Need for Speed: Most Wanted

 PlayStation 3
Need for Speed: Most Wanted Image
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 563 Ratings

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  • Summary: With a relentless police force gunning to apprehend you, you’ll need to make split-second decisions. Use the open world to your advantage to find hiding nooks, hit jumps and earn new vehicles to keep you ahead of the game. Your cohorts are at the heart of your experience. In an open worldWith a relentless police force gunning to apprehend you, you’ll need to make split-second decisions. Use the open world to your advantage to find hiding nooks, hit jumps and earn new vehicles to keep you ahead of the game. Your cohorts are at the heart of your experience. In an open world with no menus or lobbies, you’ll be able to instantly challenge your friends and prove your driving skill in a variety of multiplayer events. Your rivals will do everything they can to stop you from getting to the top.… Expand
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Need for Speed Most Wanted Gameplay Feature #1

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. Play UK
    Nov 30, 2012
    95
    Easily the best arcade racer of this generation. [Issue#225, p.76]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Digital Chumps
    Oct 30, 2012
    90
    With an innovative and engaging asynchronous and traditional multiplayer package baked into their top-notch open world framework, Criterion has created a modern standard for arcade style racers.
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 17, 2012
    90
    Great multiplayer and a huge sandbox to play in make this a wild and crazy ride. [Jan 2013, p.64]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. PlayStation Universe
    Nov 8, 2012
    85
    Most Wanted begs you to play it, to explore Fairhaven, to take your skills online, and to become the best racer in this open-world setting. It's a perfect addition to the franchise and keeps you strictly focused on driving and competing.
  5. Multiplayer.it
    Nov 6, 2012
    80
    Need for Speed: Most Wanted deeply tries to be original, but its open structure ends up to be a little bit too repetitive. Luckily, there's a lot of fun to be had in multiplayer.
  6. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Oct 30, 2012
    80
    It's achieved a vicious racing experience that thrills so much more than it frustrates, and it's pushed vehicular multiplayer forward significantly, setting the bar so high it's hard to imagine who can better it.
  7. Games.cz
    Nov 7, 2012
    60
    Just an average kind of a racing game. Criterion has meddled the things that work to no avail. Has it been an order from EA or have they been trying to take the series apart to prepare a market for a true Burnout comeback? A conspiracy theory? Maybe, but nothing changes the fact that the Most Wanted game is dull as dishwater.

See all 37 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 160
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 160
  3. Negative: 72 out of 160
  1. SimRyd
    Oct 31, 2012
    10
    Awesome awesome arcade-racer!!!! What is it with reviewers thinking this is supposed to be driving round a track for hour after hour, tweakingAwesome awesome arcade-racer!!!! What is it with reviewers thinking this is supposed to be driving round a track for hour after hour, tweaking the car little by little then going back round a track until you fall asleep at the controls???? Go get GT or some other soul-draining sim-racer. Game is awesome and HUGE FUN!!!!!… Expand
  2. AustraliaMan
    Nov 7, 2012
    9
    A lot of people have INCORRECTLY said that there is NO penalty for being arrested, this statement is very WRONG.
    I just had a car chase with    A lot of people have INCORRECTLY said that there is NO penalty for being arrested, this statement is very WRONG.
    I just had a car chase with the police that lasted over 40 minutes, during the chase, I gathered 53,872 speed points (experience) that I LOST when the police manged to put and end to my city wide rampage by taking out my tires and trapping me in a rail tunnel...
    Had I managed to escape them I would have been given those points for the car I was driving and would have been able to upgrade it in many different ways.
    A 40 minute car chase may sound boring but I can tell you, it was some of the most amazing and thrilling action I have every witnessed in a video game with stunts and crashes that would have put Hollywood to shame.
    I strongly recommend this game, give it a chance, you wont be sorry.    … Expand
  4. joerevs300
    Nov 2, 2012
    8
    It's just amazing that in a game that was CLEARLY billed by both EA and NFS/Criterion as "Burnout Paradise 2" or "Burnout Paradise with Cops",It's just amazing that in a game that was CLEARLY billed by both EA and NFS/Criterion as "Burnout Paradise 2" or "Burnout Paradise with Cops", so many reviews keep going back to the whole NFS:MW on the PS2.

