Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game PC
User Score
4.4 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 468 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 145 out of 468
  2. Mixed: 63 out of 468
  3. Negative: 260 out of 468

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  1. sinadoom
    Nov 14, 2012
    8
    I'll begin by addressing the problems and common misconceptions about this game. The main problem with this is that it's not optimized for PC. You may want to go straight to your "Criterion Games" folder in My Documents and in the cfg file set LockAt30fps to true. This is not something you should have to do with any game, let alone one designed for casual gamers. 30 FPS does suit the game well though. A recent patch has fixed many problems with regards to controllers and framerates though. In terms of the brick-like heavy handling and the seeming "auto-correct" when steering; just remember that this game is made for non-racers. If, like me, you're used to super-sharp and technical driving you need to break out of the precision mindset and just throw the car about more generally, since in more hardcore racing games the smallest input at the wrong time can lead to a disaster. Here you need to be aggressive, so it can take some getting used to if you're serious about your racing games. As for more general downsides, this game lacks any real depth in terms of single player content. It wouldn't be as empty if the leaderboards were more focused globally rather than on friends. Indeed if you have no friends who play the game all the speedwalls are pointless as always. But this game is designed with mutliplayer first, as stated by Criterion. Hence, the single player is just a free-roam messabout arena rather than the main chunk. The title has caused much confusion. The 2005 game is my 15th favourite game ever (at time of writing). However, Criterion have stated (see Wikipedia article on this game) that their intention was NOT to make a sequel to the original masterpiece. And so it follows that the concept behind the title is being "Most Wanted" amongst your friends. Like in NFS Hot Pursuit, the handling is very arcade and there is no manual transmission. However the city of Fairhaven resembles that of Most Wanted 2005 so you get a good mix of urban twisty roads and inner city centre. The design philosophy for the single player is to keep it very simple and basic. So no budget to manage, no garage, no consequences for getting busted, no special cars or upgrades to unlock from levelling up or whatever. Just very simply: Whatever car you find, you can drive. The graphics are obviously state-of-the-art; and you'd expect them to be given the system requirements. Compared to Hot Pursuit 2010, there's no innovation, and handling is inferior to that in The Run. The lack of manual transmission doesn't help matters. But unlike The Run this game doesn't have any camera issues, and it's not linear; it's free-roam. I like the concept and the game does feel very modern, with an excellent choice of cars which do handle slightly differently (although once again, not comparable to The Run's handling). This game is not sophisticated, and this is with great delibration. Infact, the emphasis is on the pick-up-and-play, do what you want whenever you want without having to grind through a half-arsed story - kind of thing. If you're expecting a sequel, then you have either been mislead by the title or deeply misinformed of the game's intentions. All in all it's a great game but the technical issues on the PC version on launch and the lack of emphasis on global leaderboards position if you don't have any friends is dissapointing; given that Autolog has been around for quite some time now. Nevertheless, it's definitely the game I would recommend to someone who has never tried a racing game. Everyone who thinks that this game is multiplayer only or is not worth getting if you're planning to mainly or only play single player is lying. When you consider how many cars there are in the game, and that there are 5 races for each, there are upgrades to unlock for each which have their distinct advantages and disadvantages and can be changed at any point even during a race, and the upgrades themselves have "Pro" versions (just as perks in Call of Duty have Pro versions); add in the 60-odd speed cameras and over a hundred billboards to smash and also trying to beat your best time on each race or get more points on each pursuit without having to worry about getting busted and paying a hefty fine - you get the idea. Basically, the amount of content in the single player is actually more than meets the eye if you want to do everything. Variety isn't great but is sufficient to keep it feeling satisfying. The city is tiny but it's used so well it feels bigger than it actually is. The cars sound great, have nice colour schemes, and SFX is generally high quality. When you consider that you get the best-looking racing game to date by a large margin with some of the finest cars around in a very casual drop-in/drop-out environment where there is still motive to unlock things but not the main part, it's very pleasing and relaxing. The difficulty of the races is pretty good if not a little too hard, especially for casuals. Overall, fantastic work Criterion.… Expand
  2. frast2012
    May 4, 2013
    7
    Nie łatwo jest zrobić kontynuacje czy odświeżenie tak bardzo lubianej gry wyścigowej w tak samo dobrym stylu. Myślę jednak że twórcą się to po części udało. Mamy tu główny nacisk na wyścigi w dzień, emocjonujące pościgi, ucieczki przed policją i otwarty świat. To chyba to było najważniejsze w starym Most Wanted? Myślę że brak tuningu to nie wada. Nacisk na tuning pojawił się w Underground' pojawił się w Underground'dzie 1 i 2, w Most Wanted głównymi czynnikami były inne rzeczy. Ludzie nie, nie lubią tej gry, ludzie nie chcą jej lubić. Hejt na nią jest uzasadniany żałosnymi argumentami..więc ja przedstawię swoje. Gra jest strasznie nie dopracowana. Bugi, bugi i jeszcze raz bugi. Nie mówię już o tych przez które przegrywałem wyścigi, ale coś w stylu speed 100 razy większy kiedy policja lub mój przeciwnik chce mnie dogonić(naprawdę popatrzcie sobie czasami na mapkę jak przeciwnik popełni błąd i będzie stał przez chwile, zobaczcie jak nagle przyśpieszy po pewnym czasie...). Do tego nie dopracowany Frosbite. Uruchamiając grafikę na Ultra mam tu tyle efektów, przez co nie widzę nic na ekranie. Jezu, nauczcie się wreszcie wykorzystywać dobrą grafikę. Gra zrobiona na totalny odpierdziel. Twórcy dali nam otwarty teren, dali nam auta, i nic, powiedzieli "ścigajcie się" i mieli, brzydko mówiąc "wszystko w d***e". Mało wyścigów do każdego auta, pewne głupie pomysły i momentami strasznie ciężka ucieczka od policji czasami ustępuje i wreszcie doznajemy przyjemność z wyścigów które rzeczywiście wyglądają ładnie, i rzeczywiście jeździ się przyjemnie. Podobają mi się jeszcze filmiki kiedy uruchamiamy wyścig z Most Wanted, naprawdę, perełka. Szkoda że Criterion po tak świetnym Hot Pursuit, tak spierniczył Most Wanted. Moja ocena 7/10… Expand
  3. voiders
    Apr 26, 2013
    7
    Amazing graphics, imersive sounds and phisics but the game is very short and the moviments are weird.
    I have a steering wheel but i dont know why, the car lose control so easy.

    Some times i think you have to have some patience with bugs and controls.
  4. Vasot
    Oct 30, 2012
    5
    Need for Speed: NOT Wanted. Where can i start from the annoying camera that you have deal every time you pass a roadblock or the car handling that feels like driving a brick with wheels. And what is with the cops I am driving with over 300 km/h and still the cops always stick with me even if i am dealing with average police cars. How is it possible a average police car run with the same speed with a Super car that runs almost 300 km/h ?!!? (smells like cheating AI to me). As for the rest there is no Single player story or any real purpose just running around some city trying to be number 1 in some list and doing similar races every freaking time (very boring !!!). Only good thing about this game are the graphics which are pretty good as for the rest it is a disappointing game that gets boring really fast… Expand
  5. baddeadtaste
    Nov 7, 2012
    4
    This game has no soul at all. Taking down the most wanted rivals is completely boring. There is no character associated with a vehicle, no story at all. It's simply unlock a most wanted challenge and then beat it, get car, rinse, repeat. Customization is gone completely as all mods are the same for each vehicle and you unlock them in the same generic races over and over again. The online is kind of hit or miss for me...they reward crashing WAY too much. Nobody races with any finesse they just fly around slamming into you all the time. And WTF is up with the speed trials and challenge events!?! This is supposed to be a racing game!! In some events you actually have to try and PARK your car longer than anyone else in a specific spot!! That's right...the object is to PARK your car?!?! What the heck is Criterion thinking!?!?! After the awesomeness that was NFS: The Run, I had high hopes for this game but if you ask me Criterion screwed up just about every single aspect of this game and sucked all the fun right out of the online game. This is definitely one to avoid for sure.… Expand
  6. Kimomarudotcom
    Oct 31, 2012
    6
    Fun game, but it owes practically everything to the ultimately superior Burnout: Paradise (another Criterion game). In a total effort to avoid cannibalising Burnout: Paradise's look and feel, NFS: Most Wanted used the odd controls that are classic NFS (not snappy and precise like BP, but "sluggish" and weighty). Events are started at traffic lights just like BP, but for whatever reason don't feel as plentiful. I very much like the licensed cars and there's fun to be had in hunting them down, however. Online interaction with other players often devolves into "meeting up" with other players and having your car smashed repeatedly by other drivers as everyone waits for the event to start. As a series, I think Need for Speed needs to be retired. It had its time and place during the PlayStation era but unfortunately does not hold up next to the modern sensibilities of Burnout: Paradise. Criterion's wasting time with this franchise when it can be moving forward. For an example of its gameplay, see http://youtu.be/9QYby4Giox4 (you'll notice at 4:08 that a giant message pops up that totally obscures my view of the roadblock, causing me to crash.) Criterion, time to go back to Burnout and make players happy again. :(… Expand
  7. shArk87
    Feb 5, 2013
    0
    Criterion, Go yourself, you're screwing all NFS games!!!
    When does the mercenary *EA* learns what we really want... Criterion, your only good game release was Burnout, and it stayed there.. Stop before u screw Need for speed
  8. GPReS
    Oct 31, 2012
    0
    I always hated trolling, and this game is nothing but trolling from Criterion...
    1) Most Wanted? Seriously??? Do they ever played MW by BlackBox? Obviously not, otherwise the game would not be such facepalm...
    2) NFS??? Seriously? I see nothing but very bad replica of Burnout: Paradise City...
    3) Graphics sucks on HD screens as NFS:HP2010 earlier, seems that Criterion is still has no ar    ms to develop smth worthful
    4) Controls - fuuuuuuuu!!!!
    This is the the 1st game I give such a low score. The way not to go Criterion... But better - get your arms off NFS title, go develop next BRNT...    … Expand
  9. KalanYamato
    Mar 12, 2013
    5
    This game's not that bad as a game by itself, but this is purely Burnout Paradise. There's barely any trace of Need for Speed, or anything original to begin with.

