Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Need for Speed: Most Wanted combines illegal street racing with intense police chases and a story full of rivalry. In this game, you play as a new street racer who has lost everything and must fight his way back up the notorious Blacklist: a list of the 15 most feared racers in the city of Rockport.

By winning races, evading police, and building reputation, you challenge increasingly higher Blacklist racers. Each defeated opponent yields their car to you, plus access to new parts and areas. The races are varied: circuits, sprints, eliminations, and of course intense bounty runs where you must cause chaos to increase your wanted status.

The GameCube version offers a slightly stripped-down experience compared to the PS2 and Xbox versions, but retains all core components: fast-paced action, police chases, tuning options, and an exciting build-up to the ultimate rival — Razor.

3 fun facts:

1. Live-action cutscenes: The game uses real actors blended with CGI backgrounds for the story scenes, which was innovative for a racing game at the time.
2. Police with personality: Officers react to your behavior. The more often you escape or cause chaos, the more aggressive and smarter they become — including the use of roadblocks, spike strips, and helicopters.
3. BMW M3 GTR: The grey and blue M3 GTR from the opening race has become legendary and is still considered one of the most iconic cars in Need for Speed history. 

3 fun facts:

1. Open world: This was the first Need for Speed game with a fully open world. You have to drive to races yourself, discover shops, and find secret parts in Bayview.
2. Product placement everywhere: Brands like Best Buy, Burger King, and Cingular Wireless (US) are literally present in the game — through neon signs, advertisements, and even in-game bonuses.
3. No police: Unlike other installments in the series (like Hot Pursuit), there are no police chases in Underground 2. Everything revolves around the street racing culture here.

Rating: 10/10