Amazon.com: Need for Speed Most Wanted: Xbox 360: Video Games

71 Reviews

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
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4.1 out of 5 stars (71 customer reviews)

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35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Racing Game - Wonderful Customization, November 26, 2005

By	Lisa Shea "LisaShea.com" - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

Need for Speed Most Wanted is a street racing game where the graphics really shine. You see every detail in your Porshe, Mustang, or other racecar.

I've been playing a lot of this and also Project Gotham Racing 3. Both have quite highly detailed car models, with a nice selection to choose from. NFSMW shines in the area of customization. Where PGR3 gives you a few colors to choose from, in this game you can go through a giant range of color choices. Then you can customize the vinyl, and tons of stickers and other options.

You can go through a mission mode where you develop the storyline and learn the characters. You can also do time trial types of challenges, as well as quick races just to have some fun.

The graphics in this game are REALLY nice. First, the car models are great - from the detail of the body to the interior and lights. Next, the characters are really well done, far better than just about any other XBox 360 game I've played so far. The face textures, especially, are quite smooth and life-like. The backgrounds are also quite nice. I really like the mountains in the background, with the forest running down the sides.

The sounds are reasonably good, with the dialogue being OK. Some of it seems a little silly, from the cop deciding to key your car, and the girls acting like toys.

What it really comes down to, though, is having fun street racing, and customizing and choosing new cars. This game obviously isn't realistic. If you slam your car into gas station trash cans at 140mph, your car comes to an immediate stop without any damage at all to the car or the trash cans. You can drive your car down through street light after street light, leaving a trail behind you. The game's about fun fantasy. You have fun driving all of the super-expensive cars you've always wished you could buy - or perhaps you take a car you own and "test it out" in ways your local cops wouldn't approve of.

I do have to comment that some of the cars seem a little squirrley. I've owned Mustangs since I was 18, and have done a bit of high speed driving with them. I don't recall them spinning in circles quite as easily as in the game. Still, maybe the roads in the game are a bit slick :)

Well recommended for car racing lovers who are into customizing and detailing their cars! I do have to say that this game lets you race only against 3 others online, where PGR3 lets you go in a field of 8. So it might be worth it for you to get both games, as each has a different area it is truly great in.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Make this your most wanted racing game, November 29, 2005

By	C. Bakehorn (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

Need for Speed: Most Wanted sure is memorable. Electronic Arts has struck gold, as Most Wanted is one of the best games in the Need for Speed franchise. It's more of "Cops" and less of "Pimp My Ride", which makes for a much different experience. Humorous cinematics, fast-paced racing, high-speed pursuits, tight controls, and slick graphics make way for an overall package that is worth the $60 price point on the Xbox 360.

Welcome, you're the new guy in town. Like any big-headed car tuner, your goal is to gain the respect of other street racers by pushing the law and becoming the "Most Wanted" racer in town. When you attempt to do this, the locals tamper with your fancy BMW and you're quickly in the hole, losing your pink slip to an arrogant, outspoken hotshot named Razor. Razor doesn't stop there, as he climbs to the peak of the Most Wanted list using your car. Through different races, events, and police chases your goal is to have another race against Razor to get your car back, but there are 14 other Most Wanted racers on the "Blacklist" and hundreds of races waiting for you before you get to him. The story is told through some ridiculously beautiful cutscenes. These scenes mix computer-generated animation, real-life actors, and a fancy color effect to make a look that you have to see to believe. Not to mention, these scenes are usually pretty funny, making them worth watching all the same.

The different races leading up to Razor have the same simple goal; cross the finish line before everyone else as quickly as possible. There are standard Circuit, Lap Knockout, and Sprint races as well as the Drag races that were made famous with the Underground series. Those familiar modes stand next to new challenges that mix things up very slightly. Tollbooth races have you zooming through checkpoints as quickly as possible. Speed-Trap events have speed cameras set up around the course, and each camera determines your speed and gives you a score. The scores accumulate as the event goes on, and at the end, the player with the highest score wins the challenge. If I could say anything about the different races, it's that they're varied enough and downright entertaining enough to keep the gameplay from getting stale and moldy.

When you're not racing in Most Wanted, you've got a free roam in a huge urban, suburban, and rural environment that is bursting at the seams with things to do. Whether you're upgrading your car's superficial aspects or tinkering with newer and better parts, exploring, or causing trouble with the police, there is a lot to do in this game. Speaking of the police, the pursuits in Most Wanted are one of the most exciting aspects of the game. You'll attract the attention of the local feds if you're caught speeding, causing property damage, or collisions on the road. These minor infractions can turn into twenty- or thirty-minute chases that are loaded with spike strips, road blocks, pursuing helicopters, and cop cars that range from your standard beater to Corvette federal chasers. Believe me, it can get nasty when you're taking out cruisers left and right while trying to find a way to shake the heat and end the pursuit. If the races weren't exciting enough for you, these chases should be. They're mostly optional, and the only time they're required is when you're trying to move up on the Blacklist.

