Make no mistake, driving is serious business in Most Wanted, and it'll take you some time to tame the road monsters (ably aided by upgrades)
The police were hot on my heels. Smashing through a five-car roadblock, I ducked below the freeway and made a U-turn, and headed downtown, but there was no getting rid of the wailing cars tailing me.
That's when I spotted a side alley and took a sharp right. There it was — my getaway car — a flaming red SRT Viper GTS. Parking my battered yellow Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, I hopped on to the Viper and headed for the cooling-off zone, after lunging through a billboard. No damage done.
Developers Criterion, behind games such as Burnout Paradise, don't disappoint with the thrills and spectacular crashes, part and parcel of this reboot of Most Wanted, Need For Speed's popular franchise.
Criterion's characteristic punch is delivered via the open world of Fairhaven City, for yours to explore and enjoy. But, don't mistake this game, available for PC (which I played), PS3 and XBox, for a good old arcade racer.
Make no mistake, driving is serious business in Most Wanted, and it’ll take you some time to tame the road monsters (ably aided by upgrades). But, it doesn't take away the fun for a casual gamer, thanks to the sheer variety of mean machines one gets to drive.
If you, like me, dream of filling your garage with the latest supercars, this is your chance to fulfill your dream. Scattered across the city are 41 supercars for your taking, albeit in their no-frills avatar. From classics to the latest road monsters, you have them all, of course if you find them.
Once you find the cars, head for a race to win speed points and bragging rights. Your every move is recorded on Autolog and you can always aim to better your friend on the leaderboard. Once you show your racing prowess, you’ll be on your way to becoming the Most Wanted in Fairhaven. Race against the leaders and defeat them to make their car yours.
The game's both realistic and fun, and one can’t get enough of Fairhaven City (just like one loved to roam the roads of Paradise City). The game goes heavy on the visual details — cut across a grassy field and you can see the blades flying off the wheels, as well as losing some grip.
Veteran of Most Wanted fans will most likely miss the cop mode where one could chase and take down the racers. But this is more than made up for by the plethora of cars on offer. Another irritant in the game is the repetitive police commentary. But thankfully, the AI's much smarter.
What the game lacks is a story -- the past year has seen extremely well-defined plotlines in most of the blockbuster games. But you won't miss that much if you live only to race.
The game, which retails for Rs 1,499/- for PC (and for Rs 2,999/- for PS3 or XBox and Rs 2799/- for the PS Vita) cries out to be played with a gamepad. You'll do serious damage to the keyboard (and your fingers) if you try one of the many crazy moves the supercars at your disposal will egg you on to commit.
If you're still smarting from being pushed off the road by that SUV while you were getting home, here's your revenge. Grab the keys (oops, the controller) and show them who rules the roads.
