Need For Speed Most Wanted 2012, 12 Years Later
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- What three words are enough to anger all of the Need For Speed community? Most Wanted 2012. Does this game deserve the "Most Wanted" nameplate? I thoroughly believe that it does, and feel that a lot of the hatred thrown at Most Wanted 2012 is through heavy nostalgia bias and/or the yearning for the '00s era Need For Speed games from certain parts of the fandom. In this review, I go over Most Wanted 2012 nearing its 10 year anniversary and see how well this game holds up after all of the smoke has cleared
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:45 What defines "Most Wanted"
2:42 Cars, Campaign, And Cinematics
9:27 The World Of Fairhaven
11:38 Final Thoughts - เกม
Bro I remember loving this game a lot. Yeah, I was 11 years old and had never played the original, so nothing bothered me about it. All that mattered to me at the time were the cars, sounds, landscapes, soundtrack and visuals, which were great in the game. I also remember the online being incredibly fun and the dlc was pretty good. Overall awesome video moss i gib u a kis
💋💋
Bro, I had same thing. THe only difference, I was 6
100% agree this game was something 🤯
@@HydraGreen27 i was probably 7 or 8 i dont remember
Exactly my thoughts
Considering that in the NFS Movie, Jesse drives an Agera, it means that he became the Most Wanted, surpassing his mentor Walter White.
This confirms NFS takes place in the BB universe. Definitely one of the games of all time.
My favorite part was when Jesse said "You may be the Most Wanted ... but I've got the Need for Speed." it was so epic
yummy tasty pineapple!
You mean movie from 2014? Who the hell is Jesse? In that movie, main characters were Toby Marshal and Dino Brewster.
-The guy who perfectly understands sarcasm and humor
@@elite_bohy5432 Jesse Pinkman's actor, Aaron Paul, also played Toby in the movie. That's why the joke
Heisenberg
Real Name: Walter White
Drives: Pontiac Aztec
Strength: Cooking while driving
LMAOO
This game holds so much nostalgia to me
Me too
@@abdussakur5585 Feels awkward realizing that NFSMW 2012 is now 10 years old.
Me too but it still isn’t that good
@@philithegamer8265same I love that game when I was like 6
Nostalgia after only 10 years? what are you, 14 years old? makes no sense, you have to be a child and time pass slowly for you
MW12 was supposed to be a bona fide sequel to 2005, judging by the beta data, but had to be scrapped due to EA’s strict deadline. I highly recommend watching some beta videos for yourselves, as it shows stuff like the M3 GTR and Pursuit Breakers.
I’ve seen them, but the final product is what matters. We were never shown pursuit breakers and the M3 GTR, and if I’m honest, I don’t know if I would be as interested in a game that was that similar to the original. Not saying what we ended up with is better, especially with the lack of time criterion had, but I don’t see an issue with changing the formula
@@ultraviolet_channel Fair enough, yeah. IMO it explains why some areas of the game definitely seem… off, like the wacky cutscenes at times you mentioned.
@@ultraviolet_channel i think that rivals is sorta what mw2 would've been
This is why I hate MW, Carbon was the sequel to MW05.
No matter what Criterion did, fans would have bitched.
@@samueljones3668 MW is great, the 2005 game never needed a sequel
i'll die on the hill of praise that this game had very interesting innovation. Breath of fresh air is a wild understatement to a racing game where you get new cars hidden in alleyways, on top of a parking lot, behind an industrial site or somewhere you're not supposed to go
I think this is a true open world racer imo
100% agree. This is game is way over-hated, mostly because of nostalgia.
People whining it's a clone it was completely original when I played it best nfs game by far for me besides hot pursuit and og MW
Do any recent games come close to how NFS MW 2012 works? I never played the older version and absolutely loved the game mechanics of the 2012 version (I was even playing on Vita lol). My favourite racer back in the day was Burnout Revenge, so it's awesome that Criterion made this one. I never played Burnout Paradise or its remaster, but again, any recent open-world racers play like how Most Wanted 2012 did?
@@shivanshupadhyay953NFSMW 2012 for me is as overrated as Forza Horizon 5.
Honestly, the cutscenes that lead up to the duels with the Most Wanted cars feel otherworldly and ethereal. It made it feel like the cars were alive for 11-year-old me in a way I can’t quite describe. I remember spending weeks just driving around the open world with my buddies and creating our own custom games and races because of how well we memorized the map.
This game was the ONLY one that showed these unique cutscenes before races. I always loved that the most about it. It felt like a movie practically. My favorite was always the race "Stopping Power" at 1:50 - 1:59 with that rotation transition
@@autolife2785seems like NFSMW 2012 lacked flashy cutscenes.
when I first saw the cutscenes I thought it was bugged out, like the one I always think of is the wheel made from cop cars
Honestly growing up playing both it’s just the name that was it’s downfall . All in all MW2012 was distinct in its own way and had its own vibe , never tried to be anything other than itself minus the name 😂 and the sounds … my god the sounds . Ran the LFA at least once a week years after the game came out just for the sound
I was agreeing with you until you posted the joy emoji now you just remind me of Julian, cmon man you can do better
@@serperior2264 if I’m honest I have no idea who that is , this video got recommended to me randomly and I just stated my opinion .
@@gtr35800 good, keep it that way, the less you know about Julian, the more faith you will have in humanity, keep yourself cleansed
@@serperior2264 bro is afraid of emojis
@@r0b3rt_959 it's a very reasonable fear under the full context of julian lore, be glad you are still innocent to the horrors
I feel like criterion wanted to make their own NFS game but EA made them use the Most Wanted name.
