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
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. 😂
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?
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.
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_Moses 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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 recently played this game and had an absolute blast. I bought Unbound and thought the progression was way too stretched out, and decided to try this game. I love how fast the game transition from race to race. Upgrading feels good because it actually feels significant.
I really lost faith in the nfs community with this game. Starting with a low level Aston was way more fun than a cobalt that struggled to hit 90mph. And the name doesn't fucking matter
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.
Back in high school i freaking love this game! Even though, it's basically a Burnout-esque just like Hot Pursuit which is also made by Criterion which is the creator of Burnout. The way it drives, drifts, handling, etc it's carbon-copy of Hot Pursuit. I will definitely play again. Hell, i'd play this rather than Heat. The grinding of Heat is unbelievable.
@@UltraViolet_Moses Yeah yeah, i mean there's a, "story" but i don't even care. The modification is beyond awesome. Swap engines, decals, colors, etc it's everything those Underground-mania would definitely love. But i don't really like how it grinds, it took alot of time. It's not as satisfying as Carbon, Underground, Most Wanted. I think it's okay to go back to its NFS core which is expensive cars, cop chase, 300 km/h pedal to the metal.
I understand that people were disappointed by how much this game deviated form the original Most Wanted. That said, I enjoyed this game a lot when I first played it as a 10-year-old and found it a very fun game to just mess around in. Not mention that I really liked the map, the soundtrack, the car list (small but strong) and the visuals.
Its funny how if you look back to the early builds of this game, they were in the midst of extending the map with more construction roads and actual garages which theoretically had a story mode but it got scrapped. I kinda want to see Criterion coming back to this game and actually finish it. But everyone knows EA wont let them seeing as they have the rights to the game.
they could not even finish unbound since they had to work on battlefield that massive flopped, so we waited 3 years for 1 year rushed game. and seeig it unbound has some problems but they already did better than payback. now they just have to do their stuff like they want it and stop listening to the community. causae then they try to please everyone and please no one.
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
Thank you for having a opened minded review on the game I loved fairhaven as a map the city felt lived in dense and felt real and dream like at the same time The handling is better than modern NFS the map is better than modern NFS The police radio call outs where great Why do people hate this game some much
It only needed an actual garage and a car lot, that`s it. It would've been an excellent game, the car selection is bad ass, the city is beautiful and well designed. it still looks so damn well, sound effects are impressive as well...
I didn't even have the game's online version and I still loved it. just driving around getting destroyed by the insanely fast ford police cars or just trying to run away from the highest wanted level. So many memories :)
The main problem I have with this game is that it feels like a burnout paradise game and that it's not Most Wanted, but honestly the original Most Wanted wasn't as good as people remember. MW2005 stopped having as much freedom in customisation, cheesy actors, the body kits now fixed groups, yellow tint for whatever reason but it had cops which made it good, IMO Underground 2 was best. I think for most people the good games ended at MW2005 and they expected this to revive the franchise. (I was just pissed that EA swapped my copy of MW2005 with this one when they removed it from the EA store)
The game is meant to be minimalist. Because if every game had the same high caliber action, where would they special? Finally, a game that's enough but simple enough to encourage serious duties in life. Meaning that when you grow up, you can't find this childhood experience cheesy.
Great job with the video! Nice to see a more open-minded look at this gem! I think a lot of the people who criticize this game fall into the trope of those who base 80% of their opinion on something just by "reading the headline" Of course we'll never know, but perhaps this game would have been received better if the airport wasn't cut from the original release and the base game was called "Terminal Velocity" and not "Most Wanted: A Criterion Game"
The true identity crisis. I tried in one hour and never came back. Sure it is unique but the cars and events are tied (at least in first walkthrough) that made me confused and quit this game altogether. Had the car selection system like Burnout Paradise that every car aside starter cars are driven by AI in free roam mode and must be takedowned to store it in garage, it would be a good game.
