Need For Speed: Most Wanted 2012

[MXH]

 

[Nexus]

 

[Stephan]

My thoughts on the latest gameplay of an early build of NFSMW 2012.

- So looking at the cars available there, only the Vette 427 stands out since it wasn't available in the console/PC releases and its only available in the smartphone version of MW2012.
- First time seeing a enter garage animation for MW2012. The last time we saw that kind of animation was in Underground 2.
- Almost of the races shown on that release are available in the final version of MW2012. The event played there is the reversed version of Crush Hour event but the difference is that the track is in reverse plus you can't use the Porsche in the Crush Hour event unlike in the gameplay shown.

- The UI is starting to resemble now like the final version.
- The Porsche sounded better than the final version IMO.

Other than that, I think Criterion at that time was probably 30-50% done in making that version before EA decided to ask Criterion to make MW2012 a Burnout Paradise clone.

 

[Nexus]

Comment from the uploader:

...we know that for a certain amount of time the game was called Most Wanted and then from late Dec 2011-Feb 2012 it was called Most Wanted 2. Besides the title change this version is a bit different as it has some extra info on the screen, more police radio chatter, a cutscene for the spike strips, and music during gameplay. We also decided to show off the Arc Light ability which blinds other drivers on the road. This ability is present is both Dec 2011 builds and the January 2012 build.

 

[NoGoodNames]

Notes:

-The earliest build which Obscure Gamers has.
-The "Hawaii" map is Fairhaven.
-The graphics and gameplay test maps don't work in the build.
-There seems to only be Freedrive in the build, but that could just be because they went to Seacrest.
-There seems to be a special variant of the BMW M3 E92 in this build, according to the debug menu its name was "BMW M3 GPMM"
-The BMW M3 GTR from the original Most Wanted is present, with different rims than what it would eventually end up having, a different color, and different engine sound (seems to be the final Porsche 911 Carrera S sound)
-Map has a few visual glitches, due to some graphical elements being reused from Hot Pursuit (and not agreeing with the normal graphical elements of the build), and also some effects being disabled in the video.
-As per the comments section, the last build video planned is a video on the Gamescom 2012 build.

 

[Nexus]

Apparently the Huayra is already in the final game but the Hummer, Grand Cherokee and Stingray are also shown in this video.

 

[Nexus]

Bumping this thread as a lot of beta builds for this game seem to have popped up on YouTube.

Can even see some items that you could use against cops.

Looks like heavy damage could total your car:

The April 2012 builds are where the game's direction seemed to move from Most Wanted 2 to Most Wanted 2012, particularly with the artstyle. Jack spots were added here too.

And May was probably where the final transformation occurred. The number plates, which used to have the release date of the OG Most Wanted, changed to "Burnout". They even changed the tachometer and removed the gear indicator, presumably shelving the manual transmission option. Sigh...

 

[Nexus]

Apologies for the double post, I couldn't embed any more videos in a single post.





Interesting item in this build. Perhaps with the potential reintroduction of Mia, the player was also acting as an undercover cop working alongside her?

 

[Nexus]

 

[Sage Ages]

The April 2012 builds are where the game's direction seemed to move from Most Wanted 2 to Most Wanted 2012, particularly with the artstyle. Jack spots were added here too.

And May was probably where the final transformation occurred. The number plates, which used to have the release date of the OG Most Wanted, changed to "Burnout". They even changed the tachometer and removed the gear indicator, presumably shelving the manual transmission option. Sigh...

Late March is the date you're looking for. This is when they started to ditch the story related stuff.

 

[SestoScudo]

This version if it did happen will have pursuit tech for racers.

No thank you.

Criterion would have turned this one into another mario kart.

 

[JakeMR2]

It would've been more of a action car game to me. With a very emphasis on the cops like the original Most Wanted. At least the Devs wanted to keep it like that with added stuff to it. Kinda saddening, even after trying them.

 

[Sage Ages]

This game's story would've been weird if the concept art is anything to go by:

Spoiler: big obnoxious images

- Locating different blacklist "targets" across the US
- "CIA Agent"
- The Safehouse Compromised mission in the GPMM prototypes mention Mia, suggesting her having some kind of involvement

Then again, the original MW had some pretty weird concepts so who am I to judge Criterion.