    Decent game, but false advertising. Do not buy.
  10. DudeManGuy
    Oct 31, 2012
    7
    I am a huge Burnout Paradise City fan. This game seems to straddle the line between that game and the more recent Need for Speed titles... to it's detriment. It's not as silly and fun as Paradise City, nor as hardcore as the Need for Speed games. The map feels small and the vehicles are dished out too readily, making the reward seems less valuable. It can be fun, but it is not the masterpiece that Paradise City was and is. Also, I was hoping for some more/better PC options. As it is, I'm using a 660ti and the high res texture pack seems to make it drop frames. Not great.… Expand
  11. franco214
    Nov 13, 2012
    6
    My problem with this game was where my expectations were before getting my hands on and some game time behind me. I love the NFS series and have hours of fun with friends racing and competing on Autolog. While these things still exist in Most Wanted i still feel like there is something missing from the experience. The handling took me a while getting used to and to be honest it rarely changes between car to car, providing no thrills from finding your next vehicle. The use of the easydrive system is good, if not a little difficult to use while racing, but once you are used to it can be very effective. For me the longevity in this game is lacking it has been less than a month out and i am feeling my will to play just slip away. Could have been much better.… Expand
  12. Liquidlizard
    Nov 26, 2012
    4
    What the hell Criterion? Burnout Paradise was what? 4 years ago? and it still has better graphics and is more realistic than this crap. EA too - Prostreet is more fun. Coulda been alot better if you took another year to work on it. Plus, you cannot unlock/purchase cars. You have to find them around the city... That's no fun. This series is turning into Call of Duty. No one should get it. Good for $10. Great for $5.… Expand
  13. GALO
    Nov 4, 2012
    5
    NFS Most Wanted features a very, very small map, packed with horrible frame rate issues. The framerate is so poorly optimized that makes the game unplayable at certain sections of the map. A total disrespect to the PC customer. When you get the game working on the more "clean" sections of the map (and by lowering the graphics almost to nothingness) you can expect decent graphics, mediocre presentation, and poor soundtrack. Aside from the crazy framerate drops, the main problem with NFS:MW is the lack of content. You will beat the most wanted list in about 6-10 hours, and you will be forced to race the same tracks/events again and again, only with different cars. This game is not worth full price, wait for a price drop.… Expand
  14. czaczaczar
    Nov 5, 2012
    0
    I personally prefer the NFS: Most Wanted 2012 ported on Android & iOS because it has in-game currency & it doesn't suck! When I first heard of this game, I thought, "Wow! My favorite game from the NFS series will be remade. Sgt. Cross, the hot chick named Mia & the Blacklist are coming back." My hopes has been ruined. This game is just a combination of NFS: Undercover (which I really hated) & Burnout Paradise (which I really liked). It has no manual transmission, poor handling, bumper cam & chase cam only, the city is very small, no car customizations & modifications, no currency, no story, cheating AI (SUVs that can catch up with supercars), & most of all, there's no distinct character milieu like in the original Most Wanted. Flashy graphics doesn't always mean a good game. It's not worth the money. This game should be boycotted. EA better not touch NFS: High Stakes next.… Expand
  15. Jintoss
    Nov 7, 2012
    4
    Gorgeous, poorly thought out, and badly optimized for PC. Cars handle like they are driving flat out even at low speeds. Success in the 'speed run' (maintain average speed) are purely determined by lucky traffic conditions. 'Quick Drive' mechanic allows you to switch upgrades (basically various perks for cars, not really upgrades) but requires you to drive to each event - seriously questionable logic here. Menus load painfully slow and aren't skippable - you will wait 10 seconds after each race attempt at the same menu animations; it will feel like torture. You will have to drive very defensively, as once you've committed to a turn, a random car coming out of a turn will ruin your day.

    Some interesting design concepts, but in the end don't compliment each other. The result is a gorgeous, uninteresting, and frustrating mess that you wish was more fun.    … Expand
  16. Avadon
    Feb 20, 2013
    2
    I hadn't played a NFS game in years and had really missed it, so I got this with very minimal expectations. I just wanted the usual post-Underground NFS game, with silly storyline and enjoyable driving. Even with non existent expectations however, this game is bad. When I can run Far Cry 3 on high and I need to turn this down to low details, you know there's a problem. Also, the handling is so terrible that I couldn't stand it for more than an hour. You press the stick to turn and at first the car doesn't respond and then it immediately takes a 90 degree turn straight into the nearest wall. I can't believe Criterion made this game, wtf happened to them? I don't think I need to add anything else, when you've got a sluggish racing game that handles terribly, it's done, nothing else matters. Huge disappointment.… Expand
  17. v00d00m4n
    Dec 26, 2012
    4
    This game should be called "Burnout Paradise 2 - No Need for Speed: Least Wanted" becaus its not that awesome NFS Most Wanted game remake we wanted and expected, its not NFS at all!
    - What made original Most Wanted 2005 a great game? Story - with underground street racing atmosphere, its was intriguing blockbusters where you had clear goal, good characters and felt yourself a real st    reet racer a pain in cop's ass! Style - awesome moody "golden" lighting, real autumn, road with orange leafs, cool graffiti, awesome customized cars with all sorts of variety! Challenging races- against cop of regular NPC or both, it was not easy it was breathtaking in terms of tension they gave us, final race against cop was totally awesome experience i still cant forget. And getting new cars or customization as price in race was a real treasure that allowed to progress and match your rivals that progressed as well, to get a new car you need to win a lot of races and you need to choose wisely! Customization and tuning - well comparing to previous NFS Underground 2 or next NFS Carbon it was simplified here and there, but it still was good, stylish and allowed to make a lot of various rides, and i heard you all like pimping your rides and they put a "pimp your ride" in your "NFS" so everyone could spent half of gameplay time pimping ride like some Xzibit while playing NFS. Physics - well it was not realistic, it was arcadish, but it was adequate and balanced and kept everyone entertained. Various race modes - i cant remember them all, i think drag and drift racing was missing (well NFS UG 2 and Carbon was still better) but it was enough and all was challenging. Variety of gameplay features - you was able to not just use nitro, but a slow mo as well, was able to hide from cops, if you change cars or colors the heat was going down, you was able to brake parts of levels to make a traps for cops and rivals, there was SMS, car shops, customs shops, safehouses and count of damage you dealt to city, and more gameplay features. Cutscenes - well this goes to story department of game, but even if there was no good story, scenes was very-well directed and quite impressive, people really loved how they mixed real actors and in-game environment and cars, in game real-time cut-scenes that showed cars before and after races was impressive as well and was making all car lovers horny, it was a real vehicle-porn in good meaning. Controls - they was different for every car, they was good, they was optimized well for gamepad, keyboard and wheels. Sound track - i guess everyone remembed awesome tracks since NFS Underground famous "Eron-don-don" and up to Carbon dark grime. There was more good things about original MW, but i need to finally start talking about MW 2012, however there is not too much to talk about.
    So if you played original MW, once you hear about new MW, you expect all the good things from original to appear in new game and evolve to next level.. to make this game even greater than original was...
    And the biggest problem of NFS Most Wanted 2012 that this freaking game HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OF WHAT I JUST LISTED AND WHAT MADE ORIGINAL MOST WANTED 2005 such a good game!
    Im freaking serious! Almost Absolutely nothing except for cop and free roaming city... game is just empty and boring, you have one big (great however) city where you have nothing to do except for changing cars and driving simple circuit races against dumbest boring cops and nameless NPCs... Yo Dawg! Criterion heard you like driving, so they put only a driving in your driving NFS game so you can drive while you drive and do nothing else! No story! No cut-scenes! No style! No customization and tuning! No challenging races! No tension! No adequate physics! No different good controls for different cars! ! No memorable soundtrack! No rich gameplay features! No goals! No sense of wining the race! No awards for winning! No motivation to play! Only a pure empty city where you have nothing to do except for driving through billboards with EA, DICE, Bioware, Visceral game and Criterion logos, and changing cars that have only a cosmetic difference.
    Despite this game feels like a Burnout Paradise 2, it missing a lot of Paradise features and insane speeds, so its not even good as Burnout! Pure marketing FAIL! This game have nothing to be called MOST WANTED, its a LEAST WANTED NFS game (just like recent Hot Pursuit remake)! After playing i realized that crappy Undercover (which was initially called Most Wanted 2) was not so crappy and was actually better than this Most Wanted 3 aka 2012 (or actually MW 4, because Carbon was real MW2 and Undercover was actually MW3). Damn it, half of cars dont even have NITRO! Can you imagine it? Gameplay is somehow close to level of rusty NFS 1-3 which is very simple and empty comparing to what we saw in NFS and Midnight Club and Test drive in recent years.
    Dont buy this game and ask for refund if you did!
    4 of 10 only!    … Expand
  18. Cooldude731
    Nov 1, 2012
    8
    This game is nice, is well done. The gameplay is very nice. I like the new style police chases, without any pursuit breakers or anything. I also like how you earn parts, cars, etc. My complaints are the handling on the cars. I find they are glitchey and sometimes unresponsive. Other than that the game is great! Just needs a patch or two.
  19. Turbobutts
    Oct 30, 2012
    5
    I weep for the Need For Speed series, and I weep because EA seem to force Criterion to make mediocre Burnout Paradise clones instead of decent Burnout games. If you want a good NFS game, get the new Hot Pursuit. Otherwise get Burnout Paradise. Plain and simple. ---- Now for the sake of the responsibility I carry as a reviewer I will go into detail a little more. The map is small and boring. The cars all seem to handle and perform almost the same, and earning them feels underwhelming because it's so easy. Also there's no visual customization and you can't even pick your paintjob freely. Then there's the annoying crash cam and less than appealing soundtrack. All in all a bittersweet experience, especially for people who know what Criterion are capable of if they're not handcuffed by EA.… Expand
  20. twilightrocks
    Dec 23, 2012
    6
    Not really worth spending £35 on. The optimization is very bad, even on my HD 7870 I get constant fps drops sometimes as low as 20. However, the game itself is good but could be better. The gps thingy is great, it is clear on the minimap on where you need to go and tells you the distance to the event you are getting to. The racing itself is good but again could be better. The car handling and responsiveness of the car is also good but once again could be better. A few things I haven't seen in the game which was in the original Most Wanted which I think EA could have added into the game are shops, car lots and a garage. Overall the game is decent but not excellent which is why I am rating this 6/10.… Expand
  21. eriksonis
    Feb 23, 2013
    0
    This game is really disappointing. First thing that really bothers me is gaming menu it doesn't exist at all. Makes me feel that his game is regular straight console port. Second, no matter how well you drive, you will crash 10+ times during your race. View from the cab does not exist too. Disaster, it deserves 0 rating.
  22. EV3RLiGHT
    Apr 16, 2013
    2
    It's a hugely over-rated game that misses its expectations by miles. Fully detached from its origins, brought to the PC for arguably better visuals and simplified controls, but a polished turd is still a turd. Where's the customization? Where is the proper story? Where is a fraction of realism? Criterion has ruined the legendary Most Wanted by making it too "arcadeish" and way too simplified, all that this game has is decent (not outstanding) graphics and a relatively short list of licensed cars. I've had to push this to 2 out of 10.… Expand
  23. Stefarooh
    Nov 10, 2012
    9
    With all these whingers and whiners on this board proclaiming this to be the worst NFS tile yet you have to ask yourself did they even bother giving the game a chance before hopping on the flaming bandwagon. To say this is worse than NFS Undercover is a HUGE joke. Seriously??? In this day and age where every one is a throw away critic how can you possibly take anyone seriously after reading through the 0's and 1's and the extreme 10's. People if you are going to do a review remember to judge a game on the sum of its parts, to be objective and to leave emotion by the door. Its getting slightly ridiculous of late with the Jabber-wokkies jumping up and down handing out 0's and 1's because they never got what they wanted and on the other side those nut-jobs who proclaim certain games to be the best thing "EVA" after spending the total sum of no more than a 1-2 hrs with the game. Three of the years biggest titles (Diablo 3, Mass Effect 3 and now Need for Speed: Most Wanted) all suffered the same fate and none of them were bad by any standard, all being highly polished affairs and standing out amongst their respective genre peers. However, I am sensing I am starting to bring my own emotions into this review, so let me stop right there before I become a caricature of what I am protesting against.

