Classic Games Emulated : NFS Most Wanted
It's with Most Wanted where one becomes witness to a growing gaming "generation gap". Those who grew up with the earlier titles usually see this release as yet another noteworthy follow-up, while those who were first introduced to NFS with the Underground games tend to think of MW as the pinnacle game in the series.
For me personally, Most Wanted is actually a very divisive game. While there are many things that I love about it, their are also many things I simultaneously hate about it about as well. As such, my opinion falls in the middle. I hated the storyline and the characters. Yet, the gameplay and graphic visuals were the most awesome of any NFS game up to that point. Thus, I tolerated the shortcomings only because the gameplay of MW was so awesome.
While this game does deserve a lot of praise, it also deserves a fair amount of criticism as its distractions are so much more noticeable. What are these negative aspects?
Nitpicks Galore
Most of the criticism that I had in MW were present in Underground 2, yet amplified in this release. I've touched on product placement in the previous article where it was already a massive issue. Yet, if anything, EA double down on it as if we needed EVEN MORE ads in the game. The same franchises that were represented in Underground 2 are still present here as well. I play games to escape reality, not to be reminded by it. Thus, seeing a Burger King in the game isn't going to make me want to go to my nearest one in real life and buy a Whopper. If anything, seeing them in the game is going to tempt me much more to burn one down instead!
The obnoxious PSA are present in this title as well. I know that this disclaimer video exist for legality purposes. EA is projecting the image that they are being responsible with their content; similar to when a beer commercial add that "drink responsibly" disclaimer. Even with knowing that though, this video still rubs me the wrong way. The very fact that this disclaimer exist shows how short EA sells their audiences by assuming that those who play NFS can't tell apart video games from reality. Now EA does have to make such assumptions because younger gamers are now a part of there target demographic. This is going to have its own set of challenges for later games in the series. MW has a +13 ESRB rating.
EA pandering to a younger demographic can be insulting for older gamers who grew up with the series. Younger gamers are much smarter than we give them credit for while older gamers (like me) are insulted by this obnoxious pandering.
When one plays SA, one isn't greeted with a video of CJ telling people not to recreate the mayhem that they partaken in SA in real life. The reason why Rockstar doesn't need to an inject such a tripe disclaimer is because they knows that their audience is much smarter than given credit for. Only backwater nitwits stuck in the Middle Ages think that video games cause violence, and that is after 20 years of research too. (Science isn't the enemy, ignorance is. Some might think that I sound harsh, and I am. But if people choose to reject valid research because it somehow doesn't "jive" with there preconceived bias and worldview, then I don't need to show such restraint either). I'll end my video game violence rant now.
I know what many of you are about to say....."But Robert....MW and GTA are not the same thing!" I know, and I hear you. I'm fully aware that their is a distinct difference between dedicated racers and general open-world driving games. Those differences were noted in the last article. However, the open-world in MW was much more expanded compared to Underground 2. As such, the lines between dedicated racing games and open-world driving games blurred significantly in this release. As such, MW is going to be constantly compared to GTA for better or for worse because its open-world aspect. This can't be helped. If I saw this both past and present, I can make the safe assumption that others saw these differences too, then and now.
As such, when I drive around in MW in a open-world setting, I'm going to question why their is no day-night cycle. Maybe Rockport is above the Arctic Circle and MW is set in July where one becomes witness to the Midnight Sun phenomenon. Who knows. GTA SA is the gold standard that all open-world driving games are going to be held too.
I admit that a lot of my animosity towards MW in this regard was a result of GTA. I've played GTA:SA prior. As such, when one plays what is still considered one of the greatest games ever made (and my opinion has largely remained unchanged after all these years), anything coming after SA is going to feel like a massive downgrade, and MW was unfortunately that title that followed.
Story Sucks
For me, the storyline (or framework of one) is the 800 pound elephant in the room. This is the most distracting aspect of the game. The cutscenes and storyline made MW feel like a campy parody of Fast and the Furious done on a budget. The acting is way over the top and very cringy. I'm aware that this was largely intentional, but it still doesn't help in the game's defense.
It's this pandering to pop trends that makes me have such a negative opinion of MW. Its likes Blackbox Studios wanted to make their own JDM/Fast and the Furious in video game form while still trying to make a open-world, kid-friendly version of GTA that wasn't going to anger PTA moms.
In that quest to making that non-controversial game from adult topics that would reach all demographics, the content was dumbed down to the point of it pandering to the JDM scene rather than being an homage to it like in the first two Underground games.
I know that a story is essential in certain genres. For example, the RPG either live or die by the story. Open-world driving games like Driver, GTA 3, VC, and SA were uplifted by their very captivating story. Half-Life and HL2 demonstrated that a FPS could have an awesome story as well. Maybe it is possible for a racing game to have a very powerful and gripping (pun intended) story. I just hadn't seen it yet, and MW certainly doesn't do the genre any favors.
In racing games, one becomes a witness to the opposite. The more fleshed out the story is, the more absurd and silly the racing game gets as it becomes consumed by played-out stereotypes and clichés. At this point, I just want to skip the story and get in a car and race damnit! And normally, this shouldn't have been an issue. I know that I shouldn't invested that much in the story as in a NFS game, people come for the racing, not the story. It's there because its expected to be there (paraphrasing John Carmack). Yet, much more emphasis was placed on the story element in this game compared to prior NFS games, Thus, it couldn't be ignored.
The Good (Mostly)
At this point, with all of these complaints, one would be mistaken into believing that I horribly dislike MW, but here's the kicker: I don't.
I still really enjoyed MW despite its flaws. MW has many redeeming qualities that makes it a very good title. The racing in MW is very amazing. It's the best game yet in the series. Rockport looks gorgeous as well. Since the open-world in MW has been greatly expanded compared to Underground 2, there is a lot more city to drive around in. Not only that, MW takes advantage of the latest graphics enhancements provided by DirectX. Thus, those tracks are going to look very amazing. The environment physicals are really detailed as well as a result of those graphical enhancements. The rain and weather conditions are a marvel in themselves. There are many awesome cars to choose from in the game, and they are really detailed to on top of that.
Along with those cars are the countless customization options available for them. Not only that, their is mod support as well. One can add there own cars, which have there own options as well depending on the choices included by the modder. For me, this is a massive selling point. One can add a lot of really awesome cars that greatly enhances MW. The modded cars that I can't recommend enough are those made by Robin'7t4 and found on nfscars.net. His cars, based on the American classics of the 60's and 70's, are a must for any modded game!
I've played MW under VMware Player 12 in the past and it ran well. It ran even better under VMware 15 on a Windows 7 host before I upgraded to Windows 10. The game runs very well under the Windows 7 guest with 3D acceleration enabled. I was using the 32-bit version of Windows with the VM set to a single core for maximum compatibility. The VM had 3GB's of RAM allocated to it, which is more than enough for this classic from 2005. Most computers at the time were shipping with 512MB's/1GB at the time, so a modern PC or VM will have no issue running MW.
I do like the progression system too. It's standard, but it works very well. However, there is one aspect about MW that deserves scores of praise; the pursuit system. Holy crap! The police pursuits can be very intense! I would argue that the wanted system in MW blows away GTA:SA or any game that incorporates a wanted system (The game is called Most Wanted for a reason!). I would purposely race like a maniac just to provoke the police and start highway mayhem. Slamming into the police cruisers brought a intense feeling of euphoria, especially when the slo-mo cam activates. The feeling of escaping the fuzz is all consuming in a very good way.
MW is worth its weight in gold just due to the police pursuits alone. Maybe the kid-friendly GTA comparison is all wrong. Kid-friendly Carmageddon might be a more accurate description! I've spent countless hours on end either playing or modding MW. If I thought that MW was crap, that I wouldn't spent the trouble replaying the game multiple times or countless days playing various car mods to my hearts content.
More Annoyances
As such, I feel that MW is well worth playing. However, the distractions are much more noticeable compared to Underground 2. Even in the things that MW does right, their are minor nitpicks that can be very distracting. Despite the game having a gorgeous game engine, the partial desaturation of colors robs that engine of its full potential. I know that grays and browns were all the rage in the middle 2000's, but Rockport isn't Dunkirk and MW is a racing game, not Call of Duty. The game is suppose to look like Speed Racer the movie, not Stalingrad 1942.
Another nitpick is camera angles/views, or more like lack of. One has to resort to mods if they want that perfect camera angle. The fact that their is no video replay in MW is also a major flaw. When did EA/Blackbox decide that video replays are a very bad thing?
There are camera mods that largely fix this problem. Even then, I don't like to resort to mods for things that shouldn't have been a issue to begin with. One shouldn't have to go through massive effort just to create eye-catching screenshots. I'm very picky about my camera views. One can't create visually stunning and screenshots without such mods.
If I can't have a day-night cycle, then I would then much prefer night driving over daytime. Sure, one can say that I'm a hypocrite in that I prefer Test Drive Unlimited over MW despite that game not having no day-night cycle either and it being set during the daytime. However, TDU gave me a open-world that was bigger than even SA, so I can overlook that nitpick.
Recently though, MW is on my crap-list again. I recently decided to revisit this game. One of the things that I always wanted was widescreen support. When MW was released back in 2005, most monitors sill conformed to the 4:3 aspect ratio. Widescreen monitors were not a thing in 2005.
As such, one can't blame the developers for not having the foresight on not knowing that HD was going to become a thing in the future. Even in the late 2000's, widescreens was still a distant pipedream for the vast majority of gamers.
One needs to install a DLL that acts as a hook to enable widescreen support. However, the DLL has the same name as the mod loader used to that enable modded cars into the game. Thus one can't enable widescreen support without disabling the ability to load modded cars. One is forced to choose between one or the other. I have to have my modded cars in the game. This is a deal break and yet another strike against this game. Maybe I'll give DXWND a try......
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