Need for Speed Most Wanted Races on to Retail Shelves Today

[Cristian_25H]

Make trouble for the cops, for your friends or just for fun! Electronic Arts Inc. and Criterion Games today announced that the latest entry in the critically-acclaimed Need for Speed franchise, Need for Speed Most Wanted, is now available at retail stores and on Origin.com in North America.

After shattering franchise records with a total of 43 award nominations and winning the prestigious Best Racing Game award at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), from the E3 Game Critics, Need for Speed Most Wanted is poised for global success. In Spain, Official PlayStation Magazine awarded Most Wanted with a 9.4/10 and called it, "the best online multiplayer experience ever." Game Informer, in North America, gave Most Wanted a 9/10 and described the action as an "exhilarating experience." Edge Magazine, in the UK, also awarded Most Wanted a 9/10 and credited the game for setting a "new standard in open world driving games."





Need for Speed Most Wanted puts social competition at the heart of the experience, and lets players compete to become the Most Wanted amongst people they care about the most - their friends. Need for Speed Most Wanted is powered by Autolog 2, an innovative online technology that automatically tracks and compares everything players do in the game against their friends, from earning Speed Points to achieving best race times and more. Autolog 2 also generates personalized gameplay recommendations, which are integrated throughout the open world, fueling competition and rivalries. If there's something to do, there's someone to beat. How can you tell which friend has the furthest jump through a billboard? Autolog 2 puts their face on it. With Autolog 2's deep and powerful social integration, Need for Speed Most Wanted has been declared, "the ultimate social game" by IGN, engaging friends unlike ever before, and allowing players to leave their mark in the open world across their social network. Winning never felt so good.

"With our years of experience creating critically acclaimed blockbuster hits, Need for Speed Most Wanted is Criterion's vision to shake up the series and breathe new life into the genre," said Matt Webster, Executive Producer, Criterion Games. "We're throwing years of convention out the window and creating an open world game with an open structure that lets players drive whatever car they want, how they want, without consequences. We've built an experience full of variety that enables freedom and choice for the player to play the game the way they choose. Take down friends in a race to the finish, explore the city to find new cars, flash past speed cameras, jump through billboards or take on an Autolog Recommendation. Not only do players have complete freedom, they're rewarded for everything they do. With friends so naturally embedded into the heart of the experience, Need for Speed Most Wanted is the most socially-connected game of this generation."

Developed by award-winning studio, Criterion Games, Need for Speed Most Wanted features a seamless, nonstop multiplayer experience, with no menus and no lobbies - just competition. Gamers are thrust into a continuous playlist of different events with persistent scoring and endless rewards. Players must fight for position on the start line, or turn around to take out oncoming rivals at the finish. Furthermore, with the all-new CloudCompete technology, players can extend the game beyond the console with a cloud-based scoring system that tracks Speed Points and game accomplishments across multiple platforms through http://www.needforspeed.com. For the first time, players can rack up points on the couch while playing multiplayer on the console and then top off their Speed Points while on the go on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android or PlayStation Vita.

Need for Speed Most Wanted is now available in North America and will be available November 1 in Europe for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system with Kinect support, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PC, PlayStation Vita, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android. Need for Speed Most Wanted is available for $6.99 from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

[Faith[ROG].Anarchy]

Instant like, looking to play this one out

[Ghost]

*Burnout

[btarunr]

Frostbite 2. Good visuals.

[3870x2]

Is this a remake?¿

Or did they forget there was already a most wanted.

If thats the case, I cant wait for NFS: Shift to come out.

[gdallsk]

Originally Posted by btarunr

Frostbite 2. Good visuals.

Nope. Not Frostbite 2 this time, it uses Criterion's Chameleon engine which was used in their Hot Pursuit 2010 remake.

[Isenstaedt]

Originally Posted by 3870x2

Is this a remake?¿

Or did they forget there was already a most wanted.

If thats the case, I cant wait for NFS: Shift to come out.

I don't get it either...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_For_Speed_Most_Wanted

[3870x2]

The first most wanted game was glorious.

[BumbleBee]

i'm passing on this. tuning is streamlined. no real story. cops are not a threat. licensed cars means minimal damage. I love Burnout Paradise multiplayer but I don't know if it's enough..

