Publisher: EA Games

Developer: EA Canada

Release Date: Fall 2005

The Basics: Most Wanted pinches the open city and deep car customization of the best-selling Need for Speed: Underground series, adds the smokeys-and-bandits cop chases from previous NFS incarnation Hot Pursuit, and puts it all online. As your racer becomes more and more wanted by the coffee-spilling doughnut-eaters, you’ll inch higher on the “blacklist” of most notorious drivers. Which, presumably, tops out at “Duke brothers.”

The 360 Factor: Well, so far you’ve got your really nice graphics and your beefed-up online features, although the game’s producer, Michael Mann, is playing coy on that front: “It’s still early to confirm anything, but I can share with you that we are looking at how we can enhance the experience for the Xbox 360 and that core mechanics like the blacklist and reputation will be part of the online experience.” Huh. You do that, and don’t forget to let us play as cops, too.

Though we haven’t seen the game in motion yet, it’s clear that the cars themselves look almost photo-realistic, thanks, mainly, to a technique Mann calls “laser scanning.” “A laser wand is scanned over the car to provide geometry and surface textures of the vehicle,” explains Mann, “which generates amazing detail, like flecks in the paint. And yes—you can see the paint flecks on the in-game cars.”

Is It Next-Gen Enough? We reserve the right to be surprised, but considering that Most Wanted is also coming to current-gen platforms, it seems very likely that the Xbox 360 version will be distinguished by its graphics more than anything else. If those graphics are prettying up an otherwise excellent racing game, then it may well be enough.

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly.