mercurynews.com: "Need for Speed: Most Wanted" (Electronic Arts, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, $59.99; PC, $49.99) is the most gleefully irresponsible of this year's racing games. It was developed by Criterion Games, the British studio best known for the "Burnout" franchise, and it shares that series' obsession with vehicular mayhem.
In "Forza Horizon" (Microsoft, for the Xbox 360, $59.99), British studio Playground Games takes U.S. developer Turn 10's exemplary car-geek series off the racetrack and onto the open road. Instead of offering a tour of classic tracks like Le Mans, the new "Forza" moves the action to the fictional Horizon Festival in Colorado.
After nearly three decades of NFS games, here's a list of the best Need For Speed titles that have ever been released in the past years, ranked by The Nerd Stash.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted debuted in 2005, with the Xbox 360 version being the first then next-generation title in the franchise.
This game was awesome! I remember reloading my save if I didn’t get the pink slip from my blacklist rival
Forza Horizon has been around for 10 years today, but due to the franchise's constant "End Of Life" policies, it's hard to celebrate.
Literally the only XBox exclusive that I still regularly play. I'm glad I had bought FH3 (PC) when I did, but this really sucks for other people who never picked it up. I still love the Australian Outback setting most of all.
Need For Speed: Most Wanted = 3.5 Stars out of 4.
Forza: Horizon = 3 Stars out of 4.
I couldn't put both scores above.
Who ever reviewed these games needs to NEVER review another racing game EVER again. Than again this isn't really much of a review but more like an article on the titles. There is no substance.
Either or doesn't matter. NFS Most Wanted is an abomination. Just another smash and grab title with EA trying to cash in on the Need for Speed name. Forza Horizon is an excellent title from start to finish. It has the physics of the Forza franchise with the open world / arcade style feel of so many other great titles of the past. Forza Horizon is a fantastic first try from a collaboration of talent from so many racing studios. I can't wait for the expansion later this month.
No site should even mention thees two games in the same sentence unless they are telling EA this is what (Forza Horizon) you should strive to become.
NFS Most Wanted is Burn Out Paradise with cop cars. Not that this is a bad thing but it feels very dated. It's the same damn game as BO:Paradise. Same engine, same graphics, identical gameplay. It was great several years ago but it could've and should've been so much more. Nearly every gamer I know is a racing fanatic and I don't know one that thinks NFS:MW is a great game. Reasoning being? Because it's not.
Forza: Horizon is quite a decent game.
Need For Speed: Most Wanted is crap.