Need For Speed: Most UN-Wanted on the DS?
So to be honest, Need For Speed: Most Wanted hardly makes use of the DS’s touch screen in any constructive way other than as a big extra button and an info panel. So what about the game itself? How does it play? Well, the truth is that it’s a pretty poor representation of Need For Speed… So much so that if you’ve played it on any home console you’re going to feel sorely disappointed with this. Now I know that the PS2 and Game Cube are vastly more powerful than a DS but that begs the question as to why bother making a DS version if the console can’t handle it? Need For Speed is all about screaming about in souped up cars and the DS just isn’t up to conveying that sense of speed in any convincing manner. The cars look flat and bland, almost as if the game is cel-shaded which it obviously isn’t.
The tracks themselves are detailed enough with the various backgrounds and backdrops all giving a good impression of racing around an urban environment. Everything has that ‘grainy’ low-res feel that we’ve come to expect from the DS though and you won’t find any of the speed blurring, light trails or flying debris in the console versions. The biggest problem comes down to the size of the screen and the view which is just too restrictive to give you a fighting chance at being competitive. This leads to a frustrating experience as you scream along at 120 Mph to then slam into a dirty great barrier as you come over a hill… you just can’t see far enough ahead of you. Things improve a little if you use the bumper camera view but you’ll find yourself not getting very far until you’ve learnt the courses.
This brings me to my next gripe, which is the control system. EA should have really looked at using the touch screen for the steering as the d-pad, though it works, leaves a lot to be desired. Being a digital input, the longer you hold it down the more the car turns but the delay between a little bit or left and full lock is far too long… and with some parts of the tracks requiring a full left, full right, full left twitch of the wheel, you’ve got no chance of getting around without bouncing of the Armco. This makes winning a race, even the lower level easy races, very difficult and whilst not impossible, the frustration level is worringly high.
Things don’t particularly improve in multiplayer either with the one consolation being that at least everybody else is pinging around the track like a pinball too, giving you a chance of winning the race. Sadly, it’s still the same game engine and control system so although you won’t see the AI cars disappearing off into the distance, (if you could see that far anyway), you’ll still be battling against a car that steers like a tank.
So, is Need For Speed: Most Wanted worth it on the DS? I’m afraid the answer is no, it’s not. Considering that a lot of DS owners tend to be the younger gamers, they’ll soon get frustrated by the lack of progress and the difficult control system. If you’ve got this on a home console and have bought this for a bit of mobile racing you’ll find it to be a disappointing shadow of the home console versions.
Pros
Easy multiplayer
You can draw your own decals
Cons
Everything else
Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the Nintendo DS is like entering a 1979 Austin Allegro in the Le Mans 24 hour and expecting a podium place… it just ain’t gonna happen.
