Need for Speed Most Wanted

"Fast start, slow finish"

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (NFS) puts you in the driver's seat as a nameless driver trying to crack into the street racing world in Rockport. You start out with a BMW M3 GTR and take on your first main opponent, Razor, only to be sabotaged and arrested. Upon release you are befriended by Mia and Rog, who help you get on your feet so you can take on the Blacklist 15, a most wanted list of racers, now headed by Razor using your old car.

I would like to start by saying that I am not a huge racing fan, so I will not be biased toward this game just because of its genre.

Graphics: 10

Simply put, this game looks amazing. A lot of the cutscenes use real life characters, and the cars look amazing. The attention to detail is apparent as you can see all the way down the road at any given time and the cars have so many unique and customizable options that really stand out. The world around you looks so bright and lifelike. Some racing games have very generic backgrounds and focus more on the cars. NFS really focuses on the cars but the backgrounds seems completely interactive and were definitely not forgotten in the development process.

Sound: 10

From the cars to weather to the music, this game is a wonder to listen to. All the cars sound different and specific to the upgrades that you put in them. A suped up Supra with nitrous and a full turbo sounds much lighter and airier than a muscle bound supercharged mustang or corvette. Also the approaching sound of a racer behind you is wonderfully done, often allowing me to know when someone was gaining on me without looking behind or in the mirror. The music is also well done, with a good set of core songs that peak at the same time as your speedometer. Of course you can use your own music, but the game's selection will be more than adequate for most gamers.

Story: 8

Let's be honest, racing games aren't known for their stories that much. NFS has a good story that keeps you interested. It is very simple, work your way to the top of the blacklist by beating all 15 racers. Along the way there will be some interesting encounters to make sure you are paying attention and at the end there are some surprises. While the story really doesn't add too much to the game, it definitely doesn't hold it back in any way.

Gameplay: 7

The most important part of any game is the funfactor. NFS grabbed me, a non racing gamer, right off the bat. It quickly becomes very fun and addicting. The races are all fun and competitive enough to give you a challenge but never really frustrate you and there are so many types that are new and interesting. Whether you're doing a traditional sprint, a lap knockout where the last place racer is eliminated after each lap, or a drag race, the race types will keep you entertained.

The police chases and bounty and milestone portions are also well done and really make this game unique to the racing world. Tagging police vehicles and dodging spike strips are some objectives to name a couple.

Now you are probably wondering why I am raving about this game, but gave it a 7.
Here's why:
Around two thirds of the way through the game, just as you're getting really good cars and upgrades, the police chases become frustrating and hold the game back somewhat in my opinion. The races continually get harder, which is expected, and the blacklist members get increasingly difficult to defeat, but the milestones and bounty requirements get annoying.

Early on in the game, they weren't too difficult and added another level to the game. Later on, however, you have to get into chases that last over ten minutes, all the while dodging 15 cops, a helicopter, spike strips, mammoth SUV's that ram you, and regular traffic. For anyone looking for a comparison, it becomes like getting a lot of stars in the latest GTA games with the police. The only difference is that you HAVE to do it to get farther in the game. This forces you to go into really long and intense chases to get enough points for your bounty to race the next blacklist member. Everything sounds normal (of course it's going to get harder as the game progresses) but once you get into a half hour chase and rack up all the milestones and a ridiculous bounty just to get bumped into a tree and busted, you will know what I mean. I know it is supposed to get harder, but the amount of time you must spend completing them and the chances of getting busted make it something that is easy to put the game down because of. For me, the thought of retrying a 20 minute failed pursuit wasn't that appetizing.

Also, the way you get busted is by a meter on the screen. I have been busted while I was about to maneuver out of the box of police cars I was in. Very annoying. They could have at least had a cop get out and arrest me BEFORE the cutscene.

Tilt: 8

I am going to tilt this game up a little because I am not a huge racing fan, so I have to assume that true racing fans will like the game more than I did. Plus there are online races and around 40 cars to make the replay value pretty high, not to mention the million and a half customizable options for each ride.

Overall: 7

I like this game a lot. There are a lot of great cars and races and the graphics are stunning. If you like the freedom to roam around and take your chances with cops, this game is for you.

I don't recommend renting just because it takes a while to get anywhere in the game and you don't have a lot of time when you rent. This game is definitely worth buying.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/19/06