    As for the game, I do agree the game is not optimized very well for the PC but it certainly does not make it unplayable and this is not the very worst port ever (sorry that goes to Dark Souls). In fact the developers have given PC gamers the stock standard options to mess about with when some don't even try and have provided a high definition texture pack. Is this what is considered bad now days? Man oh man how quick we seem to have forgotten the PC port of the excellent Resident Evil 4. With regards to the engine optimization, for those who bothered to fiddle around with the .ini file would have seen 30FPS=false line right at the top of their file and that by simply locking the game to 30FPS (I agree not ideal but hardly earth shattering in a game of this nature as the game still plays fast and furious) most of your stutters and FPS drops would have disappeared. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit after making a copy of the original as this has always been the joy of PC gaming and to see so many not even bother is saddening. Perhaps its because I am an old time gamer and in those good old days a lot of fidgeting and fiddling needed to take place inside those config files in order to get the desired result. Currently I run the game on a GT70 i7-3610QM with a GTX675M GPU and 16GB RAM with the frame rate lock and everything on HIGH and it plays fluidly and beautifully. Whilst I agree some of the more aging hardware out there may require you to fiddle around a bit more with the settings. Just off the bat the game is going to need some serious upper mid-level to high end tech if you are hoping to reach the 60FPS when the patch that address the engine optimizations is released (if its released at all).

    As for the handling, it took me some time to master and at first I simply hated it but a little time and patience was all I needed before I began to get the hang of it and the further you progress the more mods you unlock for your car which in turn makes the cars handle way much better than those first few frustrating hours. Personally I preferred The Runs handling but the game is certainly not unplayable as some have proclaimed. The graphics, for my humble eyes, are a scorcher and the game is simply stunning to look at on a high definition TV with the high definition pack enabled. Particle effects such as falling debris, smoke and the clash of metal on metal as sparks fly as is the reflections of the city on the bonnet and boot of your car as you whizz on by are also accurately portrayed and add to the height-end sense of Michael Bay reality that accompanies these arcade racers of the modern era. I have enjoyed this game on a graphical level immensely.

    Game-play is a lot like if Hot Pursuit and Burnout Paradise got together and had a bastard child. Initially I was not so sure how I was going to enjoy this but after having spent a good 30hrs with the game before commencing with this review in the end I feel the developers made the right choices. I did not mind the mechanics of having to search for new your wheels rather then getting them dished out to you as your skill level increased. I thought this was quite refreshing and a modern take giving everyone access to the more powerful vehicles off the bat instead of having to put in some serious time to earn them. But again this is hardly something that would warrant a 0 or a 1 for a score and is simply subjective. All in all NFS:MW 2012 is the most fun I have had with an arcade racer this generation, edging out Hot Pursuit and the original NFS:MW from 2005. I can see many hours should lost to this and the awesome muliplayer. Well done Criterion!    … Expand
  24. Ensi
    Dec 7, 2012
    6
    First of all, this is a fun game. It's a good mix of realism and arcade (leaning towards the arcade side) with nice cars and all in all fun gameplay. I don't do the races, but I do like to just drive around and drift corners in my favorite cars. For PC this game doesn't have the best optimization, I get mostly 60 FPS (capped) and it usually drops to 20-30 in some areas (670, 3570k, 16gb). Oh and there is no in-car view, disappointing for those with steering wheels. I played this with a gamepad (and so should you if you don't have a wheel).… Expand
  25. RECON-UK
    Dec 23, 2012
    2
    For those of you wanting my opinion, see my video over on YouTube.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJnK52lom_E&feature=youtu.be

    My review is in the description, with video proof.
  26. Techenz
    Nov 11, 2012
    6
    Is it just me or is everyone on metacritic **** about every sequel. I wasn't disappointed, I expected the game to be like this. The reason why games are consistently getting worse is because of the community whinging on and on. Such as the game not changing, the game hasn't changed enough or this game play mechanic is broken. EA tries to do their best to make a game that the community is happy about but that's it's flaw.… Expand
  27. Audius
    Nov 2, 2012
    3
    Honestly the lead designer behind this game needs to face some repercussions, because games repeatedly being released this poorly for such a 'major' title is getting old. The title should read Burnout: With Cops, or if they were so adamant about it containing the Need for Speed title it should've read Need for Speed: Least Wanted. There is absolutely NOTHING innovative about this game. This game is the product of cross-breeding between two titles, containing the worst possible genes and deformities between the two. There is absolutely no story-line, you're kind-of just thrown in a bright colored open-world. What to do now? Want to drive a Lamborghini Gallardo but don't feel like doing any work to get it? Great, just go find it on the mini-map and hop in it! Want to customize it? Sorry, those features were overlooked. Want to change the color to your favorite color? No worries! Drive through the magic repair shop where your car is instantly repaired and your car is randomly given a color. Don't like the color? No problem, just reverse through the repair shop and repeat until you get the color you want! Now, aside from the horrendous customization options, the handling in this game is among some of the worst racing games to date. The steering feels extremely clunky, heavy, and delayed. Say you try to avoid a car in front of you by slamming your throttle to the left, then try to correct yourself after you've avoided the car, you'll usually end up slamming into the wall to your left before your car even begins to acknowledge the fact that you corrected yourself. This NORMALLY wouldn't be that much of an issue in a NFS title, but Criterion felt they had to add in their ridiculous "slow-mo crash cam" every time you so much as bump into something. In which case you'll be forced to watch your car flop about, and in some cases watch your car sit motionless after a pathetic accident. This is the kind of stuff that belongs on Arcade machines where you don't expect to be playing the same game for more than a couple repetitions. If you're not a fan of the Burnout series, save yourself the headache and frustration afterwards and avoid purchasing this horrendous title. Don't take my word for it if you don't believe me. Try it yourself either by purchasing or via trackers. I'm pretty sure you'll come to a similar conclusion. If you want to play a similar title that's free-to-play without the terrible design choices by Criterion, try out Need for Speed World, as it is at least 10x better than this steaming load.… Expand
  28. Palenoire
    Nov 1, 2012
    0
    Game made so angry that I published my review not on PC page but on PS3 page by mistake.
    This is crap! Horrible! Why cars are uncontrollable? Why game is lagging on high settings while Skyrim/Battlefield 3 run absolutely normally on my PC? Why music sucks (again)? Why game slows down time every 5 seconds like an online lag? How many freaking hours do I need to hold down "turn left" button     for my car to actually turn left? And when she turns left... oh boy... nothing can stop her from causing total devastation in spinning 360 freaking degrees!!! Once you gently, for half of the second tap Space it sends you car flying like a tornado! Screw this game, don't buy it, download it from trackers if you are curious- yeah, i said that.… Expand
  29. lifexux
    Oct 31, 2012
    7
    As a racing game, it's not too bad. As a nfs game however, it fails to live up to it's expectations. This is not anything like the 2005 most wanted and you'd be disappointed if you were expecting anything more. However, gameplay is quite solid and the car selaction is pretty good, ranging fro classics to exotics. An obvious console port with massive framerate issues, this game is better off borrowed from a friend instead of a full purchase.… Expand
  30. bjaz
    Apr 23, 2013
    1
    THE WORST NO.1 IN NFS SERIES,
    There is no story,No good music,gameplay is bad(compared to previous one)
    This Game is nooo match for the previous Most Wanted (2005),which i still play sometimes.
    I'll GIVE A BIG THUMB DOWN...
  31. erase_trick
    Nov 1, 2012
    8
    I liked the old Most Wanted, i loved Burnout Paradise and I'm already impressed with 2012's Most Wanted....Criterion knows how to deliver racing games...i understand most of the players hate towards this game as they were hoping it to be like the original...but its Criterion...you have to judge it by its own merits or demerits...speaking of the game, it has more of the Burnout Paradise feel than any of the NFS games except for the cops...you're going to love to it or hate it..graphics are top-notch and the soundtrack is awesome too..my problem so far only has been the controls that needs to be fixed...… Expand
  32. H1TMAN930927
    Nov 2, 2012
    3
    When ii hear that need for speed was going to be redone, i was excited and hoped the game was amazing. After Pirating the game out of fear that it would be a money waister, my fears were proven correct. This game is note a successful redo of the last most wanted, getting new cars are as easy as driving around and saying "oh look a bugatti veyron......MINE!" no financial buy car trade car system, all these retarded points things, i mean you start off in a porche 911. theres no progression like the classic need for speed games when u have a **** car and progress to a nicer one threw wining pink slips or buying new cars, theres only 2 camera views(no in-car view) and the handling is just terrible, if you want to know what its like, duct tape a hippo to your roof and try drive, as well as there is no Manual transmission, need for speed franchise is on a downhill, and they are become the same as the Call of duty franchise in this regard, they need to pull something out of there asses to make this franchise a gem as it once was. I feel sorry for people who actually went out and bought the game, and ill say this again.... THIS IS WHY WE PIRATE, TO COMPENSATE FOR GAME DEVELOPERS TRYING TO SELL US ****TY WORTHLESS GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… Expand
  33. slartibartfas
    Oct 31, 2012
    5
    Not good. Very mediocre. -5 points for: - massive framerate drops even on actual hardware (i7, gtx660, 8 gb) - jaggies (where is the antialias setting, which every modern game has?) - missing story - missing motive force to do something - excessive emphasis on "social gaming" at the expense of the singleplayer campaign I'am really annoyed, that I've bought this game. For now, I will continue playing Borderlands 2.… Expand
  34. Meteorix
    Oct 31, 2012
    5
    The Good - The graphic level, the tunnes, lights, cars and world in general are well made, the highways and streets are pretty well for a simulation of the city.

