E3 Preview: Need For Speed: Most Wanted

[Mike Kayatta]

E3 Preview: Need For Speed: Most Wanted

Nothing says friendship like a ?who can outrun the most cops? competition.

Read Full Article

 

[mad825]

What happened to the general population? Still, a sandbox type map for a racing game still doesn't seem like a good idea as Burnout Paradise shown. Even so, if it's laying the goods on the cop chases and realism then I rather play GTA IV because then at least I can shoot the pigs.

 

[NitehawkFury]

Paradise: Most Wanted.

Thing is, I think that NFS: Most Wanted was the last great NFS title, and this looks like a blast. As long as the handling stays good, and the city is awesome, this should be a blast. Here's hoping there's a bunch of super-cheesy cutscenes in there too, just for the sake of nostalgia.

 

[knight4light]

so... its most wanted 2? its not even the same city as the original most wanted...

 

[UNHchabo]

Paradise: Most Wanted.

Thing is, I think that NFS: Most Wanted was the last great NFS title, and this looks like a blast.

Have you played the NFS: Hot Pursuit from 2010? It was also made by Criterion (the Burnout devs), and it's my favorite racing game, taking that title from Burnout 3. I really recommend it. You can still usually find a few people on the PC's multiplayer; not sure about the consoles.

I'm not a big fan of Paradise though; it's fun, but none of the events make me anxious about whether I would win an event. NFS:HP did that; when you have only a couple miles to go and the cops are trying to shut down your race, and you're low on health and out of powerups, it makes you feel pressure that I've never had in Paradise. The Marked Man events just don't give the same feeling.

 

[NitehawkFury]

Paradise: Most Wanted.

Thing is, I think that NFS: Most Wanted was the last great NFS title, and this looks like a blast.

Have you played the NFS: Hot Pursuit from 2010? It was also made by Criterion (the Burnout devs), and it's my favorite racing game, taking that title from Burnout 3. I really recommend it. You can still usually find a few people on the PC's multiplayer; not sure about the consoles.

I'm not a big fan of Paradise though; it's fun, but none of the events make me anxious about whether I would win an event. NFS:HP did that; when you have only a couple miles to go and the cops are trying to shut down your race, and you're low on health and out of powerups, it makes you feel pressure that I've never had in Paradise. The Marked Man events just don't give the same feeling.

I've played Hot Pursuit, but the linearity of the game turned me off of it. Part of the charm of Paradise was being able to go and do whatever you wanted. In Most Wanted, you had that same kind of feeling, with the added fun of being able to engage with cops in long and escalating car-chases, all while trying to win a race.

The problem I had with pursuit is that it felt more like a hybrid between a racing game and some kind of shooter. You had weapons, you had EMP bursts, you had spike strips, and all this other stuff, all in a street-racing car. While the multiplayer aspect of that was always a tense and interesting game, the problem is that the single-player aspects never seemed to measure up. Hot Pursuit was a game meant for competitive in-the-moment multiplayer, which is fun and has it's place, but just wasn't my favorite.

The open world of Most Wanted was a place that I eventually knew like the back of my hand, and it allowed for the use of quick shortcuts, split-second getaways, and crazy jumps with cinematic moments as you bashed your way through a roadblock with fourteen patrol cars at your back just before knocking over a watertower to throw off your pursuers.

While both games may share the "Need For Speed" moniker, they're really two completely different experiences.

 

[NLS]

Paradise: Most Wanted.

Thing is, I think that NFS: Most Wanted was the last great NFS title, and this looks like a blast.

Have you played the NFS: Hot Pursuit from 2010? It was also made by Criterion (the Burnout devs), and it's my favorite racing game, taking that title from Burnout 3. I really recommend it. You can still usually find a few people on the PC's multiplayer; not sure about the consoles.

I'm not a big fan of Paradise though; it's fun, but none of the events make me anxious about whether I would win an event. NFS:HP did that; when you have only a couple miles to go and the cops are trying to shut down your race, and you're low on health and out of powerups, it makes you feel pressure that I've never had in Paradise. The Marked Man events just don't give the same feeling.

I've played Hot Pursuit, but the linearity of the game turned me off of it. Part of the charm of Paradise was being able to go and do whatever you wanted. In Most Wanted, you had that same kind of feeling, with the added fun of being able to engage with cops in long and escalating car-chases, all while trying to win a race.

The problem I had with pursuit is that it felt more like a hybrid between a racing game and some kind of shooter. You had weapons, you had EMP bursts, you had spike strips, and all this other stuff, all in a street-racing car. While the multiplayer aspect of that was always a tense and interesting game, the problem is that the single-player aspects never seemed to measure up. Hot Pursuit was a game meant for competitive in-the-moment multiplayer, which is fun and has it's place, but just wasn't my favorite.

The open world of Most Wanted was a place that I eventually knew like the back of my hand, and it allowed for the use of quick shortcuts, split-second getaways, and crazy jumps with cinematic moments as you bashed your way through a roadblock with fourteen patrol cars at your back just before knocking over a watertower to throw off your pursuers.

While both games may share the "Need For Speed" moniker, they're really two completely different experiences.

The point is, Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted are two different kinds of Need for Speed experiences. I'd say Criterion handled Hot Pursuit quite well, it may not have been the free roaming experience you'd expect from Most Wanted, but then again, that's not what Hot Pursuit was about, since it's a totally different experience. Now, wouldn't it make sense that they would manage to make Most Wanted quite perfect, seeing as they also developed Burnout Paradise back in the day, and are actually developing for the Most Wanted experience, not the Hot Pursuit one this time?

 

[NitehawkFury]

Paradise: Most Wanted.

Thing is, I think that NFS: Most Wanted was the last great NFS title, and this looks like a blast.

Have you played the NFS: Hot Pursuit ...While both games may share the "Need For Speed" moniker, they're really two completely different experiences.

The point is, Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted are two different kinds of Need for Speed experiences. I'd say Criterion handled Hot Pursuit quite well, it may not have been the free roaming experience you'd expect from Most Wanted, but then again, that's not what Hot Pursuit was about, since it's a totally different experience. Now, wouldn't it make sense that they would manage to make Most Wanted quite perfect, seeing as they also developed Burnout Paradise back in the day, and are actually developing for the Most Wanted experience, not the Hot Pursuit one this time?

I completely agree. That was my same point, actually. That's why I'm stoked for the newest Most Wanted. I just keep thinking a more "dangerous" version of Burnout: Paradise, with cop chases and such, but also with the open-world familiarity of learning all the backroutes and shortcuts of the city.

It's going to be a good one! I absolutely believe that Criterion has the chops for this.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

Well, I loved Hot Pursuit to death, so anything made by the Criterion guys gets my approval. Should be interesting.