History VideoGame / NeedForSpeedMostWanted

* DefeatingTheCheatingOpponent: Razor, the top of the Blacklist, beats you in the race at the start by unscrewing the oil sump of your car, and takes your prized car as his. After working your way up the ranks, you take him on once more where he clearly think he has the edge in your car and he can smoke you easily in a fair race. To say the least, [[SoreLoser he's not pleased]] when you manage to beat him and pay him back for his earlier stunt.

** Along with the numerous references to ''Underground 2'', the game also has a very famous reference to ''Film/TheProfessional''.

* RareVehicles: There was the Porsche 911 [=GT2=], Chevrolet Corvette C6.R and, of course, the BMW M3 GTR (E46).

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Five grand, FIVE GRAND, says my boy will smoke this clown."'']]
JustForFun/TheOneWith the most iconic blue and white car.\\\

* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: If you buy any car, and later on try to sell it, buyers will only accept it for half the stock car's original price. That's right - modifications aren't counted. This is actually {{Justified|Trope}}; in real life, it's much more easier to sell and fix a car that appears to have came from the factory vs. one that could have modifications of a questionable nature a/or build quality that would take time and effort to decipher a/or fix. In fact, one way to earn more money in Most Wanted is to strip the car of the modified parts, sell them, and then sell the stock car.

* BrokenBridge: There's a road ithat's sealed out [[spoiler:until the final pursuit]]. There are mods that leave it open at all times, though. There's also the holo-barriers that block access to Camden Beach and Downtown Rockport in the earlier parts of the game.

The 2005 game's setting of Rockport would be reused and modified in 2010's ''Need for Speed: World'', along with ''Carbon''[='=]s Palmont City.

[[caption-width-right:350:Five grand... FIVE GRAND!]]

The main plot of the 2005 game involves [[FeaturelessProtagonist the Player]] arriving in the city of [[WretchedHive Rockport]] with his blue and silver [[CoolCar BMW M3 GTR (E46)]][[note]]Which is also a rare ''racing version'' of the car![[/note]] alongside [[MsFanservice Mia Townsend]], in her own Mazda RX-8 Mazdaspeed. After a close encounter with [[HeroAntagonist Sergeant]] [[DirtyCop Nathan Cross]], he runs into resident {{Jerkass}} [[BigBad Clarence "Razor" Callahan]], who [[BullyingADragon doesn't waste a second to insult the player]]. Mia tells him to simply race against the player to prove who's better, but Razor simply reminds her that he's Number 15 on the Blacklist, and thus the player cannot challenge him until he has a notable reputation. The player begins building a fame, meeting Rog on the way, and eventually manages to challenge Razor, who reminds him that [[AllOrNothing the winner gets the loser's car]]. Needless to say, Razor [[HopelessBossFight cheated and tampered with your BMW's oil system]], causing your car to malfunction and therefore lose the race. Finally, to rub salt into the wound, you're arrested by none other than Cross.

Later on, Mia comes to pick you up from the police station after you're released due to lack of evidence,[[note]]You don't have a car anymore, how could Cross prove that you're a street racer?[[/note]] but of course, [[YouCantThwartStageOne not before Razor skyrockets to the top of the Blacklist with your car]]. However, you can get [[SecondHourSuperpower your first car]] and have a crack at defeating the Blacklist and evading the police. All you have are your skills, your [[BulletTime Speedbreaker]] ability, your car, Rog, and Mia. You're going to need all that to beat the odds. It's you against the entire city, racers, police and civilians alike.

After rising through the ranks and finally beating Razor, you get back your BMW as a reward, then Mia reveals herself to be an undercover cop working for the Rockport Police Department and has the street racers under arrest, having used you as an UnwittingPawn to help bring down the Blacklist. Feeling sorry for stabbing you in the back, she throws you the keys to your BMW (after taking them from Razor, who refused to do so), allowing you to escape from Cross trying to arrest you on-the-spot. However, he calls for the entire police force to come down on you at Heat Level 6, and soon you are [[HammerspacePoliceForce swarmed with cops]] [[YouCanRunButYouCantHide with nowhere to hide]]. A few minutes into the pursuit, Mia then calls you to escape the city by jumping over a BrokenBridge near the baseball stadium in Rosewood that has been closed off for the entire game. You thus race your car over to the road, jump over the gap, and leave Rockport for good. Cross has you listed on the FBI's Most Wanted list soon after, [[SequelHook setting up a sequel]]. Indeed, the next game of the ''Need for Speed'' series, ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedCarbon'', is an (almost) ImmediateSequel that follows the continued adventures of the player and Cross.

* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Drag races. They are ''[[UpToEleven bloated]]'' with traffic coming in and out, changing lanes unexpectedly, and the occasional truck or van crossing the road requiring precision timing to nail the passage. It doesn't help that the entire race requires manual shifting and that the car usually refuses to steer no matter what. [[http://youtu.be/-vX6n1Ps4lM Here is an example.]]

* NewWeaponTargetRange: After the final race against Razor, [[spoiler: the player is back in control of the BMW that was the game's ATasteOfPower, but it's better than ever and supremely upgraded]]. Good thing too, because your wanted level [[spoiler: just rose to '''[[UpToEleven 6]]'''. Every. Single. Unit. of the police force is chasing after you in a climatic playable ChaseScene which ends with you performing a literal BrokenBridge RampJump that the police can't make.]]

* RealIsBrown: This was [[UpToEleven abused]] very much by the game, to promote a "ghetto" feeling of a corrupt city. This is even more present in cutscenes, and taken Up to '''''Twelve''''' in beta screenshots.

** When you first meet Cross, he mentions having "a beautiful surprise" in store for the racers. [[spoiler:If one takes his words literally, Mia certainly is viewed as beautiful...]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Are you ready to be the Most Wanted?\\
[[note]](2005 on the left with the BMW, 2012 on the right with the white Porsche and the black Aston Martin.)[[/note]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/need_for_speed_most_wanted_3678.jpg]]

''Need for Speed: Most Wanted'' is the name of two street {{Racing Game}}s that are part the overall ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'' franchise published by Creator/ElectronicArts. The first ''Most Wanted'' was developed by then-main ''NFS'' developer [[Creator/BlackBox EA Black Box]] and released on November 15, 2005 for UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows, UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, the last of which had this game as one of its launch titles. It gained fame for being the first tuner culture game by EA that lets the player drive during daytime and to be chased by the police, as well as for its infamously cheesy storyline. There was also a UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable release called ''5-1-0''. The second ''Most Wanted'', a more socially-focused, much less story-driven reinterpretation of the 2005 game, was developed by Creator/CriterionGames. It was released on UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 (with [=PlayStation=] Move support), Xbox 360[[note]]The only non-PC platform to have received both ''Most Wanted'' games, not counting the release of the 2005 game's [=PS2=] version on [=PS3=].[[/note]] (with Kinect voice support), Windows (mainly via the Origin service), and UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation Vita}} on October 30, 2012, with a UsefulNotes/WiiU version entitled ''Most Wanted [[SuperTitle64Advance U]]'' released in 2013. There was also a mobile version of that game developed by Firemonkeys Studios.

