Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Empire City



Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Empire City (Abbreviated NFS:MW-EC) is an upcoming entry in the Need for Speed franchise. It is a direct sequel to 2005's Need for Speed: Most Wanted by EA Black Box and the third overall title to bear the Most Wanted subtitle, after the 2012 reboot developed by Criterion Games. The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X & Microsoft Windows.

Synopsis
You arrive in a new city at the request of a past associate. You've been set up by someone who's connected to the racing scene within this new city. To piece this puzzle together, you're going to need information and money. In order to get these things, you need to do the thing you do best: race. However, you will quickly realize that the game has changed drastically since Rockport. You're gonna go far here.

Gameplay
As a sequel to the original Most Wanted, some of the original’s core gameplay mechanics are carried over in near entirety to Empire City. Like the original, players progress in the game by moving up the Blacklist, a list of the city’s most wanted and most sought after street racers, with the ultimate goal of occupying the top spot and becoming Empire City’s Most Wanted in the process.

To challenge a Blacklist racer, players must complete a required amount of races and accumulate a set total of Bounty Points. If the player bests the Blacklist racer after three consecutive races, the player occupies that racer’s spot. The player also has a random chance of winning that racer’s car after each series.

Players can customize the vehicles they own with visual and performance upgrades as well as Pursuit Tech similar to those last seen in Need for Speed: Rivals. All of which can be purchased with cash they earn after races or Bounty Points if the player does not have enough cash (Purchasing with Bounty Points is recommended only as a last resort). Regarding whether to purchase Pursuit Tech or not, the player must keep in mind that police and Blacklist racers will have access to the same tech as the player moves up in heat level and the Blacklist, respectively.

Game Modes
The game prominently features seven race-oriented events (including the Blacklist Series) and three pursuit-oriented events. Police are integrated into every race event, including the Blacklist Series, with either a minimum, moderate or maximum chance of appearing. Pursuit events are the quickest ways to earn Bounty Points, although the race events award them as well if a pursuit occurs. Pursuit events have no set routes, meaning the player can travel to any location within Empire City that they wish.

Race Game Modes

 * Blacklist Series - A series of three consecutive races featuring only the player and the Blacklist racer the player is challenging. A Blacklist Series can feature any of the other six types of events.
 * Sprint - A traditional street race traveling from one point of the city to another.
 * Circuit - A street race with multiple laps. Most of the circuits are two laps, although there are some with three laps.
 * Speed Challenge - A sprint race where the racer with the highest accumulated speed total wins the race. This event is similar to both the "Speedtrap" event from Most Wanted (2005) and the "Top Speed Run" event from Need for Speed: ProStreet.
 * Drag - A standard drag race with up to three additional racers. Drag races are the only event with minimum police risk guaranteed.
 * Time Attack - A race featuring just the player, where the goal is to make it from point A to point B before time expires. This event is similar to the “Tollbooth” event from Most Wanted (2005).
 * Eliminator - A circuit race where the racer in last place is eliminated after each lap. The number of laps in the race is dependent on the number of racers involved. This event is similar to the "Lap Knockout" event from Most Wanted (2005). If used in a Blacklist Series, this event is two laps long, with the racer in second place being eliminated after the second lap.

Pursuit Game Modes

 * Hunted - A pursuit where the player must escape the police within a set time. If players are at heat level 4 or above, they will start the pursuit surrounded by police. This is the only pursuit event to feature a set time. This event is similar to the "Ambush" event from the 2012 reboot.
 * Cost to State - A pursuit-based event where the player must reach a target cost to state amount before escaping the police. This event is similar to the "Cost of State" challenges from Most Wanted (2005).
 * Bounty Grab - A mode where the player must escape the police before a special Bounty Point meter runs out. The maximum amount of Bounty Points up for grabs is dependent on the player's Blacklist rank and however many points are left once the pursuit ends are awarded to the player. This event take slight inspiration from the "Bounty" milestones from Most Wanted (2005).

Empire City
The titular city is a large, open world environment that rivals Fortune Valley from Need for Speed: Payback in terms of map size. The city takes it name from the bonus track of the same name from Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit and Need for Speed: High Stakes.