I can see positives and negatives to that, on one hand, it would make progression a little more interesting, but on the other, I also think it would make 2012 too similar to Burnout, ultimately I think I like what MW 2012 went for more, it makes the game stand out a bit more
Least favourite thing about this game was it felt like a soulless game with no sense of progression, no consequence to get attached to any of the car, and unlocking car was way to easy so never felt like you earned it
i think the reason why it has no story is every game ive played by criteron has had no story maybe criterion doesn't like adding storys to their nfs games to make a more kid friendly approach
Watching this at 3am and I felt like the memes were gaslighting me. I was wondering if I was actually hallucinating the anime girls and dancing gorillas. good video though. I loved this game as a teen and wanted to see if the nostalgia goggles hold up in anticipation of the new one. unfortunately this game does look painfully dull imo but I see where you're coming from.
Some people might not agree but I personally think most wanted is a great game, not just bc I grew up playing it, but I thought the concept was amazing, find cars, race ai, take down the most wanted, and the soundtrack and cutscenes. I think people need to look past these things they have a problem with and then they’ll realize this was a good game
The issue with progression is a challenge to try and earn the high end cars. If I went to "try" I can earn the last car in 40 minutes 5 to find the almost fastest, 35 minutes to unlock the rest choosing to drive the slowest car and just select the next car because you want to pretend to progress is not progression because progression is in itself using skill, time, and effort to earn your rewards. This game does not have.
Coming from HP the year before, this was a big change from top speed sweeping highway racing to tight roads and lots of intersections. Rivals ended up having more in common with HP instead of MW and I think the general consensus favors HP given that it even got a remaster.
Broo new NFS games look like a mobile games, Most wanted 2012 surpasses them in terms of graphics and car sounds, if you ask me I really dont care about story line, you play racing games to enjoy driving and NFS 2012 Most Wanted delivers it perfectly (try going through tunnel with Lamborghini Aventador)
you can drive to hughes park and mess around with cars at the ramps and pathways and jumps almost like it's a tony hawk skate game, it's honestly very exciting
I still think this game looks beautiful today and it was the only most wanted game I played growing up so to me this game is awesome and I loved the bird out paradise series and once I knew it was made by the same company it felt like playing a different version of burnout Paradise to me
Crashing out cops in burnout style while listening to godly engine sounds, looking at a beautiful game and blasting amazing music is honestly such a good concept for a racer. I am still enjoying this game a lot for being a more simple arcade game, not trying to be too big.
I loved this game, the story was pretty bland but the focus on the cars in terms of sound and visuals was a true testament to petrolheads and the online gameplay was brilliant too ! 👌🏽
Looking back, I still have contentions with the game that ultimately keep me from enjoying it but this video made me realize there are certain things to enjoy with it. Its approach to trying a new setting with the MW name and the cinematics are a great touch, and all-around it is a solid game under its own merit But ultimately it's not on its own merit, it's just a poor emulation of what made the '05 MW so iconic. It feels devoid of the same personality that gave the original its legendary status in the community and while I can live with the lack of car customization, the lack of characters or a face to go with them just makes me feel a lack of investment. Yes the original was very much a product of its time, but I can distinctly remember Cross, Razor, Mia, the faces that made you feel there was a purpose to making the game. This just feels.....corporate, and based off leaked beta footage of what could've been, it seems like that's very intentional Was it better than I thought? Yes. Do I like it now? No. But did this video help me rethink my position to realize there are still things to enjoy? Yes
Back when I was a kid, on my dads ps3, I LOVES this game The most wanted cars were cool, its how I got into racing games, and it was dumb fun. I understand why people dislike the game, and I agree, but to be fair a fun game is a fun game
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.
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_Moses Fair enough, yeah. IMO it explains why some areas of the game definitely seem… off, like the wacky cutscenes at times you mentioned.
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
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
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?
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
@@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.
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
@@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
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
@@BruceDaMooseYTMost Wanted already had a sequel called Carbon. And all Blackbox games take place in the same universe following the same protagonist. It's hinted in those games.
