Need for Speed Most Wanted (2012)

***Need for Speed: Most Wanted*** is an open world racing game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. *Most Wanted* is the nineteenth title in the *Need for Speed* series and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, iOS and Android, beginning in North America in 2012, with a Wii U version following in 2013 under the title ***Need for Speed: Most Wanted U***. The game picked up on the *Most Wanted* intellectual property, as opposed to the *Hot Pursuit* reboot that Criterion Games developed previously.

### Platform

Android, iOS, PC (Windows Vista (SP2) 32-bit, 7 64-bit), PC (Origin), PC (Steam), PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360

## System requirements

MininiumOS: Windows Vista (Service Pack 2 and all available windows updates) 32-bitProcessor: 2 GHz Dual Core (Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHZ or Althon X2 2.7 GHz)Memory: 2 GB RAMGraphics: DirectX 10.1 compatible with 512 MB RAM (ATI RADEON 3000, 4000, 5000 OR 6000 series, with ATI RADEON 3870 or higher performance)Storage: 20 GB available spaceSound Card: DirectX compatible

*Need for Speed: Most Wanted* received positive reviews, which focused on the world map that blended the styles of previous *Burnout* and *Need for Speed* games, and the social features, while criticism fell on the single-player mode. Following its release, the game won several awards including the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards for Best Driving Game and was nominated for Best British Game and Best Online Multiplayer at the 2013 BAFTA Awards, and was repeatedly recognized as the best driving/racing game of 2012 by several outlets.

#### Gameplay

*Need for Speed: Most Wanted* is set in an open world environment. The game takes on the gameplay style of the first *Most Wanted* title in the *Need for Speed* franchise. *Most Wanted* allows players to select one car and compete against other racers in three types of events: Sprint races, which involves traveling from one point of the city to another, Circuit races, each having two or three laps total and Speed runs, which involve traversing through a course in the highest average speed possible. There are also Ambush races, where the player starts surrounded by cops and must evade their pursuit as quickly as possible.

Cops are integrated into certain racing sessions, in which the police deploy vehicles and tactics to stop the player's car and arrest the player, like the original *Most Wanted*. The game features a Most Wanted List of 10 racers, similar to the Blacklist in the single-player section of the original *Most Wanted*, which featured 15 racers. As the Most Wanted racers are defeated, their cars are added to the player's roster the moment the player wrecks them. In this reiteration, the focus shifts from Rockport, the city in the original, to a new city called Fairhaven.

Fairhaven resembles a regular city. It has a beach and an industrial district. It has a main highway dubbed I-92 that stretches across the city. Gameplay of *Most Wanted* has been likened to that of the *Burnout* series. Unlike the game’s spiritual predecessor Burnout Paradise the races have checkpoints that you must pass through instead of just having a start and end. Destructible billboards and fences; and drive-through repair garages, all of which originated from *Paradise*, are also featured.

The game uses Autolog, the competition-between-friends system developed by Criterion for *Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit*, and since used in other titles in the *Need for Speed* series. Autolog in *Most Wanted* plays a larger role and gives more information to players. Activities in-game allow players to earn Speed Points which can boost players up on the Most Wanted list. Autolog recommendations have now been integrated into the game world, rather than sit externally on the menu system. *Most Wanted* features a new social system called Cloudcompete, which strings together *Most Wanted* across all platforms in an inspired example of cross-compatibility. One profile is used for all versions of the game, allowing the player to rank up on one format and continue progress on another.

The driving model of the game has been described as "deep, physical and fun", not as arcade-styled as the *Burnout* series and *Hot Pursuit*, but far from a simulator. *Most Wanted* has a range of real-world vehicles, a mix of muscle cars, street racers and exotics, described as "the wildest selection of cars yet". The cars can be altered with performance upgrades, such as reinflatable tires, transmission, engine, nitrous oxide, and body work that enables players to crash through roadblocks, have a higher top speed, and accelerate faster. A feature called EasyDrive enables players to modify their vehicle performance while in usage. Almost all the cars are available from the start, hidden in different locations throughout Fairhaven; the player has to discover them in order to unlock them.

### Wii U

The Wii U version was retitled to *Need for Speed: Most Wanted U*. It includes content from the previously released *Ultimate Speed Pack*, and offers three unique features that take advantage of the Wii U GamePad to make it the "Enhanced Version."

This version supports Off-TV Play, which is the ability to play the game exclusively on the Wii U GamePad, independently from the television. There is also a new co-op mode, called Co-Driver, that supports two players: one player drives using a Wii Remote or the Wii U Pro Controller and another uses the Wii U GamePad to provide control and navigation assistance on an interactive real-time map. The Wii U GamePad can also be used to change mods and switch cars.

The Wii U version of the game also includes full Miiverse integration, which is the first for a third-party game on Wii U. The game also includes three secret vehicles which are exclusive to the Wii U version, all which allude to the *Mario* franchise characters Mario, Peach, and Yoshi. These secret vehicles can each be accessed via hidden entrances, shaped like the iconic Warp Pipes from the series, on various tracks. Finding all the secret vehicles unlocks secret license plates which further confirm the allusion of these characters. Besides the included *Ultimate Speed Pack*, there is no DLC for the Wii U version of the game.