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I'm in love with my car
Gearheads will be able to get their virtual freak on in the garage - each car is able to be upgraded and tuned with parts to improve the mechanics (brakes, transmission, tires, engine, and so on) and the aesthetics (like decals, tint, and paint). You've got to have the cash, though, so don't go wasting your money pimping out that Lexus IS 300 that you start off with so much that you can't spend the money later on for your Mercedes SLK. While this allows the mechanically-inclined gamer to tinker to their heart's content, there's no reason to fear if you don't know the difference between an overhead valve and a universal joint. NFS Most Wanted doesn't assume you can navigate your way around a toolbench, and makes it pretty easy to soup up your ride without getting frustrated by confusing idiosyncracies (yes, we're looking at you Forza Motorsport).
All of the cars are real, and there's a good variety of styles as you advance through the game. You start off with compacts, but the good stuff will come soon enough…and by the time you're in the Top 5 or so you'll have your hands on a supercar or three. Beating the racers on the blacklist will give you a few things – the opportunity to try and take their car (by choosing from a list of hidden prizes), get some "get out of jail cards" (very handy when you get busted, which you will), get free upgrades, and cash. Those of you who love your Xbox 360 achievements (you know who you are) will be happy to know that for each person you beat, you'll get correlating points – the higher up you go, the more you get.
NFSis not all fuel-injected perfection, though. The online mode suffers from a lack of creativity and seems more like an afterthought than anything else. There's no Pursuit mode on Xbox Live (still haven't figured that one out), so you're stuck with Circuit, Sprint, and Drag modes, and even those only handle up to 4 players. It's pretty obvious that Microsoft's edict that all racing games feature online capabilities is the only reason it's here. It's fun to a point – for example, you can bring your custom car online - but there's no long-term tilt factor that'll get you out of the story mode anytime soon.
Overall, Need for Speed Most Wanted is a seriously entertaining single-player experience. It looks great, controls well, and offers a load of thrills, speed, and mayhem. It's got depth and length to it, and provides a satisfying alternative to the other more "by-the-numbers" Xbox 360 launch driving games Ridge Racer 6 and Project Gotham Racing 3. If you've got a 360 and an itch to cause some destruction, you'll find a lot to like here – Poser Mobile crew excepted.
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