Yea very true
It was originally gonna be a sequel to Most Wanted, but EA didn’t give them enough time to make it good so they just reverted it to a basic Burnout-esque game
This single game is the reason Blackpanthaa needs to be sent to an isolation chamber
Spider-Man-spinning-gif
@@ultraviolet_channel this is why you need to be quarantined
@@serperior2264 WHY Y YY Y Y Y YY Y
Honestly, I don’t understand why he still plays this game when he abhors it. Other than the attn whoring for views but eh.
This game was part of the reason I had originally subscribed to him. Found it odd how he eventually became so harsh towards it.
it's sad that Criterion had to scrap their original plans for this game because of EA's greediness, we could've had an amazing follow up the MW story after Carbon. It's like the Hero is trying to find his M3 he lost back in Palmount, in beta builds you can find what seems to be the final race against M3, since the whole race sequence is unfinished, we don't know what happens after the player wins.
The sequel was actually abt getting the hell away from the cops , the bmw gets ditched
In the E3 gameplay you could see the BURNOUT license plate.
It was supposed to be a Burnout and they scrapped it into a NFS.
Ended up being neither and just sucked.
@@ReiCaixaNFSMW 2012 originally named Burnout Paradise 2 actually. Even Coco Hayashi felt the hype when NFSMW 2012 was unveiled.
You should have discussed the beta content and alpha build of this game, criterion was planning to make this game a full mw sequel, with pursuit breaker, speedbreaker, story, openable garages, 2 big areas from the map where cut (a big mine place and a place similar to rosewood from mw 05).
Personally this game is one of the best arcade games to ever exist, the map is the most detailed map we got in all nfs, the attention to detail this game has is insane, I have played this game for almost 900 hours and I still find little detail that amazes me, for example if u crash a traffic car, u can hear it trying to start the car up. This was literally the last nfs game where u could pop your tire if u burnout for too long.
While the subject of MW2012's beta is interesting, it's not what I look for when reviewing games. I've only ever focused on the finished product, if I talked about what could have been, well, we'd be here for hours. On another note, I never knew that about the traffic cars, that is a really cool detail.
hey, do you wanna play fortnite?
@@serperior2264 fooortinayte wala bubge
@@raffmusicgaming3687 baaaabageee el le eckes bockes siris eckes
@@serperior2264 palastesion 5
I really like the selection of cars here, there are even really rare cars like the Ford RS500 or the Impreza Cosworth
The Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale, Panamera Turbo, Audi A1 Quattro, R8 GT
The list was truly wonderful and unique
@@xa-1248 Its something i appreciated years later unfortunately
@@xa-1248well 42 percent of the 68 cars in NFSMW 2012 are not in NFS UNBOUND sadly. Especially the aforementioned Audi A1 Quattro and Impreza Cosworth.
Even Marussia B2 exists in this game. Which is the rarest amongst all
The leaked alpha of MW 2012 was actually should be the proper sequel to MW 2005 with E92 as the successor for the M3 GTR. This shows that NFS was in great hands with Criterion, and the time constraints by EA created the Burnout Fairhaven
But we already had a sequel to the MW 2005.
It's called NFS Carbon.
@@aaronwestley3239 yeah, we don't know what timeline would this Criterion sequel fit because Carbon is the continuation of MW 2005. Maybe it's one of many reasons it got scrapped
honestly this game is the DEFINITION of nostalgic, the graphics looked beautiful especially for a 2012 game (almost GTA level)
Dude wth? Better than gta it isn't even close.
well gta v was a 2013 release
No you were probably just 10yo when this released and somebody got you the game.
@@s_for_short2400 u blind?
@@s_for_short2400bet you weren't saying that back then. Tbh, this game looks like it could've been on the Xbox One and PS4
The issue with most wanted is like Mitsubishi re using it's lancer or eclipse name to sell a new SUV. It's technically not claiming to be the famous sports car but it's obviously trying to capture a fan base to make more sales.
I feel like that’s a bit of a silly comparison. If they were using most wanted to make a turn based combat RPG yeah sure, but it’s still a fast paced racing game. Most wanted is still a sports car, just not the sports car that people expected, and that’s.. fine
@@ultraviolet_channel naming something creates an identity, re using a name pulles an identity and naturally pulls comparisons. Just like hot pursuit did. But the difference is that it hot pursuit was a modern interpretation of the hot pursuit games in the past. Critirion made the mistake thinking that just because the name is famous it will sell well. And I get it. Ea was pressureing them with threats because that's EA. But the way the did it was still a mistake. If only EA approved a new burnout, it would have been better. They obviously wanted to make one. But in it's self. It should have had its own name to give it its own identity.
@@phoach9083 most wanted was definitely a modern version of the past, just not necessarily one that a lot of people liked. Still had a blacklist, damn intense racing, and great police chases. You don’t have to like 2012, I don’t hold anything against you for not, but I think it’s a bit sad how much conversation is about the name and not the game itself
@@ultraviolet_channel I don't know what happened to my last comment but I'll just say again, I enjoyed most wanted 2012, but I only for the 40 minutes it took to beat the game. And the rest was just driving around, and the cops where depressing. But it had a good foundation if the content matched up to the visuals and price. The game was a fraction of what it should of been, and I blame EA for that but this game is too much like burnout that it sold and marketed for the wrong crowd. Critirion always wanted to make a burnout game and it's unfortunate EA forced them into making a need for speed. If you want to see a complete better experience of Most Wanted 2012 I just looked and there's a sale on steam that burnout paradise remastered is 4.99 on steam down from 20, so I'd highly recommend it because for the things you like in this need for speed, it's considered a good match for comparison. But I have to say need for speed most wanted 2012 had more flawls that made a potential game weaker than it could have been. And that's all EA's fault.
