• Posted August 16th, 2012 at 13:31 EDT by Steven Williamson
• 2 Comments

Criterion's Executive Producer Matt Webster says that the Guildford-based studio has "thrown away 20 years of convention" for its latest NfS game, Need For Speed: Most Wanted.

Speaking to PSU at Gamescom, Webster says that the open world city in Most Wanted goes way beyond the scale of previous Need For Speed games with a vast area to explore.

"All cars are available from the outset," says Webster. "If you see a car you can drive it. Once you've driven it you can select it from the in-game menu and then drive it again any time you like, as well as mod your cars on the fly."

Need for Speed: Most Wanted takes place in Fairhaven City, and utilizes Criterion’s highly-lauded Autolog system introduced in Need for Speed: Host Pursuit.

While Most Wanted shares its open-world sensibilities with Burnout, its core gameplay isn’t quite as arcade-like as its Criterion stable mate, though at the same time doesn’t go down the route of a hardcore simulator.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is due out on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PC and Xbox 360 on October 30, 2012.