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. 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
  2. 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
  3. Tall_But_Short
    Nov 4, 2012
    9
    One of the best "Modern-day racers." Criterion delivers its next TRUE hit after Burnout Paradise. The driving mechanics feel great and the graphics are stunning. Though, the crashes do feel unfinished and bland.
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. GeeRodKee
    Nov 4, 2012
    8
    I
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. extremeracer
    Nov 3, 2012
    10
    Best game ever who ever don't like it hates extreme racing The Need For Speed game series is the best so to all the haters you guys shouldn't Play the game if you don't like it
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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-
  17. Andyaaaa
    Nov 3, 2012
    1
    wht a 3rd class game ...wrosted game aver...seen nfs whole series............................................................................................
  18. 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.......
  19. 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
  20. 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.
  21. 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
  22. ststst
    Nov 2, 2012
    0
    Ничего не понимаю
  23. 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
  24. joerevs300
    Nov 2, 2012
    8
    It's just amazing that in a game that was CLEARLY billed by both EA and NFS/Criterion as "Burnout Paradise 2" or "Burnout Paradise with Cops", so many reviews keep going back to the whole NFS:MW on the PS2.

    At NO time was that ever hinted at or suggested. The intention of this game was always to be open world and to compete against your friends. There are plenty of ways to get Autolog    It's just amazing that in a game that was CLEARLY billed by both EA and NFS/Criterion as "Burnout Paradise 2" or "Burnout Paradise with Cops", so many reviews keep going back to the whole NFS:MW on the PS2.

    At NO time was that ever hinted at or suggested. The intention of this game was always to be open world and to compete against your friends. There are plenty of ways to get Autolog fans which is another thing people are missing, apparently.

    Cars DO handle differently, you've got to be a racing ran and have played a LOT of different ones to really see the subtle ones. Two cars can have the same top speed/accel but handle WAY different. It's about trial and error.

    As for "having everything handed to you", I see it as refreshing. You're not worrying about maxing out experience points to unlock all the cars. They are all available at the start. Sure, some of them are out of the way, but I found 5 in the first 10 minutes of play. As a developer, it's near impossible to produce a racing game that's going to satisfy both the hardcore and the casual fan.

    I've played darn near every racing game ever released for the PS3, and this game falls into a lump with Blur, Dirt 3, Gran Turismo 5 and Driver: San Francisco as to which one is "truly" the best. It's definitely the best open world game (light years ahead of TDU2). I've now put 4 days into the game and I love it. I think the # of cars available is a little on the low side, and I think there's some significant difficulty spikes (especially the races that ask you to maintain an average speed). I also think that if you don't have Autolog friends and are simply staring at this as a single player game, you'll be through it rather quickly. If you've got friends and have seen how great multiplayer is, give this a 9. If you don't have friends and understand you're going to have to make your own fun/blaze your own trail, give it a 7. I simply shot the middle.    … Expand
  25. 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.
  26. 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.
  27. 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
  28. 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".
  29. 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
  30. 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
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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

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]
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