@@PhoachPlaylist it’s literally impossible to beat in 40 minutes, the world record speedrun is just under 2 hours, so I don’t buy that for a second. I also think it was marketed to the right crowd, show me a piece of advertising that proves it isn’t what it released as. And sure you can say it’s like burnout, I don’t see it in the slightest as that comparison comes from people who only played burnout paradise and like to throw that term around. You don’t have to like most wanted, but don’t pretend it was some massive lie. Also criterion did make a burnout lmao, they made Paradise. So I don’t know where you got that information
Can you imagine if this game simply isn't named "mostwanted" but maybe just need for speed: burnout and got all that burnout and need for speed features?
tbh I kinda like the idea of no story which might be controversial but I really enjoyed the grindy-ness of the game. The game was a full grind, doing every race for every car to get them to the max level. As for a story, people tend to shit on heat, payback and nfs 2016 because of the story is cringey but has anything really changed? or are the old players just growing up and being drowned by nostalgia
Who can say really? I feel as though the way Heats, 2015s and Paybacks stories lack a certain charm that the older games like carbon had, they feel too modernised compared to them, it feels as is if they're trying to fit in with car culture rather than just knowing how culture works like back then, but that's just my two-cents on that matter.
@@ultraviolet_channel I have to agree that the new stories are more cringey because they try to incorporate this "social media" followers thing like how Forza Horizon 3 and the crew 2 did.
I think one key aspect not mentioned in the video is this game’s online multiplayer experience. It was a fun and unique experience to drive to the next event and seamlessly switch vehicles in between. The lobbies were great in terms of balance and challenge. Not every event favored the hypercars, so it was fun to drive in other cars
It should have been called Hot Pursuit 2 and skipped all the hate.
Even through the issues of this game I put maybe 1000 hours into it. My parents couldn’t afford internet at that time and this game got me through many, many hard times and for that reason alone is why this is one of my many favorites
Rise Kujikawa also put 3456 hrs into NFS MW 2005 & 2012 COMBINED.
Good job, it's the first time I've seen someone make a video talking about most wanted 2012 honestly, highlighting the negative points, and especially not omitting the many positive points.
The multplayer of this game is incredible, when the players are all at level 71 the races become intense and very fun.
One thing draws my attention to this game, even after a decade of its launch, its multiplayer server is still full of players.
Maybe some hater could explain this, why they believe the game is bad!
I appreciate that!
Bet u have never played mw.
@@alexfire53-ze7px
(Marcchicane)
(Threedouble-uF)
(Elaeamiti)
I think you're right, I've never played that game kkk
Actually love what you did here, as a kid this was my first need for speed game and I loved every second of it, so growing up and seeing it get hated on was kinda sad, but I think this short video you put together about it really highlights some of the better parts, awesome video
Me too, my first ever NFS game, imagine EA releases both Most Wanted games as remakes
@@ZackSBruhmaybe they gonna put double down on game features. Seems like NFSMW 2012 was like beta built of FH5.
@@purwantiallan5089, ?
What do you mean man, I know you mean a negative thing but bro don't immediately think what they are doing, yes there's news that there's going to make a remake of NFS Most Wanted 2005 but it's not the time to judge
Having played a lot of Hot Pursuit 2010 lately, and then going to MW2012? The handling is a little similar, but that's it. The drifting in HP2010 is pretty easy to initiate, but in MW2012, the cars just don't want to drift. The cars still have this lazy handling model when at slow speeds, with the changing of direction taking 2 seconds which can be the difference between missing a traffic car and hitting it.
You didn't mention the most irritating thing about MW2012 though: the unskippable crash cutscenes. HP2010 has them too, but they're a bit more forgiving and they made a bit more sense in that game. You can still have some pretty big impacts and keep going, whereas the same impact in MW2012 will make you crash. Sometimes even the slightest impact makes you crash. It took me two attempts to complete the Huayra blacklist event because I touched a traffic car on the final stretch and the Huayra passed whilst I was stuck in the cutscene. The fact that these unskippable crash scenes were only largely removed in Heat also made NFS2015 and Payback insufferable as well, and was a big reason why I really enjoyed Heat.
The biggest issue with MW2012 though, is that it was meant to be Most Wanted 2. You can find footage from a pre-release build on TH-cam where the end cutscene mentions the Rockport fugitive. Criterion wanted to take the game in a different direction, but EA meddled with it and we got this pile of crap.
I never realized how ahead of the time the intro for each blacklist member car is. This is what car manufacturers are doing at the moment when they launched the car. The aircraft hanger for the aventador, that's what lamborghini did with their newly revealed revuolto, car right out of an aircraft hanger door, more than a decade later!
