DogsWithoutWings.com Blog

After playing this game for awhile I actually forgave the arcade handling. It never tried to be in the same league as Gran Turismo or Forza so I accepted it for what it was. The point of this game is to work your way up the ranks to become the 'Most Wanted.' After winning a bunch of events, and getting the cops pissed off, you are able to challenge the 15th Most Wanted. This repeats all the way up to the 1st Most Wanted after which you become the hero on the streets and you get the girl. Well, I never actually got that far, so I'm only speculating. A girl is involved though, she is a cutie who cares enough about me to tell me not to race on the (real) streets every time I start the game. Isn't that sweet?

There are a handful of different events which are pretty entertaining and also offers some variety. Some of them include:

• Getting from point A to point B.
• Doing X laps around a street track (with big arrows to show you where to turn).
• Time challenges (get to the next toll booth in less than X time).
• Knockout (4 people, 4 laps, last place per lap is out of the race).
• Speed (get the fastest average time from a few speed cameras placed at intervals on the track.

There's one thing I didn't like about the game, the cop chases. During some races cops will start to chase you but this is not where I think it went bad. After you actually win the race, you must elude the cops which can take maybe 4 or 5 minutes, or cost you thousands if you get caught. Also there are challenges in which you have to be in a 6+ minute chase or avoid 10+ road blocks. This is where it gets a little silly. These are not side games and are required to challenge the next Most Wanted. After 6 minutes of being chased they are usually backed up by helicopters and  large SUVs that hit you head on in an attempt to arrest you, which means that you need another 3-4 minutes to get rid of them. If you fail there are fines to pay and you can have the car impounded.

If you are a Need for Speed fan or a fan of arcade racers in general you should give this one a go. I would say the gameplay in Burnout is better but NFS does have real cars.