Home Gaming Criterion’s Need for Speed Most Wanted is free on PC right now

Criterion’s Need for Speed Most Wanted is free on PC right now

1 min read
0

Need for Speed most wanted free on Origin

I don’t consider Need for Speed the best racing series, but there’s a reason it has a certain standing in gaming history. If I had to cherry-pick the racing franchise I loved the most, it would most definitely be Burnout. The destructive minds at Criterion cemented themselves in my memory with titles like Burnout Revenge and Paradise, so it’s no wonder that one of the last Need for Speed games I appreciated came from them too.

And it’s now free for everyone on Origin thanks to On the House.

On the House is a frequent gift that EA likes to initiate from time to time, gifting PC players with free games that are then added to your account for good. Past titles have included the likes of Jade Empire, Dead Space and Red Alert 2, with Need For Speed: Most Wanted now joining the lot. All you have to do is login and hit download, and the game will automatically be added to your name. Free of charge.

What made Most Wanted a little more compelling than Need for Speed titles since wasn’t the name, but rather the open-world and structure of it all. It called back to an older time in Need for Speed history, and the nostalgic beats with the gorgeous visuals made for a fast-paced, compelling racing game. Even if the focus on trying to build a good narrative around it all never really worked. Again.

Still if it’s some of the prime racing Need for Speed ever experience you want to enjoy, then there’s no reason not to take up EA’s offer here. It was Criterion’s last Need for Speed title they worked on alone, so if not for Need for Speed do it for them. And just try and pretend that we’re getting another Burnout. One day.

And now I’m sad.

Last Updated: February 3, 2016

No Comments

  1. Second to GRID 2 this was probably one of the worst car/racing games of the time.
    I can see why it’s free.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      February 3, 2016 at 09:47

      Wait what? For me this was the last NFS title that was pretty good… It could be nostalgia, it certainly was before my eyes were opened and I finally saw the reptilian overlords plotting to overthrow the gaming industry under the guise of EA

      Reply

      • Captain JJ 'saurus

        February 3, 2016 at 09:50

        The last NFS title that was playable was Carbon for me.
        If they named this NFS 2012 then, MAYBE it might have had me play it longer than 30mins (possibly 40). But don’t try to sell it as a new Most Wanted, because it’s not. It had nothing that made the old Most Wanted good.
        There was no monetary system either. You just happen to unlock cars that you then conveniently find around the world without needing to ever save up and properly earn them. The whole premise was just bad, for me at least 🙂

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          February 3, 2016 at 09:56

          Ah, I see your point. The name aside I had fun with it or it might be nostalgia…

          Reply

        • Dresden

          February 3, 2016 at 10:12

          Totally agree! I never understood the point of this game.

          Reply

        • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

          February 3, 2016 at 10:16

          I can’t play arcade racers, they frustrate me to the extent where trying to eat your own nose without the use of utensils seems more viable…

          Reply

          • Captain JJ 'saurus

            February 3, 2016 at 10:33

            I do play arcade racing games, but only a select few, and then usually with a friend for some mindless fun (like The Crew). But nothing beats a good sim. 🙂

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            February 3, 2016 at 10:45

            Good man! Having played Sim racers for the last 10 years, I’ve forgotten how to steer using a keyboard, aparently holding onto the sides and turning it only causes the cable to snag on the screen and potentially pull your PC off of the table, leaving you sitting there with an apish expression and a huge blow to your ego…

          • Captain JJ 'saurus

            February 3, 2016 at 12:29

            Haha.
            I only use a controller for arcade. I cannot do a dead accelerator and steering like a keyboard. I need to be able to feather the throttle (even in arcades) and I need to be able to steer a little bit.
            So I’m set up for right stick throttle and brake, left stick steering.

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            February 3, 2016 at 12:49

            I can’t hey, I’ve tried so many times, the issue isn’t with the analog sticks, it lies with the translation between what my feet have to do which my hands then have to take over, usually I end up stomping my feet in an attempt to brake… What I have found works for me is to dedicate the triggers as brake and accelerate, simply because both get used depending on the race, and steering on either of the sticks.

          • Captain JJ 'saurus

            February 3, 2016 at 14:26

            Haha. I can understand that.

  2. Captain JJ 'saurus

    February 3, 2016 at 09:53

    My Origin seems to be full of games that I’ll never play. Maybe I’ll just add it anyway.

    Reply

  3. schitsophrenic-toothbrush

    February 3, 2016 at 09:54

    Touche EA….touche

    Reply

  4. Commander Admiral Chief

    February 3, 2016 at 11:36

    Shit, I actually got this as a gift a few years ago…..still in the box

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

FIFA and EA Split? How Did it Happen and What Now for the Future of the Franchise?

In life, there are many staples, peanut butter and jam, bread and a toaster, and in gaming…