When we last previewed Need for Speed Unbound, we were left with excitement and a sense of joy. Sadly, since then, the game has soured on us a bit. So what happened, did someone steal our car, rob us blind, or steal our presents from underneath our tree? Honestly, the answer is a little bit of all three. The first ten hours give the player a taste of what the game has to offer without offering the true meat and potatoes. So how does Criterion Games’ latest game hold up once you dive fully into it? Let’s jump in, speed down the highway, and maybe crash a few times on the way.
Story
Diving into Need for Speed Unbound, players are introduced to the story’s dynamic duo. Orphans at an early age, the two have been raised by a garage shop owner, Rydell. With street racing having a resurgence, the two are determined to make a name for themselves. Sadly, greed and a desire to make a name for oneself compromise the morality of Yaz leading to the story’s overarching plot.
After the prelude, the player and Rydell are betrayed by Yaz as she and her new crew rob the garage. While trying to make some extra money on the side, the player picks up Tess. After a speedy drop-off, Tess offers to help sponsor and get the player noticed to get revenge on Yaz. As the player gets through the Grand Prix trials, the player starts to realize that something is off with Tess. This makes the player realize that they can only trust family and themselves.
The game tries to make the player believe that it is going one way and that the surprise is supposed to be a twist; sadly, the big “twist” in the game comes as no surprise if you have been doing the game’s side missions. Steal some cars to make money, and return them to make more money.
Honestly, the story itself is rather superficial. Don’t trust those that offer money blindly; there are no good politicians, corporate greed will ruin everything, and you have to rely on yourself. Bet on yourself and don’t be surprised when those with shady intentions have a trick up their sleeves.
Gameplay
Need for Speed Unbound has some positive and negative gameplay aspects. Thankfully, Criterion Games has kept the ability to buy parts for your car without locking it behind a loot box system. The game’s story feels a bit more flushed out than Need for Speed Heats which ended abruptly. Sadly, the game’s story doesn’t live up to Need for Speed Carbon, Underground, or the original Most Wanted.
Car Customization has a wide variety of aspects and with community creations, you can create your dream car; the game forces you to use multiple cars in order to compete in a variety of races. The game’s AI no matter what difficulty feels like it’s too high; some races feel like you have to wreck your opponents early on just to get through the race. Depending on which difficulty you put the game on, you have a limited number of retries.
Need for Speed Unbound features three extremely annoying offenses: The collision system, AI who don’t shut up, and police chases. If you make a side wager against a fellow racer they will talk to you throughout the whole race. The racer you placed the bet against will also have their skill improved to be more competitive.
Cops
Need for Speed Unbound‘s biggest offense is easily the cops. The game’s system relies heavily on the Heat system; players can earn heat during the day with it carrying over into the night. Later in the game, players must have a certain level of heat to compete in specific races. This heat carries over from day into the night but disappears once the player turns in for the night.
As the heat increases so do the police willing to chase you. Yes, you can get equipment to make it so the police won’t recognize you as quickly, but you will pay a pretty penny for it. Later on, it almost feels pointless, since depending on which race you choose, the cops will show up to interrupt the race. In most instances, the cops will leave the other racers alone and only screw up your chances to win the race.
Once the race is over, the player will be forced into a cop chase sequence. If the heat is high enough, helicopters will pursue the player. If you want to get away from the cops you will have to do so on your own. The game offers no takedown areas, offers timed repairs, and limited places to hide.
Cops will easily detect the player even when the car’s lights are off making the mechanic rather pointless. Police will also randomly crash and roadblocks will be thrown up in weird locations. Helicopters will randomly run out of fuel sometimes even at the beginning of a pursuit. Later into the game, high heat becomes a requirement.
Collision System
Need for Speed Unbound has an issue when it comes to the game’s collision system. The player can be going 15 mph and wreck from hitting a guard rail. Meanwhile, you can be going 200 mph and slam into another car and be perfectly fine. The objects within the game are also inconsistent. The player can drive right through a telephone pole but not a tree. The game also encourages the player to destroy build boards but only the ones involving the police or politics, not the LGBT-themed ones. The car will also randomly flip for no reason.
When in police chases, the car’s steering seems to be more inconsistent. At times, the player can easily drive through a spiked blockade and the wheels will magically return. The player’s car can be used to take down police at full speed but the player won’t wreck. Honestly, the Heat system could have been better utilized if using the older system where cars lose heat by being stored in the garage; it would also make more sense for the police to be able to recognize the vehicle rather than it losing heat the next day.
Graphics
Need for Speed Unbound graphic system has improved since Need for Speed Heat. Despite the game having animated characters and animated graphics, the cars still look beautiful and like their real-life counterparts. The game’s world features multiple landscapes each with its own unique feel making no part of the city identical.
The only criticisms we can mention are the game’s motion blur and animated effects popping up on the screen. Most of the graphics can be rather intrusive and will flash in the middle of the screen. The game does feature a variety of designs for car wraps and racing effects. Motion blur can be turned off; meanwhile, the game does feature a color-blind mode for those with Deuteranopia, Tritanopia, and Protanopia.
The game does have issues when transitioning from light to dark areas. There is often a few seconds where it takes a second or two to shift the lighting. If a collision happens in the distance, you will see cars reloading.
Controls
If you have ever played Need for Speed then you are already well prepared for Need for Speed Unbound. The game’s controls are not remappable with players only able to adjust the vibration and Deadzone. Players can use the directional pad to skip tracks or change objectives easily. While customizing the tires, you will need to get a feel for how they grip vs drift before putting significant money on the line.
Audio
Need for Speed Unbound features an interesting soundtrack with a variety of songs. Players can set character speech as a primary focus over top of the music. Players can adjust the music volume within the game but there is no streamer-friendly feature. The game does feature a text-to-speech and a speech-to-text option. Players can also adjust the size of the text and the strobing effects of the lights in the game.
Replay Value
Need for Speed Unbound has the typical replay value. Players who love trying out different cars, completing milestones, and racing against others can easily find things to do. In the past, we would only earn money by completing two styles of races; that challenge can easily be done in this one. Yes, that does mean that certain runs will be harder than others, but that’s part of the fun.
The game does also feature a variety of collectibles and challenges to complete. Players also have over 200 cars to use and race with. This makes it so no run has to be identical. After beating the game, players have the option to continue racing either in story mode or against other players online.
Verdict
Need for Speed Unbound can be a fun racing simulator if you don’t mind a challenge. The story is predictable and seems more like social commentary rather than a story about revenge and justice. The game does offer a variety of cars for the player to use and there are a variety of customization options. The driving in the game can be rather smooth once you fine-tune your vehicle but you will have to do that for at least four of them.
The game’s AI and collision systems are easily its biggest flaws. Crashes aren’t consistent no matter what the speed and you will very easily become infuriated when racing. The game’s AI is also a major issue. The cops are annoying, to say the least, and prioritize you over others; the Heat system feels like a mechanic that they weren’t quite sure how to use it. The game’s AI is also rather annoying with even lower difficulties still being challenging; also, some of the game’s AI does not shut up making for an annoying additional sound while racing.
If you are looking for a racing sim, Need for Speed Unbound can be a good choice but we definitely recommend Forza Horizon 5 over it.
A copy of Need for Speed Unbound was provided for review purposes.
