Need for Speed Unbound looks like no other racing game released this year, which can be hard to do in such a well-established and ingrained genre. Even though the actual driving and split-day/night structure of its races are immediately recognizable to those of us who appreciated 2019’s Need for Speed Heat, Criterion has gone all-in with a wild, animated visual flair that frequently appears to have been lifted from the pages of a comic book. Despite this, Criterion has gone all-in with its visual flair. The result is a racer with a unique style that often looks great in motion. However, the game’s sour story mode makes you feel like a banana in the tailpipe, and the online mode just feels unfinished and stripped down.
The heat was a pleasant surprise that brought the faltering franchise back on track, even though it did not completely transform arcade racing. For its endeavors, engineer Phantom Games was. disbanded, and the series inebriated toned its direction down into the arms of previous fire Model Games for Unbound, and it’s gotten a striking makeover. Like any other visual customization component, you can apply artistic embellishments, like smoke and illustrations, to automobiles. There are a lot of different options, but they all look pretty much the same. The main differences are mostly in the color of the smoke and the choice of graphics that fly off the sides of your car like wings or flash above the roof like a small, temporary hat. However, the fact that you are unable to select individualized effects for individual cars seems like an oversight because the effects you select are applied globally to your entire garage.
All of it looks very stylish, like street art from Into the Spider-Verse, and I admire Criterion’s dedication to testing something that sets Need for Speed apart from its peers. It is very well executed and has a lot of flashes. It does not appear to be a thin layer of effects applied to the image’s surface; It feels like it’s ingrained in the 3D world. Donuts, for example, has a cool look because the special animations hold up well even with a very kinetic camera.
However, Unbound’s cars, which continue to strive for photorealism, contrast strangely with their cartoon characters and effects. It doesn’t seem out of place, especially when you consider that lighting has made significant advancements since Heat and that, at its best, Unbound looks like a highly stylized, interactive trailer. But I can’t shake the feeling that Unbound’s vehicles and the world haven’t been treated the same, whether by accident or design, like an Auto Modellista or an Inertial Drift in 2020. Would that have sparked debate? Probably. Divisive? Certainly. However, I believe it would have appeared superior to this blended solution.
Performance Tooning
Unbound adheres more closely than I had anticipated to Heat’s gameplay format beneath the slick effects. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; I enjoyed Heat, which was a welcome course correction after Payback. However, as Criterion did with its acclaimed 2010 reboot of Need for Speed, it does make unbound feel like an evolution of Ghost’s work rather than something that Criterion has put its stamp on. Direct pursuit, and its interpretation of Need for Speed: Generally Needed from 2012.
In contrast to Heat’s neon-lit, Miami-like Palm City, Unbound’s new Chicago-inspired Lakeshore map has some nice, grid-like streets and tunnels for urban racing. However, the city itself is a little bland. To be fair, Unbound’s countryside was also criticized for being repetitive and forgettable. Freeways, back roads, and some hills covered in trees are all there. There are a few nice mountainside sections with a lot of switchbacks for drifting, but overall, there isn’t much to see outside of the city.
Unbound’s cops work in a similar way to Heat’s in single-player, but I think it’s easier to get away from them this time around. Unbound appears to be significantly better at recognizing assuming I’m advancing rapidly into clear space thus, in contrast to Intensity, I’m yet to be for arbitrary reasons busted just because the police are close by my, in any case, getting away from the vehicle. I’m pleased that this appears to have been addressed because this occurred frequently in Heat.
Cars can be tuned for drift, grip, or a balance between the two thanks to Heat’s strict arcade-style driving model. My attempts at grip tuning appear to be plagued by understeer. I haven’t been able to determine whether this is due to my driving style or the configuration of my handling sliders. In my opinion, drift handling is preferable and more dependable. It is still possible to select between the traditional brake-to-drift cornering style and an additional throttle pump to go sideways. It is very clever to continue catering to both camps.
