Hot Pursuit was one of my most favorite racing titles when I was younger. There’s something about avoiding the cops while going 150MPH. Most Wanted aims to bring that feeling back with the additional features that games like Midnight Club and NFS Underground offered. Blending the car genre with speed, style, attitude, and cops, Most Wanted flies into the Next-Gen racing scene as a force to be reckoned.

Most Wanted offers an uncharacteristic, yet interesting single player mode. Much like the Midnight Club, Most Wanted fills your single player experience with actors blended with some very cool visual effects. The whole point of Most Wanted is to win back your car from some snake who sabotaged your wheels during a one on one race. Unfortunately the only way you can do that is to work your way up the black list. But Justin, what’s the black list? I’m glad you asked.

The black list is a list of the 15 most notorious, law breaking racers in the game. To get onto the black list you’ll have to do three things: win races, earn bounties, and impress other racers by pulling off some interesting accomplishments. Winning races is pretty self explanatory but the other two require a little explanation. Earning a bounty is the equivalent to pissing off the cops as much as possible. Wreck their cars, speed by them, cause traffic jams, avoid them for as long as possible; these are the types of actions that build up your bounty. This, by far, is the most fun I’ve had in a racing game. The cops aren’t some mindless drones either. In fact, they’ll create barricades, talk to each other via the radio, ram you off the road, call in backup, and continue to look for you until you either paint your car or avoid them for a really long time. I’ve already experience some Hollywood-like chase scenes and the end result is very satisfying. The more notorious you get, the harder it’ll be to go on those relaxing Sunday drives in the park.

Most Wanted doesn’t have an extensive car list (Audi, Lexus, Toyota to name a few), but the one thing I do enjoy about this title is that there isn’t one car that can obliterate all the other cars. Through modifications and tuning, each car stands a chance. Now that’s not to say a Lamborghini won’t beat a Lexus. Let’s use some common sense people.

Getting to the top of the black list will take some time. Most Wanted offers a free roaming type of racing. When you’re not competing in races feel free to drive past the donut shop to cause some grief to the boys in blue. The world map isn’t huge but with all of the races and cop chases you’ll get into, Most Wanted will offer plenty of game time. In fact, the only real disappointment I have is that there isn’t some type of Pursuit/Cop chase mode for online fanatics. Instead, just you’re normal races. The whole fun factor comes from the cop feature, why not offer that online?

My first Xbox 360 racing title and I have to say it looks quite gorgeous. Using a beautiful array of colors, backdrops, and lighting, Most Wanted really is a sight to behold. The sense of speed might not be like Burnout, but that’s more than made up for with the interesting physic system put into place. Everything from street signs, barrels, and other destructible parts can be crashed into and flung through the air. It’s almost as if Most Wanted blended Midnight Club and Burnout into one very fluid system. Most Wanted also uses normal mapping (think Doom 3, Far Cry, and even Halo 2), and real time lighting to create a quite the stunning piece of art work.

The one issue I do have a problem with is the ability to add decals and colors seems to show a lack of effort. Again comparing to Midnight Club III, a game where you could pick oodles of different color designs, Most Wanted has limited options. Also, there seems to be a slight pixilation when looking at decals up close. Nit picking I might be, as this is a great looking racing game. The cars, the world, and even the presentation makes this game great to play as well as look at.

The most noteworthy music from this title is the orchestrated chase track. This adrenalin pumping music gets my blood going and helps create a memorable chase scene every time the cops are baring down my tailpipe. Listening to traffic whiz by my head lets me know that Dolby Digital 5.1 is in full effect and that I shouldn’t slow down for anyone; even the boys in blue.

The voice acting isn’t bad at all. Combined with the innovative blend of graphics, the actors do a good job of progressing the story. Cop chatter is probably the most interesting as they’ll talk over the radio describing what kind of car you drive, and how they’re setting up a barricade to stop you. It’s like I’m watching an episode of COPS.

I’ve read that Most Wanted was a hard game to play. At first I thought the same until I realized that Most Wanted is a racing game where you’re car doesn’t need to brake at every turn. Once I began to realize that the analog stick is very sensitive to the cars I were driving, I noticed I was crashing less and less.

Like the entire game, the menus are stylish, sleek, and fit the mood perfectly. Spray paint clutters the screen and a black ambience fills the title from start to finish. In fact, the interface is what hooked me in from the first time I popped this title in my 360.

Most Wanted offers plenty of gameplay and tons of fun compared to any other racing title. The high speed chases are the highpoint in this title and should keep gamers occupied for quite some time. Xbox Live support also allows for some much appreciated extended lifetime. Fans of Underground shouldn’t think twice about getting this title as the added features and graphics make it a great buy for the Christmas Holiday. Filled with speed, attitude, and a sleek design, Most Wanted shows us what a Next-Generation action packed racer is all about.