With the recent cross platform releases of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, the features within the game vary for each system. The PSP version, other than being able to slip into your pocket and a fancy addition to the name, has its own unique features that can’t be found in the other versions. As you can tell from the name of the game, you will find yourself not only driving at breakneck speeds to win street races, but you will also need to outrun the law that is trying to toss you into the hoosegow for your felonious shenanigans.

As most street racing games are these days, the customization and ability to build and add to your whip is a large part of the game. Most Wanted is no different in these regards albeit a bit more limited. You have 16 cars to choose from, 3 that are available from the get go and the rest that are unlocked as you progress throughout each of the members on the blacklist in career mode. The blacklist is a list of racers that each have a set number of tracks that you need to pass until you can face them one on one. The types of races that you will need to compete in are circuit; a regular 4 car circuit, time trial; where you need to beat the clock, knockout; where the last person in each lap gets disqualified and bumped out of the race and finally, heat challenge; where you need to complete a number of heats to win the entire race. Once you have beaten which ever of these races are required, you will earn respect for each and when you have enough, you will then be able to face the boss. Defeat him or her and you move up the blacklist and unlock new cars as well as performance upgrades, visual upgrades and new tracks.

You can take a break from the career mode and create custom races or play two other interesting modes entitled Outrun and Tuner Takedown. Tuner Takedown allows you to take the role of the police cars and chase after the lawbreakers as they race. Police cars, such as SUV’s and wagons, can be unlocked as you successfully make your way through the 15 different tuner takedown tracks. Outrun is a mode that allows you to try your hand at using tricks and dirty deeds or good old fashion speed to lose the police tail that is all over you like white on rice. In addition to the single player Career mode and Quick Match modes, there is also a multiplayer aspect. You can use either ad hoc to play against those around you or use infrastructure mode to connect to EA Nation and play against anyone else that is logged in. The multiplayer is a nice addition since you can race your pimped out rides against other users and the customized cars that they have built.

The main focus of NfS: MW is of course street racing and earning respect but what’s street racing without the heat coming down on you for it. On your dash, you have a heat meter to indicate just how safe or reckless you are driving. Once the meter reaches a certain level, the police come out of hiding and stop at nothing to make sure you end up behind bars. The meter rises when ever you do something illegal and since you are street racing at phenomenal speeds, it doesn’t take much to get the fuzz all over you. Once they are after you, that’s when the frustration sets in. The police are just insanely aggressive and have the most bizarre AI seen in a game in a long time. When the police are chasing after you, no matter how fast your car is, the police will always catch you. If you lead them into other cars to make them crash, they will catch up to you in no time and will do their best to make you fish tail and wipe out which will pretty much ruin any timed race and any circuit race if they happen to get you on the last lap.

In addition to their rocket powered police cars, they are able to set up road blocks and use spike strips to catch you. The barriers they set up are just odd. Sometimes they will be off to the shoulder of the road where they are totally ineffective and sometimes they are right at the bottom of a hill so you can only see it at the last minute. Once you hit one of the barriers head on, you are done for. Hit restart and hope for some better luck. You do have a special technique available to you called Speed Breaking, which for all intents and purposes, is a bullet time type effect for your car. The problem with speed breaking is, by the time you realize you need to use it, it’s too late since you are traveling so fast.

The graphics of Most Wanted are pretty impressive for the PSP and there were absolutely no slowdowns experienced at all. The reflections off the cars are well done as is just about everything else in the game visually. Seeing the sun reflect off the side mirrors is just a small example that shows the attention to detail that was paid. One of the odd things you will notice after a while is that there are no night time races. Every race takes place at various times during the day, but they are all during the daylight hours. The pace of the game does start slow for the first few racers on the blacklist, but once you start to win races and are able to upgrade your ride, the game quickly ramps up the speed and difficulty and provides for some fantastic racing action. That is, until the cops arrive and ruin all the fun, literally.