Not an issue in single player, this feature is extremely unwelcome in multiplayer, because if you’re the one facing the wrong way when the flag falls, you can kiss goodbye to any chance of winning.Īs a Burnout-style game, though, Most Wanted also benefits from having other challenges besides the races. One fly in the ointment: when you reach a ‘Meet Up’ point, in an extraordinarily bad design decision, races can start even when some players are pointing in the wrong direction. This is where we believe most players will end up, hooking up with their friends online and just tooling around, although in our experience it’s more fun with a larger group and feels more like doing chores if there are only two of you.
![nfs most wanted jack spots nfs most wanted jack spots](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7583811748_2f824de375.jpg)
![nfs most wanted jack spots nfs most wanted jack spots](https://originassets.akamaized.net/origin-com-store-final-assets-prod/185235/231.0x326.0/1001575_LB_231x326_en_US_^_2013-03-06-17-13-15_2be80b85f96061efce0689038d8a8172636ca64ceb3361afc77c2380be91f0e1.jpg)
Using the ‘Autolog’ challenge system from previous Burnout games and the likes of Hot Pursuit (if you haven’t played that game yet, go and play it now!), players can compete against ‘Speed Lists’, that offer up varied challenges for the group to attempt, either individually or as a group, including drift challenges, jumping for distance, reaching an elusive spot or straight-out racing. True to form, though, the major appeal of this racing game from Criterion’s stables lies in the multiplayer elements. It is possible to find a hiding spot and kill the engine to try and shake them, switch to another car at a Jack Spot if you’ve broken line of sight, seek out elevation, plain out run them or, if you feel like a scrap, meet them head on and try to wreck their vehicles, but the cop AI is smart enough to try and box you in at every opportunity and you’ll frequently find yourself busted and paying a fine to get out of a fix. This is surprisingly easy to do – the cops are upset by just about any unseemly behaviour – and once on your tail, you can expect a gradual escalation in police attention that often proves impossible to shake. This is quite fun, and given the variety of streetscapes, sharp turns, police presence and regular traffic on the roads, there’s a certain degree of retrying involved in winning some of these races and the challenge is severely increased when you get the cops on your tail. Race locations are dotted around the city, but it’s up to the player to initiate them by spinning their wheels. The Most Wanted stars can be hard to beat, but even if you don’t get that far, NFS Most Wanted presents an impressive, albeit shortened, roster of incredible, real-life cars for players to drive.Īnd there’s a lot of choice in that lineup that offers some very different driving experiences, presenting such cars as the gorgeous Aston Martin V12 Vantage, the incredible, F1-like Ariel Atom, the sporty Ford Focus RS500, the meaty Ford F-150 SV Raptor and the sleek, stealth Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4. Set in the fictional ‘Fairhaven City’, Most Wanted’s driving action takes place over a pleasing variety of landscapes and the ‘Most Wanted’ part of the name refers to the inclusion of 10 AI racers who players earn the right to challenge to a showdown once they’ve accumulated enough experience, or XP,-style ‘Speed’ points.įortunately, Speed Points are pretty easy to come by, being awarded for virtually everything you do in the world. That idea has been a very long time coming, and in this game it isn’t quite as it sounds rather, the cars are all there but need to be ‘discovered’ as you drive by their static locations called ‘Jack Spots’. Most Wanted, on the other hand, does something that very few racing games have ever had the foresight and vision to do before, which is have all the games available from the start.
![nfs most wanted jack spots nfs most wanted jack spots](https://www.videogamesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/need-for-speed-most-wanted-2012-billboards-map.jpg)
While they both offer an open-world environment to explore, Forza asks players to head for the more traditional ‘garage’ to purchase new cars with the proceeds from their performance in the various races.