@@naimishtiakahmed9221 Honestly, after Carbon the formula was starting to get a little stale. I think one reason Most Wanted gets so much praise is because it hit some kind of cultural zeitgeist, especially among a certain demographic which had access to it and its sales were aided by being available on just about every system at the time. Some aspects of that game, like the egregious rubber-banding, 360-era "piss filter" and weird difficulty spike halfway through, did not age so well. The pursuit mechanics were pretty revolutionary at the time and definitely the most passionate and thorough part of that game; as a racer, it was not the best.
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.
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
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
Haven't played this game but the way you described it, as much as you defended, still feels like a cheap marketing tacting to profit off of the original Most Wanted. The progession and the story sounds cheap.
It's beyond disingenuous to be like "Why would you think it would be anything like Most Wanted??" Oh, idk... Because they literally called it "Most Wanted"? That's not a valid reason to think that?? Come on. That said, defending this as a worthwhile game is complete fine, especially after all this time. But don't act like the players were in the wrong here, we were deliberately misled.
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
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_Moses 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_Moses 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
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
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
@@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
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
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
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.
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 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
@@UltraViolet_Moses 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.
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 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)
@@UltraViolet_Moses Back in like 2013 or something I wanted to replay Most Wanted 2005 on my 360 but I only had the ps2 version. I put it on my christmas list, making sure to specify the console, but when Christmas came my grandma got me Most Wanted 2012 instead. My parents or my grandma arent into games, so it was very easy for them to mix things up and leave me a bit sad. But thats just a problem with games using the same title as previous entries in the series... it makes identifying the OG games much harder. "2012" absolutely needed to be in the title if they wanted to keep the most wanted name, and this can be said for Hot Pursuit too. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2010. I see no issue with that."" On an unrelated note; Persona fan LFG.
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
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
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. 😂
Nahhh on god 😂😂
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?
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
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_Moses 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.
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.
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.
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
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 always felt that this game needed something similar to burnout paradise's license system that could really tie the whole thing together
2:54 the voice actress is Jules De Jongh and as right as you are i still adore her voice
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
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 recently played this game and had an absolute blast. I bought Unbound and thought the progression was way too stretched out, and decided to try this game. I love how fast the game transition from race to race. Upgrading feels good because it actually feels significant.
I really lost faith in the nfs community with this game. Starting with a low level Aston was way more fun than a cobalt that struggled to hit 90mph. And the name doesn't fucking matter
listen, as soon as god unleashed the horrific alien force known as "Blackpanthaa fans" onto this world, there was no hope for the NFS community
@@serperior2264 how did I not see this, it's spot on LMAO
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
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.
2012 soundtrack did really well.. everytime i drive.. the soundtrack always just.. nostalgic! It just perfect for 2012 era
Back in high school i freaking love this game! Even though, it's basically a Burnout-esque just like Hot Pursuit which is also made by Criterion which is the creator of Burnout. The way it drives, drifts, handling, etc it's carbon-copy of Hot Pursuit. I will definitely play again. Hell, i'd play this rather than Heat. The grinding of Heat is unbelievable.
I found Heat to be very unsatisfying for many different reasons, but I'll get more into that when I cover Ghost Games's era of NFS
@@UltraViolet_Moses Yeah yeah, i mean there's a, "story" but i don't even care. The modification is beyond awesome. Swap engines, decals, colors, etc it's everything those Underground-mania would definitely love. But i don't really like how it grinds, it took alot of time. It's not as satisfying as Carbon, Underground, Most Wanted. I think it's okay to go back to its NFS core which is expensive cars, cop chase, 300 km/h pedal to the metal.
Who else played this game and calmly cruised with cars to emulate how you'd live with them in real life ? It was simply one of the best feelings
I understand that people were disappointed by how much this game deviated form the original Most Wanted. That said, I enjoyed this game a lot when I first played it as a 10-year-old and found it a very fun game to just mess around in. Not mention that I really liked the map, the soundtrack, the car list (small but strong) and the visuals.
