The Need For Speed series has, over the years, given games such as Hot Pursuit (NFS 3) and NFS Underground (NFS 7). EA’s Canada division churns out a new game every year. While each game gets graphical updates that make it look better, gameplay is constantly modified to try and provide different gaming experiences. So how does EA’s latest effort rank? Do the modifications make this a good game?

Gamplay & Presentation:

EA has always produced games with slick production values. They leave no stone unturned this time either. Right from the opening sequence to the awesome menus, they come out on top. There are four broad game types – Career, Challenge, Quick Race, and Multiplayer. Quick Race involves picking a track and a car and jumping into a race. The Challenge mode is comprised of a series of challenges that you have to complete and move ahead. The challenges involve getting away from the cops, Toll Booth Trials etc. Multiplayer, as the name suggests is for LAN and online play. But the highlight of the game is the Career Mode. EA introduced this idea of having a career mode from NFS Underground onwards. While the story is nothing great, it keeps the player involved. EA somehow had the brilliant idea of using FMV (Full Motion Video) to progress the story. It works well and is way better than the comic-strip type of style adopted in Underground 2. The career mode basically involves trying to get to the top the “Black List,” a list of the top racers in Rockport City. The story begins with you making your way up the list when Razor Callahan messes with your car and you go to jail while he makes it to the top of the Black List with your BMW M3. In your quest to avenge your loss, you get oodles of help from Mia (played by Josie Maran) who has inside info on the street racing scene. You will also get frequent help from Rog who scouts out racers for you. So, moving on, you need to complete a set number of races and achieve a certain amount of bounty to challenge a rival on the Black List. The races involve Circuit races, Sprints, Drags, Speed Traps, and Lap Knockouts. Drifts and Street X races have been given the axe while two new types – Speed Trap and Toll Booth Trial have been introduced. Speed Trap involves getting through speed radars at the highest possible speeds and Toll Booth Trials will ask you to get from toll booth to toll booth in a set amount of time. Also, you need to complete Milestone events which is where you collect bounty and try to become the “Most Wanted” in the cops’ list. When you have enough street cred to challenge a Black List racer, you will be notified and you go head to head. This way, you keep moving up the list until you challenge Razor. Currently, I am in the process of completing events to challenge No. 7, Kaze. And just to prove that girls also love racing, the Black List has three females. When you beat a rival, you get to choose two markers which can get you their car, Markers to get you out of jail, special upgrades, etc. Currently, I own 6 cars of which only one I purchased. It’s good to have many cars. When the cops get behind you, your “heat level” rises. If you switch cars or make a visual upgrade, the heat on that car will drop. This way, you can cycle through your cars to stay away from jail. Thankfully, EA still offers tons of customization options which improve the performance and visual appeal of your cars.

Cars & Other Game Details:

The list of cars is amazing – while some popular tuners are missing (Nissan Skyline, 350Z, Honda Civic, Toyota Celica, etc.) - EA more than makes up for it with two Lamborghinis, 5 Porsches, the Mercedes-McLaren SLR, Audis and a couple of BMWs. And yes, you can even tune up the exotics! The Lamborghini Gallardo is a joy to drive in the game! One feature I have been missing is the ability to play as a cop and track down law breakers. It is possible that I will encounter it later in the game but not thus far. It would be sad if you cannot play as a cop. The cops are pretty easy to deal with especially in the beginning. What is a little annoying is that sometimes you lose them too quickly – like you have to complete a milestone challenge but you get away from them so fast that nothing happens. Other times, they will chase you down for what will seem an eternity and not let up. Speedbreakers and Gamebreakers assist you in getting away from the cops. A word of caution: Don’t reset your car after a crash if the cops chasing you are very near – you will most certainly get busted. The cars show damage although it doesn’t affect the handling of the car and it will be as good as new the next time. The game improves upon Underground 2 in that you no longer have to drive around the city looking for races. You can use the Jump to Safe House option and select a race directly. While you can still drive around to get familiar with the city, it’s great that you don’t have to search for races. Get the Black Edition of the game if possible. It includes bonus rides, tracks, and a bonus DVD with interesting videos that give you details on the making of the game.

Graphics & Sound:

As mentioned earlier, EA updates its graphics engine each year and the games look better and better. This year though, the graphical updates are significant. EA has thrown in stuff like High Detail Shadows, HDR Lighting, Full Screen Anti-Aliasing, etc. The end result is that the game looks beautiful. Although for the PC version, you will need a high-end machine to enjoy the splendor, the console version for the Xbox 360 looks stunning. The PS2 version ends up looking the worst as usual while the PC and 360 versions are neck and neck. The sound effects in any EA game are always top-notch and Most Wanted is no exception. While the sound track could use considerable upheaval, all the crashes, accidents, engines, etc. sound great. The EA Trax involve mostly hip hop music – not the good kind though. Maybe EA should go back to the old days when they used electronic music that had no vocals. Techno, trance, disco, etc. are what EA should look to include instead of the stuff they are offering now. However, EA still doesn’t give users the option to use 5.1 surround sound. It would be great to experience the game in full 5.1 surround. But overall, the visual and audio quality are simply amazing. For some reason, this game has no THX certification unlike the Underground games.

Replay Value & Multiplayer:

The multiplayer aspect of the game is stellar. Note for PS2 users: I think the game does not include an online mode for the PS2 version. You can always find enough people online and EA has improved the interface considerably. If you don’t want to play online, you can still challenge buddies over a local network using the LAN play option. That plays a major role in extending the game beyond single-player as gamers can keep enjoying the game even after completing the Career and Challenge modes. The game offers at least 20 hours of gameplay but most people will find that it is an even longer game, particularly so if you spend time tricking out your ride. Furthermore, you get involved in a lot of pursuits which extend the game time. But, you can always go back and redo the whole thing over again with different cars and different tuning options. So the game definitely has replay value even though most people will prefer to go online and race others head to head in a test of skill (and bandwidth).

Conclusion:

This is undoubtedly the best Need For Speed game ever. I have been playing NFS games since the second iteration and have loved each one of them. Most Wanted combines two elements that made NFS 3 and Underground such popular games – cops and tuning capabilities. The end result is a game that is both, expansive and brilliant. While the game is not without its flaws, it is still one of the best racers out there. The only competition is from Project Gotham Racing 3 (Xbox 360 exclusive) and Burnout (no PC version). These two however, are for a different audience. NFS fanboys should love this game. Let’s hope EA improves upon this game next year and comes out with the perfect racer.

Score: 9/10

Screenshots posted here.