Criterion Games developed Need for Speed Hot Pursuit back in 2010 and had previously been at the helm of the Burnout Franchise. This time around they are behind the wheel of the next iteration in the Need for Speed series, Most Wanted.
Most Wanted will give players a true open world racing experience, similar in some respects to Burnout Paradise (City). At E3 I got to try out some of the multiplayer modes in the upcoming game.
Rather than having a lobby system, you simply drive around the world to waypoints highlighted on your map which, represent different driving events. At the beginning of our demo we drove around the city to a waypoint highlighting a Race Event. It took some time to start the event as there were some stragglers. The time spent waiting was used to crash into other cars and create havoc. The first event was a simple race through an urban environment. The coolest part of the race was that once you are finished you can still drive around and smash into other cars and even interact with cars that haven't completed the race yet.
We also played a challenge to see who could land the longest jump over a freeway. The twist to the challenge is that you can take out your opponents and eliminate them from them from the challenge. I was fortunate enough to finish first in the challenge as most of my opponents were eliminated.
My only complaint during my demo was that the controls felt a little sensitive. I'm sure there is probably an option to change the sensitivity in one of game menus. Our demo was a little rushed and the last part showing off a speed trap challenge was cut short. Aside from my minor gripes with the controls Most Wanted is showing a lot of promise and as I walked outside of the demo booth I noticed several "Best of E3 2012" awards next to the game's title.
- Siddharth Masand