The racing controls feel very tight and realistic. The driving physics aren't as realistic as, say, Gran Turismo 4, yet EA managed to do a fantastic job on the controls. The sense of speed is pretty fantastic, especially when you go over a small hill and you're sent flying into the air, sparks and exhaust following you as you fly through the sky, landing with more sparks and a crash. Alongside the frantic pace of the races, the visuals provide quite a show while tearing through the streets. Particles fill the screen when you crash through a roadblock and the shine effect from wet roads or rain is breathtaking. On a high-def television set, Most Wanted is unbelievable. Alongside the visuals, the fast-paced punk rock and metalcore soundtrack and metal-crunching sound effects make for an expertly-presented videogame. The only potential problem that I can see is fans of NFS: Underground complaining that the game takes place mostly in the daytime rather than at night, like Underground and Underground 2 did. This time change results in a completely new color scheme and atmosphere that, quite personally, I preferred.

There isn't much to complain about in Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The opponent racer A.I., unlike the police A.I., is a little too easy at first. They're not very competitive until hours into the game, but that's really the only valid complaint that I have. Most Wanted isn't a revolutionary title but it's something that is a blast to play and it's a great start for racing games on the Xbox 360. Pick it up if you're looking for a racing title or if you liked the Underground series, you won't be disappointed.

(NOTE: I also have this review posted on GameFreaks365.com, where I write reviews on a regular basis.)

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! What a Game!, January 21, 2007

By	360 (seattle , washington) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

Need For Speed Most Wanted is one of my favorite racing games that I have ever played. It is fun, original, and just a good game overall.
In this game you start out as a racer who thinks he is the best around. You challenge Clarence Callahan, nicknamed Razor. He is #15 on the "blacklist," which is a group of the best street racers around.
Once you start the race in your BMW M3, you have to stop. Razor sabotaged your car and you are forced to give Razor your car.
Now you want to have revenge and get your car back. But it won't be easy. Razor is now #1 on the blacklist, the top of the food chain. To race him and get your car, you must beat the other 14 racers.
To add to the story, you get pulled over by a police officer, Sergeant Cross. He pulls you over because he thinks you were street racing. When he is just about to impound your car, he gets a call and has to go. Before he leaves, he keys your car and says he will keep an eye on you.

To be able to challenge each blacklist racer, you must meet certain requirements. You must win a certain number of races and milestones, which include the famous pursuit chases that define this great game.
The races are pretty straight forward, so I will just explain the milestones. There are many different types of milestones. You have to go past a radar at a certain speed, or do some things while you are being chased by the police, which gets harder the longer you are being chased. I will get into that later. Some examples of pursuit milestones are that you have be chased for a certain number of minutes and then escape, cause a certain amount of damge to the state, or get a certain amount of bounty which is obtained by damaging police vehicles.

There are 6 Heat Levels, which determine how hard it is to evade the police. At level 1, only local police cars chase you. They are extremely easy because the police lose track of you pretty quickly.
Level 2 consists of undercover police, and simple roadblocks. Hitting the last car in the line normally leads to you breaking through fairly easily.
Level 3 intoduces Manaro Cops, and they are more powerful and can block you in easier than anyone else so far. Also 4WD SUVs called Rhinos try to ram you from the front.
Level 4 is when it starts getting harder. Unmarked GTOs travel in groups of 4. They try to surround your car, and then hit the brakes. Watch out because they can box you in very well. Helicopters come in to play also. This makes it hard for the police to lose track of you because the helicopter calls in your position. Spike strips are used in addition with road blocks to try to stop you. If you go over a roadblock, you will lose 99.9% of the time. You will lost speed and eventually stop. This is when the police box you in and arrest you. The roadblocks are hard because the police use the SUVs in them. What makes it even harder is that they sometimes also put spike strips in.
Level 5 is extremely difficult to evade from. The helicopters are harder to evade, and Cross Corvette cars start chasing you. In this heat level, there is sometimes a second car behind the first row of the roadblocks. This means you have to go through both rows of SUVs because spike strips are usually on the other side of the road.

Level 6 is only reached on the last level of the game. I don't want to give away the ending, so I will just say that Sargeant Cross comes joins the chase to try and stop you.

Multiplayer is fun, but nothing compared to the singleplayer gameplay. 4 racers can compete at a time. You can do sprint, circuit, and drag races. Unfortunately, no police chase you in multiplayer.

In conclusion to this very detailed report, this is a great game! The visuals are stunning, and the gameplay will keep you occupied for countless hours. I wanted to say what happened in the end of the game, but you will have to work hard like I did to find out! Get this game and have fun for a long time!
Sorry to make this review so long, but I want to convince you to buy this game!