybe trying to get a shifty take down to the next challenge! Immense fun. Essentially this game provides a playground to have some action driving fun in. It's a toy box. Use your imagination with it and you can invent any sort of game you like! Of course your have a Police force in there too to spice things up to. It's like playing all those cops and robbers shows for real! They even drag out stingers and make roadblocks to stop you (which you can satisfyingly smash through!). This is one of the best arcade racers out there and anyone needing action and carnage packed into every minute of gameplay this is where it is at. Oh did I mention Burnout Paradise?! Effectively treat this as the BP on steriods. This is BP the next iteration in all but name. Staggeringly good game Criterion and keep up the great work making wonderfully addictive fast action packed arcade racers of the highest order. Cannot recommend this enough. Oh did I mention anywhere that this game is a whole bunch of FUN! :) EDIT
    Update on the original review I made of this. After spending around 10hours playing with this and I started to attempt to actually play the single player game found the races immensely frustrating. Problem I mainly had was with the view. Generally don't play drivers in 3rd person view (behind the car) and use the bonnet cam. I attempted my first most wanted race ( for the Alfa 4C) and simply was not able to complete this race in 1st person view. The camera is simply too low and near the road to be useable. However I did complete the event on my first try in 3rd person view. Seemingly the game was designed to be played in 3rd person view, which is unfortunate as it feels far to sluggish in this mode... Like driving through treacle if you will. Still a great game if you can get on with the camera views. However I will stick with Burnout Paradise for my action racer and move this on.

    Another point to note is with respect to the PS3 version. It takes far to long to load and this is particularly noticible when your want to replay a race the blu-ray drive seems to grind on for what seems like an eternity. Unfortunately there is no install to HDD option so if you have both consoles to choose from unless you have specific reasons for choosing the PS3 version ( online friends list) then I would opt for the 360 version as at least you are able to install to the HDD!

    In summary still a fun game but the racing part gets tiresome too quickly IMHO. Which is a shame. Burnout Paradise will scratch that online fun arcade itch for a fraction of the price if you can find any
    online buddies to race against that is ( getting on a bit now...). IMHO it's the better game though and runs a good bit faster at 60fps too.....    … Expand
  93. M13
    Nov 2, 2012
    9
    I'm enjoying it a lot. It's pretty much Burnout Paradise City 2.0. So if you liked Burnout......and you want to see it with better.....everything.....then you'll like NFSMW. Best thing: The fact you can see your friend's times for every race and speed camera. So you can constantly compete with all your friends.

    Worst thing: Game is very short in terms of the main "mission".
  94. PopeRatzo
    Oct 31, 2012
    9
    When I started the game, I really didn't like the way the cars handled and thought it would be a big disappointment. As I've continued, now with 4 hours into the game, I'm getting really comfortable with the handling and the physics and I realize how the car customization changes the ways the cars feel on the road and perform.

    I really didn't want another NFS: the Run or Hot Pursuit.    When I started the game, I really didn't like the way the cars handled and thought it would be a big disappointment. As I've continued, now with 4 hours into the game, I'm getting really comfortable with the handling and the physics and I realize how the car customization changes the ways the cars feel on the road and perform.

    I really didn't want another NFS: the Run or Hot Pursuit. I wanted another Burnout Paradise, and so far the game has absolutely delivered. I'm having a blast and the races and pursuits are breathtaking. If you're worried about the handling, level up your car or get a better vehicle. The physics will become more comfortable.

    This game is not a sim (than goodness!). It's a wild arcade racer with very life-like physics but enough of a break from reality to make it exhilarating fun.