The 2012 game's plot, on the other hand, is [[NoPlotNoProblem way more bare-bones]] by comparison. After a woman's voice welcomes you to the city of Fairhaven and tells you a bit about how things work there, you drive your Aston Martin V12 Vantage over Connors Bridge, past an inactive toll booth, through a pair of tunnels, and arrive in Downtown Fairhaven. Coming up to your first Jack Spot, you quickly switch over to a Porsche 911 Carrera S and have a duel with the Aston Martin that you just arrived in. After beating it (hopefully considering it's an easy race), the woman explains about mods, [=EasyDrive=], Speed Points, billboards, speed cameras, smash gates, the police, and the Most Wanted List (this game's version of the Blacklist), you are then free to do whatever you want to go up the ranks to beat and earn the "Most Wanted" cars. Yeah, not much to work with really; ''Need for Speed: Most Wanted -- [[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt A Criterion Game]]'' is really a SpiritualSuccessor to the also storyless and nonlinear ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise''. In fact, one could call it ''Burnout Paradise'' with licensed cars and police chases (it even has Takedowns).

The 2012 game's multiplayer mode plays differently in terms of progression and events. Cars are unlocked based on your [=SpeedLevel=] accumulated through Speed Points earned in all various main versions of the game in both single-player and multiplayer (rather than just finding cars at Jack Spots like in single-player), events are played though playlists of five events each, and public sessions are completely server-controlled, among other differences.

The PC version of the 2012 game was available for free from February 2016 to around mid-March 2016 through Origin's "On the House" program.

[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Both Games]]
* {{Bowdlerize}}: The 2005 game censored a lot of its' music. Which makes sense, considering their nature; in particular, the in-game version of Music/{{Celldweller}}'s "One Good Reason" is completely instrumental due to [[DrivenToSuicide the song's subject matter.]] The 2012 game also censored some songs, such as "I Love It" by Icona Pop.
* BrokenBridge:
** There's a road in the 2005 game that's sealed out [[spoiler:until the final pursuit]]. There are mods that leave it open at all times, though. There's also the holo-barriers that block access to Camden Beach and Downtown Rockport in the earlier parts of the game.
** {{Averted|Trope}} in the 2012 game in that Fairhaven has none of these, except (in later updates of the PC, [=PS3=], and Xbox 360 versions) for the holo-barrier blocking access to Hughes International Airport for those who do not have ''Terminal Velocity''.
* CallBack:
** Bayview, the setting of ''Need for Speed: Underground 2'', is mentioned twice in the 2005 game:
*** In Career Mode, Rog tells you that a lot of people are placing bets in the imminent race between you and Razor, and that "people as far as Bayview are throwin' cash down on this".
*** In one of the challenges from the Challenge Series, you're actually working for the police, and it's stated that you're trying to beat the Bayview police's time.
** The 2012 game has license plates based off of Criterion's previous racing games. Also, the arrivals/departures board at Hughes International Airport list previous locales from past ''Need for Speed'' games as destinations, as well as Paradise City from ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise''.

** Pretty much any car can be this in ''Most Wanted'' 2005 if you modify them, and the later ones can be awesome even when stock!
** While ''Most Wanted'' 2012 doesn't have the aftermarket customization that Black Box-era fans love, the better, more modern graphics of Criterion's game just shows how gorgeous its cars look. Hell, even the traffic looks good!
* CosmeticAward:
** Being one of the Xbox 360's launch titles, 2005 has only fifteen achievements, each one for defeating a member of the Blacklist. That's it. No achievement for the final pursuit, no achievement for the challenge series, and (thankfully) no multiplayer achievements.
** Along with the numerous achievements in 2012 (including the ones for defeating the Most Wanted cars), there are the many, many license plate designs for 2012's multiplayer mode.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Hitting a cruiser's front half in a roadblock is usually considered suicide, and then there are Fairhaven's armored trucks...
* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: Or rather, Getting Arrested Is a Slap on the Wrist: Played straight in 2012 (lose all your accumulated Speed Points from the pursuit and return to your last-used Jack Spot), but averted in 2005; you actually have a limit in the earlier game on how many times a car can be stopped by the police.[[note]]By default it is three, but it can be increased up to five.[[/note]] If you ''do'' get arrested, you have to pay all the fines you accumulated with that car, which, depending on how reckless you are, can render you bankrupt. Let's not forget that, if all your cars are taken by the police, [[GameOver you lose the game]]. There are ways to increase a car's "lives",[[note]]"Impound Strikes" as they are called in-game[[/note]] and to [[DirtyCop make the police ignore the chase and let you escape scot-free]] but not only Lady Luck decides if you get those or not, but you only have fourteen chances to get them.
* ExcusePlot:
** 2005's plot can be basically summed up as: You had a car. A guy stole your car (by rigging it to fail so he could win in as a bet in a race). He used it to be #1 on a list of most-wanted racers. You have to go through that list to get your car back. Have fun. You can pretty much ignore it for the most part.
** 2012 borders on NoPlotNoProblem with its "plot": Welcome to Fairhaven! Find some cars, explore, escape, and beat the "Most Wanted"! Have fun!