    At NO time was that ever hinted at or suggested. The intention of this game was always to be open world and to compete against your friends. There are plenty of ways to get Autolog fans which is another thing people are missing, apparently.

    Cars DO handle differently, you've got to be a racing ran and have played a LOT of different ones to really see the subtle ones. Two cars can have the same top speed/accel but handle WAY different. It's about trial and error.

    As for "having everything handed to you", I see it as refreshing. You're not worrying about maxing out experience points to unlock all the cars. They are all available at the start. Sure, some of them are out of the way, but I found 5 in the first 10 minutes of play. As a developer, it's near impossible to produce a racing game that's going to satisfy both the hardcore and the casual fan.

    I've played darn near every racing game ever released for the PS3, and this game falls into a lump with Blur, Dirt 3, Gran Turismo 5 and Driver: San Francisco as to which one is "truly" the best. It's definitely the best open world game (light years ahead of TDU2). I've now put 4 days into the game and I love it. I think the # of cars available is a little on the low side, and I think there's some significant difficulty spikes (especially the races that ask you to maintain an average speed). I also think that if you don't have Autolog friends and are simply staring at this as a single player game, you'll be through it rather quickly. If you've got friends and have seen how great multiplayer is, give this a 9. If you don't have friends and understand you're going to have to make your own fun/blaze your own trail, give it a 7. I simply shot the middle.    … Expand
  5. Dredd731
    Nov 1, 2012
    5
    I am more than a little pissed. I bought this game based on the first 10 reviews that averaged nearly 90% so I spent 60 on a very average gameI am more than a little pissed. I bought this game based on the first 10 reviews that averaged nearly 90% so I spent 60 on a very average game only to find out that it was not all it was supposed to be. It seems EA is buying reviews and this kills all credibility of EA and review sites. No wonder why EA is so hated in the gaming community.… Expand
  6. Audius
    Nov 1, 2012
    3
    Honestly, this game is pretty mediocre. If you were at all a fan of the older Need for Speed titles, namely, Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2,Honestly, this game is pretty mediocre. If you were at all a fan of the older Need for Speed titles, namely, Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2, Most Wanted 1, and aren't particularly a fan of the Burnout series, you'll find yourself pretty disappointed with this game.

    The game shouldn't have the title Need for Speed in it, as it is extremely misleading. As many know, the game was developed by Criterion, the same people who brought us the Burnout series, which I'm going to say right out I'm not a particular fan of. I like games that have great customization, and a solid progression base. The open world style is great, but there's no unlocking cars, you just drive around and swap cars whenever you want. But there's no customization, you can swap parts around here and there to get minor boosts, but there's no customization to the actual car (you can't even change the color of your car - unless you drive through a shop which repairs your car/changes the color. I found myself disliking the handling a lot, it's extremely "drift" based where making any turn almost necessitates forcing your car into a drift because the handling is so shoddy. One of the things they imported from Burnout which I disliked the most was the wiping out, even after minor crashes your car would wreck/spin out and you'd have to wait for your car to respawn to play again. This gets extremely frustrating when you're trying to outrun cops and because the handling is so poor you almost can't avoid slamming into a car in front of you. When I saw that this was going to be made by Criterion, I thought, why not give it a go, it has the Need for Speed title afterall. Frankly, it just feels like another Burnout title with cops added in. Almost nothing was imported from what made the Need for Speed titles great, especially Most Wanted 1. If you don't like the Burnout style, don't bother with this game, you'll find yourself extremely disappointed like I did.    … Expand
  7. millionareman66
    Oct 30, 2012
    1
    WHAT???????? No manual transmission,serious is racing now been down by Automatic cars.Bought it,played 10 mins and extremely disappointing.WHAT???????? No manual transmission,serious is racing now been down by Automatic cars.Bought it,played 10 mins and extremely disappointing. Graphics is very well done, and that's about it.… Expand
  8. DragonBallZ
    Sep 28, 2013
    0
    This game is retarded. You can never handle the car. You will crash all the time. You can never win in one go. It's like driving in GTA. HowThis game is retarded. You can never handle the car. You will crash all the time. You can never win in one go. It's like driving in GTA. How can anybody like this crap?… Expand

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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PS3 Game of 2012
13
#13 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012
19
#19 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012