First of all, the game is still extremely fun to play even after 15 years of new releases and new hardware. The far selection, albeit limited perfectly fits with the themes of the city and the feeling of being in the daylight and more sort of industrial and edgy feeling. The soundtrack is also great, bands like Bullet For My Valentine? Disturbed? Mastodon, even Celldweller... Great mixture of songs and genres, even if all I stated was metal. But there is one thing that can easily kill the game for someone like me... The big thing that for me, crushes it from being the BEST NFS is the rubberbanding, it is completely busted in this game, if you get any noticeable lead in this game, before you realize it, the AI will be right on your rear bumper again, for me around Blacklist Rival #5, the game went from really fun to really frustrating, I probably selected the wrong cars, but come on, the AI with fast cars and rubberbanding...? It’s a recipe for disaster. The pursuits themselves are quite fun really, the whole feeling of having the city in the palms of your steering wheel chasing after you, it is a great feeling but anything past heat condition 4 becomes an absolute nightmare to get away from, when you are trying to escape and start to get away, a Helicopter spawns, for example... Like rubberbanding, it is incredibly frustrating and can completely ruin the game late game when going for the late game pursuit milestones... The races themselves are fine, you got racing, lap knockout, tollbooths (basically time trial) and the WORST and most BS race type of them all... Drag Races...They are absolutely horrible, basically you are on a rail the entire time, the car following the set lanes for you, and you have to shift gears and swap lanes, it’s fine yeah? The problem occurs when it comes to the AI cars... Or traffic cars, they are put in places just to crash your car, oh and have I mentioned that if you hit a car too hard in a drag race you get totaled? Anyways, they turn into complete RNG and luck, trial and error also. Final word though, I know this review is quite negative for a 4* review... But honestly it is still top 5 in terms of Need For Speed games... Not the best IMO, but up there... The game is extremely frustrating, thing all the mid 2000’s NFS titles were good at being... And the final thing I will say is that if you want a nostalgia trip, go ahead and pick it up, you won’t regret it... Even after all the frustration of the rubberbanding and the Drag Races...Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
First I want to say that this game is alot of fun and it deserves an 8.5 out of 10, running from the cops and smashing through roadblocks is great. The cars look exceptionally good, the environment is large and detailed with numerous short cuts, hiding spots, interactive / destructible objects like fences, water towers, storefronts and scaffolds ect.. that can be used to slow down cops or racers following you. The lighting is really good but it never has "night time", The sun starts setting, and before it gets dark the it begins to get bright again. It must take place on a planet with 2 suns. The sound of the cars, CB radio chatter and the music selection(depends on what music you like)is done well. But there are a some problems I just can't overlook. The AI is programmed to keep the races close and it is very noticeable. Whether you are winning or losing the opponents will either slow down for you or gain some kind of super speed. Also the car physics are kind of off, the brakes are applied automatically when you let of the gas a slower speeds, when you try to throw the cars sideways for a powerover slide through a corner they don't respond like they should. You can adjust the handling, braking ect... but it just felt a bit off. Plus you can't take out the other racers by spinning them out, you will want to avoid contact with them at all costs (unlike the smashing fun of Burnout). For me this combination of rubberband A.I. and unrealistic physics takes alot away from the gameplay. But you will adjust to it and learn to drive the cars despite these flaws. Pros: Great Graphics and lighting, Fun cop chases, large interactive environment, slick presentation, alot of races and challenges. Cons: Rubberband A.I., Unrealistic handling and physics. Over the top characters. I still had alot of fun playing this game and i recommend it. Hopefully EA will fix these minor problems and the next in the NFS Most Wanted series will be perfectRead full review