** Cameron Drive in Fairhaven City is very similar to [[VideoGame/BurnoutParadise Paradise City's]] [[http://burnout.wikia.com/wiki/Uphill_Drive Uphill Drive]] in terms of the layout and the placement of side routes.
* MightyGlacier:
** Challenge #46 from ''Most Wanted'' 2005 featured a cost-to-state mission where the player has to drive a garbage truck. Sure it's hilariously slow, but its huge size makes it very easy for taking down any cop that dares get in your way.
** ''Most Wanted'' 2012 seems to love these.
*** The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. It's slow and handles stiffly, but it's ''the'' toughest racer vehicle in all of the game.
*** The Range Rover Evoque is a lighter example of this. If modified, however, it puts itself in LightningBruiser territory.
*** Then we have the Lenco Bearcat (SWAT truck) for the cops. So much so that it's [[NighInvulnerable nigh invulnerability]] makes it [[TheJuggernaut a juggernaut]].
* NitroBoost: Well, of course. 2012 has three variants:
** Burn acts like the 2005 game's nitro; it's usable at any non-empty level for somewhat faster speeds. Emphasizes top speed over acceleration.
** Powershot is only usable with a full tank, as it empties the tank for a full boost of acceleration, at a sacrifice of some top speed.
** Jump is a DLC-only variant of Burn nitrous that works better in the air and worse on the ground. The Pro version even produces colored smoke in the air!
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat:
** When you ram and make a police car flip. Several times. Especially during roadblocks.
** In 2012 when you take down a cop or a racer, ''Burnout''-style.
* OptionalTrafficLaws:
** In the 2005 game, when you attract police attention, your police scanner will let you know if the police are looking for a reckless driver in general, or your car specifically (the difference between "caller did not get a good look" and "suspect is driving a [color] [make]"). If they don't have your vehicle description, and you follow traffic laws, they won't come after you. But when you're in a car that can go 250 miles an hour, driving under 35 is difficult, to say the least. (You're still in first gear! Not even pushing 4000 RPMS!)
** Averted in the 2012 game, as the police chase you on sight.
* PopTheTires: Spike strips.
** Losing even ''one'' tire in the 2005 game is an almost-guaranteed GameOver, but it is still barely possible to escape the cops if you're lucky and good enough. Lose ''all'' of them, and it's ''definitely'' Game Over.
** The 2012 game makes them more bearable with the repair shops and the reinflating tires mod.
* ProductPlacement:
** In 2005, the player uses a Cingular (which today would be AT&T) cellphone, and there's plenty of Burger King ads scattered around: shops, ads, even '''blimps'''. There was also a Burger King franchise in Camden, and there were even some inaccessible garages themed with Castrol branding on them. Also, let's not forget the ''many'' decals of car mod-producing companies such as Brembo and HKS that you can add to your car. At this rate, you can probably create a NASCAR replica!
** 2012 had a large drive-through "K&N Workshop" that was prominently used in multiplayer, some license plates with promotional descriptions (and thankfully only in descriptions), and there were even ads for the Ford Focus ST, a car found exclusively in multiplayer that happens to be [[JokeCharacter the worst-performing car in the game]].
* RareVehicles:
** In 2005, there was the Porsche 911 [=GT2=], Chevrolet Corvette C6.R and, of course, the BMW M3 GTR (E46).
** 2012's ''Ultimate Speed'' pack was nothing but this. The BMW M3 GTR also reappeared in the mobile version, as well as the ''Need for Speed Heroes'' pack in the main version.
* RoadBlock: Probably one of the best ways to ramp up your Bounty and Cost-to-State in the 2005 game, and Speed Points in the 2012 game. Just watch out for the spike strips and the S.W.A.T. trucks.
* SceneryPorn: Averted in 2005, considering how Rockport is a city falling apart. Played straight in 2012, as Fairhaven is a city made to look pretty.

** Along with the numerous references to ''Underground 2'', the 2005 game also has a very famous reference to ''Film/TheProfessional''.

** The 2012 game has several references to past ''NFS'' and ''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'' games [[http://nfs.wikia.com/wiki/Need_for_Speed:_Most_Wanted_%282012%29#Easter_Eggs as shown in the Easter Eggs section of its Need for Speed Wiki article.]] Fairhaven even has an entire district with Razor's last name on it (Callahan Industrial).
*** The other industrial district in the city? [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Ripley]]'s Point.
*** Hughes Park and Hughes International Airport take their names from famed tycoon, filmmaker and aviator Creator/HowardHughes.
*** There is a district east of Downtown with a large construction site simply named [[Film/DieHard McClane]]. Also, the building that contains one of the Jack Spots for the Marussia B2 is named Gruber Plaza (which itself is off [[Film/DieHard2 Lorenzo]] Avenue).
*** There's also an [[Film/LAConfidential Exley Way intersecting with a Vincennes Avenue]].
*** "We have a [[Film/JamesBond secret agent wannabe in an Aston Martin]] Vantage."
*** Not to mention the Movie Legends DLC, which brings us the [[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Aston Martin DB5]], [[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 Aston Martin DBS]], [[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Dodge Charger R/T]], [[Film/GoneInSixtySeconds2000 Shelby GT500 a.k.a. Eleanor]], and [[Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit Pontiac Firebird Trans Am]].
*** ''Most Wanted U'' on - [[SuperTitle64Advance you guessed it]] - the UsefulNotes/WiiU adds three hidden warp pipes from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series scattered across Fairhaven. The first has a blue and red Ariel Atom, the second has a pink Caterham, and the last has a green BAC Mono. All of these are based on the colors of Mario, Princess Peach and Yoshi, respectively. Each of the rooms has items related to each character as well; Mario's has girders from ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', Peach's has a crown, and Yoshi's has an egg. Also notice how all the hidden cars are in the track-day car class; the closest thing to [[VideoGame/MarioKart go-karts]]. Even the color schemes match.
*** Additionally, each of the cars have an unlockable license plate that is exclusive to ''Most Wanted U''. Collecting all three unlocks one more license plate with another Creator/{{Nintendo}} [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} franchise]] [[GottaCatchEmAll reference]].
** All the parking lots in 2012 are run by the [[Music/JoniMitchell Paved Paradise]] company. Also counts as a CallBack to ''Burnout Paradise'', which has the same thing.
* SlidingScaleOfLinearityVsOpenness: 2005 is a 4, as although you have a good amount of freedom to do various events in Rockport, you have goals to follow in order to progress through the career mode. If you don't do enough in events and police chases, then you can't go against the Blacklist members and get your BMW back from Razor. You also have to unlock access to the Camden and Gray Point area, and then Downtown Rockport later on. 2012 on the other hand is a 6, much like its SpiritualPredecessor, as you have the entirety of Fairhaven to explore (barring Hughes International Airport if you don't have ''Terminal Velocity'') from the beginning after that first race, and can complete its events as you please. (Although, you will have to do some events before you can race the "Most Wanted" cars, which are unlocked in order from lowest to highest.)
* ATasteOfPower:
** In 2005, it's the BMW M3 GTR, before you lose it in the sabotaged race. [[spoiler:Later it returns as the EleventhHourSuperpower in the final pursuit. With custom performance mods added by Razor!]]
** {{Defied|Trope}} in the single-player mode of ''Most Wanted'' 2012 with the Jack Spots. All cars in the game are immediately drivable after you complete a quick-and-easy tutorial race and find where each of them are on the map, except for the titular "Most Wanted" cars and any non-purchased DLC cars.

*** Razor also added a vanity license plate to your M3 as shown in a cutscene, spelling - you guessed it - "RAZOR".
** 2012 has some cars hiding in Jack Spots with dates referring to past release dates for previous ''Need for Speed'' games. Also, it's the first game in the series to feature license plates that can be customized by players.

