NFSMW.. the cops are coming (Need For Speed - Most Wanted (PS2))

Member Name: mjw92

Product:	Need For Speed - Most Wanted (PS2)
Date:	21/06/08 (158 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great racing gameplay: awesome pursuit mode

Disadvantages: lack of customization

Need for Speed Most Wanted was the third game in the NFS series, following Underground 1 and 2, which in their own rights were great games, so Most Wanted had a tough act to follow, but I believe it delivered the goods.

The game involves you moving to a new city to conquer the race scene there, but in one of your first races you lose your car because another driver fixed it. Therefore you start from scratch trying to work your way up the ladder to get your car back. In the way though are the Blacklist and the cops. The blacklist are other drivers all trying to be best in the city and the cops are there to just well.. do their job and stop street racing I suppose, which is funny, because in the other two cities they didn't do a very good job!

The new feature of this game is obviously the fact that the police are involved and this means there are several pursuits you have to go through during the course of the game, of which some are easy, others much more difficult. Secondly an introduction of "The Challenge Series" numerous other mini-challenges involving tollbar challenges and pursuit chases, which start of easily but progressively get extremely difficult.

As for gameplay, well the controls are like your basic driving game, and this is no different, easy controls, with an added feature of a time-breaker (temporarily allows you to slow down the game to turn those corners you always hate that you can NEVER get round.. sorry went off on one!) but it's very useful and so that is just one of many positives. Secondly the graphics are also very good in most places and just make the game come alive.

Now for game content, you have similar race modes to the previous games, circuit, sprint, drag (in later stages) but unfortunately in this game there was no drift for drift fans. New modes included tollbar challnge, having to drive through tollbars before the clock ran out, and speed camera challenge, having to drive through speed camera areas the fastest.

The racing is at times quite easy, however some races I've had to repeat a few times to win and have been quite challenging so there is a good mixture for various abilities.
The pursuit mode is what I think is the real gem of this game. It starts of easy, very easy, and this builds your confidence, but as the game advances, this confidence becomes cockiness, and eventually it will catch up to you and when it does you realise the beauty of the game. It is a clear and easy to use pursuit format and is really intense and at the heart of racing so make the game extra special and gives it a feature that I had never seen in a racing game before.

The separate game mode (challenge series) has the same intensity and satisfying element of the main game, with addicting challenges and same varying amounts of difficulty.

One area of the game lacking compared to the previous game was that the cars can't be customized as much, and there are no DVD/Magazine covers. Overall though this does not affect the racing and gameplay element of the game.

Other features of the game are once again a good multiplayer aspect and a great storyline throughout.

My rating: scrapes a 5*

Summary: Great gameplay aspects and my personal favourite NFS game