    I'm really glad this game came along right now. I'm so tired of third person shooters and games that don't deliver the goods. This one delivers the goods. I would like to have seen some more detailed control adjustment, like sensitivity. The Autolog system is quite unique and effective. I enjoyed hundreds of hours of Burnout Paradise play. If Need for Speed: Most Wanted gets me half that much, it will have been well worth every penny. It is my opinion that I'll be enjoying this game a lot in the coming months.    … Expand
  95. Elboyo
    Nov 4, 2012
    10
    I have signed up to metacritic because i cannot believe the stupid scores i have seen on here by what must be complete and utter fools, it really annoys me that people try and review a game that they could not have played or spent about 2 minutes with and then made a judgement and a bad one at that.
    Most wanted is an absolute storming racer and if you actually bother to play it properly    I have signed up to metacritic because i cannot believe the stupid scores i have seen on here by what must be complete and utter fools, it really annoys me that people try and review a game that they could not have played or spent about 2 minutes with and then made a judgement and a bad one at that.
    Most wanted is an absolute storming racer and if you actually bother to play it properly and add the mods to your cars it opens up into astonishingly well crafted arcade racer, so what if it does not have manual gears, it is an arcade racing game, not formula 1 or gran turismo, what it provides is a fantastic looking, superb sounding and incredibly playable game and that is what an arcade racer should be all about, it is a mix of need for speed and burnout but criterion have streamlined the interface so everything is neat and fast to get to, once you have found something you can fast travel there instantly instead of driving around aimlessly, something even some so called professional review sites did not even pick up on this fast travel feature so how can they put out reviews that say ( oh you have to keep driving miles to events ) when this is simply not true. So to round up, my view of most wanted is, a superbly well crafted game that has an excellent single player mode with so much to do and see and the online mode has even more fun and challenges than just about any other racer out there, just go out and buy it and play it properly for a few hours and by then you will be hooked by this astonishing game. I do not work for any game company and i think criterion have made a quite simply genius game here and if you play games to have real fun then go get this, please do not listen to the idiots that gave this game all the stupid low scores. It is a 10 / 10 game for me because it has a level of polish that even Mr Sheen would have a job to beat.    … Expand
  96. kaiser_alucard
    Nov 2, 2012
    10
    Spectacular. This game was sensational EA got hit once again recreating a classic. The passing system for instant repair was very good and practical cars around the scene was also found to be an excellent idea. Ramps, persecutions, good gameplay, beautiful graphics and great; fun make this game be right purchase.
  97. DarkSoul89
    Nov 6, 2012
    10
    To anyone on the fence, to anyone who enjoys videogames or to anyone who is simply stressed out with life, Do urself a favour; GET THIS GAME. Why? Because its phenomenal. Forget the cry-babies, look at the score to the left
  98. NFSFAN
    Nov 8, 2012
    9
    Hi,
    like everyone else here i m just another fan of NFS and Burnout...i am playing NFS when they launched Need for Speed II and till now i have played every nfs game and NFS2 and NFSMW 1 are my favorites......yesterday i bought NFSMW 2 and i must say that it was a huge disappointment in the begining when i started at 3:00 Am with a thought that i will check the gameplay and will sleep but    Hi,
    like everyone else here i m just another fan of NFS and Burnout...i am playing NFS when they launched Need for Speed II and till now i have played every nfs game and NFS2 and NFSMW 1 are my favorites......yesterday i bought NFSMW 2 and i must say that it was a huge disappointment in the begining when i started at 3:00 Am with a thought that i will check the gameplay and will sleep but after playing it for 2.5 hours...i was like "OK, now this is the new type of arcade" and I really liked it. Graphics are amazing soundtrack is amazing blah blah blah...but Game Play is awesome and breathtaking.
    Almost everyone is against this game i dont know why?? lets discuss them
    Crash cam sometimes feels irritating but as HUGE FAN i dont feel bad abt it NOW...i mean you get use to it.
    Cop Chases are extremely hard and no special reward on evading but i am OK with it :)
    no Story Line means no Fiction Characters and i like it.
    Sometimes looking at the map takes you in a Crash so what...i mean anytime you can restart from your last check point.
    no customization of engines and tires etc etc but i would say thats perfect cause in this game you already have everything. I cannot say anything about the ONLINE Game play but i am pretty sure that it will be whole new experience.
    I mean common guys there cant be any other game like NFS MW 1 or Burnout...they were the best games of their time and they still are the BEST...i still play Most Wanted 1 on my laptop(actually i couldn't find it for Xbox). MW1 was a different game and this is a different game same goes for Burnout. so please dont mix NFSMW 2 with those games in fact no arcade racing game can be compared with those games and if you do then you are making a mistake or you are not a Fan of NFS or Burnout.
    Those who are new in NFS, they will find this game not good no blah blah blah BUT fan like me will like this game.
    Act like a NFS Fan not like a looser who thinks that i have lost my money on this game...i paid 60$ for this and i have no regret cause i really like nfs games (excluding some bs) and one more thing i play NFS most wanted on my iPhone also and there this game is totally different :)
    P.S. Galvinize by chemical brothers is an excellent song used in this MW2    … Expand
  99. SOUR_11b
    Nov 10, 2012
    10