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
Its funny how if you look back to the early builds of this game, they were in the midst of extending the map with more construction roads and actual garages which theoretically had a story mode but it got scrapped. I kinda want to see Criterion coming back to this game and actually finish it. But everyone knows EA wont let them seeing as they have the rights to the game.
they could not even finish unbound since they had to work on battlefield that massive flopped, so we waited 3 years for 1 year rushed game. and seeig it unbound has some problems but they already did better than payback. now they just have to do their stuff like they want it and stop listening to the community. causae then they try to please everyone and please no one.
@@nsreturn1365 yeah. If we dig a bit deeper, it does look like theyre trying their hardest but to blind to see everyone's satisfaction. Sad.
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
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)
I don’t care what they say. The scenery and graphics were nice for the time. The playlist was 🔥 and the cars sounded so realistic too.
2012 MW is perfect game for me and i am still playing it
This was one of the last NFS games where I genuinely enjoyed the map and the car list. The DLC was indeed good and I loved hanging around the airport.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you for having a opened minded review on the game I loved fairhaven as a map the city felt lived in dense and felt real and dream like at the same time
The handling is better than modern NFS the map is better than modern NFS
The police radio call outs where great
Why do people hate this game some much
It only needed an actual garage and a car lot, that`s it. It would've been an excellent game, the car selection is bad ass, the city is beautiful and well designed. it still looks so damn well, sound effects are impressive as well...
I'll die on the hill that mw 2012 is peak nfs
the music, the visuals, the sound design
holy dingus I love this game
I didn't even have the game's online version and I still loved it. just driving around getting destroyed by the insanely fast ford police cars or just trying to run away from the highest wanted level. So many memories :)
this makes you wonder how many other games in general could've been great had they just really invested/given more time
06:29 i remember i was around 7 years old and seeing that cut scene and thinking WHAT JUST HAPPENED
The main problem I have with this game is that it feels like a burnout paradise game and that it's not Most Wanted, but honestly the original Most Wanted wasn't as good as people remember.
MW2005 stopped having as much freedom in customisation, cheesy actors, the body kits now fixed groups, yellow tint for whatever reason but it had cops which made it good, IMO Underground 2 was best.
I think for most people the good games ended at MW2005 and they expected this to revive the franchise.
(I was just pissed that EA swapped my copy of MW2005 with this one when they removed it from the EA store)
to this day fairhaven is STILL my favorite fictional city in all nfs game, most wanted 2012 my beloved, banger soundtrack, on par with hp2010
The game is meant to be minimalist. Because if every game had the same high caliber action, where would they special?
Finally, a game that's enough but simple enough to encourage serious duties in life. Meaning that when you grow up, you can't find this childhood experience cheesy.
Great job with the video! Nice to see a more open-minded look at this gem! I think a lot of the people who criticize this game fall into the trope of those who base 80% of their opinion on something just by "reading the headline"
Of course we'll never know, but perhaps this game would have been received better if the airport wasn't cut from the original release and the base game was called "Terminal Velocity" and not "Most Wanted: A Criterion Game"
Well said!
I mean, the fan base call it Burnout Fairhaven for a reason...
If they just gave the game a different name everyone would be fine with it lol
11:03 I found the soundtrack to be pretty bad IMO. I ended up just adding my own tracks.
The true identity crisis. I tried in one hour and never came back. Sure it is unique but the cars and events are tied (at least in first walkthrough) that made me confused and quit this game altogether.
Had the car selection system like Burnout Paradise that every car aside starter cars are driven by AI in free roam mode and must be takedowned to store it in garage, it would be a good game.