    The Bad - is a Burntout Paradise game with no challenges, run as crazy and free as you want, the filters to make look good this games are way to heavy and with no optimization at all, almost anything bigger than a LOW setting w    ill drop your fps to 35 fps wich by the way is unplayable.

    Other than that, is not what expected from "MOST WANTED", just another arcade game.    … Expand
  35. StrikerFIN
    Nov 6, 2012
    1
    Loved the original Most Wanted (not because of the plot, but because of gameplay), came in with high hopes, but left unsatisfied. I would agree on the comments about bad optimization and low frame rates. I have a high end PC, and games like Battlefield 3 work without any problems on max settings. NFS: Most Wanted however, doesn't. There is constant frame rate issues. Also I can't drive with manual gears, only automatic. The cool slow motion replays during jumps and roadblocks, which I loved in the original Most Wanted, are gone. No police helicopter anymore even on highest heat level, don't know why they left that out. As everyone knows by now, all of the cars are unlocked right away. This doesn't bother me, but the "Easydrive" system in which you can upgrade your car while driving isn't that functional. You can't really steer and navigate the menus in the same time, so you're gonna have to stop the car anyway. All in all, I'm pretty disappointed.… Expand
  36. Rawberrie
    Nov 4, 2012
    6
    Well I got about 18 hours in so I feel like I can give a good review and not some of the ones that posted a review the same day the game came out so they could not have gotten THAT far. First off it looks pretty darn good on the PC. People saying it's a straight port obviously didn't catch that it has a high definition texture pack that I know the consoles don't use so they did put SOME thought into the PC but not nearly as much as I would like the graphics menu still doesn't have a lot of options a "Made for PC" game has. It sounds good most the cars sound somewhat like you expect and the music score is acceptable. Nothing special but it gets the job done without becoming annoying. The AI in the game can be challenging at times especially the police when you aren't in the greatest car to get away from them but other racers aren't terribly hard or aggressive. The story is like most stories in every racing game out there. It's stupid and easily forgotten and doesn't really matter. Who in the world buys a racing game for it's story I'll never know. I hate the way most the cars handle in the game. It's not arcade but it's not simulation it's somewhere in the middle which makes all the cars feel like they handle like crap. It has it's Burnout moments from time to time with the crashes and the racing which is a nice touch by Criterion Gaming but you can't help but feel EA was prolly really reluctant to allow them to add what they did. You can't customize your car that much but there are a few things that make your cars better for certain situations and can vastly differ how your cars handle but if you came here wanting to go all out on cars like some you can in Forza/GT5 and the like you will be left out. If you like arcade racing games then you may want to try this game out to see if you like it. It has it's moments when it's fun but the actual act of driving for me is ruined by the way all the cars feel and handle on the road with their in the middle of simulation and arcade feel.… Expand
  37. Bloodthirsty
    Nov 3, 2012
    4
    Not great but average NFS.....i was expecting more than dis.....the gameplay sucked especially with the cops... imean what the hell i am at 240km/h and the cops still can keep up with me...dis iz not compared to even real life.......and the cop evading system WOW...i cant xplain how much worse it is no persuit breaker no hide spots,no way to shake the cops of any way......Only thing i like about dis game iz the graphics nothing else.....and i also wished there was a story line....at least i think NFS hot persuit 2010 was better.... oops srry best than all.....NFS most wanted 2005 iz the second best for me.....… Expand
  38. Thingriz
    Jan 26, 2013
    0
    Not worth the time to even think about it! Baby game written for babies with six axis controllers stuck to their hands and mommy and daddies money in their wallets. Console crap all the way- just like everything from criterion. The user reviews are very kind and the game reviewer's have been paid handsomely to lie! EA has failed on this series for 8 years now. I hated Black Box but Criterion? They can't even make a game that runs on PC or uses PC hardware. They aren't alone though- so they think that makes it alright to steal our money. Not mine! Need for Speed has been dead to me for 7 years. Sorry Sucker's.… Expand
  39. Shrutesh
    Nov 9, 2012
    4
    Ok so I have genuinely tried to like this game... but cant play more now (3 hours in total).. summarizing

    THE GOOD: A big world, decent graphics, high poly cars, clearly some effort made for the PC version (AO, HD textures, etc)

    THE BAD: HANDLING: Its totally not fun, you will be ramming into stuff every 30 sec or so; and unlike other arcade racers, here every ram is a 3 second crash     cam; feels like the game is constantly penalizing you for traffic/obstacles you just can't avoid.

    NO CUSTOMIZATION: No need to buy cars or customize them, basically means there isn't a purpose to your racing, in fact you cant even choose the color of your car. RACE STRUCTURE: You can only play 5 races with each car. You like the Ford GT? Well you can free roam in it, or replay those 5 races, gawd so many options!

    NOT A SINGLE PLAYER GAME: Bottomline, this is not a single player game; just the fact that the game can be played in SP doesn't make it one. It should have been advertised as such.

    CONCLUSION: This is neither Burnout nor NFS, something in between that just doesn't make the grade. Buy only if you are a MP player and don't care about SP.

    Sadly for me this is the death of a beloved series, its been all downhill from U2/Most Wanted; and NFS just doesn't have a soul left anymore.    … Expand
  40. maxik24
    Nov 11, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Дорогие товарищи из ЕА, вновь "обули" широкую общественность, выпустив сие недоразумение под именем игры, любимой миллионами... Мне искренне жаль 45 минут моей жизни, которые я потратил играя в это.... Мне кажется, что пора прекращать заниматься ерундой и пытаться продать людям, простите за выражение: "дерьмо" в золотой обертке... Не нужно засовывать Frostbite2, с его дурацкой оптимизацией во все ваши проекты... Надеюсь, что кто-нибудь из разработчиков прочитает мой отзыв, и додумается перевести его через google translate...
    Сделайте ремейк старого NFS MW 2005 года, с новой графикой и все!!!    … Expand
  41. garion1
    Nov 5, 2012
    3
    This should have remained "A Criterion Game" (no Electronic Arts involvement) and should have been called Burnout Paradise 2. Besides absolutely stunning graphics, the game lacks everything a true NFS fan got excited about when they saw that NFS Most Wanted was coming. It is downright misleading and dishonest. The NFS franchise has just got worse by the title. Most of my gripes have been mentioned in other reviews already. I'm so disappointed!… Expand
  42. rentbox
    Nov 2, 2012
    2
    New NFS! GREAT! Right? Typically when you see a massive number of negative user reviews, people are just complaining to complain right?