Unbound slightly alters the formula, but the racing is still divided into day and night events, just like Heat. All of Unbound’s racing is prohibited all day, every day, while Heat alternates between sanctioned street racing during the day and illegal events during the evening. The heat from the cops during the day continues into the night, making it difficult to decide how much police attention you want to carry into the evening. Since Unbound limits restart, higher-paying races necessitate higher initial heat levels in addition to higher buy-ins. As a result, it is possible to lose money if your performance is subpar. Due to some highly questionable actions by the AI stacking the deck against me, I’m not entirely sold on the gambling aspect in general. However, having more on the line does increase the tension in a mostly satisfying way.
Since progressing through Unbound isn’t entirely dependent on winning every race, it can be consistently challenging without completely stalling our progress. However, getting the money together to build a competitive car and pay for the high buy-ins for high-risk races can be hard work, especially early on.
Unbound has three difficulty levels, and no matter which one you choose, it can be tough at times. It occasionally crosses the line between expensive and difficult, and there were times when an AI racer would blitz ahead of me so quickly that no amount of perfect driving or boosting could prevent them from gaping at me.
It is not a problem unique to Unbound—it is a common complaint in a variety of arcade racers—but it is a snag that tends to leave the boost system feeling flaccid and ineffective. When you trigger a nitrous boost, opponents can more or less match your speed. However, the instances in which I would blast past a crashed opponent only for them to supernaturally respawn well ahead of me on the track were even more annoying. It is extremely disheartening to lose to a racer who cheated to place ahead of you, especially considering that I had wagered additional in-game cash on beating them and do not have any restarts available.
Indeed, even in the most manageable setting, Unbound’s simulated intelligence racers can be suddenly serious now and again. I was most certainly somewhat amazed at how savage the purported ‘Casual environment’ is watching my children battle to keep up; I was, at least when I wasn’t so distracted by the dialogue.
Although Zoomer Heat’s script didn’t exactly stand a chance of winning Primetime Emmys, it was a pleasant departure from Payback. Unbound feels like a stage down from that. Although the story as a whole is harmless enough, I couldn’t stand the trite mix of teenage angst from the 2020s and Tik Tok philosophizing. It’s hard to empathize with the cast’s constant whining about their freedoms being repressed by traffic laws meant to curb wanton vehicular manslaughter because I suspect Lakeshore’s mayor is just tired of family minivans being speared off the road by 900-horsepower JDM missiles and innocent commuters being hosed off the hard shoulder. I can only assume that the mayor of Lakeshore is just tired of seeing both of these things
Screenshots from Need for Speed Unbound: 9 Images To be fair, I don’t know how a 28-year-old franchise like Need for Speed can truly speak to the whole spectrum of its audience at once. However, I should warn you that if you are a veteran player from the middle of the 1990s, I wouldn’t suggest that you will feel very well represented in Unbound. Certainly not by any of these young, thin Instagram influencer avatars, whose fashion style resembles that of a drug dealer at a music festival, a football match, or an off-brand Weird Al Yankovic. The deep car customization that previous developer Ghost began reinjecting into the series in its 2015 Need for Speed reboot has universal appeal and is still present in Unbound. However, there is a generational disconnect in terms of the characters and tone.
There’s most certainly a generational separation concerning the characters and tone.
“The cross-play-enabled online multiplayer is a separate mode that eliminates this story layer and focuses solely on racing and upgrading your ride, so there is a way to engage with Unbound without this layer. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only thing it gets rid of. At launch, the online mode doesn’t have many features, the most important of which is the police. Additionally regrettable: I mean completely distinct when I say that online and single-player are “separate.” You will need to create a new collection of cars because your single-player garage and progress cannot be shared online. I must admit that, after working my way to the top of the story mode for at least 30 hours, the idea of starting from scratch online really sucked me in.