I can see positives and negatives to that, on one hand, it would make progression a little more interesting, but on the other, I also think it would make 2012 too similar to Burnout, ultimately I think I like what MW 2012 went for more, it makes the game stand out a bit more
Least favourite thing about this game was it felt like a soulless game with no sense of progression, no consequence to get attached to any of the car, and unlocking car was way to easy so never felt like you earned it
i think the reason why it has no story is every game ive played by criteron has had no story maybe criterion doesn't like adding storys to their nfs games to make a more kid friendly approach
Watching this at 3am and I felt like the memes were gaslighting me. I was wondering if I was actually hallucinating the anime girls and dancing gorillas. good video though. I loved this game as a teen and wanted to see if the nostalgia goggles hold up in anticipation of the new one. unfortunately this game does look painfully dull imo but I see where you're coming from.
you're welcome!!!!! :DDDDD
Some people might not agree but I personally think most wanted is a great game, not just bc I grew up playing it, but I thought the concept was amazing, find cars, race ai, take down the most wanted, and the soundtrack and cutscenes. I think people need to look past these things they have a problem with and then they’ll realize this was a good game
This game was damn gorgeous.
The issue with progression is a challenge to try and earn the high end cars. If I went to "try" I can earn the last car in 40 minutes 5 to find the almost fastest, 35 minutes to unlock the rest choosing to drive the slowest car and just select the next car because you want to pretend to progress is not progression because progression is in itself using skill, time, and effort to earn your rewards. This game does not have.
There was one cutscene of police cars turning into like a robot. And I was just confused 😂😂. It was at the airport.
Coming from HP the year before, this was a big change from top speed sweeping highway racing to tight roads and lots of intersections. Rivals ended up having more in common with HP instead of MW and I think the general consensus favors HP given that it even got a remaster.
Broo new NFS games look like a mobile games, Most wanted 2012 surpasses them in terms of graphics and car sounds, if you ask me I really dont care about story line, you play racing games to enjoy driving and NFS 2012 Most Wanted delivers it perfectly (try going through tunnel with Lamborghini Aventador)
you can drive to hughes park and mess around with cars at the ramps and pathways and jumps almost like it's a tony hawk skate game, it's honestly very exciting
This game is scarcely underrated. I just love this game it was one of the best nfs ever
it’s not underrated it’s scarcely hated
@@StockCarGuy and sucks with bugs
@@StockCarGuy its underrated bc of people like you.
@@markanderson3877 encountered a single bug after 8 years of playing, skill issuue
@@IPlayKindred wym, i enjoyed it
When me and my brother were playing this game with hood cam mod and steering wheel it was such a good times... I wish I could go back in time...
I still think this game looks beautiful today and it was the only most wanted game I played growing up so to me this game is awesome and I loved the bird out paradise series and once I knew it was made by the same company it felt like playing a different version of burnout Paradise to me
I don’t know if I’m going insane, but I’m seeing a white haired woman standing next to a man in a suit at the 0:45 mark.
Crashing out cops in burnout style while listening to godly engine sounds, looking at a beautiful game and blasting amazing music is honestly such a good concept for a racer. I am still enjoying this game a lot for being a more simple arcade game, not trying to be too big.
Classic
I loved this game, the story was pretty bland but the focus on the cars in terms of sound and visuals was a true testament to petrolheads and the online gameplay was brilliant too ! 👌🏽
Couldn't agree more
Fun fact, you cant reset your progress in this NFS , so if u ever wanna truly relive this experience, u have to pirate it or buy a new copy.
