You’ll only be pulled out of it when you change cars, enter a race or switch to multiplayer and it never takes more than a few seconds. Different sections aren’t crudely welded together with lengthy loading times. This is open-world gaming at it’s most seamless. Things in the distance don’t bear up to the same scrutiny but it’s a more than acceptable tradeoff, since every side of Fairhaven – every sewer and flood drain, bridge and road – is accessible to you right from the beginning, without a single intrusive loading time. Some are surreal vignettes in which police cars fall from the sky or perch on the ceiling of car parks like flies others are snapshots of the city itself, showcasing its urban beauty. Each race is prefaced by an introductory video, which showcases the city it has built from the ground up. You get the impression that Criterion is rather proud of its achievement. And you’ll still be able to appreciate it all tearing down the highway at 150 miles per hour.

They’re all little touches – testament to time and energy – but when they all combine, as they frequently do, the result approaches something quite sublime. You’ll emerge from winding tunnels into blinding light flecks of dirt and blades of grass will cling to the screen should you choose to go off-road the music quality will dip and static will accumulate on your Sat Nav when you venture underground the warm sunlight skims off rainwater that has pooled on the uneven, cracked tarmac. It’s been constructed with a fastidious attention to detail. It’s evident in most aspects of the game. The first thing that impresses you about Most Wanted - and there are many highlights to choose from - is the sheer quality and craftsmanship of the game.

This time it’s Most Wanted receiving the makeover and the results occasionally approach the sublime. Thankfully, following on from the disappointment of last year’s entry The Run, Criterion is back in the driving seat, turning its perfectionist’s gaze towards another title from the franchise’s past. The results were fantastic it was a game that pushed the arcade racer forward in new, exciting directions, providing unprecedented levels of connectivity, and was a major shot in the arm for the series.

Two years ago acclaimed British developer Criterion took a stab at one of Need for Speed’s most established imprints: Hot Pursuit.

Need for speed wanted xbox one