NFS Most Wanted is a solid game, with plenty of arcade style driving, fun chases, and some great new game modes. The new game modes are mostly twists on old ideas, but are fun none the less. Importantly, the are logical to the story. (Say, instead of a checkpoint race, you run from tollbooth to tollbooth seeing who can blow through them all in the shortest time.) The game has a storyline, though it won't draw you in too much. In the game, you are the new racer in town, and without spoiling anything, your goal is to become number 1 in an underground criminal racing syndicate. To do this, you need to earn reputation, both by beating racers, and committing crimes. The counterpoint to this, is that the police will not forget you if you evade them. You will need to change your car often to keep it's 'heat' down, which provides a nice way to keep things changing while making sense at the same time. After earning enough rep, you can challenge a racer in the top 10. As you earn more rep, you progress up the ranks and are able to take on the racers one by one until you get to number 1. I find this is a very cool concept, and it help break the linear progression of other racers where you just do increasingly difficult races as you progress. NFS Most Wanted gives you more of a goal, and the little 'boss battles' along the way are fun races. Also worth nothing, you can do races available in any order you choose, so if you're having trouble with a certain circuit race, you can do a couple of tollbooth races to earn some cash, upgrade, and come back to the race later. The only downside to the game that stands out is that the level of customization you can do to your car is far more limited than previous games (Underground 1&2) as well as follow up games (Carbon). While this doesn't affect gameplay, gamers who enjoy they're custom car creation may feel a bit disappointed. Also notable, for Xbox 360 each racer you knock off the top 10 is worth at least 100 achievement points! A fun and easy way to rack em up quick! Overall, a great game, with some really fun police chases, challenging races, and a cool twist on the genre. I would recommend the game to anyone who enjoys the style, though Need For Speed Carbon (the follow up to Most Wanted) generally does what this game can do, only better.Read full review
Visual Although it was availabe in the Xbox 360s launch window, it is still a very good game. Graphically, it does a great job with photo-realistic streets. Car models that you drive also look great but other vehicles and buildings don't have the same luster. Audio The revving engines and sound effects are surpisingly well-done. Playing with a surround sound system creates a great experience. The soundtrack is very good but EA has done a fantastic job of getting great musicians in-game in NBA Live 2000. Story The game pits you, a new underground racer, against Razor Callahan. He tricks you into racing him in the beginning and ends up taking your ride. He then uses your vehicle to move up the "Blacklist", the underground racer rankings. So you spend your time earning enough money and bounty to challenge other racers on the blacklist to move up and challenge Razor again. Gameplay The game has multiple game modes. Challenge races feature mostly time trials (like racing though tollboths under 2:30) and evading the police by completing other objectives. The vehicles handle in a much-less simulated manner than Forza 2 and is much less punishing. I've just scratched surface of this game but it is very well constructed and stands out as the best in the series since Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2. If you're into arcade-style racers and have the few bucks to spend for it, by all means, pick up this game!Read full review
Need for Speed Most Wanted has, as we like to say, shaped up real nicely. The stylistic presentation and graphic sensibilities are impressive (though the acting is super cheese-ball), and they're complemented by excellent engine sound effects and smart cop chatter. The 360 version sports super high poly count cars with great definition and geometry, and the lighting is first rate. The game holds at a solid 30 FPS on Xbox 360, though there is odd hitching and pauses from either loading problems or disc formatting on the retail builds. And while the sense of speed isn't as palpable in the first hour or so of play, just wait. Win a few cars, upgrade them, and before you know it, you'll be smoking. The sense of speed never reaches Burnout levels, but it's damn good in everything from a souped-up Volkswagon GTI to a stock RX-8. And while it should be a given, the Lamborghinis, Porsches and other high-end cars really rip. The 360 version is easily the best version of the bunch. Rating Description out of 10 9.0 Presentation Stylish and different. Who would have thought FMV could be cool? Not I. Kudos to EA Canada. 8.0 Graphics Good particles, great car models, and sleek designs. The lighting system is far more apparent on the 360 version, and the 720 and 1080 versions are extremely sharp. 8.0 Sound Kick-ass cop chatter and engine sound effects. And Josie Maran sounds as sexy as she looks. Yet another worthless EA soundtrack, however. 8.0 Gameplay Good sense of speed, impeccable car roster, and a different feel to the cars. Erudite mission and course design. 8.5 Lasting Appeal Fifteen-plus hours for the single-player career mode, not counting tons of incidentals, online or other modes. Very healthy replay value, indeed. Did I mention Josie Maran? 8.0 OVERALL Impressive (out of 10)Read full review
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