* WantedMeter: The 2005 game introduced the "Heat levels", which ranges from 1, the municipal police {{Mook}}s, to 6, the undercover federal police. This was reintroduced to its sequel, ''Carbon'', and followed suit through ''Undercover'', ''World'', and was eventually reused in the 2012 game.
* [[WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys Where Do They Get All Those Wonderful Toys?]]: It's insane to believe that the government would use expensive Corvette C6s (Z06 models in 2012) as '''FEDERAL''' cruisers. Since they are reserved to be used against the most dangerous drivers, it's natural for the governmental bill to climb into the ''millions''.
* WideOpenSandbox: Courtesy of Rockport and Fairhaven.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:2005 (Black Box)]]
* ItsAlwaysSpring: {{Inverted|Trope}}; the game is actually set during autumn for the entire plot, as evidenced by the orange trees scattered around Rosewood and the leaves spanning across Rockport's streets.
* ArchEnemy: Razor, Cross, and the Player all hate each other.
* AscendedFanboy: Bull. He became Blacklist #2 because of his status as TheDragon to [[BigBad Razor]].
* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: If you buy any car, and later on try to sell it, buyers will only accept it for half the stock car's original price. That's right - modifications aren't counted. This is actually {{Justified|Trope}}; in real life, it's much more easier to sell and fix a car that appears to have came from the factory vs. one that could have modifications of a questionable nature a/or build quality that would take time and effort to decipher a/or fix. In fact, one way to earn more money in Most Wanted is to strip the car of the modified parts, sell them, and then sell the stock car.
* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
** You can replay all the races you've previously cleared and earn the same amount of money as before, as opposed to ''Underground 2'', where replaying a race already won will result in no money (something that happens again in ''Undercover'').[[note]]In the game following ''Most Wanted'' (2005), ''Carbon'', replaying a race results in pathetically low payout (as in three digits).[[/note]]
** The game introduces automatic refillable nitrous boost, as opposed of having only one nitrous charge per race that can't be refilled mid-race (like in ''Underground'') or having to risk yourself with stunts to fill your nitrous (like in ''Underground 2'').
** During pursuit, if your vehicle was unintentionally flipped upside down around the cops, it'll automatically reset your car and the busted meter will ''roll back'' preventing you from getting busted instantly and giving you a chance to escape them.
* ArtificialStupidity: Don't be surprised if the police magically forgets where you are, and ''moves away from you'' while they're doing a search quadrant. If you're going for a bounty or chase challenge, this can lead to the odd situation of ''you chasing the police''.
* BigBad: Razor, of course. Him winning the player's car through VehicularSabotage is what kickstarts the plot proper, and the goal of the game is to clear the Blacklist so that the player can challenge him again to win their car back.
* BigBadEnsemble: While Razor is clearly the game's BigBad, Cross also qualifies as an antagonist, although he's more of a secondary villain than a proper one, as he opposes the player because as a police sergeant he's against street racing, which is illegal, making him more of a HeroAntagonist.
* TheBusCameBack: The 2005 game brought back two series staples from the classic eras after ''Underground'' games omitted. Note that the developer also developed the [=PS2=] version of ''[[VideoGame/NeedForSpeedHotPursuit Hot Pursuit 2]]''.
** Exotic cars and grand tourers are back to the roster, although they're unlockable through completion per series-standard.
** Police pursuits are back as intended, and has been staples in future games involving illegal street racing.
* BulletTime: The main crux of the Speedbreaker ability is that it allows you to temporarily slow down time. It would appear again in ''Carbon'' and ''Undercover''.
* BullyingADragon:
** '''''Razor, hands down'''''. You have already defeated Ronnie, Bull, Rog and two other anonymous racers, yet Razor still continues making fun of you, and he says you're "all show and no go" ''even though Razor cheated to win''. [[TooDumbToLive And he continues antagonizing you even as he sees his crew be defeated one by one at your hands]].
** Another equally bad offender is Ronnie. You have already defeated him once in the prologue ([[EasierThanEasy in which he wasn't even]] ''[[WarmUpBoss trying]]'' to win), defeated hundreds of racers, mowed down entire hordes of police, and took down ''twelve members of the Blacklist'' to get to him, and guess what he says when he challenges you?
--->'''Ronnie:''' Yeah, it's Ronnie. Look, [[TemptingFate I don't care what they say about ya]], [[TooDumbToLive I'm gonna wipe ya all over the]] '''[[TooDumbToLive road!]]''' I'm ready when you are, ''[[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch punk!]]''.
* CameraScrew: When you make a jump, the camera will focus on your car's air moment while simultaneously [[BulletTime slowing everything down]][[note]]Complete with a disk scratching noise![[/note]], and when you use a [[MalevolentArchitecture Pursuit Breaker]], a similar camera view also shows the resulting damage and all the police cars being completely destroyed... only for you to realize that you couldn't see what's ahead of you, and you either crash into a wall, or worse, drive straight into a spike strip. Luckily, this can be turned off in the options menu.
* CasanovaWannabe: Razor, he constantly hits on Mia (even when other girls are around him) and tries to pry her from your side. He fails miserably, but keeps insisting. [[spoiler:He even tries to flirt his way out when she is arresting him, and when ''that'' fails, he goes in for a kiss, but gets taken away by an officer at this exact moment.]]
* ControllableHelplessness: What happens after you drive over a spike strip. Sure, you can still drive but your car is now so much slower and more difficult to control that it is practically guaranteed you will be busted shortly afterwards.
* CrapsackWorld: If you take a critical look at Rockport, the amount of illegal street racers is rampant, there's a lot of damage caused by them, and to top it, there's also a lot of economical unbalances in the city.[[note]]Rosewood Center, North Camden and West Downtown are all richer than South Rosewood, South Camden, East Downtown, and all of Gray Point.[[/note]]
* DarkerAndEdgier:
** Compared to both ''Underground'' games, ''Most Wanted'' takes place in [[DaylightHorror daylight and the settings are even worse]], with added police pursuits and SeriousBusiness tones to dial in.
** Also to the first-era games, for same reasons. While ''III: Hot Pursuit'' kicked this trope in the franchise for making exotic supercar racing a BloodSport, this one takes further.
* DaylightHorror: In contrast to the previous games, the game is set in daylight. And how, it was overrun by street racers to the point beyond repair.
* DefeatingTheCheatingOpponent: Razor, the top of the Blacklist, beats you in the race at the start by unscrewing the oil sump of your car, and takes your prized car as his. After working your way up the ranks, you take him on once more where he clearly think he has the edge in your car and he can smoke you easily in a fair race. To say the least, [[SoreLoser he's not pleased]] when you manage to beat him and pay him back for his earlier stunt.
* DevelopersForesight: There are an awful lot of lines for the police to use when they're chasing you. For instance, it's reasonable for them to call out when you're heading into a small, specific area, such as the bus station. However, there are also different lines if you ever return there. Also, if you hit the car that spots you before its driver can say his first line, rather than chasing you because you're a speeder, he'll say he's chasing you because you rammed him.
* DifficultButAwesome: Mastering the Pontiac GTO and the Vauxhall Monaro VXR is considerably tough. Most consider those two cars the worst for races as they have a slower speed, tricky handling, and their acceleration isn't really one of the best. However, if you can work around those flaws, they're the ''best'' cars for ramming, especially during pursuits.
* DoNotCallMePaul: Razor Callahan's birth name is ''Clarence''.
* DonutMessWithACop: One of the pursuit breakers is a donut shop, and running over the supports will [[{{Irony}} have the giant donut fall on any cop cars chasing you.]]
* TheDragon: Ronnie and Bull are Razor's most prized colleagues, it seems. Although Bull seems to be the preferred one.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: As detailed under BullyingADragon. The only one who even somewhat mellows down is, ironically enough, Razor himself.[[note]]Although that's mostly due to his VillainousBreakdown, as in the end of the game he [[spoiler:refuses to give you the keys to your car.]][[/note]]
* FelonyMisdemeanor: ''Inverted'', oddly enough. During police chases, you can rack up infractions for doing crazy things, like Destruction of Property for blowing through a bench, or Resisting Arrest for hitting a police car. But the hardest infractions to get are the ones related to speeding: these require you to hit a certain percentage of your vehicle's maximum speed. While it makes sense to get the Speeding infraction for going 75 miles an hour in a low-tier car, it's a little ridiculous that you don't get it until you go more than 150 mph in a higher-tier car. Excessive Speeding requires that you get even more ridiculous speeds, and Reckless Driving, the hardest to get, may require you to hit speeds of '''200+ mph'''! This is particularly annoying on Blacklist challenges that require you to get a certain number of infractions during a police chase, especially the last one that requires you to get all possible infractions in one chase.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Despite the game's ExcusePlot, there's some tidbits worth noticing, though you'd need to know the ending to catch them.
** Rog mentions in one of his messages that Mia has a long record, which would suggest that she's a longtime racer. Then, Mia messages you, stating her surprise at the organization of racers in Rockport, which she never saw. [[spoiler:As a racer, she should've seen it, regardless of her participation. This hints as to her not being a racer. Also note the phrasing of the following statement:]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Mia:''' I've rolled these streets for a long time, but I've never known the setup was this tight...]]
** Whenever you access your Rap Sheet, you hack into the RPD database. This wouldn't be suspicious, except the account you use? [[spoiler:It's ''Cross's'' account.]]
** When you first meet Cross, he mentions having "a beautiful surprise" in store for the racers. [[spoiler:If one takes his words literally, Mia certainly is viewed as beautiful...]]
* EliteMooks: Undercover police vehicles, who appear at every other heat level. They are harder to disable, have more torque, and are more likely to use the Precision Immobilization Technique than regular police cars.
* EndlessDaytime: The game, which features a sped-up day/night cycle in the game world (PC and Xbox 360 version only), starts out in midday, goes to sunset, then time ''reversed to sunrise'', and goes back to midday. [=The PS2=]/Xbox/[=GameCube=] version subverted into always midday.
