Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think this has happened before. Two games of the same generation have the exact same name. This might pose a problem to retailers in the future, but that's not something I'm here to address. Need for Speed: Most Wanted isn't as raucously entertaining as 2010's Hot Pursuit reboot, but if you're into racers, you'll want to play this one anyway.

At this point, I'm convinced that Criterion is simply incapable of making a game that doesn't look absolutely stunning. They've never been anything but top of the class as far as visual design goes, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted does nothing to shake my faith in their abilities. Fairhaven is a beautiful place that is easily on par with Burnout Paradise's Paradise City. It's a large virtual playground that gives you a number of environments to scream through. The sleek metropolitan cityscape only constitutes part of this place: venture out far enough and you'll be careening through calmer locales with more emphasis on the natural beauty of the land they occupy. Oh, and did I mention the cars look excellent? No? Well, they do.

Now I'm really starting to wonder exactly how Criterion comes up with the cringe-worthy sound effects for their games. Do they make excursions to the German autobahns, pour oil all over the roads, hit "Record," and wait for sh*t to go down? Probably not, but these wrecks sound absolutely horrifying. Need for Speed: Most Wanted is sweet vanilla custard -- for your ears. The soundtrack is hip and modern, and the cars sound distinguishable from one another. What more can you ask?

EA Black Box's Xbox 360 launch title Need for Speed: Most Wanted was a great open-world racer with a ridiculously campy story: I can still remember the time Clarence "Razor" Callahan first called me out: "First I'm going to take your ride, then I'm going to take your girl. Get ready for that!" My jaw hit the floor. Need for Speed: Most Wanted eschews the crappy 80's movie dialogue in favor of, well, no story at all. That's fine, since the last Need for Speed game tried to go for story, and ended up as a deliberately bad joke. Of course, this means that your stakes in the onscreen action will simply be reduced to "man, I want to take this fool's place."

Need for Speed: Most Wanted sets you loose in the not-so-lawless town of Fairhaven. There's an awful lot to do here. You can participate in events across the town, work on some personal records, find new cars by locating specialized "Jack Spots" or jump online for some party-style fun. But as in Burnout Paradise, you'll end up doing quite a bit of exploring. But be careful: the 5-0 are always on the lookout for troublemakers on the streets, and they will pursue you if you violate the rules of the road in their sight.

Fairhaven is full of potential for extreme car performance of one sort or another. The streets are lined with speed cameras; you can compete with your friends asynchronously to set the fastest speeds. Billboards loaded with product placement are all over the city, and some of them require some creative driving to get to: smash them and replace the plugs with your gamerpic. It's a very social experience, even when you're playing alone.

Taking your game online provides you with an obviously more direct social experience. You can host a private game for you and your friends or join a public one. Regardless, Fairhaven is open for everyone to explore. The actual events are very similar to those introduced in Burnout Paradise. Aside from the obvious races, you can participate in jumping contests, drift challenges, speed challenges, and other fun competitive and cooperative activities. There is one glaring omission: no cops versus racers in a game that features both begs for an explanation.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a tough cookie. Criterion likes their rubber bands, and it shows in the ranking races. Not only do these drivers have their routes down pat, but their vehicles occasionally exhibit more power than expected. I've always thought that rubber band A.I. was an unnecessary evil, and I still do. If I'm performing well, I want to feel like I'm performing well. I'd rather the challenge feel organic and natural than contrived and artificial. But I don't know anything about game development -- it's undoubtedly a lot harder than simply asking for it.

That being said, you are often your own worst enemy in Need for Speed: Most Wanted. This isn't one of those racers that forces you down a single path and nudges you towards the correct path when you slam into a series of bright arrows. But Criterion has designed the circuits to follow the expectations of the players. You won't find yourself getting hopelessly lost in the middle of an event or anything.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted touts itself as "the most socially connected racing game ever." I'm not in the least bit qualified to fact-check that: I don't play many racers, and most of my Facebook friends probably think I'm dead. However, everything does feel connected in this game. The Autolog is here to stay, and it's still a great tool for measuring your skills in comparison to that of your friends. It frequently updates you on opportunities to earn more SP, gives you a heads up when your friends break your records, and recommends events for you.

Easydrive is an evolution of the integrated menu system from Burnout Paradise. You can set waypoints to new races, change/customize your cars, view your Most Wanted targets, and hop into multiplayer -- all with a few presses on the D-pad. Folks, it doesn't get any more simple than this.

The cars in Burnout Paradise were essentially hydrofoil on wheels. Aerodynamics were a complete non-issue. However, in Need for Speed: Most Wanted, cars have quite a bit more weight to them. It takes more to turn, accelerate, and stop them. This isn't the ultra-realistic physics simulation that Forza Motorsport is, but it strikes a balance between it and Criterion's baby.

While Need for Speed: Most Wanted is an enjoyable racer, it's slightly disappointing, considering that the developers frequently release titles that are much more than "enjoyable." Between 2010's Hot Pursuit and 2008's Burnout Paradise, I'm not particularly sure if this game was exactly begging to be made. I'll tell you what is begging to be made, though: a reboot of Road Rash...