From a design standpoint, the city draws slight inspiration from its track namesake and heavy inspiration from the cities of Boston and New York City and their surrounding areas. It also features many accessible regions as well as a wide range of roads.

Like its track inspiration, the city is presented to the player with the strong implication that it is a cyberpunk-like and overall dark environment.

Regions

 * Downtown Empire City - Downtown Empire City is the primary business district in the city. Located in the central part of the map, this region is mostly made up of various large-scale skyscrapers and high-rise hotels. This region also features a large monorail system that extends toward the outermost edges of the city.
 * Kindiak Park - Kindiak Park is the largest public park in Empire City. It is modeled after Central Park in New York City. This region takes its name from the landmark located within the city's track namesake.
 * Interstate 98 "The Superhighway" - Nicknamed "The Superhighway" because of its massive size, Interstate 98 is a major freeway that loops around the city, linking to every region. It is an ideal location for Speed Challenges.
 * Szyslak Point - Szyslak Point is located Northeast of Downtown Empire City. It is one of two entertainment districts (the other being Ivory Shores) and is made up of bars, restaurants and entertainment centers. It is also known for its nightlife and abundant neon signs. This region's name is a reference to Moe Szyslak, owner of Moe's Tavern on The Simpsons.
 * Callahan - Callahan is located Northwest of Downtown Empire City and West of Szyslak Point. This region can be thought of as an extension of Downtown Empire City, as it too is made up of various skyscrapers and upscale buildings. This region's name is a reference to Clarence "Razor" Callahan, the main antagonist from Most Wanted (2005).
 * Crestview - Crestview can be found along the northernmost edge of the city. It is the highest point in Empire City and features a space observatory and a mining quarry as prominent landmarks.
 * Ivory Shores - Ivory Shores is located Southeast of Downtown Empire City and South of Syzslak Point. It is a resort district as well as the second entertainment district in the city; featuring beachside hotels and a pier with a Ferris Wheel as prominent landmarks.
 * Fairhaven Village - Fairhaven Village is located to the West of Downtown Empire City. It is a predominantly residential area made up of homes and apartment complexes. This region's name is a reference to Fairhaven City, the setting of Most Wanted (2012).
 * Hirst International Airport - Hirst International Airport is Empire City's gateway to the rest of the world. It is located West of Fairhaven Village and is accessible through Fairhaven Village or an expressway linked to Interstate 98. This region's name is a reference to Alistair Hirst, composer of the song "Warped" from Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit.
 * Durham Industrial - Durham Industrial can be found South of Fairhaven Village. It is a district made up of storage facilities and various factories. A large nuclear power plant can also be found on the southernmost edge of the region.
 * Johnson Station - Johnson Station is an airfield on the brink of abandonment. It is a decaying location made up of hangars, old and/or wrecked planes and damaged runways. It is located along the Southeastern edge of Crestview and is accessible through Crestview or an expressway linked to Interstate 98.
 * Kaskas Terrace - Kaskas Terrace is a region located North of Fairhaven Village and West-southwest of Crestview. It is an extension of Fairhaven Village (albeit decaying) and a bridge between the two regions. It is the least populated region in Empire City. This region's name is a reference to Saki Kaskas, composer of the song "Flimsy" from Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit.

Architecture
As a whole, Empire City features a unique blend of varying styles of architecture, such as gothic, modern and borderline futuristic. This blend can come off as being unusual as many of the city's regions have been designed with multiple styles present.

Blacklist
In NFS:MW-EC, the blacklist includes 20 racers, up from 15 from Most Wanted (2005) and 10 from the 2012 reboot. As nods to the rest of the series, specific characters from past NFS titles reappear as Blacklist racers.

Members above the player will begin to possess Pursuit Tech once the player becomes Blacklist member 15. Unless otherwise noted, Blacklist member's vehicles have been customized by LoganC22 (See the "Trivia" heading for more details). * NOT an original character by LoganC22 (In the case of Aki Kimura, the “Drift King” nickname is a reference. In the case of Eddie, the name Edward Prince is an original attempt at a full name for him.)

Racer Details
Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Empire City/Blacklist Racer Details

Vehicles
NFS:MW-EC features a total of over 95 vehicles that the player can purchase with cash or Bounty Points. Rather than one continuous list, the game uses the car classification system from the 2012 reboot.

