Need for Speed Most Wanted U Review - Maxi Geek

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.

Final thought

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.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted U Most Wanted Race Gameplay

EA LAUNCHES NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED U TODAY

Sydney, Australia — March 21, 2013 – Ready, set, floor it! EA and Criterion Games announced today that Need for Speed™ Most Wanted U, the Nintendo Wii U™ enhanced version of the critically acclaimed Need for Speed Most Wanted, is now available at Australian retail stores. Whether gamers are playing with friends or family in the living room or competing against others in the connected open world through Autolog 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted U makes the race to become Most Wanted more fun, more social and more interactive than ever before.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Wii U Trailer

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Brings a Helping Hand to the Wii U

NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED RACES ON TO Wii U THIS AUTUMN

SYDNEY, Australia. — Jan. 18, 2013 – Team up to top the Most Wanted List! EA and Criterion Games announced today that Need for Speed™ Most Wanted, winner of more than 30 industry awards, is coming to Nintendo’s Wii U™ system on March 21 in Australia and March 22 in New Zealand. Need for Speed Most Wanted unleashes gamers into a connected, open world where they race, chase and explore their way to become Most Wanted amongst their friends. 

Utilising three unique features of the Wii U™  GamePad controller and including bonus content, the Wii U game makes the race to become Most Wanted more fun and social than ever before. Firstly, introducing an all new local co-op mode, Co-Driver, one player drives using the Wii Remote™  controller or Wii U Pro Controller, and another player uses the Wii U GamePad to provide control and navigation assistance on a fully interactive real-time map. Using just their fingertips, a partner can distract pursuing cops, switch from night to day or activate enhanced performance for any car and even control the amount of traffic on the road. This is the ultimate advantage for gamers who like to stir up trouble for the cops, their friends or just for fun.

For another competitive edge, players can change their mods, switch into their favorite cars, track milestones and uncover the city’s hidden gems, all on the fly with the Wii U touch screen, ensuring nothing ever slows them down.

Finally, Need for Speed Most Wanted on Wii U brings the blockbuster action of the open world racer to players’ fingertips. The entire game is playable off-screen using the Wii U GamePad, so gamers never have to put the game down. 

Need for Speed Most Wanted on Wii U also includes the Ultimate Speed Pack, so players can take to the streets five of the sickest, most ludicrously fast cars ever made: McLaren’s F1 LM, Lamborghini’s minimalist artwork, the Aventador J, the track-focused Pagani Zonda R, Bugatti’s reigning world speed champion, the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse and Hennessey’s savage 275 mile-an-hour ragtop beast, the Venom GT Spyder.

Need for Speed Most Wanted lets gamers compete against the people they want to defeat most – their friends. With EA’s innovative online technology Autolog 2, the game automatically tracks and compares best race times, high scores and more. These stats are broadcast throughout the open world, fueling friendly competition and rivalries. Curious if you’re still dominating the leaderboards? Autolog 2 alerts you every time you’ve been knocked off the top, reminding you it’s time to reclaim your position. Need for Speed Most Wanted’s online multiplayer also ups the ante for social competition. Gamers pick a car, meet up with their friends and are immersed in a non-stop playlist of action-packed events. Whether it’s competing for the best starting position, the ultimate jump, or finishing first place, if there’s something to do, there’s someone to beat. Any Speed Points earned on Wii U will add to your existing total if you are playing the game on any of the other available platforms.

Need for Speed Most Wanted for Wii U will be available March 21 in Australia for $89.99 and March 22 in New Zealand for $99.99. For more information on Need for Speed Most Wanted, visit http://www.needforspeed.com. For more information on Need for Speed, visithttp://www.needforspeed.com or become a fan on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/needforspeed and follow us on Twitter athttp://www.twitter.com/needforspeed. 

UNLEASH YOUR INNER SPEED DEMON IN NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED WITH THE “ULTIMATE SPEED PACK

Make trouble for the cops at over 240 mph and leave friends and rivals eating your dust. Hit the streets of Fairhaven City driving the fastest cars and competing in the most exciting events starting December 19 with the Need for Speed^TM Most Wanted Ultimate Speed Pack, the game’s first downloadable content (DLC). This pack marks the start of Criterion’s ongoing, post-launch commitment to fueling social competition and rivalries. The Need for Speed Most Wanted Ultimate Speed Pack gives you all you need to take back the streets from your friends. With access to five of the fastest cars ever built, you’ll set faster times, blast through speed cameras at heart-pounding speeds and jump further through billboards, leaving your mark in your friend’s world. Included in the DLC is the Pagani Zonda R, McLaren F1LM, Lamborghini Aventador J and Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. Test your driving skills in 25 new events spread throughout the city that have been built to push these cars to the limit. Then battle to takedown an all-new Most Wanted rival, the undisputed champion of raw speed: the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder. Take your advantage into multiplayer and embrace the speed by achieving more than 70 all-new speed-themed milestones to earn Speed Points and unlock the rewards necessary to give you the edge to dominate your rivals.

 

Want to make sure you’re still on top of your Most Wanted list? Now you can stay connected to your game wherever you go with the Need for Speed Autolog App that will allow you to keep tabs on your friend stats, awards and game progress, comparing you to your friend’s to ensure you stay one step ahead of the competition. Autolog Recommends will let you know once a friend has taken down your high score in an event. Mark the recommendation on your app and load it up once you’re in the game. And if your current profile picture doesn’t scream “you’ve been owned”? Change it using the app.

 

The Need for Speed Most Wanted Ultimate Speed Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE^® Marketplace for 800 MS Points, the PlayStation^®Network for $15.95 in Australia, $17.95 in New Zealand, and Origin for $9.99 in Australia and $12.10 in New Zealand starting on December 19. The Need for Speed Autolog App is available now for free on the iTunes store.

For more information on Need for Speed Most Wanted, visithttp://www.needforspeed.com/en_AU/most-wanted. For more information on Need for Speed, visit http://www.needforspeed.com/en_AU
or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/needforspeed and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/needforspeed.

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