"If you're looking for a multiplayer driving game that's about way more than simple races, Most Wanted's speedlist system makes for an amazingly good time."
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Android (Platform)iPad (Platform)iPhone (Platform)PC (Platform)PlayStation 3 (Platform)PlayStation Network (PS3) (Platform)PlayStation Network (Vita) (Platform)PlayStation Vita (Platform)Wii U (Platform)Xbox 360 (Platform)Xbox 360 Games Store (Platform)
Players cruise the streets of the city Fairhaven, evading the cops while working their way to the top of the most wanted street racers list in this open-street racing game from Criterion Games.
Overview
An indirect sequel to both the original Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Criterion's own Burnout Paradise (Game), the game returns to the open world game play of the titles in the franchise, allowing the player to explore a large, modern city filled with events and shortcuts for the player to find. The stat tracking Autolog (Concept) feature returns (which debuted in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit) keeping track of all accomplishments and comparing them to friends. Every vehicle in the game is unlocked from the start (with the exception of the top 10 most wanted racer's cars), requiring only that you find the vehicle first. This is a change from most other Need for Speed (Franchise) games, which usually had a system of classes for the player to work through to get progressively better cars along the way. The game's multiplayer is similar in structure to Burnout Paradise, giving players random events that start at different spots in the city that players have to complete either competitively or cooperatively.
Gameplay
The single player game immediately drops the player into the open world with the main task of beating the ten "Most Wanted" street racers in the City of "Fairhaven". In order to access these races, players must accumulate enough "Speed Points" to unlock them. Speed Points are gained by completing races, evading the cops, meeting objectives, taking down competitors and other various driving antics and maneuvers.
Players can unlock additional cars by locating them within the city and simply pressing a button to get behind the wheel. Every car has its own set of progression, and unlocking each car's upgrades is done by winning races and completing objectives. Once discovered, these new cars are instantly accessible through the Easy Drive drop-down menu.
The police play a large role in the single player game, pursuing the player if they see them do anything illegal, and are often integrated into race events. On higher alert levels, cops will set up road blocks and lay out spike strips. These obstacles are more easily overcome if the player has unlocked vehicles mods like re-inflating tires and heavy chassis, although there is virtually zero penalty for getting "busted."
The game contains dozens of collectibles in the form of billboards to destroy, speed cameras for record-breaking competitions, and gates to smash through. When a player sets a record for distance during a billboard-smashing jump, their photo will be displayed on it for all their friends to see.
Multiplayer
The multiplayer component of Most Wanted consists of up to eight players completing "Speedlists", which are sets of five events for players to compete in. Event types are highly variable; ranging from simple team-based checkpoint races, to things like all players meeting on top of a certain building, or collectively gathering a certain amount of "near misses" in a specific area. Players receive Speed Points for winning individual races, as well as for winning the full Speedlist.
The game does not incorporate a lobby, and each event is immediately followed by another with the occasional "intermission" of a few minutes in-between events. All Speed Points for the player are shared between single-player and multiplayer, and as players win events and accumulate Speed Points, they unlock vehicle mods such as off-road tires, higher gears and other upgrades.
Wii U Version
The Wii U version, Need for Speed: Most Wanted U, utilizes the console's unique features in various ways. A new mode, called Co-Op Driver, is included in this version and it supports asymmetric gameplay functions in that it has one player racing with the Wii Remote or Wii U Pro Controller and another assisting with the GamePad by distracting cops, activating boosts, controlling traffic or selecting the time of day. Off-TV Play is supported by the game, as well. When players are not making use of that feature, the touch screen allows for instant access to carselection, tracking records or finding secrets around the city. The game also features Miiverse integration which ties directly into Autolog, displaying Mii characters on billboards and letting players post messages in Paradise mode.
This version also includes the Ultimate Speed Pack (adding five new cars), which was available as $10 DLC on other platforms. However, the other three DLC that were later released on the other platforms are not available.
On top of that, Need for Speed: Most Wanted U also features various graphical upgrades such as higher resolution textures from the PC version and improved lighting.
Wii U Version Development
Criterion had the game running on Wii U concurrently with the other versions and returned to it after those had shipped and everybody had actual hands on with the final retail system at home, Alex Ward of Vice President of Criterion said. The team had also been reading the various Iwata Asks interviews put out by Nintendo around the time of the system's launch to better understand the philosophy and really create a version of the game that is tailored to the system's strengths.