 

[HyperSpeeder]

The reason why this Most Wanted wouldn't work is because the old one is probably the most iconic game in the whole franchise. There's way too much stuff in it that makes it unique, like the Blacklist cars/racers, the hero car and Sergeant Cross. You can't simply slap the "Most Wanted" name on a remake that borrows the features from the original game but in a half-baked way. The game felt like a lazy cash grab and that's why it wasn't a success.

Besides, the game was too much like Burnout Paradise, with none of the latter's charm. IMO it's one of the least NFS-like games in the franchise. In Payback and Heat, Ghost was able to at least add certain features from Burnout and weld them to the core NFS gameplay in a way that didn't feel forced. Criterion failed to do so in MW2012.

As a side note, Burnout Paradise is really one of the most influential racing games of the last decade. There's reviews for NFS Payback and Heat which state the "inspiration" NFS got from Forza Horizon but the truth is Forza Horizon also copied a lot, and I mean a lot, from Burnout, not to mention the skills system which is taken straight from PGR with the mandatory perk points on top of it, and which NFS has copied as early as Underground 2 (prior to Forza Motorsport!) with its nitrous-refill system.

No wonder Criterion thought rehashing Burnout Paradise could work. Shame it didn't work for this particular game.

 

[Railgun]

Maybe if the named in other way the game could work, and i don't know maybe add some countermeasures for the cops, i don't think that crazy tech from rivals but more like artesanal countermeasures like the oil drop or spikes like those who tested in mythbusters

 

[Sage Ages]

I think the game is fine as is for the most part. Only feel issues are that:

1. It's way too stripped down in content which makes it harder to connect with previous games. When you have to scrap half of your game 8 months before release, you have to make compromises to meet that deadline.

2. Racer vs Racer takedowns were completely unnecessary and really drive home the Burnout connection that people weren't happy about. I suspect that the only reason they're in the game at all is because of the multiplayer.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Ironically, the original MW is the only Black Box era game that I never played for any significant amount (only once or twice at a friend's house). So I have no nostalgic expectations at all associated with the name. On the other hand, I played Burnout Paradise to death when it came out and the NFS game alongside it at that time was Undercover. No guesses which one is better When I read Criterion was taking over NFS, I expected nothing else other than Burnout with real cars, and that's exactly what we got so I'm more than happy with MW 2012. As I've said in the other thread, NFS by that point didn't really have an identity anymore. The most important thing is fun, and MW 2012 delivered that in spades 👍

 

[HyperSpeeder]

Ironically, the original MW is the only Black Box era game that I never played for any significant amount (only once or twice at a friend's house). On the other hand, I played Burnout Paradise to death when it came out and the NFS game alongside it at that time was Undercover. No guesses which one is better When I read Criterion was taking over NFS, I expected nothing else other than Burnout with real cars, and that's exactly what we got so I'm more than happy with MW 2012. As I've said in the other thread, NFS by that point didn't really have an identity anymore. The most important thing is fun, and MW 2012 delivered that in spades 👍

Hey, we all have different tastes!

I think the only consistent identity NFS has kept is the sense of speed. It's one of the fastest games out there, or at least the one that feels the fastest. It's been this way for a long time now, with the odd exception. High Stakes on PC wasn't realistic at all but it was so fast-paced that being fast in it took a lot of effort. The Undergrounds and anything that came after are much the same.

I wouldn't mind it if the next NFS was an evolution of Heat. The patient took medicine and they felt better, so why give up on them? MW2012 wasn't "terrible" to play, but I didn't like the "heaviness". Rivals, to me, felt like an improvement, then for some reason they abandon it and bring the NFS15 physics which had countless flaws, despite being based on the same engine. Both Payback and Heat were stages in correcting those flaws. Difficult to understand...

 

[Justuxful]

Most Wanted 2012 is one of my all time fav and most played games, I still play it regularly on my laptop.

I absolutely love just how fun and chaotic this game is, I just love switching between all the cars, smashing police and drifting everywhere, it’s brilliant!