    So lets break this latest NFS down. It runs - check. You can drive different cars - check. There are cops, races, and other side mission like things to do - check. The graphics are decent (more on this later) and you have teh dubstep soundtrack!     If you've played NFS before EA turned into a completely soulless company, there were some fun moments. You could get past the small flaws and cheater AI that were part of the experience because the core game was fun. Now looking back at every NFS since PU, we have a complete and total failure to produce a game that is even worth playing. This latest entry is full of the same crap and somehow, people keep buying it. Do you want to dominate a race and then lose in the last tenth of a second because the AI magically caught back up? Do you want to drive cars that handle without a bit consistently? Do you think a sandbox racing game should just be a check list of races? After an hour of attempting not to be infuriated by this game, I lost, and decided that I would rather stab myself repeatedly rather than carry on. The PC version is an obvious port, and poorly optimized. You want particle effects? WE'LL GIVE YOU SO MANY EFFECTS THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE RACE! You want to complete that billboard challenge? We'll make sure a the "randomly" generated traffic t-bones you. So what does this boil down to? EA Games beating a long dead series because for some reason, people keep buying these steaming piles of crap games. Save your money, or better yet, find a copy of the first NFS : Hot Pursuit and Porsche Unleashed.… Expand
  43. Never231
    Nov 3, 2012
    8
    Need for Speed: Most Wanted is by no means a bad game, but it doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table in terms of racing games. The gameplay is much less repetitive than any other racing game I've played to date, and the gameplay is much tougher than most racing games (due to the inability to hit civilian cars). It's purely fun, with good customization and fun racing. People **** this game are honestly just being ridiculous, it's a perfectly GOOD* game. It's not an amazing game, but it's definitely notable. Worth checking out.… Expand
  44. souravb26
    Nov 1, 2012
    4
    I agree with most of the user reviews here...really disappointing game for me...first of all there is no fluidity in the game..it runs slow even on lowest resolutions and settings, which makes the game unplayable...EA needs to fix this soon....i can play BF3 and MOH :War fighter at high settings without any problem but this is just unplayable... next, about the game play, well, it sux even more...no story, no varied game types and the most irritating one are the crashes... No matter how well u drive, u r bound 2 crash from minute to minute n no, m not a rookie in driving games, have been playing them for years and well dis is the worst i have played so far i think...the game should have been renamed need for crash...i have beaten d first guy in the road to being the most wanted and well, m fed up....can not tolerate this game any more...… Expand
  45. mastergene
    Apr 27, 2013
    4
    a game with hes pro's and con's you cant complain about the graphics but other than that even on a high end pc you cant get this game running smooth which makes EA effort to take our money minimal and the crashes yea they ruined the game for me its horrible so yea not even worth its 50€ not even 30 in my eyes for the horrible port play the game in another way if ya can but not wortrth its money is EA did only filling there purses and not the fan base… Expand
  46. Akuma698
    May 7, 2013
    3
    OMG this game is a load of utter B.S! Don't waste your money! This game is lazy boring and easy. You "Hijack" cars. This means driving around and parking next to a car such as a Lamborghini and pressing E. I mean what the hell. No saving cash to buy a awesome car. No car customization. Cops are just retarded. You can hit another car right in-front of them and they don't do about it.I didn't even care about the racing cause there was no POINT!… Expand
  47. polko-m
    Oct 30, 2012
    0
    this is half done game without any story and challenge, where every car is avaliable from the begining without any motivation to play and unlock anything. As criterion said for people which does not have time to play few hours to unlock something, with forced multiplayer against signgleplayer where is nothing to do... If they can imagine there are player which want to play singleplayer and I don't want to put my face to each banner in the game… Expand
  48. mrkartofel1
    Nov 17, 2012
    3
    One of the worst high-budget game I've ever played.The races are totally frustrating, the cars don't want to turn (or turn only slightly). The graphic and audio is fine, but the soundtrack doesn't. In Burnout Paradise soundtrack was great (rock/metal), in this Need for Speed is **** (only 'cool DJ's', Skrillex). I don't play multiplayer, because I don't like play online, so I can't review it.
  49. suthnara
    Mar 21, 2013
    3
    What can I sat that hasn't been already said. Worst Need For Speed game? Yep it wins that title quiet easily. All cars handle like buses, sloshing left and right and NO MANUAL transmission!! The multiplayer is useless. I never had any clue as to what I was supposed to do. To improve this game some should make a patch or mod to improve the handling of the car and please include manual transmission. Only good thing about the game is the beautiful graphics.… Expand
  50. nafalem
    Oct 31, 2012
    4
    This game should be called BURNOUT MOST WANTED. Yes! This is all same like in Burnout Paradise. The only difference is the police, and nice graphics..
  51. arthur666
    Nov 17, 2012
    0
    i dont understand this game. i cant control car and hitting every other cars and that annoying CRASH word come up. its makes me mad. its makes me crazy. there is NO possible way the play this game. miss old nfs games...
  52. emperorkibbles
    Jan 25, 2013
    2
    It feels like a horribly watered down version of Burnout Paradise in almost every aspect. Hell, even the COLOURS look watered down compared to Burnout Paradise.

    The slow-mo crash thing is horribly disappointing compared to the exact same system in Burnout Paradise.
  53. vault2049
    Oct 31, 2012
    9
    People don't seem to realize who developed this game. It clearly states it on the title: A Criterion Game. If people want to play a NFS with story go play The Run, this is just typical Criterion material, and a very good entry at that. Graphics are awesome, plays well even on low-mid range PCs and it looks wonderful. As expected from Criterion, the damage impacts look real during and after the crashes. On the other hand, no AA option and (like it happened with Hot Pursuit), the weather effects seem to be missing as well. The weather effects should be added later on in a patch, like it happened with Hot Pursuit. The soundtrack it's VERY impressive; tunes are perfect for racing everywhere: Some pop, rock, techno, dance, etc. The cars handle differently from other Criterion games. The handling feels more difficult, heavier. but more challenging and realistic at the same time. The intros before the races are spectacular, very entertaining clips. The interface it's simple and (while it could have been more deep) it feels just right for the game as it is. There are no linear events here, just step into a car and complete specific-car races (every car has it's own set of racing events) and when you get bored just jump into another car. Finding these cars it's definitely rewarding and completing the milestones leaves a very nice feeling of satisfaction. Multiplayer it's a blast, Autolog really brings this game's potential to it's limit.

    This game it's super fun: crashing finding cars, earning milestones, and competing against friends. What this game does, it does extremely well. If people want to look further from that and criticize this game because it's completely different from the original Most Wanted, go ahead. You people are just missing one of the best and most entertaining racing games ever made.    … Expand
  54. ancientgamer2k
    Oct 31, 2012
    2
    As others said, it's very sad how far the Need for speed series has fallen. Kudos to Criterion for trying to showcase frostbite 2, but a giant minus for killing another NFS title. To summarize: The good: nice graphics, good sense of speed, burnout-type sense of speed/action, free roaming
    The bad: the handling model is very poor since for some reason, they made all the cars handle the sam    e (very minor variations between RWD, AWD and FWD); all cars feel like they weigh way too much, AI super speed-banding (ie. AI gets accelerated so that they can keep up with you) in both police chases as well as races, useless progression model (got bored within 30 minutes tbh), useless unlock model (again, no real feeling of progression) and absolutely pointless single-player. I`m sorry, but with such poor design choices, this is ``just another failed NFS title`` in my book. Sorry Criterion, I`ll give you a 2 for the graphics and because you made the original Burnout series, otherwise 0 for EA.… Expand
  55. Boeteloez
    Nov 4, 2012
    2
    I still got Most Wanted from 2005 laying around in the attic somewhere. I might as well just played that game again, because this 2012 version is just one big copy past with some updated consolegraphic. Some how it runs like crap on pc (another greate EA port i guess) and the game is way to easy, especially if you played games like GT, forza or Grid. Need4speed is not the same good old game it was 5 to10 years back. It feels like a total ripp-off, because they basically are selling us the same game from 7 years back. However, If you are the type of gamer that does NOT like the brake button and want to hit every corner doing about 280, this is your game! A 12 year old kid should have fun with this, a real gamer who likes a challenge should skip this waste of game. Thank god for the 8 days refund option. Second game from EA I decided to return and change for another game.… Expand
  56. racergsxr1
    Oct 30, 2012
    2
    This game is more "Burnout" than it is "Need For Speed". Criterion has made great games over the years but they need to stick with their "Crash N Bash" formula with Burnout and not dump it on the NFS series. This game is such a disappointment. Criterion took out all the things that made Most Wanted great and added in a bunch of things that didn't. No more manual transmission, next to no customization, no storyline other than "There's ten people who are the best racers in the city. Beat them and I'll give you a cookie". I don't think I even saw a change camera option. What the hell happened? And the so called "Find it, Drive it"? What the hell is that? What happened to doing races for money and using the cash to buy cars and parts? That's a proven formula and everyone knows that, why take it away and replace it with something as stupid as driving around looking for exotic cars that are (for whatever reason) sitting around a city? I'm glad they brought back free roam instead of "drive on a long curvy road with high-speed corners". But at such a cost! This game isn't even Need for Speed anymore. It's like Burnout Paradise City with Frostbite 2 and a different name. It's not even as great as Paradise City, it's like a hybrid that takes all the worst case scenarios EA and Criterion could made each game into (but didn't thankfully) and combines them all into one fustercluck of unrecognizable programming. If you're looking for a fun, freeroaming, street-racing game, try NFS Underground 2 or if you also want great graphics, try NFS Undercover.… Expand
  57. Ewil
    Oct 31, 2012
    5
    Combine NFS: Undercover with Burnout: Paradise and that's exactly what "new" Most Wanted is. Criterion should stop making NFS games, because they can't do it properly. This game still has the very same mistakes I've hated since first MW, like utterly boring city with those same turns, loopings, highways and hairpins we've all seen in previous NFS games, cheating AI, inconveniently placed traffic and super fast cops. That's not all, I'm afraid. As with all Criterion games, steering wheel is useless and you can't even set it properly, only buttons. Handling is simply weird. It feels okay when you want to turn into a bigger corner, but if you want to steer just a bit to avoid oncoming traffic, it feels unpredictable. Entire game feels a bit stripped, there is no transmission options, only two camera views, which are both pretty bad, if you get busted nothing really happens, there is no money to buy cars with, no rewards for hitting billboards or security gates, no nothing. At least there is no story this time :)

    No, this is not a bad game. It's still quite fun, which is the most important thing, but it could have been so much better.    … Expand
  58. unoMaestro
    Nov 2, 2012
    8
    When you meet "drifty handling" and "high crash sensitivity", you may be disappointed. But give this game a chance and try to progress through it. New cars, especially upgraded, have much better handling. With it and when you get used to handling a bit, the amount of crashes will decrease to some playable level. Though this game differs from the original MW, it has "right" atmosphere and lots of fun, especially in multi-player mode. Don't judge this game by single-player mode, which is not supposed to be its main part.… Expand
  59. Gman24
    Nov 3, 2012
    9
    Well, after a long time of not playing racing games (last one I played was actually the original "Most Wanted" title), I have to say I am impressed. This title is all about arcade racing action - every car feels different and controls different, giving them proper uniqueness and style. Graphics are amazing and the soundtrack is probably one of my favorites in a long time. Multi-player is also intelligently built into the game - to sum it up, one awesome arcade racing game!… Expand
  60. ivarswe
    Nov 6, 2012
    1
    I was very excited when i heard about the game. I hope this could be a good Need for speed after many years , But NO

    Game feels half done and fps drop is very annoying. The old Most Wanted was soooo much better
    Wasted money...EA need to go back and look at old NFS games. WE WANT UNDERGROUND 2!
  61. Mad0ne
    Nov 11, 2012
    1
    Console port! Not much options to set graphics. I see somewhat anti-alias.. but maybe it's just me? It's still rough looking and no option to change AA.