* EnemyChatter: You have a connection to the police radio, letting you hear the police communicate with each other as they try to take you down. If you take the time to learn the codes, you can also hear them get notified of road blocks and spike strips, letting you prepare for them more easily.
** They also have a ''lot'' of specialized chatter: they'll correctly identify your car color, occasionally identify your car (they have no problem with the more common cars, but exotics might just be called a "supercar"), and correctly identify where you are, what you've done, and the incredible level of danger you're causing. In addition, it's possible to get spotted by the police, but not have them identify your car: if you listen to the radio and they ''don't'' say the color and model of the car, you can evade a pursuit by ''not breaking the law'' around police cars, and they'll leave you alone (only possible at heat level 1 or 2).
* EvilLaugh: Razor and his crew when they defeat you in the prologue. Cross also gets his moment once in the game.
* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Drag races. They are ''[[UpToEleven bloated]]'' with traffic coming in and out, changing lanes unexpectedly, and the occasional truck or van crossing the road requiring precision timing to nail the passage. It doesn't help that the entire race requires manual shifting and that the car usually refuses to steer no matter what. [[http://youtu.be/-vX6n1Ps4lM Here is an example.]]
* FameGate: Another point of the game, you need to become notorious in the street racing scene in order to proceed.
* FinalBoss: Razor, unsurprisingly. The game's plot is to clear the Blacklist to have a rematch with him, who's #1 on the Blacklist, to get back the BMW M3 GTR that he won from the player through underhanded tactics.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Sometimes when you are evading the police and you reach Cooldown, you may hear the police radio say they have managed to arrest a suspect. Unfortunately for that suspect, it's Razor.
* HeroAntagonist: Sergeant Cross. Although his CowboyCop behavior slides him more into NominalHero territory.
* InfinityMinusOneSword: If you win Ming's[[note]]Blacklist #6[[/note]] Lamborghini Gallardo, it comes with most of all of the final performance upgrades available for cars that aren't supposed to be unlocked until after you beat Ronnie. The car unmodified from its initial setup is enough to get you through the next few Blacklist targets easy, and it saves you money so you can buy one of the final cars when you need to. You will definitely want to {{Save Scum|ming}} for this one.
** Really, any Blacklist rival car after Ming could count too since they all have Ultimate parts everywhere except nitrous. But the Gallardo is by far the best handling one of them.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: ''Not'' the BMW M3 that you get for defeating Razor (it can't accept modifications and has a criminally low handling score when you get it back[[note]]The M3's handling is barely above half of the maximum, putting it in the mid-tier, while acceleration and top speed are so high that controlling the car is difficult at best[[/note]]), but in fact any car that you modify. Even the initial three cars can be god machines if modified, and if you stockpile the Junkman parts that are available as extra prizes for defeating Blacklist racers and use them all on one car, that car will be leaps and bounds beyond even the best cars in the game, like the Porsche Carrera GT (normally an end-game car).
* ImplacableMan: The player is essentially this in the game. You overcome all odds staked against you, defeat anyone who stands on your way, and never lets up on your mission to give Razor a good beating.
** Of course, Cross is also this to you, such as in the end where [[spoiler:he gets the entire police force to chase you]].
* InMediasRes: The prologue is exactly like this. It starts in the first race between you and Razor, then as soon as Mia notifies you of the [[OhCrap leaking oil]], the game skips back six days earlier to show how you got tangled in all of this mess.
* {{Jerkass}}: Razor. a bossy, cheating [[SoreLoser sore loser]] who [[BadBoss doesn't seem to be too thankful for its entourage.]].
* JokeCharacter: A few of the Challenge Series events lets you play with NPC traffic vehicles, which are pretty slow and you have to win time trial challenges with them, except for two that use a garbage and cement truck that are used for pursuit challenges.
* LevelInReverse: A few tracks are exactly the opposite of another one, with the only other difference being the name.
* LiveActionCutscene: The 2005 game featured live-action actors acting in front of {{pre rendered|graphics}} backgrounds.
* MacGuffin: The BMW M3 GTR that Razor took from you.
* MightyGlacier: Challenge #46 featured a cost-to-state mission where the player has to drive a garbage truck. Sure, it's hilariously slow, but its' huge size makes it very easy for taking down any cop that dares get in your way.
* MsFanservice: Mia has the tendency to wear clothes that don't cover much of her body. This is taken to the apex in the first race against Razor in the prologue, where she is wearing a ''bikini top''. Never mind that it's autumn, considering how most characters seem to have no problem in wearing T-shirts.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Blacklist is apparently fond of these: Taz, Big Lou, Kamikaze, Bull, and Razor.
** Of course, there are the aversions. "Sonny" isn't likely to frighten anyone.
** Another aversion is "Earl", which is considered by some players [[SpecialPersonNormalName as a formidable Blacklist member.]]
** Lampshaded in the PSP version ''5-1-0''; the DeadpanSnarker who writes each Blacklist member's bio sarcastically mentions it must have taken Razor all night to come up with that name.
* NewWeaponTargetRange: After the final race against Razor, [[spoiler: the player is back in control of the BMW that was the game's ATasteOfPower, but it's better than ever and supremely upgraded]]. Good thing too, because your wanted level [[spoiler: just rose to '''[[UpToEleven 6]]'''. Every. Single. Unit. of the police force is chasing after you in a climatic playable ChaseScene which ends with you performing a literal BrokenBridge RampJump that the police can't make.]]
* NintendoHard: Dear Lord, Earl's boss race. Rog even warns the player in his voice message that he's the ''only'' guy stopping you from getting into Downtown Rockport.
** The whole game, arguably, due to a very notable case of RubberBandAI. Compare the AIs time if you total your car in a drag race, to you completing the event.
* NotTheIntendedUse: Besides allowing you to [[BulletTime slow down time]], Speedbreaker makes your car temporarily heavier (probably since the developers intended for it to be primarily used to breach roadblocks), which makes it useful in multiple other situations:
** Turning it on before a jump makes it fly closer to the ground and land without losing as much speed and traction.
** If you have no time to avoid a crash with traffic or a destructible object it will let you keep more momentum.
* OldSaveBonus: As detailed above, you'll get $10,000 if you have ''Underground 2'' installed on your computer or have a save file on your console's memory card, allowing you to use the Volkswagen Golf GTI as your SecondHourSuperpower.
* PostClimaxConfrontation: After you finally beat Razor and get your BMW M3 GTR back, you have to escape from Rockport as [[spoiler:Cross orders every police unit in the city to go after you]].
* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: Ronnie, blacklist #3. His poses, his clothes, his car, his mannerisms, speech patterns, ''everything'' about him screams "White trash, gangsta wannabe" [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by his Blacklist bio.
-->'''Rog''': You know Ronnie, he's one of those rich freaks that think he's ghetto...
* PressXToDie: During police chases, if you reset your car while there are cops nearby you will instantly get busted. This does not happen if your car is reset automatically after flipping over, however. It may still be worth trying a reset as a last ditch effort if you're swarmed, however, since it will sometimes respawn your car far enough from the police for it to be outside of their arrest range. Respawning will also fix any popped tires, which are otherwise a death sentence on heat level 4+ anyway, so there's no harm in trying.
* RealIsBrown: This was [[UpToEleven abused]] very much by the game, to promote a "ghetto" feeling of a corrupt city. This is even more present in cutscenes, and taken Up to '''''Twelve''''' in beta screenshots.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: Razor claims the player character is working with the cops. It's obvious to the player and to Rog that this is transparent slander. [[spoiler:It's revealed in the final pursuit that Mia was an undercover cop all along, shadowing you as a gambit to arrest Razor and wrap up the entire Blacklist.]]
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Bull is not actually a great racer, and in fact is only #2 on the Blacklist for two reasons: 1) he's Razor's second in command, and 2) he has enough money to win races through superior cars. He drives a completely unmodified [=SLR McLaren=], which even Rog points out is a pretty bullshit car for ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill street racing]]''.[[note]]A Mercedes-Benz SLR [=McLaren=] in real life costs ''over'' $500,000 US. That means Bull is using an unmodified ''exotic grand tourer''.[[/note]]
* SecondHourSuperpower: The Lexus IS-300, the Fiat Punto and the Chevrolet Cobalt SS are the first options for you at the end of the prologue, and they have their strengths and weaknesses. However, if you played the previous game (''Underground 2'') on a non-Xbox 360 platform, you get an additional $10,000 bonus at the end of the prologue, which allows you to purchase the Volkswagon Golf GTI. While the IS-300 has better acceleration, the Punto has better handling, and the Cobalt SS has better top speed, the Golf GTI has all three, and can wreck the early Blacklist races with no problem. It also handles modifications extremely well.
* SequentialBoss: All Blacklist members are raced in Rival Challenges featuring multiple events. All members from Sonny to Ming have 2 races; Webster, JV, Ronnie and Bull have 3 races; finally, Razor has 5 races, making him a MarathonBoss of sorts.
* SloMoBigAir: As detailed in CameraScrew.
* SoreLoser:
** Razor; it's bad enough that the guy's a cheating bastard who gyps you out of your precious ride at the start of the game by cutting the gas line. Once you rise through the ranks and beat him in a fair race (while he's in your prized ride, no less), the guy tries to sic his cronies on you after you win. Luckily, Mia is there to prevent this from happening. [[spoiler:Helps that she also happens to be an undercover cop: as soon as she takes down Razor and reveals her badge, all of Razor's cronies back way off]].
** Cross as well: he actually pulls you over at the beginning of the game (in a cutscene) as you enter Rockport and get into an impromptu race with Mia. He clearly identifies your car as illegal for street driving[[note]]Cross: "This...this is a nice car! Gauges, shifter, wheels...is this all you've done, or is there something else I should know about? [...] Here's what's going to happen: we're going to take your car, take it apart, see if it's street legal. You know...I bet it isn't!"[[/note]], but gets called away by a police call to stop an active street race. He gets mad and decides to ''key your car'' as he leaves. Later, after you lose the race to Razor and your car, he arrests you, but has to let you go (as Mia points out, it's hard to arrest someone for street racing when they don't even have a car) and makes it his personal mission to take you down along with the rest of the Blacklist in revenge. [[spoiler:When he fails to catch you at the end, the following game ''Carbon'' reveals that he quits the police force and becomes a bounty hunter ''just'' to take you down.]]
* TrueFinalBoss: [[spoiler:After the player defeats Razor, Cross and the entire Rockport police force appear to arrest Razor, the rest of the Blacklist (offscreen) and to attempt to do the same to the player, revealing that the game's true final challenge is to avoid being arrested by them, and ultimately escape Rockport with Mia's help.]]
