PSP's Most Wanted
Need for Speed drops the Underground and picks up the 5-0.
Published: April 11, 2005
Looks like everyone loves going Underground, or at least around 15 million of you. EA's street racing franchise isn't just popular across nearly every platform EA floods store shelves with, it's hot. Nay, hawt. And given that EA is the world's foremost expert on milking a successful franchise till it ain't got no more milkin' to be had, we almost yawned when the announcement of yet another Need for Speed game was in the works (to be fair, we hadn't had our coffee yet, but it's still about as surprising as a two month late summer here in the Bay Area).
But what's this? It appears it'll be arriving sans the now-infamous Underground moniker. The instead not-so-modestly-dubbed Need for Speed Most Wanted will still retain the import scene vibe and tuning aspects, but it mixes in the older NFS aspect of racers and black and whites -- cops to those of you that don't try to sound hip with old lingo.
Here's the gist: in an effort to build cred among your fellow street racers, you'll have to outrun the fuzz to notch entries on your Rap Sheet, which in turn moves you up the Black List until the law deems you rubber burning public enemy numero uno, eventually picking up more than a half dozen tails in the process. Need for Speed Underground 2's same free-roaming approach to conquering the streets will be recycled for the new entry (though we aren't sure how complete the PSP experience will be once disc streaming and the battery drain it entails is factored in), as well as a better assortment of upgradable rides, with varieties like tuners, muscle, sports and supercars.
In proper EA fashion, the game will be showing up on every platform in existence, including "a next-generation console," though which one is still up in the air. Our bet is EA is dangling the offer out in the open for the big three console manufacturers to fight over, with the winner likely getting the chance to show off the extra-fancy version at their E3 press conference. When E3 does finally arrive, we'll bring you more info.
But what's this? It appears it'll be arriving sans the now-infamous Underground moniker. The instead not-so-modestly-dubbed Need for Speed Most Wanted will still retain the import scene vibe and tuning aspects, but it mixes in the older NFS aspect of racers and black and whites -- cops to those of you that don't try to sound hip with old lingo.
Here's the gist: in an effort to build cred among your fellow street racers, you'll have to outrun the fuzz to notch entries on your Rap Sheet, which in turn moves you up the Black List until the law deems you rubber burning public enemy numero uno, eventually picking up more than a half dozen tails in the process. Need for Speed Underground 2's same free-roaming approach to conquering the streets will be recycled for the new entry (though we aren't sure how complete the PSP experience will be once disc streaming and the battery drain it entails is factored in), as well as a better assortment of upgradable rides, with varieties like tuners, muscle, sports and supercars.
In proper EA fashion, the game will be showing up on every platform in existence, including "a next-generation console," though which one is still up in the air. Our bet is EA is dangling the offer out in the open for the big three console manufacturers to fight over, with the winner likely getting the chance to show off the extra-fancy version at their E3 press conference. When E3 does finally arrive, we'll bring you more info.
