Need for Speed Most Wanted Preview - E3 2012

Criterion looks to bring back a classic entry in the franchise

Posted by Alex V on June 11, 2012 - 9:13pm EST

After the race ended, everyone was awarded points based on their performance and the next meetup marker was set. Grinding and bumping into each other, we raced there, even though there was no rush by the game. The event was a special one – we had to attempt to clock in the highest jump over a specific highway within the time limit. Yet again, Criterion created an interesting mechanic – if a player crashes, they are out of the event and can no longer post scores. They can, however, continue to drive around and cause problems for others.

The adrenaline comes from the risks involved - how many jump attempts can you get to set a high score before you crash? Should you focus on crashing other players first and then taking a few jumps? These are multiplayer mechanics that are unseen in racing games, and the sheer amount of tension in every race is unmatched.

We then visited two more events. In Speed Trap, we focused on racing through a checkpoint at the highest speed possible. Once again, if you crashed, you could no longer post scores, so the focus was on interfering with others. Team Race functioned much the same as a regular race from earlier, but of course now players were in random teams. So those who finished the race would turn around and attempt to take out the incoming opponents.

Criterion Games are known for making great racing titles, and Most Wanted is no exception. Aside from the increasingly confusing naming scheme, the developers seem to have found a great franchise to work with. And though some elements of Burnout are starting to bleed over to Need for Speed, now more than ever, there’s hope that we can have both series thrive now and in the future. The world looked large, cars looked fantastic and handled well, and Autolog is still looking like a solid leader board system. All of the modes we played were immensely fun, and the game has a very high potential for intense multiplayer. And we didn't even come across the bigger aspects - like cops! Look for thrills and spills when NFS Most Wanted releases this fall.