    Gameplay is terrible, 250 kmg drifting on wet asphalt through 90+ degree corners is just ridiculous. It's so bad that I dont have words for it. Collision and everything physics related is stuper bad.

    Waste of money!
  62. fessisbest
    Jan 16, 2013
    7
    I don't know where everyone is getting the poor performance excuse. I could run the game on all high settings 25-30 fps with my gtx 768mb. Overall though the lack of story and somewhat repetitive game-play could turn a lot of gamers off, but believe me, when it's fun, Its really fun.
  63. robalaquio
    Jan 26, 2013
    3
    The worst game of the franchise, initially thought it would be a version of the previous game (one of the best) adapted to frostbite engine,my mistake, the game is more like a version of NFS online with better graphics. The controls are bad, in some races you will start about to hit a wall or fall off the track without any control of what you doing, you wiil need to break giving advantage to the other racers. The amount of availabe cars was new in the franchise, at the begging it was cool, but them you notice that you have to do same things to unlock new upgrades and it start to becoming boring. And as the cops, oh my... the cops, well, for that i will just say that they should have changed the title franchise for Need For Cops, one of the worst experience in a race game ever. But got to give a 3 for the graphics!… Expand
  64. 2Eric
    Jan 31, 2013
    10
    This game is awesome I loved the open world setting its like burnout paradise but with real high end sports cars and awesome graphics. If you have a high end pc this game definitely will show it off everything from the awesome weather effects to super detailed cars to effects like smoke coming out of sewer holes and waves splashing up against the shore all come together to make a very realistic experience. I love to hop in a Bugatti and just go driving then taunt a cop and then smoke him. It is cool to get on the high way and just open it up. Add all of the features from street racing to car mods and this makes for one cool driving experience.… Expand
  65. Morgs
    Oct 30, 2012
    6
    I'm a big car racing fan and wanted to love this game after completing Dirt: Showdown too, too quickly. This game tries to straddle the line between Criterion's previous two release, but neither matches the single-minded determination of Hot Pursuit (2010), nor the variety Burnout Paradise. Specifically: (-) There are not enough race types (-) Finding cars instead of being gifted them was a dumb idea from the onset - where are the rewards!? (-) The car upgrade system is pointless as there are only five races per car, so by the time you've maxed it out you can't even go in a new race (-) All the cars feel more or less the same anyhow. (+) There are some positives as the graphics are pretty and Autolog is fantastic, but we are left with a big open world to explore with little reason to do so. This is a beautiful engine and a fantastic stat tracking app, but where has the game gone Criterion? *ugh* I just lost the game.… Expand
  66. bluemonkey93
    Jan 20, 2013
    7
    I am really enjoying this game. It is disappointing it doesn't have garages, money and customization like the original did, but as a modern racing game I find it stands out with its array of content, cars, and beautiful locations.
  67. BadAssBoss
    Nov 8, 2012
    1
    this massage to all "critics"
    u don't understand what u doing. this is NOT an AAA game! this is usless trash. it's not even the game!
    - controls not responsive, - 2 stupid cameras, physics? there is no NOTHING in this trash to call it even simple arcade. games for ipad in our days have more deep gameplay and setting... than this.
    this is pathetic parody on NFS. critics give this trash 8    !!!! U encourage EA and Criterion make this trash NEXT YEAR? or u just sellouts?… Expand
  68. pawwilon
    Nov 18, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
  69. kryator
    Oct 30, 2012
    4
    This game is poorly optimized for PC, a straight port, constant fps drops make the game unplayable. The car handling is too "heavy", the camera choices are horrible.
    All in all, wasted money.
  70. ss4real
    Nov 1, 2012
    3
    This is more a Burnout game than a Need for Speed game. Bad vehicle handling. A terrible upgrade system. New cars are just given to you yet there's only 5 races per car...that you can only attempt with THAT car! The crash cam is annoying and ruins the intense chases that made the original Most Wanted so fun. Don't buy this game.
  71. Vedranius
    Nov 4, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Long time ago, back to 1997., you were playing Need For Speed 2, with a crazy gameplay and fun, brutal machines on road, that were going like 400km/h at least, cool maps, multiplayer modes to have fun with friends... After that, they were another good NFS's, till the nicely century of graphicaly crazy games, and then it comes, NFS Underground which was OK, and then, then it comes 2005., Most Wanted, maybe the best NFS game from 2002. or for someone even from 1999. Most Wanted back in 2005. was an awesome game, you could drive many many cars, with crazy type of driving, no stupid tracking **** and other idiotic "helpful" stuff, like in upcoming Pro Street and Shift games, and even The Run...
    After 7 years, there it comes, Most Wanted again!
    I was pretty suprissed when they announced, because I had most fun in Most Wanted NFS, cuz of many many jumping tracks, fast driving and other crazy things I liked in it...
    So yes, I bought the Most Wanted, and starting it for the first time, still not really knowing what cars are in it. Starting with the main car, and suddenly founding another, Marussia, another one Porsche, another one, Aston Martin V12, and driving through some missions, I got the feeling from the old Most Wanted game, fast paced, crazy cars, awesome driving abilities and such.
    But, things I missed were, BUYING cars, making them the way I really wanted, do you remember Underground 1 and 2 from 2003.? Yes, making the car as you like, fast, awesome handling, nitro long or short as you like, that's what I missed for years and years, and I don't know why but EA/Criterion isn't making it again... So yes CUSTOMIZING CARS from tires to motor.
    OK, you got some minimal customization on fly, made for ridicilous consoles like Xbox - "Xbox, Xbox, change my tires to DIRT tires--- suddenly crashing on road going like 300km/h" :)

    CARS - yes, you got cool cars, but only 43 of them, and all are almost crazy as hell, yes you got oldies, but who cares about them if you can't tune em how you really like...
    I'd like to sit in Nissan 240sx and make it totally for drifting, brutally, with short nitro, feeling it the way I like it, not sitting in Audi R8 and feeling like a airplane driver, and winning almost every round cuz of stupid AI... :)
    I want old cars, or normal every day cars, like Mazda 3, Clio, Opel Astra, or even Smart, goddamit :D
    Making this cars brutal makes me play games like this more and more and more, trying adding another customization to it, making them more faster or more handable ... ;)

    Still, I'll give score 8 to this Most Wanted, because it's still the best NFS after whole this ****ty NFS's that were coming out after Carbon ;)    … Expand
  72. playbogdi5
    Oct 31, 2012
    9
    As I suspected many flame about this game because it's not like the original, the handling of a car is rubbish and so many other I-lost-a-race-the-game-sucks reasons. In my opinion the game is actually great. yes the single player lacks a story but so did Hot Pursuit. Visually the game is far superior over The Run and it doesn't use EA's performance-guzzling Frostbite 2 which I admit i hate it with a passion even though the visuals are superb. Even at the lowest settings the game looks great. I also love the fact that you have to find the cars so you can use them, not like in Hot Pursuit where you just unlocked them when reaching certain bounty. It adds a whole different challenge to get the best cars. To settle the naming dispute I consider Most Wanted as a homage to the original, NOT A SEQUEL. The range of cars is great although i expected a wee bit more for the selection. I mean... only one Nissan? Only two BMW or Audi? Shame.... wanted a wider selection. Another thing I didn't like about Most Wanted is the shortness of the Singleplayer, I wanted it to last a bit more. Still these aren't such big flaws. The game might not be perfect, but it's deffinetly better than the predecesor, I mean The Run. I can say I'm pleased with what came out.… Expand
  73. SilverSurferNHS
    Oct 30, 2012
    6
    What i have come to find after a day of playing it is that the controls are inconsistent due to the nature of switching between steering regularly and drifting. The controls feel mostly solid until your turning hard and then its like the game thinks your trying to drift. Then when you need to turn the other way for the next turn, its slow as hell to respond.

    The handbreak is frustrating     as well because sometimes it gets you into a great long drift, and other times it feels like it doesn't do a damn thing...

    My next quibble is the unrelenting, magical cops. One second, after finally getting to the cooldown, im trying to keep my distance from the cops behind me, when 3 cops appear in front of me on the map - so what do i do!?!?!? i make the next turn to evade both front and rear pursuers and BAM
    a magical SUV barricade.

    Third - EVERY SINGLE THING you touch makes you wreck. Taps from drivers next to you "push" you into the wall as if they made you steer into the wall?????

    I really wanted to like this game but i feel like it's currently unbalanced.
    I haven't been 100% happy with a NFS game since they started juggling developers. MW1 was great, though it lacked the customization of the previous games.
    I'm not opposed to a challenge. A game that's well balanced AND challenging is fun.
    This feels like "Oh your gonna go this way... HA take 2 ARMORED CARS UP YOU ***"
    It feels like a big **** you when you try to make progress in it.

