Need For Speed: The Run

Not worth a quarter of the price. Little to zero implementation of the Wii's capabilities and a dull poorly crafted game world. I spent 5 minutes on this game before deciding it was going back. Generic, lack luster and outdated.

I found this to be a solid driving game with an interesting story which sees you competing in a race across America whilst being chased down by the police and the Mafia. Over the course of the game you will travel through varied landscapes, from city streets to mountains to deserts, which keeps the game fresh. There are a wide variety of cars to drive, all of which handle well (I played using the classic controller. Haven't tried it using nunchuck/wiimote combination). The graphics are very good for the Wii. I particularly liked the slow motion effect that occurs when taking out a rival racer or a police car. Each level within story mode is based around different objectives, such as overtake a certain number of racers, escape from the police, or get through checkpoints within a certain time limit, and each level usually has an impressive set piece (jumping over a train, dodging falling boulders and evading a police helicopter all spring to mind). Although I completed the story mode after a few days of play, there is also a challenge mode with unlockable cars and different objectives which has kept me playing.

I did find a couple of the levels involving checkpoints a bit frustrating, the time limits were so strict that making just one mistake meant it was impossible to reach the finish in time, resulting in quite a few retries. Also, I would have liked the option to choose the music before each race, as some of the tracks aren't to my liking. The car customisation mode could have been better (you cycle the parts using the A button, so if you accidentally go past a set of alloys you like, you have to cycle through the remaining 30 plus sets before you get back to them again. Why not just let us use left and right on the d-pad?!) Apart from these minor annoyances, I found this to be a game well worthy of purchase.

I found this to be a solid driving game with an interesting story which sees you competing in a race across America whilst being chased down by the police and the Mafia. Over the course of the game you will travel through varied landscapes, from city streets to mountains to deserts, which keeps the game fresh. There are a wide variety of cars to drive, all of which handle well (I played using the classic controller. Haven't tried it using nunchuck/wiimote combination). The graphics are very good for the Wii. I particularly liked the slow motion effect that occurs when taking out a rival racer or a police car. Each level within story mode is based around different objectives, such as overtake a certain number of racers, escape from the police, or get through checkpoints within a certain time limit, and each level usually has an impressive set piece (jumping over a train, dodging falling boulders and evading a police helicopter all spring to mind). Although I completed the story mode after a few days of play, there is also a challenge mode with unlockable cars and different objectives which has kept me playing.

I did find a couple of the levels involving checkpoints a bit frustrating, the time limits were so strict that making just one mistake meant it was impossible to reach the finish in time, resulting in quite a few retries. Also, I would have liked the option to choose the music before each race, as some of the tracks aren't to my liking. The car customisation mode could have been better (you cycle the parts using the A button, so if you accidentally go past a set of alloys you like, you have to cycle through the remaining 30 plus sets before you get back to them again. Why not just let us use left and right on the d-pad?!) Apart from these minor annoyances, I found this to be a game well worthy of purchase.