Need for Speed Most Wanted U Review
Need for speed has always been a series known for having
amazing cars and great locations. However in the latest iteration of the long running
series, both are on steroids here.
Gameplay
The NFS games have always provided you the option to dive
some of the world’s most exotic cars, which for most of us, will probably never
happen in the real world. What sets this
version of NFS apart from previous games is that, whilst labeled Need for
Speed, this game is clearly Burnout. And there is nothing wrong with that.
We have been enjoying open world racers for years now, and
whilst most of them contain some great racing tracks, providing some truly
great experiences, the city’s themselves have been pretty bland. Fairhaven does
not suffer from that; this city was built with verticality in mind. Developer
Criterion games have built a great city, with some great driving spaces, but
filling the world with billboards, gates and speed cameras adds a level of
immersion most open world games don’t get.
Of course, all of this would be pointless if the driving
physics was not there. Thankfully, and as is expected of the developer, driving
any of the cars in NFS is amazingly simple. Drifting a supercar around the
highway bends at 280 km/h provides an amazing sense of speed and satisfaction.
Each car handles differently, and whilst some of the base level cars, your Ford
Focus for an example, handle around the same. Once you start getting used to
your new ride, drifting, handbrake turns and boosting feel second nature.
Graphics
Let’s get this out of the way now, this version of Need for
Speed looks amazing. At any time, blazing around Fairhaven at any speed, the
city looks awesome. Smashing through billboards sends pieces flying all over
the place. Take out a fire hydrant and see water shoot up into the air. The way
the world is lit up, more so at night, shows that Criterion know how to make a
great looking game.
There is one fault with the graphics, they are meant to be
shown at speed. Pull over under any tree or light pole and you will see some
blocky shadows. But the chances of you actually taking your foot of the gas
pedal are small, so you may not even notice it.
Each of the cars has been modeled with amazing detail, but
nothing like your true racing sim’s. And let’s face it, that’s not what NFS is
about. Bouncing around in your supercar while you avoiding cops, bashing into
guard rails and even the police shows some an amazing level of detail of damage
to the car. Crashing can even take out windows, but that’s about as far as it
goes. If you’re looking for Burnout level of crashes here, then you’re going to
sad as they don’t exist.
Sound
This is one area where I am really divided. Each car sounds
amazing, having a good sound setup is crucial for any game, but car games even
more so. The bass of your car engine is great, hearing your car scrape against
a rail at 200 km/h is a treat for your ears. And thankfully the Cops, which
have been a sore point in lots of other games, sound human in this one.
The cops will use a range of tactics, based on how you’re
driving, so hearing them call out for back up, spike strips and road blocks
will be different each time. Even the robotic dispatch officer’s voice is very
cool, though she has less variety in what she says. The downside for me is the
music.
Hearing classic songs like The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
whilst drifting around is awesome. But some the techno remixes are a pain to
hear. Whilst music is subjective and it is hard to balance for everyone, it’s a
shame that the music options are really limited. I have found myself turning
the music down and the engine noise up, just so I don’t have to listen to DJ
Fresh.
Need for Speed is a great game, whilst I am reviewing the
Wii U version, I won’t list specifics about what makes this game different the
other releases. This is just how good the game is. From start to finish, the
world is amazingly polished, with loads of things to do, plenty of cars to
unlock and fantastic moments to be had.
If you’re looking for something to play, no matter what
format you’re playing on, you can’t pass up Need for Speed Most Wanted.
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