...or delete the savefile in C:documents/criterion games/most wanted/
@@IPlayKindred Nope, once u start the game the Cloud sync will kick in, also litterally talked to EA support to try and find a way and there is none
@@The_Foxxo oh
That Evoque part was cleannnnn
Looking back, I still have contentions with the game that ultimately keep me from enjoying it but this video made me realize there are certain things to enjoy with it. Its approach to trying a new setting with the MW name and the cinematics are a great touch, and all-around it is a solid game under its own merit
But ultimately it's not on its own merit, it's just a poor emulation of what made the '05 MW so iconic. It feels devoid of the same personality that gave the original its legendary status in the community and while I can live with the lack of car customization, the lack of characters or a face to go with them just makes me feel a lack of investment. Yes the original was very much a product of its time, but I can distinctly remember Cross, Razor, Mia, the faces that made you feel there was a purpose to making the game. This just feels.....corporate, and based off leaked beta footage of what could've been, it seems like that's very intentional
Was it better than I thought? Yes. Do I like it now? No. But did this video help me rethink my position to realize there are still things to enjoy? Yes
This is definitely one of the videos on UA-cam
you're very helpful, thanks
@@serperior2264 gaming
Back when I was a kid, on my dads ps3, I LOVES this game
The most wanted cars were cool, its how I got into racing games, and it was dumb fun. I understand why people dislike the game, and I agree, but to be fair a fun game is a fun game
Why is there a odd anime background as the NFS Most Wanted title fades to black at 0:45? lol
typo
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_Moses Fair enough, yeah. IMO it explains why some areas of the game definitely seem… off, like the wacky cutscenes at times you mentioned.
@@UltraViolet_Moses 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
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
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 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 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
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
@@BruceDaMooseYTMost Wanted already had a sequel called Carbon. And all Blackbox games take place in the same universe following the same protagonist. It's hinted in those games.
@@naimishtiakahmed9221 Honestly, after Carbon the formula was starting to get a little stale. I think one reason Most Wanted gets so much praise is because it hit some kind of cultural zeitgeist, especially among a certain demographic which had access to it and its sales were aided by being available on just about every system at the time. Some aspects of that game, like the egregious rubber-banding, 360-era "piss filter" and weird difficulty spike halfway through, did not age so well. The pursuit mechanics were pretty revolutionary at the time and definitely the most passionate and thorough part of that game; as a racer, it was not the best.
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
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
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.
That's a dumb comment @@mintgoldheart6126
@@killdungeonclan3605 And it had Josie Maran!
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.
This single game is the reason Blackpanthaa needs to be sent to an isolation chamber
Spider-Man-spinning-gif
@@UltraViolet_Moses 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.
Haven't played this game but the way you described it, as much as you defended, still feels like a cheap marketing tacting to profit off of the original Most Wanted. The progession and the story sounds cheap.
It's beyond disingenuous to be like "Why would you think it would be anything like Most Wanted??" Oh, idk... Because they literally called it "Most Wanted"? That's not a valid reason to think that?? Come on.
That said, defending this as a worthwhile game is complete fine, especially after all this time. But don't act like the players were in the wrong here, we were deliberately misled.
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
why does thomas shelby appear with an anime girl at 0:45 lol
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_Moses 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_Moses 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
Butterfly and Hurricane gives you a hint into the original gritty theme they aimed for.
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
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
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
NFS 2012 was an enjoyable game for me. The name just misleads consumers.
4:37 what's the music here? I swear, I've heard it before, I just don't know where 🤔
The game's menu
😂😂😂😂
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
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.
I think it's not a bad game but a bad nfs game. I think it lacks some sort of identity
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 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_Moses 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.
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.
It should have been called Hot Pursuit 2 and skipped all the hate.
Honestly
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
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
“What gave people the reason to think this game has anything to do with Most Wanted 2005?” IDK MAYBE THE NAME LMAO
Is “2005” in the title?
@@UltraViolet_Moses Back in like 2013 or something I wanted to replay Most Wanted 2005 on my 360 but I only had the ps2 version. I put it on my christmas list, making sure to specify the console, but when Christmas came my grandma got me Most Wanted 2012 instead. My parents or my grandma arent into games, so it was very easy for them to mix things up and leave me a bit sad.
But thats just a problem with games using the same title as previous entries in the series... it makes identifying the OG games much harder. "2012" absolutely needed to be in the title if they wanted to keep the most wanted name, and this can be said for Hot Pursuit too. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2010. I see no issue with that.""
On an unrelated note; Persona fan LFG.
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