As announced earlier this month, the adrenaline-filled Need For Speed: Most Wanted joins the Instant Game Collection in the PlayStation Plus service today. Make sure you check it out as soon as you can! And as if that’s not enough Need For Speed action for you, I’m happy to announce that we have teamed up with our good friends at EA to bring you big savings on a range of titles and DLC from the series. The deals will last for one week from Wednesday 31st July. Grab them while you can!

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The Wii U version of Need for Speed Most Wanted will utilise the Wii U GamePad controller in unique ways. Firstly, an all new local co-op mode, Co-Driver, will allow one player to drive using the Wii Remote controller or Wii U Pro Controller, while another player uses the Wii U GamePad to provide control and navigation assistance on a fully interactive real-time map.

For another competitive edge, players can also change their mods, switch into their favorite cars, track milestones and uncover the city’s hidden gems, all on the fly with the Wii U touch screen. Finally, the entire game will also be playable off-screen using the Wii U GamePad.

EA have today released three unique DLC packs for Need for Speed Most Wanted. The DLC packs include a brand new Airport world expansion, legendary classics from favourite action movies, and heroic rides from the Need for Speed franchise history.

The following DLC packs will launch on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network today and on Origin on March 13th:
                                                                                       
Need for Speed Most Wanted Terminal Velocity (1200 MS points or £11.99/$14.99)

Need for Speed Most Wanted Terminal Velocity introduces players to Hughes International Airport, an expansive new location in Fairhaven City that gives players more opportunities to race, jump and drift their way to becoming the Most Wanted racer. Take on new single player modes with heightened levels of maneuverability in some of the world’s most coveted new rides including the Porsche 918 Spyder 2013, BMW 1 Series M Coupe 2012, Audi RS3 2012, Ford Fiesta ST 2012 and Alfa Romeo Mito QV 2012. The cars have been hand-picked for their tight controls, enabling them to bust through airport gates, while also being quick and light enough with the new Jump Nitrous mod to jump through and over everything else. Need for Speed Most Wanted Terminal Velocity is also packed with 136 new multiplayer milestones, 10 new multiplayer speedlists, 40 new billboards, 8 new achievements and more.

Need for Speed Movie Legends (800 MS Points or £7.99/$9.99)

Movie Legends features five of the world’s most iconic cars to have graced the silver screen. Gamers can take out rivals with debonair style in the luxurious Aston Martin DBS 2008 and Aston Martin DB5. Those who want to make like bandits and elude the police can get behind the wheel of the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am Special Edition 1977. Players can also harness the power and aggression of a Dodge Charger R/T 1970 for fast races and furious chases. Finally, for racers who want to know what it feels like to disappear in the blink of an eye, comes an all new Need for Speed Most Wanted car: the Shelby GT500 1967. Need for Speed Movie Legends also comes with 8 new single player sprint events, 136 new multiplayer milestones, 50 new license plates and more.

Need For Speed Heroes (800 MS Points or £7.99/$9.99)

Take a trip down memory lane in five famous cars from Need for Speed history: the raucous Lamborghini Diablo SV from Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit, the terrifyingly powerful Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) from Need for Speed Underground, the ‘drift-a-licious’ Nissan 350Z from Need for Speed Underground 2, the ferocious Porsche 911 GT2 from Need for Speed Undercover and the ultimate Most Wanted car, the BMW M3 GTR from the 2005 Need for Speed Most Wanted. Players can test the limits of these Need for Speed throwbacks in 8 new high intensity Races and Speed Runs.  Need for Speed Heroes also comes with 25 new liveries, 136 new multiplayer milestones and more.

Deluxe DLC Bundle (2000 MS Points or £19.99/$24.99)

Get all three packs in one. Players will have full access to all the content from Need for Speed Terminal Velocity, Need for Speed Movie Legends and Need for Speed Heroes with this DLC.

Need for Speed Most Wanted will be released for the Wii U in North America  on March 18th and across Europe on March 21st, EA and Criterion Games have announced.

The Wii U version of Need for Speed Most Wanted will utilise the Wii U GamePad controller in unique ways. Firstly, an all new local co-op mode, Co-Driver, will allow one player to drive using the Wii Remote controller or Wii U Pro Controller, while another player uses the Wii U GamePad to provide control and navigation assistance on a fully interactive real-time map.

"Using just their fingertips, a partner can distract pursuing cops, switch from night to day or activate enhanced performance for any car and even control the amount of traffic on the road." EA explained. "This is the ultimate advantage for gamers who like to stir up trouble for the cops, their friends or just for fun."

For another competitive edge, players can also change their mods, switch into their favorite cars, track milestones and uncover the city’s hidden gems, all on the fly with the Wii U touch screen. Finally, the entire game will also be playable off-screen using the Wii U GamePad.

Need for Speed Most Wanted on Wii U will also include the Ultimate Speed Pack DLC, which includes 5 additional cars: the McLaren’s F1 LM, Aventador J, Pagani Zonda R, Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse and the Venom GT Spyder.

The first downloadable content for Need for Speed: Most Wanted, The Ultimate Speed Pack, will be available for download from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 MS Points and the PlayStation Network and Origin for £7.99 on December 18th, EA has announced.

The Ultimate Speed Pack includes access to five of the fastest cars ever built, the Pagani Zonda R, McLaren F1LM, Lamborghini Aventador J and the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. Players can also battle an all-new Most Wanted rival, "the undisputed champion of raw speed", for the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder.

