VideoGame One major flaw brings down the game (2012 version)
Here's an idea for a fun racing game: Drive around a huge, beautifully animated city packed with different sights to see, with the ability to immediately hop into a sizable number of cars, and then take part in a loads of high-speed races while avoiding the wrath of the police. Sounds like an awesome experience, doesn't it?
I wish. Need For Speed: Most Wanted 2012 is easily the most disappointing car racing game I've ever played, and I've become a big fan of racing games since playing 2010's exhilarating Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. And the sad thing is, the game had potential. It isn't a completely terrible experience - in fact, at times, it's a lot of fun.
But one serious flaw downs the game like a plane being shot out of the sky, and this fundamental problem prevents the game from having any kind of purpose beyond being a strong driving sandbox. The flaw is a lack of motivation. You can instantly drive any available cars you find around the city. Each of these cars has a bunch of attached races to complete. The problem is instantly noticeable: by offering you these free cars (minus the several DLC cars) none of their races feel worth doing. Why bother? You've got a big city to explore, and lots of free cars to choose from. You can unlock more cars by defeating the "Most Wanted" (the game's bosses) but there's plenty of great cars available already, and unfortunately, there's no satisfaction in finding (and not earning) them.
However, what exacerbates this flaw is the need to drive to each race. You can't just select the races from a list; you have to maneuver your car to the precise area where the race is located. This reduces the fun of city exploration because driving through it becomes a chore every time you need to find a race. And if, while on the way to a race, you attract the police's attention by driving poorly nearby them, they'll very likely chase you away from the race's starting point. You engage in a police chase, escape them, and most likely lose interest in the race you were driving to. It just isn't accessible enough.
So, you have a whole bunch of races that don't give you much for completing them, a bunch of cars to acquire by simply finding them, and a glorious-looking city to explore. May as well just do that, because NFS:MW 2012 doesn't feel like a true racing game, but a driving sandbox posing as one.
VideoGame Most Wanted 2012 - Or, Burnout Paradise 2 Lite.
This is my first review. Please forgive me if it is not very good. Thank you.
I've been anticipating Most Wanted '12 since the moment it was announced at E3. The Run was a big pile of shit in my opinion, so, naturally, I was comfortable with Criterion getting a second crack at the series after the great game that was Hot Pursuit 2010.
Did they succeed? Well, many people will tell you "no". As for me? I rest somewhere in the middle. Here's what I thought...
Platform for Gameplay: Xbox 360
- Positives
- Visually stunning. Probably one of the best looking racing games ever.
- Races were intense and enjoyable.
- Sense of speed was definitely there.
- Replay value moderate.
- Unique car selection.
- Negatives
- Much less content than it's - ahem - "predecessor".
- Noticeable frame drops, however infrequent.
- Police AI is hit or miss.
- Terrible soundtrack. Unless you like house, rap, and/or dubstep, and unless you have a PS 3 or toy around with PC files, there's nothing much for you here.
- Although you can turn it off.
- Short game length - the single player can easily be finished in 7 - 14 hours, depending if one should be a completist.
- Neither Pros nor Cons
- Focus on Multiplayer. There are a smaller amount races in the single player game compared to Burnout Paradise, with 60 rather than 120. Multiplayer can be fun, though, but this depends on 3 factors -
- How many kids are on a server -
- How many of these kids drive game breakers, and -
- How many of these kids who drive game breakers ram people for no reason other than to be annoying. (And I do know this is to get SpeedPoints. So don't bother telling me they do this for that reason.)
- Little customization. Yes, I know that the original NFS had no customization other than colors. But this is a reimagining of Most Wanted, a game that did. The only form of customization in the game is performance. Depending on what era of Need for Speed you belong to, this can be a good or bad thing.
- Focus on Multiplayer. There are a smaller amount races in the single player game compared to Burnout Paradise, with 60 rather than 120. Multiplayer can be fun, though, but this depends on 3 factors -
So, is this a game you should pick up at full price? Of course not. Wait until the price drops to the mid 20 dollar range, only then would I say you should buy it. 7 out of 10.
VideoGame Damn near perfect
This is a game that gets it right. Forget the hammy acting and absurd premise - beneath all that beats the heart of a brutally focused driving sim. I call it a sim because, while the physics do not quite replicate real high speed driving, the amount of effort that went into making the cars dynamic and fluid is readily apparent. The interplay between forces acting on your car is nuanced, often unforgiving, the only obvious concession to accessibility being the measured downplay of handling instability at very high speed.
The SFX are face-melting, some of the cars positively howl. The option exists to shut off the in-game heads-up - turn off the interface and it presents a pure chase cam experience; no clutter, just you, your car and the road.
The police are ruthless and competent, if you opt for the Black Edition, they become very much a swarm of angry hornets with one goal: to pursue you with utter disregard for collateral damage or lives lost. If you're lucky, you might get away. Had you followed the speed limit and not driven through the art gallery, they would've left you alone.
It's a short, fast-paced game. Unlocks are frequent and include better parts, faster cars, cash prizes; standard racing game fare, effective motivation to those in the know. The world consists of the coastal city of Rockport and the surrounding environs, from industrial waterfront to redwood forest - the scenery is lush and absolutely rife with interactive elements and cut-throughs. It all gives the sense of a tranquil burg on a sunny day, and it feels authentic.
You are given the option to jump or drive to races, tuning adjustments can be made on the fly. This is a straightforward game for driving enthusiasts and the uninitiated alike, and one of the finest examples of older titles which, for all their simplicity, were ahead of their time. The graphics still look good 12 years later. The music is awful, in keeping with EA tradition, and the realistic, highly involved tuning platform offered in their previous title is conspicuous in its absence.
Silence the music though, switch off the interface and learn to shift by ear - this game speaks directly to our collective id, a masterpiece which has only gotten better with age.