I never cared that it wasn’t a “true” Most Wanted, or that it was just Burnout Paradise with real cars, because that sounds like a dream game

I just adore this game and would love a direct sequel for it, imo it’s not only one if the best NFS games ever, it’s one of the best racing games ever!

 

[Sage Ages]

The game ticks all the boxes for a Most Wanted in my eyes. It just also happens to tick some boxes for Burnout Paradise, for better and worse.



Also ticks a few boxes for shooter games weirdly enough. Very similar form of online progression.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Hey, we all have different tastes!

I think the only consistent identity NFS has kept is the sense of speed. It's one of the fastest games out there, or at least the one that feels the fastest. It's been this way for a long time now, with the odd exception. High Stakes on PC wasn't realistic at all but it was so fast-paced that being fast in it took a lot of effort. The Undergrounds and anything that came after are much the same.

I wouldn't mind it if the next NFS was an evolution of Heat. The patient took medicine and they felt better, so why give up on them? MW2012 wasn't "terrible" to play, but I didn't like the "heaviness". Rivals, to me, felt like an improvement, then for some reason they abandon it and bring the NFS15 physics which had countless flaws, despite being based on the same engine. Both Payback and Heat were stages in correcting those flaws. Difficult to understand...

Heat's handling is decent. Problem is at higher speeds and in the fastest cars you still get the underlying feeling of 2015/Payback. It feels like they just put a bandaid on the problem instead of fixing it from the ground up. Sometime I tap the brake and the car doesn't drift, and sometime I'm just feathering the throttle trying to grip round a corner and the car breaks into a tankslapper. If you tune for full grip, be prepared to brake a lot more to make corners and the sensation of terminal understeer at high speeds is still there. It's much better than 2015/Payback, but still not quite intuitive and can be inconsistent at times. On the plus side, offroad handling is superb now, as is drifting once you know to combo speedcross susp/diff + drag tyres.

I didn't play Rivals so I can't comment on that. Did try it once at a friend's place and it feels a lot more loose than HP 2010. On that note, I never really gelled with HP 2010 either. The cars feel stiff and at high speeds it's difficult to make tiny steering adjustments as the front would wander vaguely. Drift initiation is also odd with the split second handbrake, but once you get it it's ok.

I like MW 2012 the most because it's basically Paradise physics with more weight (the opposite to you ). Drift initiation, maintenance and exit are all very intuitive. There is a good level of grip even if you don't drift. It's just clear which corners you can take by grip, or you have to drift. Also the live tuning is an amazing tool strategy wise if you know how to exploit it and adjust on the fly. Each car has their own distinct personality, and with the tuning that expands it further. The only complaint I have is over bumps sometimes the suspension can feel a bit "wallowy", but you get used to it eventually.

Black Box era grip handling was good up until Carbon. The Run tried to experiment on this with more suspension movement and sense of weight but the end result is a bit weird. Don't know how much of that is physics changes or limitations with Frostbite though.

PS1 era games, at the time it felt ok but when I tried them again with an emulator honestly they all felt pretty meh NFS I-III was consistent but nothing special. High Stakes tried to hard to ape Gran Turismo at the time with more suspension movement but again the cars just felt wobbly. Porsche Unleashed just feels like HS with a grip patch on the rear. They're ok for their time but obviously things have moved on.

 

[Sage Ages]

Ghost's "grip" handling in Heat is a band-aid fix. They made it so cars don't enter drifts as easily but you still have crippling understeer and less actual grip than even some of the more drifting-focused games had.

 

[AOS-]

Also the live tuning is an amazing tool strategy wise if you know how to exploit it and adjust on the fly. Each car has their own distinct personality, and with the tuning that expands it further. The only complaint I have is over bumps sometimes the suspension can feel a bit "wallowy", but you get used to it eventually.

Speaking of, I've explored that one time to set this record, though someone else beat that without changing anything:

 

[AnthonyD1993]

One of my friends was talking about getting this game again to go for the platinum trophy. I guess I'll be digging out my PS3 at some point to play this for the first time in 2 or 3 years.

 

[Nexus]

Some interesting stuff on this channel.

 

[Sage Ages]

It's mostly just stuff taken from other channels and some probably misinformed theorizing.