    The graphics are awesome, but the framerate is choppy no matter what, again, "currently" even with an i7 4GHz 12GB ram GTX 680 4GB Vertex 4 SSD and ALL GFX SET TO LOW OR OFF (except for HD textures). really...? (oh and the on screen prompts/ blinding lens effects regularly disturb your view, which can feel like a cheap trick to make you crash...)

    The variety of vehicles is nicely balanced so that you rarely see more than 2 of the same vehicle in a race (with exceptions from time to time)

    I think after some tweaking, balancing and optimizations it could be a lot of fun, because i did have fun when none of those issues arose. For now i'm going back to Borderlands 2, Euro Truck Simulator 2, Dishonored and Darksiders II.    … Expand
  74. mkkillah
    Nov 9, 2012
    9
    GOOD: -graphics. -map. -multiplayer. -sound of engine is satisfying (try Lamborghini gallardo :O+high volume). -sound reverberation really nice -lots of cars. -GPS works really well. -ramming and fleeing the cops is really enjoyable -5.1/7.1 sound support.............. BAD: -crash cam (beginning). -cars are easy to unlock. -under 40 fps handling is strange and unnatural (read above: WARNING). -there is not a BIG difference in handling.............. NOT SURE: -soundtrack (everyone that says it sucks isn't being objective you can only really say that once you know all the songs by heart and put a lot of hours in the game). -maybe performance BUT it is Frostbite 2 engine (like BF3) so it should be hard on your pc. -I think it would've been nicer to have a tougher woman's voice in-game but this is personal preference. -handling feel is really bad under 40-50fps make SURE you run on 40-50fps at least… Expand
  75. xjun1or3
    Oct 31, 2012
    7
    I like this game but have seriously performance issues, my PC run Battlefield 3, NFS the run, medal of honor very well and that most wanted (with the same engine) even with all in low settings have annoying frame drops that ruins the gameplay...
  76. mar
    Oct 30, 2012
    8
    This game is a good work which difficulty does not have, and anyone runs invigoratingly and can enjoy. Many elements which can be enjoyed freely are incorporated and I was satisfied. However, it was regrettable that there is no story like a previous work in a single mode.
  77. Redeemer989
    Nov 5, 2012
    3
    Look, I gave up playing this. After all that struggle on single player, I couldn't get used to it anymore due to the crash cam and the gameplay mechanics. So, I'm decreasing my scoring to 3.
  78. McJobless
    Nov 12, 2012
    2
    This game makes The Run look like a masterpiece in the Need for Speed collection. EA has told its developers since ProStreet onwards that graphics are more important than gameplay. I find this a complete insult to the entire series, but more over, an even greater insult to the original developers (Black Box, as they are now known) of Most Wanted. This game ruins every single aspect that made the original fun, and then further rubs salt into the wound through its utilization of the terrible AutoLog system.

    Need for Speed, I loved you, but now is the time to let you go.    … Expand
  79. the_kracken
    Oct 30, 2012
    3
    I was hoping for a story game like the first one. What I got was a crappy knockoff that tossed everything cool about the first one and replaced it with garbage. There is no work to get the best cars. They are just given to you to pick up off the street. There is no sense of accomplishment or any story at all. It is just simply cool cars driving around in a city avoiding cops. The only thing nice about the game are the decent graphics. Thanks for another half-assed typical EA release.… Expand
  80. SohailACE
    Nov 21, 2012
    5
    Very poorly optimized for PC, FPS very low, Loads of cars, no excitement of unlocking cars coz they are already unlocked and are parked roadside, too much VFX while racing which makes driving worse, NFS series is dead.
  81. Pandoron
    Oct 31, 2012
    2
    Sorry to say that but this game is a 1 millionth variant of the same thing. Completely unrealistic demonstration of these cars (except the exterior optics). Only two camera positions. Upgrade system is a joke. Gameplay is rather boring. We had these games even 20 years ago with higher quality levels regarding gameplay. If you want to have fun with driving nice and fast cars you should consider buying NFS: Shift 1/2 or something similar. This stuff is just boring and repetitive like hell.

    Also again it is annoying to see who the "Critic Reviews" get influenced by the payment of the publisher because I cannot imagine that the reviews are that high without any bribery. Once more you can realize that magazine reviews are not reliable at all.    … Expand
  82. razgriz10000
    Oct 30, 2012
    1
    Horrible. I give it a 1 because the graphics are good. Other than that the game is absolute crap. There's no feeling of leveling up. You are handed everything. No buying anything. No customization. Stupid camera angles. The cars feel like you're driving 20 ton dump trucks with cheese for wheels. You can't even pick between an automatic or a manual transmission anymore. The run was a bad blow to NFS. This game has killed the series for me. Time to go back to midnight club where I can at least have some fun and have a personalized car and stuff.… Expand
  83. masiao
    Oct 30, 2012
    2
    This is the Worst Need for Speed Most Graphics ever Made, It's pure graphics, game play sucks, handling sucks, no **** view, just 2 bump and chase, physics are beyond arcade, cops have X ray vision, you can destroy your car 100 times and it's still working, no wheels no nothing, no clutch, no h shift, purely automatic arcade crap, no customization, all cars are free to use, no story, it's A Criterion Game. Welcome to the Need for Speed Most Burnout.… Expand
  84. PopeRatzo
    Oct 31, 2012
    9
    When I started the game, I really didn't like the way the cars handled and thought it would be a big disappointment. As I've continued, now with 4 hours into the game, I'm getting really comfortable with the handling and the physics and I realize how the car customization changes the ways the cars feel on the road and perform.

    I really didn't want another NFS: the Run or Hot Pursuit.     I wanted another Burnout Paradise, and so far the game has absolutely delivered. I'm having a blast and the races and pursuits are breathtaking. If you're worried about the handling, level up your car or get a better vehicle. The physics will become more comfortable.

    This game is not a sim (than goodness!). It's a wild arcade racer with very life-like physics but enough of a break from reality to make it exhilarating fun.

    I'm really glad this game came along right now. I'm so tired of third person shooters and games that don't deliver the goods. This one delivers the goods. I would like to have seen some more detailed control adjustment, like sensitivity. The Autolog system is quite unique and effective. I enjoyed hundreds of hours of Burnout Paradise play. If Need for Speed: Most Wanted gets me half that much, it will have been well worth every penny. It is my opinion that I'll be enjoying this game a lot in the coming months.    … Expand
  85. GravSpec
    Nov 1, 2012
    0
    This game is just a way less fun version of Burnout: Paradise. Among my complaints are: horrible handling, lack of camera options, and the horribly artsy and lengthy cut-scenes prior to each race. The only thing I enjoyed about this game is some of the soundtrack. I highly suggest just renting this if you want to play it. Do not waste money on this.
  86. wtfmen
    Nov 4, 2012
    0
    This is the supposed to be a similar game to the original Need for Speed Most Wanted, but it lacks a lot of the most important aspects. There is no car customization, no manual transmission, no in game currency, and the worst part of all is that you can't own a car! Who thought it would be a good idea to remove one of the best parts of the original NFS MW, owning and customizing a garage full of cars? The driving mechanics are mediocre. It feels like they were made for "fun" but it makes driving more repetitive. Another extremely annoying thing about this game is the stupid slow mo- zoom out camera that happens when you crash. I just want to keep driving not waste time looking at my stupid crash without being able to go anywhere.… Expand
  87. DeeZaster
    Nov 1, 2012
    2
    This game is one of the worst driving games in the series of NFS racing with super cheesy adverts. To start with the adverts, all the billboards you smash through are labelled with EA bought companies like DICE, BIOWARE etc... and this is far from a NFS title, its a Burnout title and I want my money back this game is just horrid. First while your driving your constantly blinded by the super whiteout sun 25% of the time and even using the calibration, its subpar after calibration is still used for brightness and contrast, this is unacceptable. Second is the lag with controllers. Your usually hitting a lot of things because the car continues to turn even after you've readjusted your stick on your controller, it just seems to still steer for a second after a lot, not always but a lot which makes driving unpredictable. Having no customization options just sucks, whatever happened to need for speed underground where you could soop up your ride the way you wanted, with the parts you wanted and even the style. Did you know there is NO MANUAL TRANSMISSION?!?! This joke of a game you just drive through a gas station and your ride is instantly fixed and colour changed, COME ON can you get any more mickey mouse job of making a game than this? The graphics are decent, nothing spectacular but this game is a MAJOR rush job and just quickly put together with social features nobody uses. The cop chases usually last for an hour because they constantly are on your tail and so many keep respawning, its a joke. I've been parked by the side of the road my first time in the game, no heat on me, while I was setting up the settings and got back to game and BOOM a cop just busted me, this was f**ked! The other annoying thing about this game is while your driving and hitting objects its like a cop's cherries are flashing behind you each time you hit an object, its very distracting and not sure why they are flashing white and blue when you hit any object like a light pole.

    SERIOUS GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK! After these few hours I seriously can't take it no more, this game is in the trash. This game isn't even better than the RUN (the last NFS game) when it first game out and that is VERY BAD. I really miss the games last the old most wanted where it had a story, if this game even had a story it would be something to play for, in its current state I don't ever want to play this game again.

