Thanks again for your reply. But to clarify, I am definitely not stuck on the loading screen!
I'm not really stuck at all. Here is what happens (though I already described it above)
1. I launch the Origin client.
2. I click on NFS MW -> Play button (in the "My Games" tab)
3. An Origin pop up tells me:
Starting
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Cloud Data is being synchronized
(The loading bar instantly goes up to 5%, rests there for maybe half a second, jumps to 100%, remains like that for another half a second)
4. The pop up disappears.
That's it. Nothing more happens. I am back at square one again, looking at the "My Games" tab in the Origin client, which was just before covered to a small part by the NFS pop up described in step 3 above.
Sometimes, steps 1-4 repeat themselves automatically. Maybe a second after the pop up closes, it reopens, goes to 5%, then to 100%, then closes. Nothing happens.
I have come to the conclusion that this is a different issue than what most people appear to be experiencing, being stuck on a black loading screen and whatnot (to which the solutions you posted refer).
Here is what I have tried so far:
1) Running the game with the Origin client closed directly from the .exe. I have tried this as admin, and with the suffix -window behind the shortcut destination, in order to run it in window mode. Also, I have tried compatibility mode for Windows SP3 and with 640x480 resolution.
For all of the attempts, the Origin client launches itself and the result is exactly the same as steps 2-4 mentioned above.
2) Reinstalling Origin. No change.
3) Repairing NFS installation (from the right-click menu through the Origin files) tells me, everything is fine and as it should be.
4) Reinstalling NFS. No change.
5) The suggestion above -> Disabling my graphics card. No change.
6) Trying the game on either one of my two monitors with the other one being disconnected. In other words, a classic single monitor setup. No change.
My system easily meets the minimum requirements, I run SimCity on highest details with the highest resolution, no problem. Also, all my drivers are up to date. A look at my task manager reveals, that after step 2, a Need for Speed process shows up, but just as briefly as the Origin pop up. It disappears simultaneously with it. I am running Windows 7 Home Premium.
If you need any further information in order to come to a better diagnosis, let me know right away!
Again, thank you for your support and I am looking forward to hearing more from you!
Cheers!