Need for Speed

Need for Speed: Most Wanted U delivers on every level. It's fast, fun, and absolutely beautiful, with an open-world design that creates a real feeling of freedom to go with the sense of speed. There's a staggering amount of content, with races to run, cars to find and mods to unlock, and the unique online multiplayer adds heaps of replay value. This is also a perfect example of a port done right - the graphical upgrades and GamePad-specific features make this the definitive console version. Racing fans, make room at the top of that most wanted list.

Straight from the underground.

Need For Speed feels like a plucky contender, that is close to greatness but tragically falters at number of key moments. There is genuinely plenty of fun to be had in its world, and the return to the themes of Need For Speed: Underground are welcome. However, there simply isn’t the level of consistent quality that the franchise has had during Criterion’s stewardship, despite a large number of their staff moving to Ghost Games, and indeed in a number of ways it feels like a step back from 2013’s Rivals. This year’s Need For Speed is close to greatness, but it doesn’t quite make the podium.

Need for Speed was once an annual franchise, and each installment catered to slightly different audiences. Some focused on cops versus racers, while others leaned toward sim racing or accentuated their storytelling. This year's entry – a self-proclaimed reboot – ostensibly resets the franchise so it can redefine itself. The problem is, this game does not represent what the franchise is all about. It has aspects we've come to know and love from the series such as cops, cars, a city, and even a story, but none of them stand out as a focal point or is elevated to a level of excellence.

A slightly disappointing return for EA's racing franchise, Need for Speed doesn't do anything to push things forward. You'd think that a hiatus might have given Ghost Games time to inject a little extra vigour into Need for Speed, but the overall result is falls woefully short of expectations. Still, the racing part remains good, clean fun, which is what really matters.

Need for Speed looks the part, sounds the part, and is surprisingly reverent to real-world car culture. I like the direction Ghost has taken here, and I think it’s the right one, but beneath its flashy exterior it's not quite firing on all cylinders.

The customization and racing itself is fantastic, but Need For Speed reboot has certainly not gotten out to a fast start behind frame rate issues and the insistence to be always online.

If this Need For Speed reboot came out last generation, it would likely be much the same with a few more loading times and less pretty graphics. There's really nothing wrong with that, but it's certainly worth keeping in mind that the game isn't trying to reinvent the wheel — or the custom-made carbon fiber rims adorning that wheel.

For taking a year off to work on this Need for Speed, I was hoping Ghost Games would have given its reboot a more noteworthy return. While Ventura Bay looks good and the game has plenty of missions and side missions to complete, the constant distractions I felt while playing it kept me away from enjoying it as much as I have previous iterations of the franchise. If you’re a long-time fan of the series, you’ll find something to enjoy here, but if this is your first time behind the wheel, you’re going to want sit this one out and check out some of previously-released Need for Speed titles.

Back in 1989 Cher promised that if she could turn back time she’d take back all the words that hurt us and make us stay. Fast forward to 2015, and it’s clear EA is thinking the same thing about its long-running racing series, Need For Speed.

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Slow, boring, and rarely challenging, Need For Speed is a serious misstep.