Something I personally love from mw12 was the police chase philosophy. Without mods, in mw05 and modern games like heat, each heat level gets a specific type of cop car chasing you and only that car. Upping tension by making the cars better. In mw12 heat levels introduced new roles of cops. The ford crown as an exception would get replaced by the highway units. But at heat 3 you get suv roadblocks and suv crashers, at four you get interceptors trying to get ahead of you to drop a spike strip, also at 4 suvs are now able to spawn in as chasers. At five swat vans. Each cop car has its own strengths and weaknesses and its completely a group effort to try taking you down. Every unit introduced less the ford crown would be seen in every heat level. Because they all had a job. Highway units pursue you and try to pit you but were more about keeping up. Suvs tried ramming you into the wall but were slower but still could keep up. Interceptors were usually faster ajd would get ahead to drop spikes or catch you speeding away. Swat vans are slow as molasses but are indestructible to everything but the ford raptor. And at five you have to juggle all of them and swat blocks Albeit not executed too well, roadblocks need randomness as spike blocks have the weakest cars and cars have no ai catchup or rubber banding. But with some work this could have been a very unique pursuit style in future games.
NFS Most Wanted 2012 is definitely up there with my most favourite racing games of all time. The only gripes I have about this game are the very drawn out crash cams and the strange naming decision, otherwise I absolutely loved everything else about it. This game had (and still has) such a modern and fresh feeling that I have yet to experience in any other racing game. I recently purchased it again to play on PC in a bid of nostalgia and I enjoy every minute of it!
The weird pre-race animations/intros with cop cars and cars flying around or doing very scary shit, were the trippiest shit I've ever seen in any racing game. 😂
2:54 the voice actress is Jules De Jongh and as right as you are i still adore her voice
Tbf this game's is not really that bad, the problem with the name probably was that people expected a revival or at the very least the same personality 2005 had, it was cheesy and dumb but it had personality (as you mentioned too, cars get to be centric points from time to time with the most wanted introductions, but from there I think everything else lacks personality), and I agree, 2012 IS a fun game, the map is amazing and really fun to play, however it's just not so comparable to other NFS games as in some areas the game cannot feel more generic, and some intro cutscenes for races just make you feel uncomfortable but yeah, it is still a well aged game, which I still play to this day with some of my friends on Steam.
The 2005 version was not dumb, you forget it has the highest sales of physical copies ever in the nfs franchise. The 2012 release didn't deserve the most wanted title but EA wanted to make sales of it soo they slapped it on
@@killdungeonclan3605 to be clearer, with dumb I mean it is CHEESY, i know it’s the best selling game in the nfs franchise, but you can’t take the story seriously of how it is lol
@@killdungeonclan3605 dumb doesn't mean bad.
The complaint with the handling system mostly comes from the point that Hot pursuit was a game with huge, winding roads. Whereas most wanted is a city with 90° turns and building poking out of corners. The handling doesn't match the sway-ey brake to drift.
I loved this game. All that matters is that it looked good and was extremely fun. While I beat it fairly quickly, It was fun just dragging cops along on 30+ minute pursuits and doing the races again, and just causing massive accidents for fun haha. I do feel that there is something small missing that could've made this game go from good to legendary. The cutscenes are amazing, but there could've been way more at the end. Additionally, I think the map could've been enlarged, and there could've been more racing opportunities, like a racing league or something like what NFS Heat has. Beautiful game regardless, and it has a deep meaning to me as it represented the best few years of my gaming life when I played NFS Most Wanted 2012.
what this game needed was the slow motion from the original most wanted so that i don't die to some traffic car crossing the road
mw 2012 had much potential.
everything you mentioned in this video is why people dislike it. the physics are hot pursuit 2010, but the cars feel awfully light. progression as you said, isnt forced, but is an option when it shouldnt be an option in the first place. i tried to like mw 2012 and tried to look at it as a nfs game in general. but compared to other nfs games like hot pursuit and rivals, the weird physics and odd progression ruined this game. the feeling of progression is lost in this game. the graphics are beautiful, the map is well made and the car selection is amazing. but because of these subjectively major flaws, mw 2012 is an OKAY game. i cant hate it, it has time into it for sure. but i cant enjoy it either because of the games issues with exciting gameplay and having a sense of progression with better physics(the physics were a downgrade honestly, cars felt like plastic and felt uncontrollable at times)
I think the open ended way of progression in MW 2012 isn't a bad thing, it gives players who want to start out in hatchbacks the ability to do so, and people who want to start in supercars to do so as well. I think the aspect of cars being more lightweight helps to differentiate it from 2010 and to help the cars traverse the maps jumps easier, since map exploration wasn't particularly a thing in 2010
About the physics compared to Rivals and Hot Pursuit 2010, since I've played the 3...
MW2012 cars are lighter compared to both, but they're really fine.
In HP2010 they were kinda heavy, but that wasn't an issue since the roads of Seacrest County are pretty wide. And the cars are so easily drivable.
In Rivals however, the cars being heavier in tight and tricky roads it's kind of an issue, since you will crash almost every time trying to make a corner. And that intensifies with the fact the game has mechanical damage (or health).
Rivals physics are far from being bad, in fact, they're really good once you get the hang of it (like MW2012), but they were nerfed compared to Most Wanted 2012
Butterfly and Hurricane gives you a hint into the original gritty theme they aimed for.
The rubberbanding in this game was absolutely disgusting but I'll always hold love for this game as it was the first NFS game I played. Also i saw the Lamborghini Countach the first time ever in my life in this game, and that green colour 🛐the countach has been in my dreams ever since
This put a FAT smile on my face. I want another game that sounds and plays like this game. Mind you, I've played the OG MW and completed it many times, then got a cheap graphics because newer games didn't work with the iGPU I had. Even though we called it MW2, and we certainly knew it had nothing to do with the OG MW, I still absolutely loved this game and was surprised at how many people simply didn't play it based on the reviewer's words at the time, that the game is dog water because it isn't an actual MW successor. I truly wish Criterion gets to do something like this again, but with enough development time to do what they want
I really loved the game back then. I was 14 or so and didn’t really care about the 2005 MW or Carbon etc. The city was detailed, the traffic made it lively and the cars sounded gorgeous! I also loved the soundtrack.