Police
The Empire City Police Department maintains a fleet consisting of 11 types of vehicles that join pursuits at different heat levels. This fleet ranges from Ford Taurus SHO's (their main mode of police transportation) to high tier supercars.

The ECPD's system can be seen as an amalgamation of those from Most Wanted (2005) & Need for Speed: Rivals, as they have the aggressiveness of the former and Pursuit Tech similar to the latter. Unlike the original, players are capable of reaching heat level 6 if they drive dangerously enough. Police do not have access to Pursuit Tech as long as the player is under heat level 4.

Cooldown
The cooldown system is the same as the original Most Wanted. Players begin filling the cooldown meter by escaping from the police and by driving to hiding spots, which fills the meter faster.

Busted
The player will be busted if their busted meter is filled. This meter will start to fill if the player is not moving and has police units around their vehicle. Players that get busted will receive an impound strike and lose all Bounty Points acquired during the pursuit. If the player receives three impound strikes, their vehicle will be seized indefinitely by the ECPD. If all of the player's vehicles are impounded, the player will have to start from the beginning of the game again.

Pursuit Tech
Like in Rivals, Pursuit Tech is a series of weapons and support devices that can be purchased by the player with cash or Bounty Points. Similar to Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010), players have four individual tech slots that they can fill with any tech of their choosing.

There are a total of 12 Pursuit Tech items available (11 by default, 1 unlockable through DLC) that can be selected and equipped. All Pursuit Tech have a set amount of times that they could be used during races and pursuits. Unless otherwise noted, police and other Blacklist racers will also utilize the same tech.


 * Speedbreaker - An iconic gameplay feature from past NFS titles reimagined for Empire City, Speedbreaker temporarily sends the player into a state of slow motion. Players under the Speedbreaker's influence are able to control their vehicle with relative ease as they can dodge RHINO SUV units and maneuver through tight corners and excessive turns without losing speed. This tech is exclusive to the player, and it was last seen in Need for Speed: Undercover (2008).
 * Turbo Boost - A powerful boost system similar to that from Hot Pursuit (2010) that increases the performance of a vehicle's engine drastically for a brief period of time. When activated, vehicles will emit white flames from their exhausts and their maximum top speed will increase an additional 15-25 MPH for the duration of the Turbo. Due to the system's force, older muscle cars equipped with Turbo will wheelie for roughly half of the total duration. Like Speedbreaker, Turbo Boost is exclusive to the player.
 * Shock Ram - A piece of powerful technology mounted on the front of a vehicle that causes an EMP-caliber strike upon contact for additional damage. This tech is limited to the player and ECPD RHINO units (non-roadblock).
 * Spike Strip - A device that drops from the rear of a vehicle before expanding across the road to puncture the tires of a vehicle behind them, immobilizing that vehicle or slowing it down greatly.
 * ReTire - An anti-spike strip system that reinflates a vehicle's tires three seconds after it hits a spike strip. It is the only Pursuit Tech to have an automatic activation, occurring immediately after contact with said spike strip. The player and every Blacklist member above rank ? has access to this tech.
 * EMP - An electromagnetic device that fires an electrical pulse at a target, disrupting its systems for a brief period of time and damaging it, physically and internally.
 * Stun Charge - An electronic device that generates a disruptive charge through the body of a vehicle upon contact. This charge disables a vehicle's electrical systems for three seconds, slowing that vehicle down greatly. This tech is a cross between the Stun Mine and ESF from Rivals.
 * Jammer - Technology that disables the ability for anyone near its activation to use their tech for a brief period of time. The player and every Blacklist member after rank 14 has access to this tech.
 * Shockwave - Pursuit Tech that emits a burst of energy from underneath a vehicle that forcibly repels and damages vehicles closest to its activation.
 * C.O.T. (Counter-Offensive Technology) - An antithesis to the Jammer of sorts, a C.O.T. system disrupts EMP and Stun Charge signals at the last second, redirecting said attacks at the vehicle launching them. This tech has the most limited amount of uses, so it is recommended that it be used accordingly. The player and all non-RHINO ECPD units above heat level 4 have access to this tech.
 * Impact Shield - Pursuit Tech that adds additional strength to a vehicle for a brief period of time. When activated, vehicles will take less damage from hard impacts and have a reduced chance of crashing out. This tech is exclusive to the player and it cannot be equipped on SUV Class vehicles.
 * Boost Ram (DLC) - Technology that upon activation, vehicles' nitrous systems will activate automatically, allowing that vehicle to boost into its target. Boost Ram also adds additional strength to a vehicle's front for its entire duration, essentially guaranteeing a bigger and more violent impact. This tech is exclusive to the player. Given its nature, this tech has the second fewest amount of uses allowed behind the C.O.T. system, so it is recommended that this tech be used accordingly.

