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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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.
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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.
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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.
  15. 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
  16. 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.
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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.
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. 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.
  29. 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.
  30. 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
prev
Page:

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

All reviews »
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]
See all critic reviews »