Need For Speed: Most Wanted

[TCrouch]

Spook, our similar taste in games is truly...spooky...I wholeheartedly agree.

Get a room.

...a padded one, if they think this is great

I kid, I kid.

[Spooky]

Yeah. I decided to really dig in and try a bunch of races for a couple different cars, and the do some online stuff as well as a couple Autolog challenges.

The online stuff was a tad confusing but I think that with a bit more time I may end up playing online a ton. It's a neat and different way to approach multiplayer with the rotating modes and open world.

So for those that don't know how the single player game is constructed, you find different cars in the open world and can access them at any time. Once you find them they are yours. Each car has a set of 5-6 races associated with them that open up specific upgrades for that car. You start with the easier races and once you get those upgrades you can then be competitive in the harder races. (they're all open to you from the get go but you'll probably need the unlocks to win the harder ones). I ended up doing all the races for 2 different cars last night and holy sh*t! - the race types, environments and sheer speed and adrenaline was awesome.

For those that are not really finding the overall "world/map" that interesting, if you have not tried a bunch of races you are missing out on a ton of crazy cool areas that you'd never probably find just free roaming. I was underwhelmed by the world until I realized just how many different environments and sub-sections there are. Between races in the mountain areas at dusk and races in the shipyard and train-tracks areas at dawn, I was floored at the detail and track design!

The races themselves are surely sprinkled with some rubber-banding AI but it's implemented really, really well. Man I had insanely intense races and had to retry some races over and over again but had that perfect balance of near controller throwing frustration with that excitement and determination that only well designed games can pull off. There was one race that I was probably on my 4th or 5th time trying and was like 100 yards from finishing 1st when a cop came up behind be and sideswiped me and I came in 4th. I was literally yelling at the TV but was laughing at the same time. Good stuff.

The driving model will definitely turn some people off, and the frustration at times of what may feel like cheap losses due to an unavoidable crash may frustrate as well. But I am finding these things enjoyable and am not having any issue with them. Like Teal said, different cars handle way differently (not like Forza levels but enough to feel different) and with upgrades from winning races they start to become quite a bit tighter.

At this point I am a happy camper with the combo of Forza and NFS in my library!

[Spooky]

Spook, our similar taste in games is truly...spooky...I wholeheartedly agree.

Get a room.

...a padded one, if they think this is great

I kid, I kid.

LOL! Cute guys...real cute.

[TCrouch]

I think one of the earlier replies hit it on the head--the racing game for people who don't like racing games. I think that sums it up for me perfectly, and I'm glad people in that camp have a game to play. I plan on trying it several more times before throwing in the towel on it, but at this point the only one in my house who seems to love it is my Autistic son. He sat there bouncing in front of the TV just wrecking into everything as happy as could be--so for that reason, I guess it was worth $60 already.

[Danimal]

Spook, our similar taste in games is truly...spooky...I wholeheartedly agree.

Almost as if you were the same person. Even his avatar looks like your photo. Lost twins perhaps?

[Spooky]

Spook, our similar taste in games is truly...spooky...I wholeheartedly agree.

Almost as if you were the same person. Even his avatar looks like your photo. Lost twins perhaps?

Teal = Spooky = Superior Man...?

[Teal]

Superior man will not allow speculation as to the true identity of Superior Man. Superior Man is above such petty pursuits...

[btmmayor]

Just played for about 2 hours. This game is f*cking GREAT. That is all.

I just picked this one up this morning and, yeah, couldn't have said it better myself.

Smashing gates and billboards is just as fun as ever, and the actual "arcade" racing is extremely well done. The early "Cold Burn" race where you are on the railroad tracks, dodging cement supports while the other cars are ramming you with motion blur in full effect......good stuff. I stress "arcade" because its obviously a much different well done than a well done in a game like Forza (which I also picked up this morning and am looking forward to digging into).