Available Vehicles
On-disc
| Vehicle Name | Engine | HPW | 0-100 (s) | Top Speed (km/h) | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo 4C Concept | 1.8-liter Turbocharged Straight-4 | 200 | 5.0 | 250 |
Sports |
3.0-liter V8 |
500 | 2.3 | 281 | Race | |
| 6.0-liter V12 | 510 | 4.1 | 305 | Sports | |
| 2.5-liter Straight-5 | 496 | 3.7 | 249 | Everyday | |
| 5.2-liter V10 | 568 | 3.8 | 317 | Sports | |
| 2.3-liter Straight-4 | 280 | 2.8 | 273 | Race | |
| 6.0-liter W12 | 640 | 4.0 | 325 | Grand Tourer | |
| 4.0-liter V8 | 420 | 4.8 | 249 | Sports | |
| 8.0-liter Quad-Turbo W16 | 1200 | 2.4 | 431 | Exotic | |
2.0-liter Straight-4 |
263 |
2.8 |
241 |
Race | |
| 6.2-liter V8 | 580 | 3.9 | 296 | Muscle | |
| 6.8-liter V8 | 638 | 3.4 | 330 | Exotic | |
Dodge Charger SRT8 (LD) (multiplayer only; from U.S. Slim Jim promotion) |
6.4-liter V8 | 470 | 4.7 | 282 | Muscle |
| 6.4-liter V8 | 470 | 4.0 | 293 | Muscle | |
| 5.4-liter V8 | 320 | 7.2 | 164 | SUV | |
| 2.5-liter Straight-5 | 350 | 5.6 | 262 | Everyday | |
Ford Focus ST (multiplayer only) |
2.0-liter Straight-4 | 252 | 6.7 | 244 | Everyday |
| 5.4-liter V8 | 550 | 3.7 | 329 | Exotic | |
| 5.0-liter V8 | 444 | 4.0 | 249 | Muscle | |
| 6.6-liter Turbo Diesel V8 | 300 | 13.5 | 165 | SUV | |
| 5.0-liter V8 | 510 | 4.6 | 250 | Sports | |
| 5.0-liter Twin Turbo V8 | 1100 | 2.9 | 418 | Exotic | |
| 6.5-liter V12 | 700 | 2.9 | 349 | Exotic | |
| 4.7-liter V12 | 375 | 4.9 | 315 | Sports | |
| 5.2-liter V10 | 570 | 3.9 | 323 | Sports | |
| 2.0-liter Turbocharged Straight-4 | 212 | 5.7 | 220 | Everyday | |
| 4.8-liter V10 | 552 | 3.6 | 326 | Exotic | |
| 2.8-liter Turbocharged V6 | 420 | 3.8 | 249 | Sports | |
| 4.7-liter V8 | 460 | 4.4 | 302 | Grand Tourer | |
| 3.8-liter Twin Turbo V8 | 592 | 3.1 | 333 | Exotic | |
| 6.0-liter V12 | 661 | 3.7 | 320 | Muscle | |
| 6.3-liter V8 | 571 | 3.8 | 317 | Grand Tourer | |
| 2.0-liter Turbocharged Straight-4 | 395 | 5.4 | 249 | Everyday | |
| 3.8-liter Twin Turbo V6 | 550 | 2.8 | 315 | Sports | |
| 5.9-liter Twin Turbo V12 | 720 | 3.3 | 370 | Exotic | |
| 3.8-liter Flat-6 | 500 | 3.7 | 312 | Sports | |
| 3.8-liter 6-Cylinder Boxer | 400 | 4.3 | 302 | Sports | |
| 4.6-liter V8 plus 2 Electric Motors | 718 | 3.2 | 318 | Exotic | |
| 4.8-liter Twin Turbo V8 | 500 | 4.0 | 303 | Grand Tourer | |
| 2.0-liter Straight-4 EcoBoost | 240 | 6.7 | 217 | SUV | |
| 7.0-liter V8 | 425 | 5.1 | 262 | Muscle | |
| 8.4-liter V10 | 640 | 3.3 | 320 | Muscle | |
| 2.5-liter Turbocharged Straight-4 | 395 | 3.4 | 349 | Everyday | |
| 375 volt AC induction | 300 | 3.7 | 201 | Sports |
Downloadable Content
Note that the Wii U version has all Ultimate Speed Pack cars on-disc, but no other DLC.
