Need For Speed Most Wanted
Developed by Criterion Games Need For Speed Most Wanted seems to be the spiritual successor to Burnout Paradise. Criterion stated that this is a reboot of 2005's Most Wanted and not a sequel. Most Wanted takes place in fictional Fairhaven City, which was filled with jumps and personality. Criterion said that Fairhaven will be an open world that you can freely explore. The game will feature a progression system called speed points which can be earned by anything you do in the open world including winning races, escaping the cops, beating a friend's time and crashing other racers. As you rack up speed points you will unlock performance upgrades and new cars. Speed points also ranks you on a most wanted list with your friends. The person with the most speed points amongst you friends is most wanted. Much like Hot Pursuit, Most Wanted will fully implement Autolog which keeps competition at the center of your experience. Autolog tracks race times, jumps, drifts and anything you do throughout the open world.
The game will feature open world cop chases in which you have the freedom to lose the cops anyway you want. You can lose the cops by using raw speed, ducking into an ally, going to a part of the city with plays to your car’s strength, change you paint job by going through a drive through paint shop, a nod to Burnout Paradise, you can also use the new jackpot which lets you switch cars on the fly for the first time in a Need For Speed game. Alleyway jack spots are hidden throughout the open world of Fairhaven City. The multiplayer for the game is completely new Criterion has eliminated lobbies. Instead of waiting in a lobby the games sets a meeting spot in the world to meet friends to race. This makes it so that you are always playing and exploring. The game also allows you to play through an entire playlist with friends. Criterion philosophy has always been to blur the line between single player and multiplayer. It looks like Need For Speed Most Wanted is coming along nicely. If you were a fan of Burnout Paradise chances are you will like this game. If you never played a Burnout title, it’s a fast paced arcade racer with emphasis on taking down rivals. I can't wait to speed through Fairhaven city when Most Wanted releases on October 30th.
Forza Horizon
Forza Horizon is developed by Turn 10’s new partner Playground games. This time they are taking Forza in a new direction. For the first time in the Forza series it features an open world. Horizon takes place in Colorado which was chosen because of its diversity. This is an original version of Colorado which features red rock canyons, Aspen forests, farms, small towns and beautiful vistas. Playground Games was adamant to say that this is not an arcade racer even with its open world. They called it an action racer which means each car in the game has a unique feel to them just like their real life counterparts instead of every car feeling similar like an arcade racer. Forza Horizon uses the same engine and physics as Forza 4. Chances are you can expect an open world Forza 4. But don’t worry if you are not a sim expert because the game will have assists much like Forza 4.
Part of the Colorado setting is a music festival which is aptly named the Horizon Festival. This festival is part of this huge world and acts as the game’s hub where you can customize you car or purchase new vehicles. Playground has gone the extra mile to sell the festival setting by hiring a festival DJ. Hanging at the festival isn’t the only thing you can also cruise the open world and challenge other racers to progress you career. As for the game’s multiplayer two player split screen has been confirmed. Playground has not gone into much detail about the online multiplayer just yet. Forza Horizon looks to be a great spinoff of an already good series I am excited to see what Horizon brings to the table when it releases October 23rd.
So, which game are you most excited for? Leave your opinions in the comments below.