* UnwittingPawn: Turns out that [[spoiler:Razor was sort of right all along about you working for the police, although since you're legitimately not a cop, you didn't know what was going on until after you beat him]].
* VillainProtagonist: The Player. After all, compete in illegal races ''is'' crime. Which makes his rivalry with Razor to be EvilVersusEvil, or at the very best, BlackAndGreyMorality.
* TheVoice: Rog. We only hear his gruff voice, and race him just ''once'', yet he's always with you all the way from [[WarmupBoss Sonny]] up to [[BigBad Razor]] himself. He never shows his face.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:2012 (''A Criterion Game'')]]
* AutomaticNewGame: Like ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise'', the game starts with an unskippable cutscene showing what you can do in the city, and then sends you off in your first car. This time however, the game expects you to be holding on to the accelerator, because you're already out on the road driving your first car! ''Most Wanted'' 2012 will also automatically load your latest autosave should you return to the game.
* BenevolentArchitecture: Like Paradise City, Fairhaven has loads of structures that are usable as jumps, especially for those billboards. The most notable ones have to be the large ring structures in front the Managio hotel in Downtown and Hughes International Airport from the ''Terminal Velocity'' DLC.
* {{Cap}}: Two caps; the highest [=SpeedLevel=] players can reach is seventy-one (though it can be reset to zero once, see NewGamePlus), while the maximum amount of Speed Points players can get is fifty million.
* CarFu: The game includes a Takedown mechanic identical to that used in the ''Burnout'' series. The only difference is that you don't get a slow-mo shot of the rival car crashing.
* CompositeCharacter:
** Well, not character ''per se'', but the repair shops in Fairhaven City combine Paradise City's repair shops, gas stations, and (only in single-player) paint shops all in one convenient location.%%If there is a more fitting trope for this description, please change it.
** The game itself. It combines ''Need for Speed'''s real-life {{Cool Car}}s, pursuits and car tuning with ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise'' and its completely open world, stunt-based racing and lack of a plot.
* CrutchCharacter: The pre-modified "Need for Speed Edition" cars in multiplayer. While the modifications they come with are useful when getting started, they cannot be modified further in any manner, even with improved versions of the modifications they came with.
* DoubleEntendre: 2012's CaptainErsatz of [=FedEx=] is called [=GoodsEx=]. They specialise in packages, apparently.
* DavidVersusGoliath:
** Certain "Hard" races involve racing against much more powerful cars. This is more likely if the car you are driving has a very distinct niche.
** The Ariel Atom 500 V8's variation of "Turbulence" has opponents such as [[InfinityPlusOneSword the Koenigsegg Agera R]] and the [=McLaren=] F1 XP-5, as well as some sports cars. The track features a long straight where the Atom will struggle to keep up with, even with the Long Gears mod, but the second half has a lot of turns, where its powerful acceleration and cornering gives it an edge.
* DiscOneNuke: The Bugatti Veyron Vitesse from the ''Ultimate Speed'' DLC can be found in free-roam right after the start of the game if you know where to find it, and is powerful enough to take on all of the Most Wanted cars except for the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder from the same DLC.
* DownloadableContent: Along with the day-one Timesavers Pack and the mod unlock packs, this game[[labelnote:*]]except for the [=PlayStation=] Vita version and the mobile versions[[/labelnote]] received four DLC packs:
** The ''Ultimate Speed'' Pack released on December 18, 2012 added five cars that had [[RareVehicles limited production runs]], although a couple of them are variants of cars already in the games. The standard cars of the pack are the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, the Lamborghini Aventador J, the [=McLaren=] F1 [=LM=], and the Pagani Zonda R, while the "Most Wanted" car is the Veyron Super Sport-rivaling Hennessey Venom GT Spyder. This pack was included in ''Most Wanted U'' as standard, but the Wii U version didn't receive any of the other DLC packs.
** The other three paid DLC were released on the same day; February 26, 2013.
*** The ''Terminal Velocity'' Pack added a whole new area to explore in northeastern Fairhaven; a semi-completed airport called Hughes International Airport. It also added four everyday-class cars (the Alfa Romeo Mito QV, Audi RS 3, BMW 1 Series M Coupe, and Ford Fiesta ST) to drive in and the production version of the 2013 Porsche 918 Spyder with racing vinyls is the "Most Wanted" car.[[note]]The 2010 concept version of the vehicle was first available in the standard game as the #5 "Most Wanted" car.[[/note]] It also added two unique event types to every car in the game that awarded exclusive upgrades. "Drift Attack" events require cars to drift through gates along a set route to earn points and awards "Jump Nitrous" (a nitrous type that can increases speed when triggered in mid-air) and "Smash and Grab" events task the player to hit various objects in the surrounding area for points and awards "Drift Tires" (tires that improve the drift capability of the cars). The Pro mods of each of these upgrades add colored smoke effects.
*** The ''Movie Legends'' Pack contains [[LawyerFriendlyCameo vehicles that were made famous in different films]]: two [[Film/JamesBond Aston Martins]] (the [=DB5=] and the DBS), the [[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Dodge Charger R/T]], the [[Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit Pontiac Firebird Trans Am "Blackbird"]] and the pack's "Most Wanted" car, [[Film/GoneInSixtySeconds2000 the 1967 Shelby GT500]].
*** The ''Need for Speed Heroes'' Pack contains cars that were on the covers of some ''NFS'' games: the Lamborghini Diablo SV from ''Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit'', a Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec II based on Eddie's 2000 Skyline from ''Need for Speed: Underground'', a 2006 Nissan 350Z based on Rachel Teller's 2003 model from ''Need for Speed: Underground 2'', a Porsche 911 [=GT2=] (997) based on Rose Largo's Porsche from ''Need for Speed: Undercover'', and what else fits the "Most Wanted" title in this pack but the leading BMW M3 GTR (E46) from the 2005 game. Also unique to the cars in this pack is that they each have five different liveries instead of colors; [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5evpDu3ic4U "Urban", "Street", "Race", "Abstract", and "Hero",]] with the "Hero" liveries being based on their original ''NFS'' appearances.[[note]]Since the Diablo SV is the only car in this pack not affiliated with any ''NFS'' character (and, by extension, the only car to not come from an EA Black Box game), its "Hero" livery is its famous stock yellow with black SV logo vinyls on the sides.[[/note]]
** Also, in the United States, EA held a special promotion with Slim Jim. Specially-marked packages of the beef jerky had codes that allowed players to unlock content in certain EA games. ''Most Wanted'' 2012's Slim Jim content unlocked a 2012 Dodge Charger [=SRT8=] for use in multiplayer only.
* FelonyMisdemeanor: Cops in this game have way more reasons to trigger a pursuit than in the 2005 game. Things like barely touching their car, doing burnouts in their sights or just not getting out of their way (after being asked to do so with their horns) will provoke a swarm of cops to go towards you.
* FictionalCounterpart: Interstate 92 is this to the real life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_93 Interstate 93]]. It goes through the downtown district of the city from underneath,[[note]]I-93 goes through Boston while I-92 goes through Fairhaven, which is inspired by Boston (and Pittsburgh).[[/note]] cuts through a mountainous area,[[note]]I-93 goes through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franconia_Notch_State_Park Franconia Notch State Park]] in New Hampshire, while I-92 goes through a canyon-like valley in the north.[[/note]] and they even have an exit that goes to a road named after someone with a Polish surname that provides direct access to a city's main airport.[[note]]I-93 in New Hampshire is connected to Raymond Wieczorek Drive, a road that directly leads to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester–Boston_Regional_Airport Manchester-Boston Regional Airport]], while I-92 connects to the Kazansky Expressway that leads to Hughes International Airport.[[/note]]
* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: More like who ''developed'' it; the ''A Criterion Game'' subtitle was added to the cover and title screen to differentiate it from the original 2005 ''Most Wanted''. It also appears in the Metacritic entries for their game's [=PlayStation=] 3, Xbox 360, [=PlayStation=] Vita, and PC versions, with a dash separating the subtitle from the actual name to avoid ColonCancer.
* TheJuggernaut: The Lenco Bearcat (or better known as the SWAT truck) that appears at Heat Level 6. Attempts to ram it at high speed will most likely result in ''you'' getting taken down. It will [[FoeTossingCharge mow down]] any vehicle that happens to get in its way. Although it ''is'' possible to take it down, doing so is time-consuming.
* NewGamePlus: Not in the single-player (the game is too nonlinear for that), but the multiplayer has one of sorts in the form of Concours. If you reach [=SpeedLevel=] 71, then you have the option to reset your [=SpeedLevel=] to zero (taking away your cars, mods, and milestones) in order to get special milestones, [[AndYourRewardIsClothes new license plate designs, and a gold border for your license plate]].
* NoPlotNoProblem: From the moment the game begins, there's no plot whatsoever. You have the objective to defeat the Most Wanted List, but there's no stated reason to do so (other than getting their cars) or why your character is racing (other than Fairhaven being described as the street-racing capital of the region). All that is explained is that you find abandoned cars in the overworld, race with them and earn more cars and upgrades, with pursuits in-between.
* SequenceBreaking: You don't really have to beat each Most Wanted driver sequentially. As long as you have enough [=SpeedPoints=], you can challenge Most Wanted #1 before #10.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise''. Collectables? Check. Wicked jumps? Check. Menus that can be navigated without pausing? Check. Big emphasis on online multiplayer? Definitely. Instant repair shops? Yep, and they change your car's paint in single-player. DLC packs that added cars (including a pack that references pop culture icons) and even a new area? You bet. NoPlotNoProblem Even the 2012 game's cover is inspired by the ''Paradise'' cover.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Your car getting a fresh coat of paint from driving through a repair shop at 150 MPH doesn't seem to phase the cops, who matter-of-factly report the change of color.
[[/folder]]

