Tuesday 30 October 2012

Anticipating Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Wanted to do a post about my thoughts about the latest Need for Speed game before the game releases and I almost forgot about it. So on the day of it's release, I'll do a post before I collect my pre-order.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The title of the latest instalment in the franchise will probably make you think about super fast cars racing through various terrains with cop cars right on your trail.. and you are not wrong.  Trailers and gameplay videos thus far has shown that this game will live up to it's name and the previous Need for Speed: Most Wanted game during the PS2 era. 

But before you think that it's just an improvement over it's predecessor, a closer look will tell you that this is a Criterion game... Ring any bells? Criterion are the same guys that invented the Burnout franchise as well as the widely acclaimed Burnout Paradise (my first PS3 game!) And if you have been following news about this new NFS game, you will have known that NFS: Most Wanted is affectionately known as "Burnout Paradise 2". Whether EA or Criterion accept it or not, fans have all seen the similarities between Burnout Paradise and NFS:MW (notice how I keep shortening the title of the game..).

We see the freeburn challenges making a return in this NFS game. (making it even shorter..) Meet up at a location and complete a challenge.. Driving through billboards.. These were stuff that you had to do to complete various challenges in Burnout Paradise. It was fun. I'm someone who loves co-op games. So getting together with a bunch of friends or random strangers online to complete a certain challenge is my kind of thing. But will these challenges take the speed out of a Need for Speed game is my worry.. The old game was all about racing and escaping the cops. A Need for Speed game isn't about meeting up to do challenges.

So why didn't they call it Burnout Paradise 2 instead? Well if you see that EA is behind it all, you wouldn't be surprised. The previous Need for Speed games havn't actually been selling well (not counting NFS: Hot Pursuit) from what I know, so what better way than to get the successful rivals to develop the NFS games.. 

So Need for Speed: Most Wanted has now become a Need for Speed + Burnout game. Will it work out? I hope it does.. I used to play the old NFS games on PS2 but the recent games havn't captivated me enough to purchase them. I tried Hot Pursuit but hardly had game time to make a comment. I love Burnout and I loved the old NFS games so I hope I'll like this game..

Will be sure to post my thoughts about the game once I play it..