[Ghost]

Originally Posted by Isenstaedt

I don't get it either...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_For_Speed_Most_Wanted

Apparently, the only thing EA can count is money.

[ogharaei]

How long has Need for Speed been around? I remember playing a Need for Speed title on my Voodoo 3.

[_JP_]

So, is this Burnout Paradise for those that didn't buy it because it didn't have "real" cars?
From the gameplay videos, all I see is a rearranged paradise city and cars that aren't made up.
Other than that, it's still the same concept.

[SuperSonic X 316]

I bought Burnout Paradise a while back because I wanted a racing game and heard it was good but I didn't like it that much. I loved the old Most Wanted but if this plays more like Paradise then I'll probably just skip it.

[Prima.Vera]

Originally Posted by ogharaei

How long has Need for Speed been around? I remember playing a Need for Speed title on my Voodoo 3.

First The Need for Speed was released in 1995 if I remember right for DOS and without 3D hardware acceleration, and the graphics and gameplay were the best of its time. One of the best NFS ever. Then NFS2 came out with a later patch for 3DFx Glide. Playing that game in 3D SVGA graphics was one of my best experiences ever on my VooDoo card. Then came out in '98 NFS III - Hot Pursuit which had the first fully 3D graphics engine that blew any car games at that time. Driving through rain in that game still remains on of the best experience ever. Then 1 year later and updated NFS High Stakes came out, and until today is considered THE BEST EVER NFS ever produced. Also the last that featured a 3D inside view of the car for best simm experience.

[Completely Bonkers]

NFS Porsche 2000 (or Unleashed depending on your market) and NFS Hot Pursuit 2 are the best NFS IMO. The Porsche for the graphics (in its time) and realistic storyline/history line and car upgrades. And HFSHP2 for online gaming. Groundbreakers. Since then, I have found NFS console ports rather lackluster.

[Batou1986]

I love NFS and Burnout but I'm waiting for reviews or a sale before I buy this one as the last few have been bs.

[hhumas]

just downloaded ... installing .. if i like it then i will buy

[gdallsk]

Originally Posted by hhumas

just downloaded ... installing .. if i like it then i will buy

but be cautious cause this game apparently doesn't like Core 2's...

[natr0n]

I played it for a while, works nicely, looks good, gets boring though.

[Frick]

Originally Posted by Completely Bonkers

NFS Porsche 2000 (or Unleashed depending on your market) and NFS Hot Pursuit 2 are the best NFS IMO. The Porsche for the graphics (in its time) and realistic storyline/history line and car upgrades. And HFSHP2 for online gaming. Groundbreakers. Since then, I have found NFS console ports rather lackluster.

I played Nfs 2 a lot. I liked Most Wanted (not this game).

[Protagonist]

Already 16% into the game

[erocker]

Originally Posted by gdallsk

Nope. Not Frostbite 2 this time, it uses Criterion's Chameleon engine which was used in their Hot Pursuit 2010 remake.

I know Criterion made this game, but are you sure on the engine? Judging from the rather small screenshots it looks more like Frostbite 2 than Chameleon.

[hellrazor]

Originally Posted by hhumas

just downloaded ... installing .. if i like it then i will buy

Tell us how the tuning is.

I much preferred Underground 2's tuning, and Most Wanted's police chases. Now kiss!

[Covert_Death]

underground and underground 2 were the best NFS's to date IMO... story was great and tuning was out of this world. felt like it was actually YOUR car after you tuned and tweaked it. i HATE how they went to the burnout starting for driving too, you can no longer just drive off normaly, you HAVE to spin your wheels EVERYTIME you go.... SO dumb. also sandbox roaming was awesome in the underground series

[gdallsk]

there's not much tuning in the game just some parts of the car can be changed like nitrous, transmission and stuff, the colour of the car changes on the fly when you repair through repair shops scattered across the map...
erocker, the first screenshot isn't even from this game, others seem legit, and yeah the game is built on criterion's engine - look in wiki.
Here's my video into gameplay if anyone's interested: http://youtu.be/jp2jaQn_pM4