*** The ''Terminal Velocity'' Pack added a whole new area to explore in northeastern Fairhaven; a semi-completed airport called Hughes International Airport. It also added four everyday-class cars (the Alfa Romeo Mito QV, Audi RS 3, BMW 1 Series M Coupe, and Ford Fiesta ST) to drive in and the production version of the 2013 Porsche 918 Spyder with racing vinyls is the "Most Wanted" car.[[note]]The 2010 concept version of the vehicle was first available in the standard game as the #5 "Most Wanted" car.[[/note]] It also added two unique event types to every car in the game that awarded exclusive upgrades. "Drift Attack" events require cars to drift through gates along a set route to earn points and awards "Jump Nitrous" (a nitrous type that can increases speed when triggered in mid-air) and "Smash and Grab" events task the player to hit various objects in the surrounding area for points and awards "Drift Tires" (tires that improve the drift capability of the cars). The Pro mods of each of these upgrades add colored effects.

*** The ''Terminal Velocity'' Pack added a whole new area to explore in northeastern Fairhaven; a semi-completed airport called Hughes International Airport. It also added four everyday-class cars (the Alfa Romeo Mito QV, Audi RS 3, BMW 1 Series M Coupe, and Ford Fiesta ST) to drive in and the production version of the 2013 Porsche 918 Spyder with racing vinyls is the "Most Wanted" car.[[note]]The 2010 concept version of the vehicle was first available in the standard game as the #5 "Most Wanted" car.[[/note]]