In addition to the new cars, the DLC will also include 25 new events and more than 70 all-new speed-themed milestones spread throughout the city, each of which are built to push the new cars to the limit.

EA and Criterion Games have today released a single-player demo for Need for Speed Most Wanted. The demo, which is available now for free download on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, unleashes gamers into the connected, open world of Fairhaven City.

The Most Wanted demo starts players behind the wheel of one of the game’s most recognisable, rides: the Aston Martin V12 Vantage. Players can also jack into three additional cars placed in different areas of Fairhaven– the Porsche 911 Carrera S, the Audi R8 GT Spyder and the Ford Focus RS500 – if you can find it, you can drive it. Each vehicle has its own unique races, challenges and mods to unlock.

Need for Speed Most Wanted is now available for the Xbox 360 with Kinect support, PlayStation 3, PC, PlayStation Vita, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Kindle Fire devices and Android.

After many months of rumor, EA has confirmed that the upcoming racing game Need For Speed Most Wanted will be coming to the Wii U in 2013. The game is scheduled for release on the PS3, Xbox 360, and other platforms next week, while Wii U gamers will have to wait a few more months before getting their hands on the arcade racer.

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In the latest video for Need for Speed Most Wanted, Producer Chris Roberts reveals the Kinect functionality in the Xbox 360 version of the game. With Kinect players will have voice activated easy drive menus and can customize their car, select races and seamlessly switch to another car without ever leaving the action.

As a committed pedestrian, I've often suspected that the only real reason to drive a car is that other passengers don't gawp at you when you yell at the vehicle. Delightfully, Need for Speed Most Wanted will recreate this sensation in the Xbox 360 edition with Kinect voice support, Electronic Arts announced today.

In Need for Speed Most Wanted, players must beat the hottest, fastest and rarest cars in a series of one-on-one events to become Fairhaven City's Most Wanted. Everything you do in Most Wanted earns you Speed Points, which increases your Speed Level and attracts the attention of the ten Most Wanted Racers.

After our recent hands-on session with Need for Speed: Most Wanted, we managed to corner the game’s producer, Criterion’s Leanne Loombe, for a chat about why the PC version will make its console counterparts look positively ugly.

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In this new footage of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, examine first hand how the Easy Drive system allows for a truly seamless driving experience with no pausing necessary. Drive or go directly to a race's starting line, and swap cars and performance mods to suit any condition or driving style, all without ever having to leave gameplay or leaving the open-world behind. Beat the competition using all new features of Autolog 2, pull off monstrous drifts to earn Speed Points which contribute to unlocking performance modifications and secure your rank on The Most Wanted List amongst your friends and rivals.

In Need for Speed Most Wanted all the cars are open from the start, so if you can find it, you can drive it. The action starts in an Aston Martin V12 Vantage before jumping into a Mercedes SL 65 Black Series from a jackspot and applying mods using the Easydrive menu. In Most Wanted if there's something to do there's someone to beat which is showcased in the race recommended by Autolog 2 and also in the personalized billboards that feature the face of the friend with the longest jump through them.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com last week, producer Matt Webster revealed that the PlayStation Vita version is "exactly the same game" as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, and features the "same big open-world... same cars... same Autolog features and the same competition".

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Need for Speed: Most Wanted will provide a persistent experience across various platforms thanks to a newly revealed feature that's been dubbed Cloudcompete. The new mode allows players to level up on one platform before carrying that progress on to another, and it'll span mobile, PC, home console and Vita versions of Criterion's game.

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Featuring 12-player multiplayer action, in Need For Speed Most Wanted players can jump into the open world of Fairhaven City and prove your driving skills against your friends. Drive a huge variety of cars and compete in a series of action-packed challenges.

Meet some of the stars of Need for Speed Most Wanted: the Corvette ZR1, The Koenigsegg Agera R and The Hummer H1 Alpha.

EA has announced that those who pre-order Need for Speed Most Wanted for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC will receive a Limited Edition of the game at no additional charge. The Limited Edition includes two early unlocked multiplayer cars with special performance modifications: the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale and Porsche 911 Carrera S (above), as well as four hours of double Speed Points, which are used to rank up in the game.

Also, fans who pre-order Need for Speed Most Wanted for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 from select retailers will be able to additionally unlock one of three exclusive packs: the Speed Pack, Strike Pack or Power Pack. These exclusive packs will include early access to multiplayer cars with unique modifications that fit different play styles:

• Speed Pack: The Caterham Superlight R500 in the exclusive Satin Black livery, featuring the Track Tyres Modification for improved road handling, and a Lightweight Chassis Modification allowing players to reach mesmerizing speeds.
• Strike Pack: The Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series in the exclusive Satin Black livery, featuring the Power Pack Powertrain Modification for an engine tuned for torque, acceleration and the ability to reach breakneck speeds, and the Re-inflating Tyres Modification making it easier to survive and counter rivals’ attempts to slow players down.
• Power Pack: The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor in the exclusive Satin Black livery, featuring the Reinforced Chassis Modification for taking increased damage, and the powerful and violent Nitrous Dump Modification for making tight jumps and powered up takedowns.

Need for Speed Most Wanted will be available on October 30th in North America and November 1st, 2012 in Europe for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PC, iOS and Android.