The Need for Speed series has been through some interesting convolutions of late. Last year's The Run made a case for what narrative can bring to an experience which devolves to decidedly undramatic questions of traction and horsepower. Sadly, it forgot to make the narrative in question original or exciting.
This year's Most Wanted - an open-world reboot of the 2005 release, comparable to Criterion's excellent Burnout Paradise - isn't just a welcome reminder that racing doesn't need this kind of context to enthral. It's also an attempt to demonstrate that racing games and, indeed, games in general can do without a campaign full stop, providing players are appropriately motivated to organise their own entertainment.
In the best open-world tradition, this plays merry hell with the balance of power between Most Wanted's core objectives. You'll set up a rendezvous with one of the titular Most Wanted - elite joy-riders armed with cutting-edge whips who can be challenged once you've earned enough Speed Points - only to be ambushed at a corner by a speed camera (tickets are to be coveted, not avoided), or lured up a ramp by the sight of a friend's Xbox Live mugshot on a billboard, gloating over his record jump distance. There's always something to do in Most Wanted, and thanks to the Autolog system, you'll usually find it right under your nose.
"I want" always gets
Also in the finest open-world tradition, Autolog's omnipresence pays into a progression model that's all carrot and no stick, seeking to bring about buyer satisfaction wherever you find yourself, regardless of what you're driving or who you're trying to force-feed dust. Save for the Most Wanted rides, which are awarded when you defeat a Most Wanted driver, the entire garage of impossibly luxurious exotics, muscle cars and vintage roadsters are yours to manhandle from the get-go, providing you can find them - hardly difficult, given the fact that they're marked on your radar.
Vehicle damage is almost completely cosmetic, mods can be applied in the middle of a race to suit each stage of a particular course, and getting busted simply cheats you of the Speed Points you'd earn for escaping the law's long arm. It's wish fulfilment on an unheard-of scale, but there are downsides - Criterion's reluctance to bring the hammer down creates a special kind of fatigue where achievement itself becomes a burden, and the absence of real obstacles is strangely exhausting.
7 comments so far...
Clanger67 on 30 Oct '12 said:
Yeah will be getting this at some point.Been a fan of NFS since the early days despite losing its way a couple of times (undercover).Glad they have gone back to the original formula for NFS as well.
SidTheSloth on 30 Oct '12 said:
What about offline stuff Ed, the review seems very online-focused - maybe/probably because the game itself is? But being blunt i couldn't give a toss about the online stuff and not many, if any of my friends on live will get it so little fun in that regard either. It put me off Hot Pursuit and it seems that as much as i was looking forward to this it's gone down a similar road (no pun intended of course, i'm not that cheap!!):
Tricky one this as the campaigns have been woeful in recent NFS games but coupled with this:
It seems like offline should be avoided really - or am i making 5 from my two 2's?
OXM ETboy on 30 Oct '12 said:
Offline's definitely not the best way to play it, but as you suggest, that's mainly because the online and offline are functionally indistinguishable 99% of the time. You can spend hours just beating people's speed camera times, for instance.
The racer AI isn't all that bad, really (and in fairness, it's got a hell of a lot of obstacles to deal with). It's just goofy enough to be conspicuous.
DGR1980 on 30 Oct '12 said:
so big question Ed. Forza Horizon or Most Wanted?
OXM ETboy on 30 Oct '12 said:
I've not played any of Forza, but Need for Speed feels like the leaner experience. Jonty reviewed Horizon and has played an hour or so of this - last time I spoke to him he reckoned Forza was better. It's a pretty close call, mind.
P.S. Just asked him about it. He says Forza gives you a more engaging world, there's a wider variety of environments and the challenges are a bit sparkier than in NfS - you're doing things like racing planes and balloons, rather than just busting up other supercars.
SidTheSloth on 30 Oct '12 said:
Thanks Ed, still intrigues me - i really enjoyed the original most wanted but it was near enough a launch game so there wasn't a fat lot about at the time so hoping it's not all nostalgia based. Just harassing the police was fun enough in its own right and your piece of similar activities the other day pulled at the heart strings a bit!
Surely this is crying out for a special head-to-head top gear-esque comparison feature/video with Forza though Ed - i don't believe you guys haven't already thought of this so i guess it's down to time available with this being your busiest time of year? Shame as i reckon a lot of people interested in the two would welcome some straight up comparisons as they're so similar - i'd say the same for sonic & sega transformed and F1 race stars too?!
DGR1980 on 30 Oct '12 said:
I had the original Most Wanted on PC. and downloaded it earlier this year from games on demand. It was as good as I remember