Need for Speed: Most Wanted
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We were rather surprised to see a handful of Xbox 360 dev-units at E3 playing a build of the newest Need for Speed title. Seeing as how the Need for Speed franchise is my second favorite franchise of all time (behind Gran Turismo), I made sure to wave my media badge to scurry off whichever employee from Wal-Mart hogging a kiosk. Incidentally, the Most Wanted kiosk was also where I fell in love with the 360 controller, which is a
separate story on its own.
I played a drag race with a BMW M3 on a twisty curves with far too much traffic around for me to really enjoy the game. Instantly I noticed how early the game was; anti-aliasing wasn't quite implemented (so there was some jaggies to be seen), the frame rate was somewhat lackluster, and the backgrounds were a bit smeared. Obviously, all of this was to be expected in a build this early, and we're certain that it'll all get cleaned up in time for its launch with the 360. Expected visual
imperfections aside, it's apparent that Most Wanted will be quite a nice looking title. Though I don't necessarily believe it'll be a very extraordinary leap from the PC version of Underground 2, Most Wanted still has a lot of aesthetic bells and whistles that'll set it higher than Underground 2 -- but not by a landslide of
any kind, so keep your expectations reasonable.
EA is definitely using the same engine they've been using since the PS2 Hot Pursuit sequel and all the way into the Underground series. While I wasn't able to play the game any further than a drag race, the feel of the cars was nearly identical to Underground 2; which is a good thing, considering the "tire model" of Underground 2 is really solid. Tire model meaning there is a great sense of control and weight of the car you're controlling, Need for Speed (despite its somewhat
embellished physics engine) has always featured a great sense of feel; Most Wanted is no different.
