Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012 video game)
This article is about the upcoming 2012 video game. For the 2005 video game, see Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005 video game).
| Need for Speed: Most Wanted | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Criterion Games |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Director(s) | Alex Ward (Creative) Craig Sullivan (Creative) |
| Producer(s) | Matt Webster |
| Designer(s) | Matt Follett[1] |
| Composer(s) | Chris Green[2] |
| Series | Need for Speed |
| Engine | Chameleon (modified)[3] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 PlayStation Vita iOS[4] Android[5] |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Racing, open world |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Media/distribution | Optical disc, download |
| System requirements
See marketing and release section
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Need for Speed: Most Wanted (commonly abbreviated to as NFS: MW) is an upcoming 2012 racing video game, developed by British games developer Criterion Games and published byElectronic Arts. Announced on 4 June 2012, during EA's E3 press conference, Most Wanted is the nineteenth title in the long-running Need for Speed series and will be released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, beginning in North America on 30 October 2012. The game will pick up on the Most Wanted IP, as opposed to the Hot Pursuit reboot that Criterion developed previously.
Gameplay
Need for Speed: Most Wanted takes on the gameplay style of the first Most Wanted title in the Need for Speed franchise. Most Wanted allows players to select one car and compete against other racers to reach a destination. Cops are integrated into certain racing sessions, in which the police deploy vehicles and tactics to stop the player's car and arrest the player, like the original Most Wanted. The single-player section will feature a Blacklist of 10 racers, similar to the single-player section of the original Most Wanted, which featured 15 Blacklist racers.
Most Wanted has been likened to Criterion's Burnout series, and has a large open world. Like Burnout Paradise, races have a start and end point but players can choose their own route to the finish line.
The game will use Autolog, the competition-between-friends system developed by Criterion for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, and since used in other titles in the Need for Speed series. Autolog in Most Wanted plays a larger role and gives more information to players. Activities in-game allow players to earn Speed Points which can boost players up on Most Wanted list. Autolog recommendations have now been integrated into the game world, rather than sit externally on the menu system.
The driving model of the game has been described as "deep, physical and fun", not as arcade-styled as the Burnout series and Hot Pursuit, but far from a simulator. Most Wanted has a range of real-world vehicles, a mix of muscle cars, street racers and exotics, described as "the wildest selection of cars yet".Car performance Modifications and personalized rollouts have been confirmed via Twitter.
Development
In November 2011, it was revealed that Criterion Games was developing another Need for Speed game, according to a job advertisement. According to the job listing, the studio was "looking for talented Cinematic Artists to work on the world’s number one, multi award winning, arcade racing franchise." According to the listing, players should expect "entertaining, compelling in-game cinematic action sequences" from the racer, as well as "intense car action sequences, terrifying jumps, insane crashes and epic car chases."Earlier in the year another job ad revealed that Criterion was developing a game with "believable, open world AI Racing Drivers."On 11 January 2012, retailer Game revealed that EA plans to release Medal of Honor: Warfighter and a new entry in the Need for Speed series later that year, which was shown by EA during a confidential presentation. However, the developer and what direction the racing series takes in 2012 was not revealed. On 23 January, Criterion's creative director, Craig Sullivan, said on Twitter that the Guildford-based studio has "lots to share over the coming months". Sullivan didn't provide any further details, except to say the upcoming announcement/s are "going to be BIG". On 8 April, South African-based online retailer BTGames listed Dead Space 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2 for pre-order.
On 7 May, EA confirmed that new entries in both the Dead Space and Need for Speed franchises will be on shelves by March 2013. The then unnamed and unannounced Need for Speed game was slated for a Q3 2013 release, which would have been any time between October and Christmas 2013. On 25 May, a booth schedule sent out by TwitchTV revealed that EA is showing off Need for Speed: Most Wanted at E3. While EA previously confirmed that a newNeed for Speed is on the way, this was the first time its title had been confirmed. On 1 June, EA officially confirmed the existence of the Criterion-developed Need for Speed: Most Wanted as part of the publisher's E3 line-up.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted was officially revealed at EA's Media Briefing during E3 2012, with a trailer which showed a police chase involving a street race. The trailer was followed by a live demo of the game on stage by creative director Craig Sullivan. When asked about that Criterion Games would only be focused on Need for Speed, meaning no more Burnout. Sullivan stated "It's more a case of wanting to get Need for Speed back on its feet after last year," referring to the poorly-received Need for Speed: The Run.Producer Matt Webster stated that Most Wanted is "everything we know about open-world driving, just piling it together. All the best stuff about Burnout and everything we did in Hot Pursuit, we're just smashing them together."
Marketing and release
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Need for Speed: Most Wanted is being marketed and promoted heavily through the use of numerous Internet and TV trailers. In addition to the standard edition, a Limited Edition version of the game, will be only available through pre-order at the same price as the regular game. The Limited Edition features numerous bonuses over the standard edition, including "four hours double Speed Points, custom liveries, pre-customized rollouts and two vehicles: the Porsche 911 Carrera S and the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale."