Couldn't agree more!
mostwanted is the number 1
Tbh the mobile version of this game is underrated, it felt really intense and was sure as hell worth the money. I also really love the map, maybe that’s just because it’s based off where I live, but I just love the vibe. The graphics and sounds also hold up to modern racing games which is great. I honestly hope they remaster this game because that might be a second chance to make this game that masterpiece it could of been if EA didn’t rush criterion.
Oh yeah, and the soundtrack slaps
i would be beyond pissed.. if they remaster this mw instead of the og goat MW.
I thought I was the only one who really enjoyed the mobile version of this game lol 👍
@@MikeJones-bm4wu ive been eyeing it for years.. wondering if it could be any good. 🤔
@@dnegel9546 then be pissed if they di so, that's ur opinion
Imo mw2012 remastered would be amazing
@@Enea_28 then you've choosen death
I feel like car culture in general was also a factor why this game became what it was.
During the early 2010s, Cars were starting to look more tamed with their visual style, with only the Body Parts getting more absurd. The cars have almost no Decals. They're essential in adding more personality to the characters through their cars. With this game not having any People, and almost stock looking Blacklist Cars made it feel even more isolated and drab.
I think this game has a few good points. It's the best sounding Need for Speed. A supercar going through a tunnel should sound as it is- Deafeningly loud.
I didn't even know about the Blacklist Cut scenes until this video (haven't played this game). But they look extremely appealing.
I think the criticism from back then holds true. IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN CALLED "MOST WANTED"
It just hurts the game in so many ways. They clearly did it to create a buzz and get people hyped.
NFS was actually having a hard time since Most Wanted 2005. Carbon wasn't as well recieved, but people still enjoyed it. A lot of people love Pro Street now, but it was criticised a lot back in 2007. You should see the comment on EA's reveal trailer for the game. It was the first radical change since NFS Underground, because it made Street Racing legal and excluded Open World. It was also very divided tho. Most people hated it, but those who didn't, loved it.
Undercover was underwhelming throughout. NFS Shift just felt like Pro Street with no personality. People still don't see it as an actual NFS, and more like a Gran Tourismo rip off.
Hot Pursuit 2010 was pretty well received. It was probably because it brought back a lot of older fans who left the series from Underground onwards. The mechanics were cool, even though the game was a lot similar to Burnout Paradise than any NFS. But the game looked kinda old. It looked like Hot Pursuit 3. The open world was only technically so. Most of the tracks you could only go forward or backwards. There was no depth, as it was unofficially termed as "Freeway Simulator" by some fans back then. It kinda felt like an Asphalt Game. So even tho it was well received generally, it still wasn't unanimous.
In the same year, they released NFS World. I remember it got more attention and praise unanimously than HP 2010. They combined the cities of MW and Carbon, and the customisation was great. I sometimes forget that it came out the same year as Hot Pursuit.
Then came The Run. It was similar to Pro Street. Fans either hated it or absolutely loved it. It definitely was a lot more Cinematic, so it was very Fast and Furious esque. It was like the first game where you could actually get out of the car as Player, and i remember everyone was talking about how NFS games in the future may become Open World like Gta. It also didn't help that they promoted the game by showing more of the non racing aspects, than actual cars.
Then there's this one.
NFS Rivals came after this, and it was probably the best NFS game since Pro Street (yes, even better than Hot Pursuit 2010). The graphics are probably better than most Racing Games even today. It felt like a step in the right direction, but people were starting to miss out the down to earth vibe of Tuner Culture and JDM Cars. The sales spoke for themselves too.
I think that's why EA took a hint and took a break for a year to come out with NFS (2015), a reboot of the franchise.
It was basically Underground 3. I still think the game has the best vibe. It has its flaws, but i think just like Underground, it was very influential to the NFS series and Racing games as a whole. It brought that "Tuner Vibe" back to NFS.
Payback was a huge miss. It was just another attempt for EA to turn NFS into something more than it needed to be.
Heat was probably the best games they've put out. It's definitely the most worthy of being successor to Most Wanted. Although not perfect, it perfectly embraced the two aspects of Need For Speed- The Outlaw Racer with Cops, and the Tuner Culture with customisation. It almost felt surreal. Because it felt like what NFS 2015 was trying to go for, but didn't quite get it right.
Now with NFS Unbound, it seems like they're going back to emphasizing more on the Tuner Scene and Alternative Culture. The reveal is gonna be in 10 hours, so I'm really excited.
People still seem to be wanting an Underground 3. But i think we're past that point now. A Tuner Only NFS game just wouldn't work anymore imo. It will alienate a huge chunk of the fanbase (similar to how Underground did). The only difference was Underground was essential. It HAD TO do it, because that's really the current revolution in Car Culture at the time. Not to mention, it also had Anime-esque element to it, which is what Unbound is seeking to go for.
We already had 2 Underground games since Underground 2. NFS Carbon was internally called Underground 3. Even the themes are similar compared to Most Wanted. I have a reason they changed it because of time constraints obv, and also because they knew the backlash they'd recieve if it didn't live up to expectations (something they apparently overlooked during Most Wanted 2012).
