Need for Speed: Most Wanted Review
On consoles and PC, Need for Speed: Most Wanted recently returned the enduring racing franchise to glory, delivering a huge open-road experience in which players can explore, compete, evade police chases, and test out dozens of licensed rides. Expectedly, the universal iOS take is less robust; it finds the middle ground between its much larger (and pricier) brethren and the series' past mobile entries, delivering a portable racer that impresses on many fronts, yet doesn't fully satisfy.
One thing is for sure, though: Most Wanted is definitely a looker. On the iPhone 5, in particular, it captures the intensity you'd expect from a high-speed pursuit, all while delivering impressive gloss and effects (like flying sparks and slow motion takedowns) plus a stellar frame rate throughout. Unlike the more robust home versions of the game, however, the open-road approach is replaced by a map with event-hosting locations, letting you choose a ride and dip into street races, checkpoint time trial races, and more as you accumulate enough Speed Points to take down the top 10 drivers in one-on-one duels.
As with many iOS racers, acceleration is handled automatically, while both tilt and touch steering options are available. Meanwhile, tapping and holding in the bottom right corner while turning lets you drift, while a quick swipe upwards triggers your boost. Whatever your steering preference, the cars feel great on the track; they're heavy, but responsive, allowing Most Wanted's handling to feel both precise and accessible all at once. And for players on other platforms, the ability to amass your earned Speed Points between versions of the game -- for bragging rights on the friends leaderboard, as well as unlocking new vehicles more quickly -- is an appreciated touch.
In many ways, Most Wanted feels appropriately scaled down for its App Store release; in others, it has the potential to rub the wrong way. Instead of allowing you to freely pick from unlocked cars along the way, you must spend in-game currency to purchase access, which leaves you with a pretty limited selection unless you're apt to spend real cash to bulk up your virtual wallet. More pressingly, though, the game introduces vehicle mods -- like faster-filling nitrous and improved top speed -- after the initial handful of races, and each utilized mod requires money for each individual race.
It's right about then that the races become significantly more challenging, almost requiring you to invest in mods to seemingly even have a shot at victory. Coincidence? I'm guessing not. It's still possible to work through the game without shelling out real dollars, the ability to game the system with cash detracts from what should be a skill-centric affair -- particularly since leaderboards are all the more important here without any sort of active multiplayer option included.
The bottom line. Uncomfortable grabs for in-app spending detract from the fun, but Need for Speed: Most Wanted remains a sleek and entertaining iOS racer.
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Requirements:
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 4.0 or later
Positives:
Incredibly impressive visuals and presentation. Great leaderboard-centric approach that connects to Most Wanted on other platforms. Core racing model feels good on the track.
Negatives:
Victory nearly requires premium boosts after initial events, encouraging in-app purchases. Obtaining new cars without real cash is a slow process. No head-to-head multiplayer options.
Original Page: http://www.maclife.com/article/reviews/need_speed_most_wanted_review
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