Need for Speed Most Wanted

Need for Speed Most Wanted Description

Need For Speed first appeared on the radar as a supercar burnout showcase for the doomed 3DO console. Over the years, the owner of the franchise, the omnipresent Electronic Arts, has tried a number of different angles, but though NFS1 and 2 were popular, subsequent releases failed to set the world alight. The mega-publisher finally found the formula it had been looking for with the release of Need for Speed: Underground. Riding on the back of the Fast & Furious-inspired explosion of car modification culture, the game gave people real licensed cars, plenty of parts to fit, and races to enter. Many people like it so much they even put up with the rather tedious stabs at urban culture referencing, attempted by the game's pale, and no doubt middle-aged Canadian producers. NFS:U2 picked up where it left off, and EA hasn't stopped improving its street racing and tuning game skills, it would seem. The latest in the Need for Speed dynasty gets a name change, and is now subtitled Most Wanted. As well as taking part in races and improving your car's performance in line with an ever growing 'rep', they've re-introduced a theme from an earlier incarnation of the long running series - police pursuit. For that matter, fleeing the cops has been a recurring them in videogames over the years. EA has really gone to town here, though, and you get to watch as your notoriety moves you up the police 'most wanted' list, as the dogged coppers try ever more complicated ruses in their attempts to snare you. Like NFS:U2, you get a massive world to roam, plenty of real cars to choose from, and a wealth of tuning options. But this time around, you might not just change your appearance for the purposes of pimping - it might be so the watchful rozzers don't recognise you. EA does try to push all the right buttons - some would argue a little too hard - but all the same, here's a respectable package to experiment with if that's what you're after.

• Open Road, Open World - Rule the streets as the most notorious street racer in various regions that include edgy industrial and urban environments. In the game, the environment can be a friend for a foe. Players will master short-cuts as well as use the traffic and destructible environments to their advantage.
  
  
• All-New Gameplay - Need for Speed Most Wanted features new and exciting gameplay that incorporates strategic cop pursuit and skill-based evasion techniques with illicit street racing.
  
  
• Visual Customization - Whether gamers are trying to lose the cops or they just want to pimp their ride, Need for Speed Most Wanted offers extensive visual customizations.
  
  
• Blacklist - As players enter the world of illicit street racing, they must go up against the best street racers on the scene to earn respect and rise to the top of the Blacklist.
  
  
• Rap Sheet - Players will build up their Rap Sheet with record breaking times, street challenges and out-foxing an escalation of police vehicles, tactics and technology.
  
  
• Performance Tuning - Can't compete against a sports car? Head to the safehouse and tune up your ride to race against any class of vehicles.
  
  
• Next-Gen Graphical Features - Need for Speed Most Wanted for the next generation console delivers the next level of graphical excellence in video games. Utilizing graphical techniques including normal mapping and real-time lighting, the graphical experience is incomparable to any racing game on the market.