NFS 2015 was another Underground 3. The reason of it being the franchise reboot, and the fact that it doesn't contain a Subtitle is a dead giveaway. It also included real world Professional Drivers, Tuners, and Car Enthusiasts. I'm pretty sure the reason they didn't call it "Underground 3" was because they weren't willing to take the risk, and kept it blank so the Players can feel it more closer to Underground subconsciously.
I honestly think NFS 2015 is probably one of the Top 3 games in the series as a whole. If you overlook the glitches and online only thing, it's a solid game, witch a deep appreciation and representation of the Car Enthusiasts community, and overall vibe.
If I had to put 3 NFS games in terms of their relevance and cultural impact, they'll go-
1) NFS Underground
2) NFS Most Wanted
3) NFS (2015)
ok
The play style of this game is more like burnout and it would have had a better reception and reputation if it just was called burnout with burnout logos instead of need for speed. It could have been the same, it just targeted the wrong customers
I was 15 when this came out. Feels hard to believe it was that long ago. I'm about to be 26 now. My favorite race was always "Stopping Power" (especially with the Lamborghini Aventador). I always loved the cinematic intro to that race from 1:50-1:59
this game has alot of good bones in it, its just ashame EA tried to cash in on the extremely successful Most Wanted name, and also not giving Criterion enough time for development (unfortunately standard EA move), it couldve been so much more, i almost wished it was named "Need For Speed: Burnout" as the last hurrah of the Burnout title itself, since its last title was in 2008, the clash between 2 beloved titles, the prestige of Need For Speed + the chaotic fun persona of Burnout, may have been far fetched, but in my mind it made sense
Even still, I'm pretty happy with the finished product we got. It plays well, is fun, sure it has flaws but not to the extent something like Heat or Payback has. As for burnout comparisons, I feel it might cause a similar situation as MW2012 already has, maybe Burnout fans might not consider it "A true Burnout game" the same way people don't consider this a "Most Wanted" game, but hey, we can only speculate
what even is "Burnout"? that shit sound like some mid 2000's cooking show lmao
@@ultraviolet_channel thats pretty true about the naming scheme, i still personally wished it wouldve been named something else, because the whole situation of putting MW12 the same level as a warcrime in the gaming industry is the name itself, i know you explained that they marketed it differently, but most people still see the big red fancy text spelling " Most Wanted" on it and that kinda put the mindset that MW12 is THE Most Wanted sequel, which probably made them blurry about the details that its not, but yeah.
When you mentioned the inner-city rally offroading, it reminded me of one single challenge that I couldn't complete for about 100 tries. Oh the nostalgic pain. I got so angry at the time 😂😂.
Oh wow!
The main reason for the hatred was the beta stage of the game where Cirterion was developing a Most Wanted part 2 sort of story line. The leaks of those got people excited and the final product not being that came as a disappointment.
Grabbed this game when Origin used to do that On The House deals, was disappointed to find out it wasn't a sequel to MW 2005, but the game still held its own magic.
I think had they changed the title to something like NFS: Wanted and not using the original title would've given it more justice.
I love that you used the soundtrack that plays when you stay afk for a while. Gave me such a chill vibe the first time I heard it
Criterion is an amazing developer, but because EA cut their time short this atrocity was born
It's not a need for speed game and it is not a most wanted game. But I still like playing it. They should have never called it most wanted. They knew what they did.
This game felt like a game that was on life support, with very little brain activity - yet, there was nothing physically wrong. The cutscenes were nice, but it always felt that they were part of some greater purpose, that was currently missing from the game. That said, it's enjoyable. I like driving around the city. There are so many locations to explore. It just might be helpful, to know why we're doing it. Everything just exists. The cutscenes are there, whether we find the cars on the streets, or we meet the cars via The List. As a result, I really haven't found any need to tackle The List, yet. I guess, in some ways, I feel like I should be building my skills up & finding better cars. However, how will I know that I'm ready? Right now, I think I've found all of the cars & unlocked all the rivals. I don't feel much need to take on the list. I think, for a game to be rewarding, it's fine to have unstructured open world play, but maybe there should be a bigger feeling that you're accomplishing something important. Complete control of the world might be better, as a final reward.
That said, for my style of play, it is fine. I like driving the highway loop & looking for places to go. I appreciate the great selection of cars. I kinda like to be left alone, to do my own thing. However, I have kinda reached the point, where I feel like there's nothing new to do. I like firing up the game now and then, but I can't really play through the story again, when I want to relive the initial challenge. That is one thing that distinguishes Driver San Francisco from this game. They are both great & good looking open world games, but DSF allows you to restart the story while also having tons of repeatable events scattered throughout the world. There are enough moving parts, that the city never feels... empty.
I think Rivals had a good start on expanding the concept. It managed to have some feeling of progression without having a full blown cheesy story. It's just that the network aspect was the weakest point. Not only did I wish it could have been turned off, it really slowed down the computer, when it came into play. To prove it was the network slowing everything down, the framerate was perfectly fine in all areas, with the network cable unplugged. With a game that requires such a level of driving expertise, I think there should be an option of being able to practice in single player mode, without the need for multiplayer rivals. HOWEVER, that's still technically the case, since there are also computer opponents, and you barely notice anything different, if you unplug the network, after hitting the streets. You shouldn't have to go through all that work, though.
The worst bit about Most Wanted 2012 is when you look at the prototypes of this game, it was really meant to be a direct sequel to most wanted 2005, but it never came to be because of EA's stupid time constraints :((
NFS MW12 was one of the first NFS games I have ever played. I had it on Origin on my potato laptop, which struggled to even play sound effects properly, I also had a shitty hama steering wheel to pair with it. Truly one of my memories ever. The event intros are also absolutely epic.