The verdict is that Need for Speed Unbound has not departed significantly from the fundamentals of 2019’s Heat when the rubber meets the road. This comes as a little bit of a surprise following the series’ return to Criterion, a studio that has always had a very distinct style of its own. However, it’s not a bad thing because Heat was a welcome boost for a franchise that was about to run out of steam. However, Unbound’s bold new animated characters and special effects should attract attention. Despite the odd juxtaposition of cartoon-inspired flourishes and traditional graphics, this installment of this 28-year-old series is immediately recognizable due to its striking execution. Notwithstanding, while the vehicle customization apparatuses are as expressive as could be expected, it feels impossible that more seasoned players will want to interface with the single-player mode’s trimming cast of entitled chuckleheads, and sadly the different internet-based mode is right now missing center highlights like the police.
It is not a problem unique to Unbound—it is a common complaint in a variety of arcade racers—but it is a snag that tends to leave the boost system feeling flaccid and ineffective. When you trigger a nitrous boost, opponents can more or less match your speed. However, the instances in which I would blast past a crashed opponent only for them to supernaturally respawn well ahead of me on the track were even more annoying. It is extremely disheartening to lose to a racer who cheated to place ahead of you, especially considering that I had wagered additional in-game cash on beating them and do not have any restarts available.
The AI racers in Unbound can occasionally be unexpectedly competitive, even in the calmest setting. As I watched my children struggle to keep up, I was a little surprised by how brutal the so-called “Relaxed” setting is; I was, at least when I wasn’t so distracted by the dialogue.
Okay Zoomer
Intensity’s content wasn’t precisely in line to win itself an armful of Early evening Emmys, yet it was a satisfying turn away from the pish that was Restitution. Unbound feels like a stage down from that. Although the story as a whole is harmless enough, I couldn’t stand the trite mix of teenage angst from the 2020s and Tik Tok philosophizing. It’s hard to empathize with the cast’s constant whining about their freedoms being repressed by traffic laws meant to curb wanton vehicular manslaughter because I suspect Lakeshore’s mayor is just tired of family minivans being speared off the road by 900-horsepower JDM missiles and innocent commuters being hosed off the hard shoulder. I can only assume that the mayor of Lakeshore is just tired of seeing both of these things
To be fair, I don’t know of an elegant way for a 28-year-old franchise like Need for Speed to truly speak to all of its fans at once. However, I should warn you that if you’re a veteran player from the mid-1990s, I wouldn’t suggest that you’ll feel very well represented in Unbound. Certainly not by any of these young, thin Instagram influencer avatars, whose fashion style resembles that of a drug dealer at a music festival, a football match, or an off-brand Weird Al Yankovic. The deep car customization that previous developer Ghost began reinjecting into the series in its 2015 Need for Speed reboot has universal appeal and is still present in Unbound. However, there is a generational disconnect in terms of the characters and tone.
The cross-play-enabled online multiplayer mode removes the story layer and focuses solely on racing and upgrading your ride, so there is a way to play Unbound without it. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only thing it gets rid of. At launch, the online mode doesn’t have many features, the most important of which is the police. Additionally regrettable: I mean completely distinct when I say that online and single-player are “separate.” You will need to create a new collection of cars because your single-player garage and progress cannot be shared online. I must admit that, after working my way to the top of the story mode for at least 30 hours, the idea of starting from scratch online really sucked me in.
Verdict
Need for Speed Unbound has not deviated significantly from the fundamentals of 2019’s Heat when the tires are driven. This comes as a little bit of a surprise following the series’ return to Criterion, a studio that has always had a very distinct style of its own. However, it’s not a bad thing because Heat was a welcome boost for a franchise that was about to run out of steam. However, Unbound’s bold new animated characters and special effects should attract attention. Despite the odd juxtaposition of cartoon-inspired flourishes and traditional graphics, this installment of this 28-year-old series is immediately recognizable due to its striking execution. Notwithstanding, while the vehicle customization apparatuses are as expressive as could be expected, it feels impossible that more seasoned players will want to interface with the single-player mode’s trimming cast of entitled chuckleheads, and sadly the different internet-based mode is right now missing center highlights like the police.