Between this and Medal of Honor I seem to be on a bit of a roll really enjoying crappy sub-par, no fun video games. I see a few of you guys playing this aren't on my friends list so I'm going to shoot out a few requests to get some more times to race and Fire Team partners to shoot with on my list.

[dbdynsty25]

Interesting development...as you win more races with each car, the handling gets tighter and tighter...thus a little more controlled. It makes it a lot easier to drive, that's for damn sure. I guess the developers wanted to make it sloppy at first to make you want to progress and tighten up the controls. It's funny, the only thing I didn't like about the game was the controls and now that those are getting better with each race (and each car), the complaints are diminishing.

I guess I spoke too soon.

[10spro]

Interesting development...as you win more races with each car, the handling gets tighter and tighter...thus a little more controlled. It makes it a lot easier to drive, that's for damn sure. I guess the developers wanted to make it sloppy at first to make you want to progress and tighten up the controls. It's funny, the only thing I didn't like about the game was the controls and now that those are getting better with each race (and each car), the complaints are diminishing.

I guess I spoke too soon.

That's good to know. With so many games out there, I was thinking of trading it.

[EZSnappin]

I picked this up yesterday and got a few hours with it last night. I loved Paradise, and so far I'm quite liking this. Yes, it's a bit sloppy, and annoying as hell when you turn a corner in a race and everyone but you avoids the car in the intersection, but despite those moments of annoyance it's fun. The time flew by as I found cars, smashed billboards, and escaped the cops. I haven't even tried online yet, but I enjoyed online with Paradise so I expect I'll like this too.

[TCrouch]

Interesting development...as you win more races with each car, the handling gets tighter and tighter...thus a little more controlled. It makes it a lot easier to drive, that's for damn sure. I guess the developers wanted to make it sloppy at first to make you want to progress and tighten up the controls. It's funny, the only thing I didn't like about the game was the controls and now that those are getting better with each race (and each car), the complaints are diminishing.

I guess I spoke too soon.

That's kind of what I was saying the other night in Forza. I played it for a couple of hours and I sort of "got" it, but there wasn't any magic moments--the cars just got better.

[bulls23]

There's a demo out now for both XBOX and PS3 for those who didn't jump on buying it (like me). I will try it later.

360 Link http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Produ ... 0245410961

[pk500]

There's a demo out now for both XBOX and PS3 for those who didn't jump on buying it (like me). I will try it later.

360 Link http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Produ ... 0245410961

Thanks for the tip, dude!

[Macca00]

I played the demo last night and maybe it was a product of sleep depravation but I wasn't that impressed. I didn't like the handling (though as db mentioned it does get better). I am a whore for anything open-world, particularly when it's in a city like NFS: MW but I enjoyed the Forza: Horizon demo much more.

[Spooky]

Interesting....I become more and more enthralled with this one the more I play it. The amount of variety in the races, chases and goals is neat. The score chasing and 'autolog' stuff is great fun too. The cop chases can be downright tough as well.

The only thing I was a bit disappointed in (but understand the decision based on the sheer amount of stuff in the game) is that certain races and chases are repeated for different cars. I just figured that each car would have it's very own specific set of races and goals to participate in.

But overall I am just loving the speed, edge of your seat racing and variety.

[Pete1210]

Coming to WiiU in March.

"Since the tail end of 2011, a core team of engineers at Criterion has been working with the Wii U. The final hardware launched in November, and Criterion started to scratch its collective noggin and figure out how it would work for Need for Speed: Most Wanted...
The extra time was not spent in vain, something that became obvious once Most Wanted was up and running on a television. The Wii U port pulls in the PC assets and immediately sports a much longer draw distance and better frame rate than its console cousins. Having played my fair share of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, the work that went into this Wii U version was clear – and not just in graphical fidelity, either..."

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/co-dr ... #continued

[Spooky]

Popped this one in the other night and continued to have a BLAST with it.

[Rodster]

Popped this one in the other night and continued to have a BLAST with it.

The iPad version is a lot of fun too especially when you get it for free from IGN.