One of my favourite games of all time is 2012’s Need for Speed (NFS) Most Wanted. Each time a new NFS is announced I eagerly hold out hope that Criterion is working on it. While that isn’t the case with this year’s game, NFS is a solid addition to the series, but it’s not without its shortcomings. Let’s look at the four things I love and hate about the game.
The Love List
1 – Performance Customization is Ridiculous
The level of customization in NFS is crazy. Not only can you upgrade the parts of your car, but you can customize the feel of your car too. I’ve always preferred a little more drift when driving and the game allows you to make subtle adjustments that impact how your car handles on the road. I even found that difficult challenges such as the drifting missions were helped by simply fine tuning my car’s handling.
2 – FMV Sequences Add Some Character to the Game’s Story
While the FMV sequences can be overly cheesy and ridiculous (see hate list), I still found them quite enjoyable. Compared to past games where the story element has been pretty minimal, it was nice to have some sort of narrative. The FMV sequences offer five different characters, each of which represent their own mission types.
3 – Great Presentation
The visuals and audio design are top notch. Fine little details such as water droplets on the car, car damage and the rain soaked streets look great. What’s strange is that most racing takes place during the night or early morning. What ever happened to racing during the daytime like in past NFS titles?
4 – Cops Don’t Get in the Way
While cops are in NFS, I found them much more forgiving than past games. Even during the free roaming sections of the game, I rarely attracted police attention, which was nice. Even events that throw cops at you are pretty even handed. There were only a handful of times where I was busted by the cops.