** You can replay all the races you've previously cleared and earn the same amount of reward as before, as opposed to ''Underground 2'', where replaying a race already won will result in no rewards (something that happens again in ''Undercover'').[[note]]In the game following ''Most Wanted'' (2005), ''Carbon'', replaying a race results in pathetically low payout (as in three digits).[[/note]]
** The game introduces automatic refillable nitrous boost, as opposed of having only one nitrous charge per race that can't be refilled mid-race (like in ''Underground'') or risking yourself with stunts to fill your nitrous (like in ''Underground 2'').

* BulletTime: The main crux of the Speedbreaker ability.

* NotTheIntendedUse: [[BulletTime Speedbreaker]] makes your car temporarily heavier (probably since the developers intended for it to be used to breach roadblocks), which makes it useful in multiple other situations:

* OldSaveBonus: As detailed above, you'll get $10,000 if you have ''Underground 2'' installed on your computer or have a save file on your console's memory card, allowing you to use the Volkswagen Golf as your SecondHourSuperpower.

* PressXToDie: During police chases, if you reset your car while there are cops nearby you will instantly get busted. This does not happen if your car is reset automatically after flipping over, however.
** Although it may still be worth trying a reset as a last ditch effort if you're swarmed since it will sometimes respawn your car far enough from the police for it to be outside of their arrest range. Respawning will also fix any popped tires, which are otherwise a death sentence on heat level 4+ anyway, so there's no harm in trying.

* DefeatingTheCheatingOpponent: Razor, the top of the Blacklist, beats you in the race at the start by cutting your gas line and takes your prized car as his. After working your way up the ranks, you take him on once more where he clearly think he has the edge in your car and he can smoke you easily in a fair race. To say the least, [[SoreLoser he's not pleased]] when you manage to beat him and pay him back for his earlier stunt.

* BenevolentArchitecture: Like Paradise City, Fairhaven has loads of structures that are used as jumps, especially for those billboards. The most notable ones have to be the large ring structures in front the Managio hotel in Downtown and Hughes International Airport from the ''Terminal Velocity'' DLC.

* JokeCharacter: A few of the Challenge Series lets you play with NPC traffic vehicles, which are pretty slow and you have to win time trial challenges with them, except for two that use a garbage and cement truck that are used for pursuit challenges.

* [[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt In Case You Forgot Who Developed It]]: The ''A Criterion Game'' subtitle was added to the cover and title screen to differentiate it from the original. It also appears in the Metacritic entries for their game's [=PlayStation=] 3, Xbox 360, [=PlayStation=] Vita, and PC versions, with a dash separating the subtitle from the actual name to avoid ColonCancer.

* NoPlotNoProblem: From the moment the game begins, there's no plot whatsoever. You have the objective to defeat the Blacklist but there's no stated reason to do so (other than getting their cars) or why your character is racing. All that is explained is that you find abandoned cars in the overworld, race with them and earn more cars and upgrades, with pursuits in-between.

* NintendoHard: Dear Lord, Earl's boss race. Rog even warns the player in his voice message that he's the ''only'' guy stopping you from getting into Rockport.

* NintendoHard: Dear Lord, Earl's boss race.

** Although it may still be worth trying a reset as a last ditch effort if you're swarmed since it will sometimes respawn your car far enough from the police for it to be outside of their arrest range. Respawning will also fix any popped tires, which are otherwise a death sentence on heat level 3+ anyway, so there's no harm in trying.