Need For Speed: Most Wanted Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Many reviews focus on the copy protection, if you have concerns about that be sure to read them.I want to focus more on what this game brings to the table for newcomers and from the point of view of someone that has played a previous version of NFS and wants to know if this game has enough new features to merit a purchase.

If you have never played any version of Need for Speed and you are looking for a racing game for the PC then you have come to the right place.This is a very good racing game that allows you to customize your vehicle to help break up the monotony of only completing one race right after the other.This is definitely the best racing game to buy if you want to get a good start in the NFS series.If you are still unsure and want to break into the series on a cheaper title then NFS Underground 2 will give you a good look on the cheap.

If you are a veteran and are wondering what the new features are I'll try to outline them here.Need For Speed Underground 2 is the only other NFS title I have played.All of the comparisons I am making are based on the differences between NFSU2 and this title.

1)Graphics.The graphics have improved considerably over NFSU2.The car models look much better and the game ran much more smoothly for me despite the better quality in graphics.In NFSU2 I would get moments where the game would stutter, I have had no such experience in Most Wanted.

I have heard some people have problems with ATI cards; mainly that ATI is a bit behind with optimizing their drivers for this game.I believe these problems are mainly resolved as I have no problems with my Radeon 9800.You will however need a higher end graphics card to run the game.You do not have to have the latest and greatest card because the game does a decent job of offering options where you can play with lower detail.

2) Races.I will say that it seems like the races were more varied in NFSU2 than they are in Most Wanted.In NFSU2 you had several different race types that added to the variety of the game namely drag, drift, street, and a few different forms of circuit (URL and circuit) and sprint (races to photo ops and sprint).In Most Wanted all the races are variations of either circuit or sprint.There is a new circuit racing mode called knock out where the person that comes in last on each lap is dropped from the race.

Police chases have been added for variety and as a replacement to the drift and street modes of NFS2U.This is welcome.I often wondered where all the police were while you were racing on the street in NFSU2.

In this version you compete against people on the black list (a list of the most infamous racers around).You have to qualify to compete against the blacklist racers by winning races and building a wanted level with the police.After you beat someone on the blacklist you are given the opportunity to pick 2 of 5 rewards.The rewards are cash, performance parts, visual parts, and one of the rewards is the title (pink slip) to the car you just beat.You do not know what the reward will be before you pick it.If you get lucky you'll walk away with your opponents vehicle.

Another welcome change over NFSU2 is the ability to instantly jump to race locations.In the old version you had to spend hours (cummatively) driving from one race location to the next.Gone are the days of driving from the Airport to the top of that mountain (Beacon Hill?) to complete one race just to find out that the next grouping of races that appears are at the bottom of the map.

One last improvement that I'll mention is that it seems as though focus has shifted away from visual customization.In NFSU2 you had certain goals where you had to build a car that had a certain level of visual appeal.Often all that meant was that you had to make your car tacky and disgusting by taking it much further than you would have just so you can get that 9 star rating.More did not equal better in my book.I would have been happier if they let me keep the car the way I wanted instead of forcing me to add roof scoops just so I could progress in the game.

The con:
I wanted to mention why I docked the game by one star.The game uses what is refered to as "rubberband" AI.That pretty much means that the AI will make sure all the races are close.Imagine you and an opponent are connected by a rubberband. If the opponent gets too far behind the rubberband is pulled tightly and the opponent will be sprung forward as a result.In other words the farther away the computer is the faster they will drive, irreguardless of what the top speeds of the cars you and the computer are driving are supposed to be.

This can become very frustrating.For example, once I pinned an opponent between an 18 wheeler and the road.It resulted in a quick 8 second lead.Making no mistakes on my part, the computer was able to pass me like I was standing still about 10 or 15 seconds after I had built that 8 second lead... as if I was stopped at a standstill.There really is no excuse for this kind of AI, and it was not present in NFSU2.If you outsmarted/drove the competition you outsmarted/drove the competition.Not so in Most Wanted.Every race will come down to the wire no matter how far you get in front of the opponent.I'll be looking for a patch that fixes or balances this issue.

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Product Description:

Wake up to the smell of burnt asphalt as the thrill of illicit street racing permeates the air. From the makers of the hit Need for Speed: Underground series, Need for Speed: Most Wanted Black Edition challenges players to become the most notorious and elusive street racer. This collector's edition features exclusive cars, races and specially-tuned rides, as well as a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage of model/actress, Josie Maran, concept art, exclusive videos and much more.Combining illicit street racing and tuner customization with the intensity of strategic police pursuit that surpasses any Hollywood-style chase scene, Need for Speed: Most Wanted Black Edition is on every gamer's "must-have" list. Out-race rivals, evade cops and exploit hundreds of miles of open road as gamers make their way up the Blacklist. To become the most wanted racer, players must build up their street cred and Rap Sheet with gripping, white knuckle, head-to-head races with the top drivers on the streets, as well as pull daring, evasive moves to out-run and out-fox the cops that patrol the open road. Players can manage their heat or utilize a number of strategic tactics to keep the cops off their tails as they leave their rivals behind to suck their exhaust fumes. Need for Speed: Most Wanted Black Edition also features a variety of the hottest cars that range from tuners to super cars. You can customize your ride to race against any class of vehicles. Combining the thrill of open-world street racing and customization with the intensity of strategic police pursuits, Need for Speed: Most Wanted Black Edition is the next release in the hit racing series that challenges players to become the most notorious and elusive street racer.

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