    greatest racing game ever created in the history of the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  100. MothOne
    Dec 18, 2012
    8
    I find a lot of you being blatant jerks and giving the game a score of 0 or 1. I would think anyone with a rational bone in their body would use these low scores for their intended purpose, which is to give something that is such a complete abomination that it is broken.... un-playable. Have some professionalism people!
    It seems like most of the complaints are stating that you played the    I find a lot of you being blatant jerks and giving the game a score of 0 or 1. I would think anyone with a rational bone in their body would use these low scores for their intended purpose, which is to give something that is such a complete abomination that it is broken.... un-playable. Have some professionalism people!
    It seems like most of the complaints are stating that you played the game for 30 minutes, maybe an hour ( Personally I always know every last detail there is to know about every last game I buy after 10 minutes of game play, so I don't know what is wrong with you all) and complain about how the game is not a real NFS title.... how it is the death of the franchise... How Criterion ruined Need For Speed. Well it was stated months ago in every major published preview of the game that Criterion was the Developer (Shocker number one for you all I know) and that the title would follow the same style of game play as Criterion's "Burnout Paradise" (Shocker number two). So It was clearly said BY EA that the game would be a sort of mash up of Need For Speed: Most wanted, and Criterion's Burnout Paradise.... Hence the title: "Need For Speed: Most Wanted - a Criterion game". Wow so now that you dingbats with the 0's and 1's have no excuse... You officially know that this game was developed by Criterion with burnout paradise in mind as a model, and I think they did a DAMN GOOD JOB!
    The game is set in a gorgeous open world, the selection of cars is nothing short of awesome, the soundtrack is stellar, and the game play is fantastic.
    One aspect I found to be particularly cool was that you had the option to compete in different style-race events catered to each individual car, which would earn you speed points advancing you closer to the coveted number 1 most wanted spot, and earn you upgrades such as specialized tires, nitro boost, better chassis and gearbox layouts, ect.. But you have a virtual bevy of other options to earn points. These include the obvious such as catching air and smashing through billboards much like in Burnout Paradise, deliberately crashing into cops and starting chases, finding new cars, driving past speed cameras in excess of the posted speed and more... Aside from this you also earn points from reaching certain milestones such as drifting certain distances, driving for set amounts of time (with different point scales for driving on the correct side of the road, and driving into oncoming traffic) and many other activities that tend to just happen from driving each car anyway.
    The Graphics and sound are just PHENOMENAL, The cars sound as close as can be to their actual counterparts in reality (I know because I watch A LOT of "Top Gear" UK), the soundtrack is one that you would come to expect from an EA title except a lot better than usual, the day to night cycles and weather effects are so realistic that as in real life they just blend into the greater world as something that is just happening (not to mention that I found the wet ground/ spray from driving to be absolutely life-like). The cars pick up dirt, or mud if driving after poor weather conditions, and as with all of the effects in the game this looks fantastic. There are many different parts to this open world leaving something for everyone.... Crazy architecture for the stunt driver, bumpy dirt trails for the rally driver, Winding mountain roads for the initial-d loving toge drivers, freeway systems for pedal to the metal top-speed drivers, and of course... the city itself for the good old fashioned track racers (I found many hours wasted developing my own routes through the city, which helped me earn milestones in each different car i used. Now here is where we get to the major parts of this game that prevented it from earning a higher score in my book. First and by far the worst is the multiplayer. It is great racing around and making friends who's high scores are then posted into the speed cameras, billboards ect. in your city, meaning you can beat their scores in single player. This makes for some fun competition amongst friends. This is all well and good but the multiplayer games are horribly difficult to find out what you are supposed to be doing, and sometimes when you do find out the challenge is so stupid that it might prompt some to leave the game then and there. I found myself spending so much of the time trying to figure out what to do that in many cases I had been eliminated before having a chance to even compete. Another major flaw is the inability to select a manual transmission. I do not know what the developers were thinking and I put it off as the game being released pre-maturely in order to fit into the holiday sales period. If this is the case it was a huge mistake on the part of EA as most of the people I have talked to playing this game find this to be a major flaw in an otherwise great game. All and all I would recommend this title to any fan of arcade style racers    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PS3 Game of 2012
13
#13 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012
19
#19 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 17, 2012
    90
    Great multiplayer and a huge sandbox to play in make this a wild and crazy ride. [Jan 2013, p.64]
  2. Play UK
    Nov 30, 2012
    95
    Easily the best arcade racer of this generation. [Issue#225, p.76]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Nov 28, 2012
    80
    Take Burnout Paradise's massive open world, strip out the wild, physics-defying, cabin-crushing crashes and insert a generous handful of the world's hottest or most iconic motors. This is Need for Speed that only Criterion could create. [Christmas 2012, p.83]
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