Need for Speed Most Wanted Review - Xbox, Xbox 360

Cars and Customization

The car list is another area that is rather different than what we saw in the Underground games. We now have a selection of Porsches, Lamborghinis, Audis, and a BMW to go along with our Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, Subaru Impreza, and Toyota Supra. The car list overall leans more towards high end sports cars and rice burners, which is either good or bad depending on how into the import scene you are. Personally, I’m crushed that there isn’t a Civic or a Skyline available here. The 30+ cars available are a pretty good mix, though and give the game some nice variety as you drive each of the different cars.

You can once again customize the performance and look of your cars, but there seems to be fewer parts available than in the Underground games. Visual mods play a vital role in Most Wanted because they will lower your heat level with the police which is important in the latter stages of the career mode. I just wish there were more parts available.

Additional Modes

In addition to the career mode, you can also do a quick race with a random car and track as well as take on the challenge series. The challenge series gives you a car and a specific goal (which usually amounts to simply winning) and there are a ton of events to play through. Between the career and challenge series you can easily get over 20 hours of single player playtime and that doesn’t even begin to include just goofing off and creating custom cars.

There is also a splitscreen multiplayer mode available as well as online play via Xbox Live. You can only play race modes online – no pursuit variations, which is disappointing – but the game keeps track of an online Blacklist so you can work your way to the top.

Graphics and Sound

Graphically, Need for Speed Most Wanted is a great looking game. The cars look amazing and the environments you race in look great. There are also some slick weather effects. This is a far cry from the all nighttime all wet roads from Underground. The story is told through slick FMV cutscenes that feature real actors against CG cars and backgrounds and it is surprisingly cool looking.

On the Xbox 360, the game is absolutely gorgeous and there is a huge difference between the Xbox and X360 versions. Everything is much sharper, of course, and there are nice reflections on the cars and the lighting effects are absolutely remarkable. The sunlight peeking through thick trees and perfectly lighting your car is truly a sight to behold. This is a great looking Xbox 360 game. Period.

The sound is also very good in both versions. The engine sounds are nearly perfect and will change depending on what upgrades you have. Sound effects for all of the bumping and grinding and crashing are great as well. There is a lot of dialogue in the career mode as well as from the police chasing you and all of it sounds good. The music is your typical mix of EA Trax stuff, but on the Xbox 360 you can use custom soundtracks.

Bottom Line

Need for Speed Most Wanted is a great next step for the Need for Speed franchise. It combines everything that the fans love in a slick package that has the best car list the series has probably ever seen. It is also a huge game that you’ll easily be able to sink 20+ hours in without even breaking a sweat. Content wise, the Xbox and X360 versions are identical. Graphically, however, the Xbox 360 version is clearly superior and definitely looks “next genny” for all of you naysayers out there. The Xbox version looks great and is a lot of fun to play, but if you have a choice I recommend spending the extra $10 for the Xbox 360 version. No matter which version you end up with, Need for Speed Most Wanted is a great game that is highly recommended for race fans.