    This game only gets a HURTING 2/10, I gave it 1 extra point cuz I didn't crash to desktop once at least. Never again am I going to PreOrder a NFS title.    … Expand
  88. fureisenjin
    Nov 2, 2012
    4
    This game is not a Need for Speed game. It should be called Burnout Paradise 2.
    The graphics and music are top notch but needs optimization.
    Gameplay is among the things that in my opinion is killing the game, the devs seems to be confused by either making it an arcade or a simulation game.
    U crash too much and it is ridiculous how even the slightest 'touch' can cause a massive crash.
    The cops are among the most aggressive ever to be seen in a game. But that is not a +.… Expand
  89. Jaha
    Nov 2, 2012
    0
    This must be one of the worst racing games I ever played. First of all, the pc version has massive fps drops and is pretty much unplayable. There is also a delay when you turn which makes it impossible to keep the car on the road. The car handling is also terrible and I bet Super Mario Karts have better car handling. It really feels like you driving a boat. Also every time when you start the game you have to watch a stupid intro for about 3 minutes, you can… Expand
  90. Xxovich
    Nov 3, 2012
    0
    Worst racing game ever.Steering forces you to drift since its impossible to just do a decent turn and even you did drift you would end up crashing which get you in a 5 second crash cutscene everytime (that annoys the hell out of me) even if its just a side crash which you did on purpose to get your car straight.The physics aren't right at all , you could end up rolling 10 times from a slow tbone by a police car but you would get a straight jump if you'd hit a ramp with just 2 wheels.Optimization is crap , it gives 20-40 fps in the city and 50 in some areas on my system which gives a stable 60 on any game including BF3.There is no real progression , story or anything , yes you have to work your way through the list if you want a bugatti or a koenigsegg but you can find all the cars around the map except the most wanted ones.I was really excited about this game , I pre-ordered it , couldn't sleep the day before it's release... I was shocked to see what a piece of crap this was. Customization is my favourite thing in racing games and a racing game without customization is not worth to play in my opinion , NFS was the last title for me to expect that situation. I mean WHAT THE HELL?? At least let me choose the paint!? It does let you choose paint in multiplayer but that requires you to do extremely long tasks for a selection between 5 colors.I couldn't believe the crap I was playing so I kept playing for 4 days , I waited for a patch to solve the steering and fps problem , I became the number 1 most wanted in singleplayer (which is the end of the storyline , If you could call that a storyline) and played a few hours on multiplayer.I gave this game too many chances and it failed me every time. I would give it a 0.5 for the good selection of cars but there's no such score in the chart so I give it a 0 and promise not to buy another NFS title made by criterion.… Expand
  91. BSEI
    Nov 5, 2012
    2
    The game is a bad, bad fail. Do not spend your money on the game, you will regret it. It is however fun and enjoyable for small children or mentally challenged, the same as Mario Kart is. 1. Graphics. This is something positive about the game, it has great graphics..... if you have the hardware to enjoy it. There are severe frame rate drops, it feels chunky in most areas of the map, but, it looks great. 2. Story line: non. 3. Customization: just above 0. 4. Handling: horrible, and I mean horrible. Horrible with a racing wheel, horrible with a gaming pad, horrible with a joystick and even more horrible with the keyboard. You can not even adjust the sensibility of the controller to try to compensate for the horrible handling. 5. Races: in case you manage to deal with the handling issues of the game and not crash, you actually can win. If some random car in the traffic does not hit you. The AI of the other racers is ok, but they posses some paranormal ability to jump through space right beneath you, but this rare, most of the time you will crash. 6. Cop chases: the cops have the ability of 360 degrees X-ray vision and, most of the time, can overtake you when you drive a Lambo, have better traction on dirt than you on asphalt, and their cars handle much better than yours. 7. The playing: well... it is somewhat fun and you get to drive all cars around the small map. With drive I meant crash allover the place. If you plan only to drive around, crash, and deal with super cops in super cars, this game is for you. The rest of the game is worthless. Another positive aspect is that my kids really enjoy the game (age 6 and 8), they are familiar with the start and race style of the game from Mario Kart and do not need any help form grownups. Although I bought the game for myself, which I utterly regret, because my kids play it, only 90% of the price is a waste of money, which is better than 100%. If you do not have kids, are not slow minded of retarded, or have such in your family, do not buy the game! You where warned.… Collapse
  92. Redphyve
    Nov 7, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What to say? I think the phrase "some polish and no spit" seems to sum it up for me. No storyline.
    No continuity.
    No sense of immersion. Here is car. Drive car. Win race. Get chased. Ad nauseum. Ad infinitum.

    The graphics may be pretty and detailed for a console, but for a high-end pc like mine? It's no challenge. FPS locked at 60. Sometimes dipping into the high 50's. It looks like the washed- out console port it is. It's pretty awful is more like it. Adjusting options in-game is a joke. it just looks worse.

    And then lets get to the game-play. I'm not going to crtitique the car-handling much. Let's just say its much of a muchness with very little feel or difference between the cars. An Evoque is an Aventador. Just slower. But the AI? It varies from "Oh my God that was brilliant!" to "WTF??? Did that cop just run into the road-block head-on?" "Umm...I turn left and a cop APPEARS FROM NOWHERE right in front of me on an empty road?" And the last Most Wanted chase they must have figured that its not going to be much of a challenge as the slightest touch from the Koeniggsegg Agera sends your impact-protected and chassis-reinforced Lamborghini Aventador skidding wildly out of control while a perfectly executed hit on the rear 3/4 panel of the Agera barely moves it. And in one bewilderingly inexplicable moment, I deflect the Agera up an off-ramp to only see it appear seconds later in FRONT of me! How did it go up the off-ramp, 180-degree turn, back down, another 180 and then catch me doing over 280kph? Really. That's piss-poor and lazy-ass programming.

    Multi-player? Still to make up my mind on that but so far NOT IMPRESSED. But I won't let me initial impressions are of a chaotic confusing mess that with some effort you can get going and do...stuff.

    Anyway: to sum up. Pretty disappointing for PC-gamers, as usual EA and Criterion have kicked the pc-users in the teeth again delivering a console game for the pc. Up next are the lack of updates, lack of DLC and general support for the platform that single-handedly kept EA "In the game.    … Expand
  93. jfrankie
    Nov 13, 2012
    5
    You would think that a game called need for speed wouldn't make a clunker of a game, but this game really sucks! it's an absolute dog on my gtx 560! Can't belive it!
  94. tlove21
    Nov 14, 2012
    4
    Do not believe the 102 people who reviewed this positive. they are probably used to crashing into walls and feeling OK with it. Actual NFS fans who prefer to not hit a wall or traffic will agree this is not a NFS game. I have been playing NFS from Porsche unleashed days. Criterion made this game into an arcade crap, the handling sucks NFS Hot Pursuit handling was much better but also not perfect. In my honest opinion Shift 2 is the last great release of NFS and that one is confined to a track and simulation driving. Driving shouldn't be about who can hit the wall hardest. The franchise is DEAD after this. I will never buy another game from EA 's NFS franchise until Criterion is fired for this horrible mistake.… Expand
  95. GeoVad
    Nov 18, 2012
    5
    The opponent in this game is not the racers aka black list,IS THE WALLS!most time you spend crashing than racing...also there is not a tuning option like turbo upgrades,ECU upgrades etc.There is just a ''customize car'' option with general upgrades,At last its not good to have a option to start with every car you found on the road,its better to start with a normal one and after you can change it.The only good in this game is the graphics which is very good and also the variety of the cars.Thats all.… Expand
  96. ridicol
    Nov 28, 2012
    2
    The game is not that bad, it has great graphics, decent controls, it would be a 7/10 game, but as a most wanted sequel it's just disappointing, the first game was all about tunning, about making your car your car, not to mention the fact that criterion recycled much of burnout paradise in this game, that added to the bad optimization makes this an awful game.
  97. theoperator69
    Nov 30, 2012
    4
    Are you freaking kidding me EA? No customization? Crashing every two seconds? repetitive game-play? shortest/easiest story-mode of all time with no story? Ok well there's still pursuits to have endless fun...just kidding, no penalty for getting busted and escaping the cops is so easy, I have to cruise at 50 MPH to get to level six, which is still pretty Goddard easy. You can't just make a reboot with absolutely none of the original game features, false advertising. return/pirate this game and buy 2005 most wanted instead.… Expand
  98. ghost12345
    Dec 21, 2012
    9
    I liked the game very much because the graphics are outstanding,races are thrilling and there are so many cars for you to drive and modify.
    many people complain about lagging etc,they should upgrade their systems because its not the fault of developer.
    well because the last nfs game was completely story based so this time they have come with a complete make over (no story),but its a rac    ing game why do u need a story.
    BG music is good ,race intro videos are also a highlight of the game.    … Expand
  99. emmanuelbriceno
    Jan 20, 2013
    7
    Multiplayer = frustrating derby, just crash, crash, crash, and more crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, stupid!!!!!!
  100. RiverMonster
    Dec 27, 2012
    10
    Fantastic game, all framerate issues have been resolved by the patches. It's pure EA/Criterion goodness!

    Think Burnout Paradise meets NFS Hot Pursuit--it's a BLAST! As with all Criterion games they design with fun first--so folks looking for a tedious overly technical simulator aren't going to be happy.

    The rest of us who enjoy life and love a great arcade racer are going to have AN     AMAZING TIME! Can't recommend it enough!

    Do get yourself an XBox 360 controller for Windows though--then again if you're a PC gamer these days you should already have one. :) Cheers and see you guys on the streets!    … Expand
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Page:

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 30, 2012
    60
    Just pick one of the beautiful cars, hop in and drive. But do not want anything else. NFS: Most Wanted is average fun for all car lovers. [Dec 2012]
  2. CD-Action
    Nov 29, 2012
    70
    Most Wanted works best when you treat it like mobile games – switch it on for 15 minutes, do a random race with a random car and then turn it off. It's a good arcade racing title closely resembling Burnout: Paradise but it's not exceptional. [CD-Action 13/2012, p.52]
  3. Worth Playing
    Nov 25, 2012
    92
    Most Wanted's biggest strength is that it feels like a cohesive whole, rather than some amalgamation of a reboot tacked on to another game's engine. The gameplay emphasizes as little downtime as possible, which is a good thing as it's an absolute blast whether or not cops are involved. It's not a reboot as much as it is a reimagining of the original game, taking the bits that worked and wrapping them in a completely new package. Surprisingly enough, it does so in a way that works, and the new Most Wanted ranks up there with the original.
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