Need for Speed Unbound review: The quintessential Need for Speed experience
It would be fair to say that Need for Speed Unbound made me the most ecstatic I've ever been playing a single-player campaign in a racing game. From the stylized art to the brand new handling and physics model, the game was incredible to look at and play, much to my surprise.
Although I was skeptical about the new Need for Speed (NFS) being helmed by Criterion Games, whose previous NFS title was the reason I distanced myself from the franchise, I have to admit that the developers shocked me with the impressive quality of this new title.
It may not match up to NFS Underground or Most Wanted, but it is, without a shadow of a doubt, a huge step forward in the right direction.
The art style of Need for Speed Unbound is particularly pleasing, given that most racing games nowadays steer clear of over-stylized depictions in favor of photorealistic graphics. Criterion somehow found a way to combine both in Need for Speed Unbound and create a stylized graffiti-like aesthetic with elements of hyperrealism that come courtesy of Frostbite engine.
While Need for Speed Unbound is far from a perfect game, it undoubtedly has the potential to revive the series and restore its former glory. It is basically NFS Heat, but with more of what makes the latter such a great title for this franchise.
The Need for Speed franchise is dear to to me, given that my fondness for racing games and cars in general is rooted in the countless hours I spent on Need for Speed Underground 2 and 2005's Most Wanted.
However, since 2012's NFS Most Wanted, my interest in the series began waning, mostly due to its identity crisis which was reflecting in every single entry. I turned to more mainstream racing titles like Gran Turismo, Assetto Corsa, and Forza Motorsport.
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