Need for Speed: Most Wanted – A Criterion Game

Description

Need for Speed: Most Wanted – A Criterion Game (2012) is the nineteenth entry in Electronic Arts’ long‑running racing series. Subtitled “A Criterion Game” to distinguish it from the 2005 title (a Xbox 360 launch title) of the same name, it is a re‑imagining rather than a remaster, blending the open‑world street racing of the original with Criterion’s trademark high‑speed crash‑focused design from Burnout Paradise.

Set in the fictional city of Fairhaven, the game gives players immediate access to a wide roster of licensed cars, each hidden around the city and available once discovered. Progression is tied to the Most Wanted List, a ladder of ten rival drivers who must be defeated in special races to claim their cars. Police pursuits return as a central mechanic, with aggressive AI and escalating tactics, while the Autolog 2.0 system tracks friends’ times and scores across events, encouraging constant asynchronous competition.

The game emphasises seamless integration of single‑player and multiplayer. In multiplayer playlists, players compete in a rotating series of races, challenges, and speed tests, with no lobbies or menus interrupting the flow. Criterion’s “EasyDrive” menu allows on‑the‑fly car switching and event selection. The game also included additional features using unique hardware features of each platform. The Wii U version also added exclusive features such as off‑TV play and a “Co‑Driver” mode using the GamePad. Meanwhile this Xbox version provided limited Kinect support, specifically voice command and not motion controls to set destinations, car names, or trigger other events.

The game was praised for its open‑world design, sense of speed, and social integration, though some lamented the lack of a narrative‑driven career like the 2005 original. It stands as Criterion’s reinterpretation of Most Wanted, merging Need for Speed’s police chases with the freeform chaos of Burnout.