I used to LOVE playing Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit as a kid. Recently finished Hot Pusuit Remastered and got ahold of the same copy of Most Wanted I had as a kid, it's been so nostalgic and seeing videos like this makes me glad I'm not alone in loving this game
Thank you for making this video!
You cleared the question. I always asked myself about this game, which was:
"Is this a remaster of the original 2005 Most Wanted?"
Reminds me of Goldeneye Rouge Agent and Goldeneye Reloaded. Nothing relatable to the original king in the N64 era, which is still a better game than both of those titles.
4:37 what's the music here? I swear, I've heard it before, I just don't know where 🤔
The game's menu
😂😂😂😂
This game has the single best online mode in any racing game
Ever
Yeah. Parking on top of gas stations or drifting in circles for like 10 minutes. Simply peak game design 😂😂
This Game has a special place in my heart, i used to play it every day but my account got deleted/stolen and i miss it so much
2012 soundtrack did really well.. everytime i drive.. the soundtrack always just.. nostalgic! It just perfect for 2012 era
I remember playing this game in club crush at Atlantis and begged my parents to get me the actual game to play at home, I love this game and it’s a nostalgia trip for me
NFS 2012 was an enjoyable game for me. The name just misleads consumers.
I love this game. The game was and is beautiful, it has an excellent sense of speed and the sound of the cars is just beefy. I like how they embraced the silliness of the whole thing with the fever dream cutscenes- maybe a "plot" wouldn't have made sense in this context. I am currently playing NFS Heat and it's fun but the plot and characters are so boring, so insipid and so badly written that it really bothers me. Perhaps it is better that they avoided this..
Also, the soundtrack is a banger- I would not otherwise have learned about crosses!
I listened to the rumor that the game was supposed to be something similar to 2005, but due to EA´s pressure Critrerion could not deliver the proper game that they wanted to deliver
I always felt that this game needed something similar to burnout paradise's license system that could really tie the whole thing together
Wow, thanks for an honest review not complaining about this not being MW2005. New subscription earned. I quite liked playing this back in the game, fun casual freeroam stuff. It's still sadly lacking in a lot of departments you mentioned. As for the brake to drift, I think it works best on Hot Pursuit as it has sweeping open roads with a few corners to drift on. The tighter and more city-based the map is, the worse and more annoying those physics get, which is why I think they are more noticeable here or in Heat.
and to top it off, HP2010 brake 2 drift feels generally more responsive than anything from MW12 onwards, so there's that
I have/had this game on PS-Vita, always baffled me how they would pick the same name yet be so different. Besides that it was visually impressive and a fairly fun game.
No where near the best Need for Speed but no where near the worst either.
Good video, good to see someone covering this game, especially with Criterion taking the lead again with NFS Unbound.
I just finished this game for the first time. Honestly, I completely disagree with the complaints most people seem to have with the progression of the game. I didn't look up where to find the bugattis and lambos, so I had fun with whatever car I would come across. Even when I did find the fastest cars I never stuck to one car because the game encourages you to use a variety of cars and none of the MW races are difficult enough to deter me from using a car I wanted to use.
When it comes to complaints about the progression, I think it will come down to the type of player that plays this game. If you're the type that when playing games tries to find the best and most efficient way to win then you very likely will have a boring time in this game when you find the fast cars. If you're the type to enjoy a sandbox experience and all its options, not because the game gives any incentives and not because it will help you reach the end goal but simply because of the joy you get when exploring said options, then you'll have a good time. The game's physics and races are solid enough to where you can have fun exploring all these options for a long time.
this is by far my most played nfs game ever, around 5000 hours clocked in, all on psvita.
I never looked so deeply into the Most Wanted Cars' Intros until this dude explained each one of them
I’m glad this dude was able to do so
I just downloaded the game on my PC, and holy shit the wave of nostalgia. I forgot how beautiful this game was, and going from ps3 to playing it on the PC now, it's incredible. The soundtrack, the map, there was so much I loved about this game. Great vid!
I’d like to bring up MW12’s online, which to me is easily its greatest aspect, from having its own progression and events to having some of the most fun racing in an online game I’ve played. Another thing to note, I grew up on the Undergrounds, Most Wanted, Carbon, and Pro Street, but MW12 is one of my favorites.
This game was a big part of childhood... I wish the dev team was able to put out a finished product
Damn this channel is high quality af. Also not the Pants slander lmao
i remember playing this on the Wii U (yes there was a version for the Wii U) back in about 2013-2019 and i cant play it anymore because the disc got messed up 😭😭im still looking for another copy of the game to this day. thanks for uploading this vid, it was really nostalgic and it means alot to me
Would you say that, for you, another wii u disc is the...
MOST WANTED?
@@SummonerArthur omg 💀💀
NFS 2012 was the best childhood game I wish I counted the hours of play but I can tell you confidently that I had more than 2000 hours on it... I didn't play any other game. The music... The sound... The action... It was everything I needed as a kid. Truly a masterpiece even tho it was hated by the 05 fans
The map is so good, but the physics just don't fit the map. Tight corners with B2D just doesn't work. Not to mention the input lag and how the cars feel like they're on ice. It's just unfortunate how the game turned out. It has potential
The Complete Edition DLC is finally on sale now until 14 May, both on EA App & Steam.
I am replaying this game AGAIN in 2024, I do this like every 4 years, and all I'm thinking while playing is "I am having so much fun". The map design is amazing, the music choices are awesome, the cutscenes are fun or nice looking or both, the multiplayer is good enough etc.
