Well, the game is out in the US now and went live on PSN last night which is the version I've got. I picked this up with some caution after Hot Pursuit was the first Criterion racer to leave me cold. I've only had time to give this a quick go so far so here's some quick impressions.
With Forza Horizon out so close and also being an open world racer I was unsure if they'd prove to similar but booting the game up quickly dismisses such thoughts. MW is a bit odd to move to after the smooth engine of Forza, the PS3 version has the jaggies you'd expect and the framerate is fine but not as solid as in Horizon. There is however a lot more detail to the visuals, you won't get gorgeous vistas but you do get rain glistened roads and sun streaked skyscrapers. Criterion has definitely taken Paradise as the basis and then rooted it in more grounded design. You'll recognise many of the distractions very quickly and there is a vertical element to the city though it's kostly jumps and ramps rather than Paradises rollercoaster style tricks.
The controls take a little getting used to, the cars that you drive by stumbling across during playtime are fast and punchy but drifting and sharp braking is essential as this is that bit more arcadey than Forza was. The police chases seem well balanced so far too, you can get away easy enough, its just staying hidden long enough to not restart the chase that needs caution.
It hasn't hit me like Paradise did but first impressions are pretty good and with more play it could develop into quite and addictive game as the framework seems solid
With Forza Horizon out so close and also being an open world racer I was unsure if they'd prove to similar but booting the game up quickly dismisses such thoughts. MW is a bit odd to move to after the smooth engine of Forza, the PS3 version has the jaggies you'd expect and the framerate is fine but not as solid as in Horizon. There is however a lot more detail to the visuals, you won't get gorgeous vistas but you do get rain glistened roads and sun streaked skyscrapers. Criterion has definitely taken Paradise as the basis and then rooted it in more grounded design. You'll recognise many of the distractions very quickly and there is a vertical element to the city though it's kostly jumps and ramps rather than Paradises rollercoaster style tricks.
The controls take a little getting used to, the cars that you drive by stumbling across during playtime are fast and punchy but drifting and sharp braking is essential as this is that bit more arcadey than Forza was. The police chases seem well balanced so far too, you can get away easy enough, its just staying hidden long enough to not restart the chase that needs caution.
It hasn't hit me like Paradise did but first impressions are pretty good and with more play it could develop into quite and addictive game as the framework seems solid
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