14 DAY TRIAL // 
What is "Need for Speed" and who is EA Games. Well, "Most Wanted" is for sure the best game in the series and EA Games is the biggest publisher on this planet (can't guarantee on others though) with a sadistic desire to make more money. That's why most of their games aren't made for the fun of it or for the gamers, but are produced because they generate a lot of "currency".
Something happed with "Need for Speed: Most Wanted", you could see it right from the developer interviews. They put some heart into it and believe me, it shows.
Story: I have to say the story is rather mediocre. But hey, most of the successful games have mediocre stories. The way you tell them makes all the difference in the world. You can take a B movie story like this one and make it a blockbuster. It goes like this: you are a very cool guy with a beautiful and powerful car (represented by a BMW) and your sole purpose in life is to challenge the number 15 on an infamous black list (packed with the best racers in the city).
You do it and you almost win but the... bad men mess with your car and you loose the race, the car and the street credit you earned. Still, you get to keep the girl (although I don't know why she hangs out with a dude with no ride). Anyway, she helps you get back on your feet by setting you up with a new ride. Here is where you enter the stage.
You have to admit this is no complicated plot with saving-the-world issues, but just the story of a simple guy, with a lot of spare time on his hands.
Gameplay: This is the defining feature of successful games. Without a beautiful gameplay this title will be forgotten in a year. Many gamers will say that it's very similar with Underground 2 but with cops. There are of course some similarities but this is an entirely different game.
Most wanted still retains some game modes from its predecessor such as Sprint, Drag and Lap time, but introduces some new ones like the Tollbooth trial (which is essentially a race against time) and Speedtraps, which is probably the hardest mode. The object isn't to get past the finish line first (although it would be advisable) but to get registered by the police radars in several places off the course with the highest speed possible.
The second innovative feature introduced with this new edition is the milestone system. In order for you to race with the infamous 15 racers, you have to defeat other guys so you will be worthy enough to challenge the important ones. Milestones are police objectives, like getting registered in a certain area by the radar with a minimum speed, evade the police for several minutes or destroy a number of police cars.
"Need for Speed Underground 2" received some complaints about its free system. You had to actually get out on the streets and go to the race. Now every race can be accessed from the main menu. You will only have to go to the shops which now are unified. You can find everything you'll need at one shop: parts, performance upgrades and visual upgrades. This is a drawback for me. I kind of liked it separately. The system is now a little bit too simplified and some features are missing entirely, the vinyl layers for example.
A major problem for some will be "THE money" and I felt it too. There isn't enough and there aren't any alternative modes to make them except for the races. You will have to be very careful in what cars you invest in. They may look good but on the street they will be worthless.
The first impression you get about the AI is that they went to college since the last game. They seem more aggressive and the police drivers work as a team. Well, after dodging your first hundred cars and destroying another 50 you'll realize they aren't so bright and they are heavily scripted. Nonetheless, they are now more of a challenge and can cause you some trouble eventually.
The last thing I am going to mention about the gameplay is the revolutionary, never seen before, bullet-time. Well that's not exactly true, but as far as I can tell this is the first racing game I have seen it implemented. I "heard" some reviewers saying that they haven't used it and they claim it's just for show and you don't really need it. Sure, they haven't used it. When you reach 300 km/h and you have 10 police cars chasing you and a helicopter, going in a 90 degree curve with two trucks coming straight at you, you take a sip of coffee and gently avoid the collision without touching the "button". Not in this game.
Video: The game looks good. If you would replace the game with a woman, this is the kind of women that will make you turn your head and slam into a street light. This is no exaggeration. The game has everything but Pixel Shader 3.0. Specular lighting, bump mapping, real time shadows, extensive mipmapping, you name it. At the highest levels you will often crash just because you get carried away and lost yourself in the scenery.
A welcomed improvement is the road. Remember that unusual shine the road had in both Underground games? Now it's gone. Well not entirely, it shows only when it's raining, but that's normal, right?
EA has always been dedicated to their work so everyone, even with a Geforce 2 MX, could play it. The game runs pretty smoothly on an average computer, the only thing it requires is a lot of on board memory. If you turn the world detail up to maximum it will eat 1 GB like peanut butter.
The cars now have this sleek kind of look especially in the garage. They have this elongated body as they are all inspired by the Peugeot 608. Anyways they look great and sometimes you just want to look at them.
Speaking of cars we get to the physics part. This is not the most prominent feature. There isn't any physics in the true sense. Yes, I know this is an arcade game but the cars could have had some more weight or they could have done a better job in defining the textures. Sometimes you will hit invisible walls. This bug can be observed only in slow motion, so be careful how tight you take your corners.
The only remaining bug I noticed is related to shadows. Sometimes they tend to get in textures and not stay on textures. This is noticeable when you go up the hill and cross over a sidewalk. Other than that, the entire game is extremely well built and it doesn't leave you the sensation that it has been done in a rush.
Sound: The music has always been exquisite in Need for Speed series. This soundtrack isn't any different. A lot of quality songs and a dynamic atmosphere make a very good mood for racing.
The engines are well designed and they sound pretty real as long you have a Creative sound board and a decent subwoofer. The most beautiful sound I heard is the one from "Supercharger". It tells you there's a lot of power under the hood and you better watch out.
Multiplayer: Nothing special here that you wouldn't expect. For online games you'll need an EA account (with the possibility of creating one in-game). The good news is that LAN games don't require an EA lobby, so you can play with your friends without having an internet connection.
Conclusion: I can barely contain myself to write this review. My hand itches to get back in. The game takes over your life completely. Please mom, just one more race.
The game is somewhat more difficult than the previous ones, but this won't stop you from playing until the break of dawn. That Razor guy (the evil dude that took your car) is going to get it. I'm going to smoke him. Clear out the highway, I'm coming. If you happen to see a Ford Mustang 2005, metallic grey, that's me. Got to loose the cops! See you later!