Glad you enjoy it!
MW2012 suffers the same problem that DmC: Devil May Cry does.
Using the name of an older classic.
Imagine if it used a different title. People would've been way more reasonable about its quality.
I think people's problem with the handling boils down to the fact that they added dampening/input lag into the controls themselves and it's very noticable on the PC version.
This game game is decent for those who want a relaxed time driving some cool looking vehicles, even if it tends to be mindnumbing at times, also playing this on PC with good settings just shows that this game came out on the verge of a new console generation, by how amazing it looks and sounds.
After watching this video, I'm starting to gain a bit more appreciation for a game I always thought to be mediocre as a whole
That song at 5:40 - what song is it? It gives me early FIFA vibes
It's from fortnite
Cesare Marcher - The Chase
06:29 i remember i was around 7 years old and seeing that cut scene and thinking WHAT JUST HAPPENED
This was a good review, despite your cringe editing. Lots of memories of meeting friends online almost everyday to hang out and crash each other haha.
Unpopular opinion : MW 2010 felt more like an arcade racing game than MW 2005 ( Like the old NFS games). 2010 MW was like making a 2005MW in a Hot Pursuit world
We really need to share this video and spread it around the world, EA should really take suggestions and make a remastered version of Most Wanted 2012 with an actual story with characters.
I'm one of the few that will openly admit, It's one of my favorite NFS games (If not my MOST favorite) ever made, I first played this game on Wii U, and spent boatloads of hours on this game. I got it again on PS3 (For the DLC mostly since Wii U only got one DLC pack.) And I agree with what you said, I wish Criterion had more time to really dive into the game more, but what we DID get out of this game? I'm thankful for.
Can’t believe you didn’t bring up the crash cams. While they were fine in hot pursuit, they’re obstructive and too punishing in MW. Especially with the tighter roads and tracks. With how easy it is to veer into a wall with the handling model on a tighter map, the crash can doesn’t do anyone any favors.
I remember playing this on my cousin’s Wii U and having a blast. I’ll have to give it a go again now. Great video Mo55
Why is there a odd anime background as the NFS Most Wanted title fades to black at 0:45? lol
typo
Wow its really been a decade. I remember talking about how amazing this game was with my friends in 10th grade. Time really don't wait for anyone. To all young ones out there, please study well, make friends and most importantly enjoy your youth. Stay safe.
I am getting too chrono-emotional :(
Most Wanted 2012 was my introduction to the NFS series, and as such, it means a lot to me. Played it back on the Wii U endlessly back when I was in middle school, and I revisited it on PC not too long ago. It may be simple and a bit barebones in a few places compared to the games we have now, but DAMN is it fun to fire up every now and then.
The streamlined, arcade-like nature of the experience keeps the game feel fresh with how much there is to do between finding cars, hunting down billboards to smash through, and zooming by cameras. The multiplayer mode is also a lot of fun. And to top it all off, you’ve got a solid soundtrack, beautiful graphics, and tight controls that make you feel like a pro once you master them.
Also, the intro to this game gives me chills every time I watch it. Something about the music swelling up paired with the picturesque visuals gets me. Legitimately one of my favorite openings to any game ever.
If you want to see the real most wanted 2012 watch the beta version 😢❤
I remember playing pirated version of this game back in 2013, so many good memories (I bet that someone made a similar comment like mine too)
Bro I recently redownloaded NFS MW2012, and it just felt so good to be back on the game. My favourite car is still the F1 LM tho
I played this game when it first came put on PS3. Played the heck out of it. Spent most of my time online, so much fun made so many friends. Here I am 11 years later playing it for the first time on my Vita (picked up a copy). It's total nostalgia, the Vita edition holds up extremely well.
I'm still fascinated how they manage to put the entire main game, without cutting anything into the PSVita
Great video. Most Wanted 2012 was the last actual good NFS game in my opinion. EA ruined what could have been even better due to greed, and they also ruined Criterion as a dev team. Just look at Unbound, which is made by Criterion, and compare it to the Criterion from 2008-2012. Just a totally different team now.
But, it isn't just EA's fault. As you eluded to in the video, the NFS 'fans' who complain about this game and call it bad because it wasn't a direct sequel to the 2005 game, even though this game is a mix of Criterion's two most recent (and fun) games, also helped tarnish Criterion's reputation around this time and forced EA to removed them from developing any future products (until Unbound).
All in all, it's unfortunate that Criterion is an EA dev team, because they're just Criterion in name only now. A husk of their former selves.
It was one of the first big road maps of its time, the other staple option for that kind of experience was beg mom for gta 4. The method for unlocking stuff was a lil weird tho
This game being able to run on my crappy laptop while being so visually pleasing made it a blast for me and also just driving all these cool cars that i liked irl this game was great for 11 year old me
perhaps I’m naive but most wanted 2012 to me feels like the perfect example of gatekeeping in the racing game scene, hating on game A just because it’s not like Game B and so on, now I haven’t played much of either game to look at it fully critically but from the half hour I have played of the 2012 game on the vita, on it’s own merits it looks to be a really fun casual arcadey experience, I’m looking forward to sitting down and giving it more of a play in the future
pretty accurate, gamers love to hate
Honestly one of my favorite things to do in this game is to literally just take the raptor and make it a literal tank with all the defensive modes I’d literally just ride through armored trucks like they were nothing
NFS MOST WANTED 2012 despite many people say its the one that put NFS series downhill, its still amazing game.