| Vehicle Name | Engine | HPW | 0-100 (s) | Top Speed (km/h) | Class | DLC Pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde | 1.4-liter Turbocharged Straight-4 MultiAir | 168 | 7.6 | 219 | City | Terminal Velocity |
| Aston Martin DB5 Vantage | 4.0-liter Straight-6 | 325 | 6.3 | 261 | Sports | Movie Legends |
| Aston Martin DBS | 5.9-liter V12 | 510 | 4.4 | 303 | Grand Tourer | Movie Legends |
| Audi RS 3 | 2.5-liter Turbocharged Straight-5 TFSI | 335 | 4.7 | 249 | Everyday | Terminal Velocity |
| BMW 1 Series M Coupé | 3.0-liter Twin Turbo Straight-6 (N54B30) | 335 | 4.3 | 266 | Everyday | Terminal Velocity |
| BMW M3 GTR (E46) | 4.0-liter V8 (P60B40) | 444 | 3.5 | 245 | Race | NFS Heroes |
| Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse | 8.0-liter Quad-Turbo W16 | 1183 | 2.6 | 410 | Exotic | Ultimate Speed |
| Dodge Charger R/T (1970) | 7.0-liter V8 | 425 | 5.5 | 195 | Muscle | Movie Legends |
| Ford Fiesta ST (Generation 6) | 1.6-liter Turbocharged Straight-4 (EcoBoost) | 197 | 7.0 | 219 | Everyday | Terminal Velocity |
| Hennessey Venom GT Spyder (2012) | 7.0-liter Twin Turbo V8 | 1244 | 2.7 | ~427 | Exotic | Ultimate Speed |
| Lamborghini Aventador J | 6.5-liter V12 | 690 | 2.9 | 354 | Exotic | Ultimate Speed |
| Lamborghini Diablo SV | 5.7-liter V12 | 510 | 3.9 | 328 | Sports | NFS Heroes |
| McLaren F1 LM | 6.1-liter V12 (BMW S70/2) | 680 | 3.0 | 362 | Exotic | Ultimate Speed |
| Nissan 350Z (2006) | 3.5-liter V6 (VQ35DE) | 306 | 6.0 | 249 | Sports | NFS Heroes |
| Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (R34) | 2.6-liter Twin Turbo Straight-6 (RB26DETT) | 276 | 5.0 | 249 | Sports | NFS Heroes |
| Pagani Zonda R | 6.0-liter V12 (M120) | 750 | 3.0 | 351 | Exotic | Ultimate Speed |
| Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Special Edition (1977) | 6.6-liter V8 | 180 | 6.4 | Unknown | Muscle | Movie Legends |
| Porsche 911 GT2 (997) | 3.6-liter Twin Turbo H6 | 523 | 3.4 | 328 | Sports | NFS Heroes |
| Porsche 918 Spyder (2013) | 4.6-liter V8 plus 2 Electric Motors | 887 | 2.9 | 340 | Exotic | Terminal Velocity |
| Shelby GT500 (1967) | 7.0-liter V8 | 355 | 5.6 | 243 | Muscle | Movie Legends |
Most Wanted Top 10 List
| Number | Car | SP or DLC Needed |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Alfa Romeo 4C Concept | 60,000 |
| 9 | Shelby Cobra 427 | 135,000 |
| 8 | Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG | 220,000 |
| 7 | Lexus LFA | 315,000 |
| 6 | McLaren MP4-12C | 425,000 |
| 5 | Porsche 918 Spyder Concept | 520,000 |
| 4 | Lamborghini Aventador | 630,000 |
| 3 | Bugatti Veyron Super Sport | 750,000 |
| 2 | Pagani Huayra | 875,000 |
| 1 | Koenigsegg Agera R | 1,000,000 |
| Venom | Hennessey Venom GT Spyder | Ultimate Speed Pack |
| 918 Spyder | Porsche 918 Spyder | Terminal Velocity Pack
|
| GT500 | Shelby GT500 | Movie Legends Pack
|
| M3 GTR | BMW M3 GTR (E46) | Need for Speed Heroes Pack
|
Soundtrack
| Artist | Track |
|---|---|
| The Who | "Baba O'Riley (Alan Wilkis Remix)" |
| The Who | "Won't Get Fooled Again (Cato Remix)" |
| Calvin Harris | "We'll Be Coming Back (KillSonik Remix)" |
| Dizzee Rascal | "Bonkers" |
| Madeon feat. Zak Waters | "The City" |
| Muse | "Butterflies and Hurricanes" |
| Skrillex (with The Doors) | "Breakin a Sweat (Original)" |
| Nero | "Won't You (Be There)" |
| Rudimental feat. John Newman | "Feel the Love" |
| Silent Code | "Night Train" |
| Silent Code | "Spell Bound" |
| Silent Code | "East Star" |
| The Maccabees | "Unknow" |
| The Joy Formidable | "Little Blimp" |
| Foreign Beggars feat. Noisia | "Contact" |
| Flux Pavilion feat. Sway | "Double Edge" |
| The Chemical Brothers | "Galvanize" |
