14 DAY TRIAL // I remember falling in love with the Need for Speed series way back in 2000 when it launched its Porsche title, based only on cars manufactured during the long history of the German company and since then the franchise has had its ups and downs.
Last year’s The Run was a mild disappointment and, for some time, it seemed that the various teams that Electronic Arts worked with on the series failed to bring anything new to the racing genre.
Criterion is now involved and the reboot of the Most Wanted concept is an impressive mix of open-world action, social-oriented interactions and straight, heart pounding racing events.
The developers’ intentions are pretty clear when they first give you control over the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera S and then tell you in a clear feminine voice that there are better, faster, more impressive machines spread throughout the city for the player to collect and then drive.
I jumped through a few events and, while I lost spectacularly the first few times around a track, I feel the old reflexes returning and I am ready to spend quite a few hours racing around the beautiful city, discovering its secrets and unlocking all the content that Criterion has crammed into the new Need for Speed.
The game also feels incredibly fast, a feeling that’s only enhanced by the excellent rock and dance soundtrack, and at times I feel overwhelmed by the amount of challenges, events and interactions that the game throws at me.
Unfortunately, the brilliance of the world building and the race design does not extend to the PC-based interface and to the way the controls have been ported, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted feels like a console-focused game that required much more attention before bring brought to home computer.
Worth a full Softpedia review? Yes.