Top Tips – Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Leave the police and your friends behind with this essential advice from the team behind the game.

Outrun the cops and your friends in Need for Speed: Most Wanted on PlayStation 3, the racer that invites you to blaze a trail through a sprawling world of open roads and secret shortcuts. Outsmart the police, smash through their roadblocks and shake off your competitors. Only then will you be able to take on the ten hottest, fastest cars in the city of Fairhaven for the right to be called the Most Wanted.

Before flooring the pedal and making trouble out on the road, check out these tips from developer Criterion – they could help you get away with it in real style.

If you can't take the heat...

Switch off your engine using the L3 button to cool down faster. Cruise to a halt in a quiet area, turn off the ignition and you'll stealthily evade the cops.

Paint job

When you enter Cooldown mode, respray your car in any body shop – it's another sure-fire way to throw the police off your scent.

Power policing

If you want to cause trouble, you'd better be prepared for some white-knuckle driving. At high Heat levels, watch out for elite traffic cops driving Interceptors. Not only are they fast, they're also very aggressive and will try to ram you off the road.

A face known around town

Look for billboards with likely looking ramps nearby. They're your cue to smash through the giant advertising hoardings – make the longest leap and your profile picture will appear on it.

Speed boost

Want to increase your rank to unlock more modifications and lucrative races? Then beat your friends' scores and times in Autolog Recommended races and watch those all-important Speed Points roll in.

Second wind

In the heat of a high-speed pursuit, you might fall victim to a police trap, or a violent drift may burst your tyres. The Re-inflating Tyres mod lets you quickly regain control of your car so you can beat a hasty retreat.

Don't hold back

Be liberal with the nitrous system. Long bursts of it are far more effective than short spurts, as you'll increase your top speed over greater distances.

Slide away

Nail the perfect drift by quickly tapping the brakes just as you steer into a corner or curve.

Burnt rubber

Watch out for excessive wheelspin. Smoking doughnuts may look impressive, but you run the risk of a tyre blowout, making you easy pickings for your pursuers.

Pick off your prey

All is not lost should you be eliminated during an online Speed Test. Protect your own score by chasing down your rivals and running them off the road.

Pick a car, make it your own and do whatever it takes to become the Most Wanted. Get your copy of Need for Speed: Most Wanted in shops now, or download it to your PS3 from PlayStation Store.