| Riverboat Gamblers | "Blue Ghosts" |
| Green Day | "Stop When the Red Lights Flash" |
| Icona Pop | "I Love It" |
| Ambassadors | "Unconsolable" |
| Dispatch | "Circles Around the Sun" |
| We Are the Ocean | "The Road (Run for Miles)" |
| DJ Fresh feat. Dizzee Rascal | "The Power" |
| RuN RIOT | "A Light Goes Off (RuN RIOT Mix)" |
| Heaven's Basement | "I Am Electric" |
| Deadmau5 feat. Wolfgang Gartner | "Channel 42" |
| Above & Beyond | "Anjunabeach" |
| The Vaccines | "Bad Mood" |
| C&D Project | "The Chase" |
| Poliça | "Violent Games" |
| Bassnectar | "Empathy" |
| Crosses | "Telepathy" |
| Beware of Darkness | "Howl" |
| Lower than Atlantis | "Love Someone Else" |
| Strange Talk | "Cast Away" |
| Last Dinosaurs | "Zoom" |
| Asherel | "Shake the Dust" |
| Band of Skulls | "You're Not Pretty but You Got It Goin' On" |
| Dead Sara | "Weatherman" |
| Popeska | "Now or Never" |
| Mutemath | "Allies" |
Limited Edition and Preorder
The Limited Edition of Need for Speed: Most Wanted includes many bonuses:
- 4 hours of double speed points for multiplayer
- 2012 Porsche 911 Carerra S
- Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale - Both cars are decked out with an exclusive livery and performance modifications
Pre-ordering from select retailers granted players exclusive vehicles with upgrades. 360/PS3 owners could order from Walmart.com to get both Power & Strike while GameStop orders get the Speed Pack. Preordering on PC (through Origin) granted players all three packs.
- Speed Pack: Caterham Superlight R500
- Power Pack: Ford F-150 Raptor
- Strike Pack: Mercedes-Benz SL 65 Black Series
Trivia
While the game doesn't have any story continuity with the original Need for Speed: Most Wanted, there are some references to it and its characters, such as the "Callahan Industrial" area in the PS3/360/PC game, and the mobile/portable version includes an track named "Callahan District", both references to the 2005 game's antagonist Razor Callahan (Character).
PC System Requirements
| Minimun Requirements | Recommended Requirements |
|---|---|
| CPU: 2 GHz Dual Core (Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Athlon X2 2.7 GHz)
RAM: 2 GB VGA: AMD: DirectX 10.1 compatible with 512 MB RAM (ATI Radeon 3000, 4000, 5000 or 6000 series, with ATI Radeon 3870 or higher performance) NVIDIA: DirectX 10.0 compatible with 512 MB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 8, 9, 200, 300, 400 or 500 series with NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or higher performance) DX: DirectX 10.0 OS: Windows Vista (SP1) 32-bit HDD: 20 GB ODD: DVD Rom Drive Minimum Peripheral: Keyboard and Mouse||CPU: 2 GHz Quad Core (Core 2 Quad Q6400 2.13 GHz or Phenon 9550 Quad-Core) RAM: 4 GB VGA: AMD: DirectX 11 compatible with 2 GB RAM (ATI Radeon 6950/70 and 78xx/9xx) NVIDIA: DirectX 11 compatible with 1.2 GB RAM (NVIDIA GeForce 560/70 and 660/70/80) DX: DirectX 11 OS: Windows 7 64-bit HDD: 20GB |
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- Name
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Release Date
- October 30, 2012
- Platform
- PC (Platform)
Xbox 360 (Platform)
Android (Platform)
iPad (Platform)
iPhone (Platform)
PlayStation Network (PS3) (Platform)
Xbox 360 Games Store (Platform)
Wii U (Platform)
PlayStation 3 (Platform)
PlayStation Network (Vita) (Platform)
PlayStation Vita (Platform) - Developer
- Publisher
- Genre
- Driving/Racing (Genre)
- Theme
- Motorsports (Theme)
- Franchise
- Need for Speed (Franchise)
- Aliases
- NFSMW
NFSMW2
Need For Speed Most Wanted 2
Need For Speed 2012
Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game
Need For Speed Most Wanted U
NFSMWU