DLC
There are currently 3 DLC packs available for purchase across all platforms. These packs award the player with new vehicles and new events among other perks. The packs have a combined price of $39.99 should the player purchase all of them at once.

Movie Titans Pack ($14.99)
The first of the three DLC packs, the Movie Titans Pack features six vehicles from popular films and film franchises. These vehicles cannot be visually customized, although they can still be equipped with performance upgrades and Pursuit Tech. Additional awards included in the pack:


 * 8 new events (1 Sprint, 1 Drag, 2 of every Pursuit Event)
 * 10% discount on all visual customization purchases (Bounty Points)

Need for Speed Legends Pack ($14.99)
The biggest of the three packs, the Need for Speed Legends Pack contains seven iconic vehicles from past NFS titles. Like those in the preceding pack, these vehicles cannot be customized visually, although they can still be equipped with performance upgrades and Pursuit Tech. Additional awards included in the pack:


 * 24 new events (2 of every Pursuit Event, 3 of every non-Blacklist Series Race Event)
 * 10% discount on all vehicle purchases (Bounty Points)
 * 10% discount on all performance upgrade purchases (Bounty Points)
 * "Boost Ram" Pursuit Tech

Extreme Velocity Pack ($9.99)
The smallest of the three packs, the Extreme Velocity Pack contains four Exotic Class vehicles capable of reaching 265+ MPH. Unlike those in the previous packs, these vehicles are visually customizable, albeit only in paint and wraps. Also unlike previous vehicles, these vehicles cannot be equipped with performance upgrades aside from nitrous. They can still be equipped with Pursuit Tech.


 * Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport
 * Hennessey Venom GT
 * Hennessey Venom GT Spyder
 * Koenigsegg Agera R

Additional awards included in the pack:


 * 6 new events (3 Speed Challenges, 2 Sprints, 1 Drag)
 * 5% discount on all vehicle purchases (Bounty Points)

Soundtrack
The game features a soundtrack of 35 songs curated by LoganC22 that the player can listen to while driving. Similar to Need for Speed: Carbon, the soundtrack is split into three sections and dependent on the car class the player is currently driving. However, the player can choose to play all songs in the options menu. All songs are hyperlinked with their respective YouTube videos.

Suggestions
Want to suggest songs or original Blacklist racers for NFS:MW-EC? Feel free to let LoganC22 know! Any and all suggestions will be taken into consideration.

Trivia

 * This is the first Need for Speed title to be released on the newest next-gen consoles.
 * The "Empire City" subtitle was created using Font Meme's "Need for Speed" font generator.
 * The following applications/programs have been used by LoganC22 for the creation of original Blacklist vehicles:
 * NFS Heat Studio
 * Need for Speed: Carbon
 * While in a race with minimum police risk, the player has a random chance of seeing a police helicopter idling in the sky, seemingly watching the player. This is possible by looking back and to the upper left of the screen. This is a callback to Hot Pursuit & High Stakes, where the same thing occurred.
 * In similar fashion, while driving at night, the player has a random chance of seeing a Death Star-like satellite in the sky. This satellite is far off in the distance and only visible if the player looks very carefully.
 * When the player's Pursuit Tech hub gets Jammed, the message "ERROR TR02B" will display onscreen for the duration of the Jammer. This is a reference to the cut track of the same name from Hot Pursuit.
 * The "Race" Class from the 2012 reboot is absent from this game. According to LoganC22, this omission was done in favor of vehicles with more customization possibilities.
 * It is not possible for the player to drive as an ECPD unit.
 * The story functions similarly to the cut storyline from Most Wanted (2012).