It’s also remarkably short, omits car customization entirely and incorporates AI rubber banding to a degree that puts Mario Kart's to shame (an impressive feat, we must admit). Most Wanted 2012 has, well, none of that. That game had a world teeming with exciting moments, furnished with endless, fun events and a physics engine that encouraged a will to discover. And while there's some merit to that assessment, it's also pretty unfair to Paradise. NFS: Most Wanted (2012)Ĭertainly one of the most polarizing entries in the series, Criterion's Most Wanted is typically remembered by those who played it as Burnout Paradise with licensed cars. It’s a shame, because ProStreet did have a killer track list that included underappreciated gems like Japan’s Autopolis and Ebisu, the recently-revived Portland International Raceway and even the historic Avus loop in Germany. The problem for developer Black Box proved a familiar one: half-baked physics that render certain vehicles undriveable, coupled with a predisposition for gimmicks (like a minigame in which you heat up your tires before drag racing) that were no replacement for a satisfying driving experience.
NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED PS2 PLATFORMS SIMULATOR
Released in the same year as Codemasters’ generation-defining Grid, ProStreet similarly attempts to capture a grittier side of circuit racing with a simulator flair, without the sterility of Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport. The thing about Need for Speed’s lawful turn is that it wasn’t so much a bad idea - just badly executed. Carbon, conversely, has aged into one dark, murky blur. All these years later, I can still remember my favorite cooldown spots and stretches of road in Most Wanted. The perpetual night setting certainly doesn't do Carbon any favors, nor does its personality-less metropolitan map that holds few, if any, memorable features.
However, the more you play it, the more you realize it somehow also fails to recognize what made Most Wanted a fan favorite to begin with. NFS: Carbon (2006)Īt the outset, Carbon doesn't do a whole lot to distance itself from Most Wanted before it. Instead, it added yet another notch to the franchise's long list of failed reboots. Thematically, 2015 had the conviction to redefine Need for Speed for an exciting new era. Yet, it’s all mercilessly undone, beaten and torn beyond recognition by the least intuitive handling model ever to grace a triple-A racing game.
NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED PS2 PLATFORMS SERIES
NFS 2015 had everything going for it: a clear vision, phenomenal visuals for the time and the most powerful customization engine the series had seen up to that point.
Not since Capcom's Auto Modellista has a racing game so perfectly captured a flavor of car culture fans had been yearning for, yet been so inexplicably dreadful to play. With 24 different titles released on a wide array of platforms and almost 30 years since the franchises' inception in 1994, what is the best Need for Speed game? Here's a look at an updated list of the best Need for Speed games, ranked.(Image credit: Electronic Arts) 16. Some of the best Need For Speed games out there are lesser-known, strange, or just overlooked. With no signs of stopping, and development currently underway for their next release, this list has been given an update. Updated by Russ Boswell on June 15th, 2021: The Need for Speed name has become synonymous with Arcade Racing over the years and the franchise has managed to crank out an impressive 24 titles. These are the Need For Speed games ranked from worst to best. We are thrown for a loop because more of these games aren't backward compatible. Games such as Need For Speed: Underground have tremendous nostalgic value.
Need For Speed has proven time and time again, that it is a phenomenal gaming franchise with exceptional racing titles. RELATED: Ranking The 12 Best Forza Games Of All Time The wish list for video game racers is so long, which is why a game can fail for not having it all. It has to have advanced driving mechanics, car customization with depth, deeply engaging tracks, and more. So many things have to happen for a racing game to stand out.