Need for Speed Most Wanted

Note: Need for Speed Most Wanted is free for a limited period of time, but you can keep the game after this period ends if you claim it on Origin now.

It’s undeniable that the Need for Speed series has had a tremendous impact on the racing genre, ever since the first game was released over two decades ago. The franchise evolved and changed over the years, sometimes for the best, sometimes for the worst, but it always managed to please at least a portion of its fan base. Hence, while NFS: Porsche was adored by simulator fans, NFS: Underground really started the trend of flashy-looking arcade racing with almost no realism whatsoever.

Need for Speed Most Wanted may confuse a few people with its name, because it should technically be called Most Wanted 2, given the fact that this is the second game sharing that name. EA works in mysterious ways, however, so it’s better not to question it too much and just enjoy the experience. In short, just like the first Most Wanted, this one is all about speed and cop chases, except a bit more refined and somewhat dumbed down, albeit not by much.

Just like before, there are rivals you have to compete with in order to gain fame in the underground street racing community, although the rules are slightly changed in this new version. The game is also more open than before, since you are basically free to roam around the map as you see fit right from the beginning. It can be a bit disorienting at first, but the freedom is certainly enjoyable later on when you’ve got plenty of cars to take for a spin.

Gameplay-wise, the game tries to hit the middle ground between simulator and pure arcade, and it actually managed to do so. Hence, the cars feel heavy and it’s certainly not easy to take corners at high speed, but you also don’t have to worry about car damage, and the drifts can be executed with a light brake tap. This compromise should make everyone pretty happy, at least if you understand that Most Wanted was never about realism anyway, but about the cop chases and the flashy cars.

As always, this episode raised the bar in the graphics department, and you need a pretty high-end PC in order to run it at full details. Both the cars and the surrounding environment are very detailed and quite flashy, and the post-processing effects are incredible to say the least. You can even enjoy the game with a keyboard as well, although a gamepad is definitely preferred, especially if you want better control over the car’s direction.

Although Need for Speed Most Wanted won’t make the same waves the original did, it’s still a great game, and it has everything needed to provide the players with many hours of entertainment. The open world is big enough, the cop chases are fun and exciting, and the graphics have been upgraded accordingly to keep up with modern demands.