Need For Speed: Most Wanted

The Need for Speed games are often among the most wanted during winter, but is the new Most Wanted the most deserving?

	Version X360, PC, PS2, Xbox, GCN	Developer EA Canada	Publisher EA	Genre Racing

By Stephen Rowley

The first thing players will about this year's NFS update, Need for Speed: Most Wanted - perhaps one of the biggest changes since last year's Underground 2 - is nothing more than a change of cast. Brooke Burke, the lass who provided the curves in NFSU2, has been shunted aside for the similar looking Josie Maran (you might remember her from such films as The Aviator, Little Black Book and Van Helsing - though probably not).

Not only that, but you'll also catch a glimpse of Most Wanted's weird mix of FMV actors in front of rendered backgrounds, and its abundance of bloom lighting, as li'l Josie advises you keep your street racing in game, and buckle up in real life - 'Kev' car owners take heed...

Once again, we're starting with how the game looks, indicative of a review for a next generation game, and although this bloom lit FMV takes a while to get used to, it is at least different, and restricted to cutscenes. The game proper is also over-bright, as a matter of stylistic choice, but certainly no slouch in the visual department. However it doesn't do nearly as much as the new Project Gotham does to express its next-gen chops - probably as a result of being simultaneously developed for the older consoles.

It is an attractive game for sure, bringing street racing out from its pitch-black Underground into the harsh light of day (and not a jot of 'lens flare' either, thankfully), but the environment has little in the way of grandeur which detracts from the overall effect. And there's no cockpit camera.

It's clear how much effort has gone into making the overall presentation fit with both the new generation and the street racing vibe, there's always something going on even when navigating simple menus. It's all well and good, but it does bring up a couple of potential issues. Firstly, the font used for the HUD whilst playing is a tad on the small side.

If you'll be playing the 360 version on an HDTV then the clarity will be fine, but on a standard definition set some people may have trouble reading some of the info. The second issue comes with the overdone menus, sure they're nice, but when all you want to do is fiddle with a few options, all the incidental animations and scratchy text could be done without thanks - it's too in your face, and becomes just a bit irritating.

Speaking of irritations, EA Trax rears its ugly head again too. To be fair it isn't quite the irritation it used to be, and has many options for which music tracks are heard when, and it can be turned off completely (custom soundtrack is recommended on Xbox). Just as well if the limited range of R&B/Rap isn't your bag, but then pretty much anyone who's into the whole street racing scene likes this genre, right? Anyway, all of this presentation is pretty much incidental to the gameplay experience, none of it proving a huge obstacle to enjoyment of the game itself.

There is an actual story in this new NFS, in fact for the first half-hour after starting the career mode; you'll be watching races more than taking part in them, as the story and characters are set up. Bear with it though and you'll begin your 'career' proper as a newcomer to the scene, driving a showroom spec car, with the goal of reclaiming your prize whip from Blacklist racer #1, Razor.

There are 15 of these 'Blacklist' drivers in total, each of whom require you to complete a number of races, Milestone challenges and to attain Bounty points before they'll even race you. The races are self explanatory, comprising of circuits, point-to-point and lap elimination types, though with the ever-constant threat of attracting unwanted Police attention (basically blending the core of the Hot Pursuit games with Underground).

The Police are more apparently and deliberately provoked in the completion of Milestones, which are challenges based around harassing them - anything from causing property damage, clocking high speeds and trashing cop cars - subsequently building up your reputation in the racing scene and your Bounty points. Once a Blacklist racer's requirements are met, the next step is to challenge them to a series of races which, when won, award you with Markers (and their spot in the Blacklist). The Markers will (randomly) give you extra money, rare car upgrades, get-out-of-jail-free cards or the other driver's pink slip. The ultimate aim obviously then being to work your way back up to Razor and win back your old motor.

This also adds up to a fairly sizeable experience (not even considering the other game modes and online play), and although the variety is an improvement upon previous iteration of NFS, it isn't quite enough to stave off a gradual feeling of repetition. Of course, the obvious inclusion of new cars and performance/cosmetic upgrades fleshes the whole experience out, and the weightier handling of the cars is a big improvement on the Underground games. There's also a 'bullet time' ability but it's only really useful of newbies; driving veterans will quite quickly forget it's even there.

On 360, there's no doubt that Project Gotham Racing 3 is both the better and 'more next-gen' title, but if you're into the whole street racing genre (and aren't already fed up with it), then perhaps the improving NFS series is worth a look for fans of a more arcade-style driving experience - though if you've already put time into Underground or other (better) street/arcade racers, then you wouldn't be missing anything if you didn't.