The 2012 version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted is an open-world racing game developed by Criterion Games featuring a large city where tons of challenges and events await you in a thrilling and fast-paced atmosphere.

Gameplay

Open-world: You will explore the open-world environment of Fairhaven City, which is totally accessible from the beginning of the game. As you explore the large city, you will discover new locations and atmospheres where challenges await you.
Cars: Over 40 different cars are available from various manufacturers like Alfa Romeo, Ariel, Aston Martin, Audi, BAC, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Caterham, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Hennessey, Jaguar, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Lancia, Landa Rover, Lexus, Marussia, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pagani, Pontiac, Porsche, Shelby, SRT, Subaru, and Tesla.
Customization: Each vehicle has specific performance statistics governing its control, top speed, acceleration, toughness, or off-road ability. Of course, those statistics can be upgraded with the application of modifications.

Freeroam: As you travel across the city, you will be able to find Speed Cameras, Security Gates, and Billboards that reward players with Speed Points. Also, the city features a series of Repair Shops you can pass through to repair your car, refill Nitrous all at once, and change your car's paint color. And another cool feature, you can dynamically switch to another vehicle without going to a garage.
Pursuit: The city's police department will chase you, and you will face different levels of pursuit triggered as you commit crimes. Each level has a specific duration, and you will move to the next one once the time is up. For example, at level 1, only a simple police patrol car will try to catch you, but at level 6, an unmarked Chevrolet Corvette C6 and helicopters will hunt you down through the entire city. In addition, you will be rewarded with Speed Points for colliding with police vehicles and traffic, takedowns, reaching the next heat level, and evasive maneuvers.
Events: Over 60 different events await you to ensure there is always something to challenge your skills. You will find events like Sprint races, where you need to travel from one point to another; Circuit races, where you will have to win in a two or three-laps race; and Speed runs involving driving at the highest average speed possible.

Graphics and sound

Need for Speed: Most Wanted offers good graphics for a 2012 game and features thrilling, fast-paced soundtracks composed by Chris Green and Vanesa Lorena Tate, enhancing the game's exciting atmosphere.

Duration and game modes

Need for Speed: Most Wanted offers solo and multiplayer experiences that will take about 10 hours to complete if you focus on the main story but over 20 hours if you strive to discover all the extras.

Single player: This is the game's main mode, where you can free-roam through the city and participate in challenges. About cars, you can unlock them by finding their location in Fairhaven City.
Multiplayer: In the multiplayer mode, you will experience intense competition, team races, persistent scoring, deep ranking, and a lot of rewards and modifications for your cars. Also, each multiplayer instance has a specific SpeedList, which is a collection of up to five events, including Challenge, Speed Test, Race, or Team Race. About cars, you can unlock most of them by earning Speed Points towards their SpeedLevel, and some others have unique unlock requirements.

What do the reviews say?

Need for Speed: Most Wanted has received a Metacritic score of 78/100.

"The new incarnation of Need for Speed: Most Wanted is something we have seen before. Developers from Criterion Games have merged Burnout and NFS, but the name Most Wanted is just a marketing ploy. The game has almost nothing in common with its famous predecessor but it's not a bad game. The British developer is one of the best racing games creators and has a certain way of doing things - their products are always at least good. Even though Most Wanted looks like an autoplagiarism, it's a game capable of giving lots of fun." (GRYOnline.pl)