izigame.me

The game that i tried to play since 2012 on my old pc is completed now in 2024
I wouldn’t say that the game hooked me like the old NSF, but I wouldn’t call it complete trash either
Full review below
PROS:
-Amazing soundtrack. Melodic MUSE, Example`s dubster, deadmouse, rock, pop and other genres set the atmosphere no worse than in the good old 2005 and u really want to crash your car into the bridge
-Very beautiful graphics even in 2024 2k 60hz 2x/4x MSAA: lighting, glare, drawing of the car, roads, puddles, small flying leaves and newspapers look very decent. Unless, of course, you look at the buildings, traffic and background mountains.
-Incredible soung of engines and turbos, especially in tunnels (best LFA sound in gamedev at all time in tunnel)
-Map is good tbh. Wide streets, a lot of straight, long turns, multi-level and quite curious closets. There are many different beautiful and interesting locations, such as a park, two glass rings, a construction site, an embankment, a long jump through the park, and so on. everyone will find something they like
-A fresh idea at that time with searching for cars that will help you stay extra time in the game and enjoy the music and graphics
-MOST WANTED list. Geetings from 2005 with warm memories.

CONS:
-Career can be ended in 3-4h. If you want to complete it on 100% u need about 10-12h (100% cameras, barriers and billboards). What to do in game after - i dont know, because of next points below
-61 different events (races) on 41 cars (1 car - at least 6 races to upgrade it) - as a result u will play the same tracks not even a few times
-Car tunning not even exists. I’m not a snob and I understand perfectly why Criterion did this, moving away from the fast-and-furious in previous games towards realism, and it even suited me. But im telling that every car upgrades the same: lightweight chassis, nitro, racing tires, aerodynamic body. with some exceptions, you can choose long or short gears depending on your mood and if you want to assemble the car into a tank against the cops. monotony kills the desire to play the same tracks on a new car in order to upgrade it.
AND this is bad, because in the game each car has its own character and its own behavior on the road. what is well... but not many people will try this, because it`s simply too lazy to drive a new one.
-It took me a long time to get used to the physics of cars, but I couldn’t get used to it completely. if you hold the key for a moment, a car, even after releasing the key, will still move for some time in the previously specified direction. If you don’t press enough, it will simply stall or refuse to do anything at all. The only thing that saves the situation is upgrading it to a lightweight chassis and racing tires, but even then not completely. It took a very long time for the wheels to turn, you can feel it. In general, it’s as if you’re not driving a car on a track, but a roach from the Witcher in jelly. Crashing into lonely traffic at a turn is a default, and the fault here will not be yours
-Crash animation. At first it’s acceptable, but in the end it starts to irritate. too long, often where it is not necessary.
-The car collection is too poor. Car spots are 123. But but the cars themselves 41. So u will find the same for three times.
-Cops are very passive, easy and boring until the last level. And then, they can only catch you if you have punctured your tires or had an accident. then they crash into you one by one due to the crash animation and you can't do anything
-No difficulty level. At all. Races are divided from easy to difficult. but you don’t feel it. The boots are extremely light at any level. they easily catch up with you if you hit them, but also if you hit them, they seem to be waiting for you and don’t go fast. and if they are behind before the last kilometer, the boats will definitely crash somewhere or slow down. I didn’t feel any competition or even one restart of the races (except for the average speed due to traffic). again - boring.
-No hand shiftbox (i will tell why in my opinion next)
To sum it up. Criterion tried to create something truly new, unlike the old NSF. an open world with realism instead of crazy tuning. A lot of effort was put into the graphics and sound component, little things and surroundings. even the absence of a manual gearbox suggests that Criterion focused on the sensations of audio and visual, creating a personal ambience and vibe that is unique only to this part. and this is what made me buy this game and, after so many years, out of old memory and a dream, play it. Unfortunately, not everyone liked it (and to be honest, the game was extremely over-hated).
But what went wrong? Even with all the disadvantages I mentioned, is the game so bad? not at all. The game is very good, self-contained and unfairly hated and forgotten by many. Criterion made only ONE fatal mistake - call the game a successor to the legendary 2005 Most Wanted. Choose any other name - the attitude of the players would be completely different.
I liked the game, I don’t regret the time spent one bit, but on the contrary, I wanted a longer career. a sandbox for the price of a can of beer with undeniable advantages must take a place in your NSF collection