NFS Unbound: An Electrifying Sequel That Sparks New Life into the Franchise
Hands down, NFS Unbound is a direct sequel to 2019‘s Need for Speed Heat. This isn‘t just my opinion as an avid fan of the series – Unbound developer Criterion Games has explicitly stated this connection. After a three year break, Criterion returns to street racing with bold new style and ideas that build successfully on Heat‘s strengths.
NFS Heat‘s neon-bathed streets were a playground for illegal racing and tuning.
Criterion Ushers in a New Era
Founded in 1996, Criterion Games made its mark on racing games early with its Burnout series. Known for lightning fast arcade action, Burnout inspired design elements that persist in Need for Speed today – smashable environments, slow motion crash cams, you name it.
After several successful stints developing NFS titles, Criterion took a break following 2017‘s Payback. While well-reviewed, Payback ultimately underperformed commercially for EA.
Meanwhile, 2019 saw British studio Ghost Games take the wheel for NFS Heat. Set in a gorgeous, Miami-flavored open world, Heat focused on day vs night racing. By day, legal motorsport events offered safe cash flow. By night, seedy streets hosted illicit, no-holds-barred contests for higher stakes. Despite its strengths, Heat still left fans wanting more content and depth.
Now Criterion is gearing up to get the series back on track with Unbound. Did they succeed?
Unbound Cranks NFS Gameplay to the Next Level
On the surface, Unbound retains Heat‘s core formula – illegal street racing, tuning and customizing real cars, avoiding cops. But nearly every system has been reworked under the hood.
Right away, the visual overhaul pops. Unbound ditches realism for a vibrant, anime-inspired style with hand-drawn effects and animated comic book panels. Your tuner might have purple flame paintjobs. Bursting nitrous oxide could deploy neon blue shockwaves. Trails follow speeding cars like ink strokes.
This energized style already has fans buzzing. And it‘s more than skin deep – Criterion has introduced equally bold gameplay changes.
Lakeshore City: A Map Built for Speed
Unbound moves the action from Heat‘s Miami clone Palm City to another fictional metropolis – Lakeshore City, inspired by Chicago. Early analysis suggests Lakeshore‘s map size exceeds Heat‘s thanks to urban sprawl replicated from Chicago‘s real roadways.
Lakeshore City‘s urban grid allows for complex highway routes perfect for losing the cops.
Densely intersecting highways snake between neighborhoods – ripe territory for cop evasion and chained drift sessions. Numerous garages pepper districts, acting like safe houses to escape police pursuit. Even verticality plays a role – elevated train tracks run interconnect routes above ground.
Slide In Style with Redesigned Drift Handling
Drifting has always been central in Need for Speed‘s driving model. Unbound takes the wheel element even further with overhauled tuning mechanics. Tires can be inflated down to 0 PSI for maximum slide, at the cost of worse handling. Upgraded differentials improve traction loss to skid easier.
The driving feel leans away from pure simulation to reward fearless, flashy maneuvering. Tuning setups that let you elegantly link mile-long drift trains through Lakeshore‘s urban maze. Criterion nailed this reckless style – early reviews praise the satisfying drift mechanics as a highlight.
Outrun Smarter Cops with New Tools
Evading arrest has always been integral to NFS gameplay. The heat system returns, ratcheting up police pressure as players pull bigger stunts. Lakeshore PD has upped their game too, deploying roadblocks and aerial spotters across five wanted levels.
To help racers survive, Criterion baked in anti-cop tools. EMP shockwaves temporarily disable pursuing vehicles. Instant nitrous refills let you rocket away from danger. Reinforced chassis reduce crash damage from police takedowns. Traps can be pre-set too – saved ramps and blockade to deterfollowers.
These enhancements strike an excellent balance, forcing adaptive driving without being unfair. Reviews confirm escaping cops feels intense, not frustrating. The stakes feel raised in all the right ways.
Unbound‘s cops are smarter and more relentless. New anti-cop tools help even the playing field.
Customization Achieves Brand New Levels of Style
NFS pioneered deep visual customization for tuner cars, a feature players obsess over. If anything, Unbound turns the dials to 11 on personal expression.
Inside multi-layer wraps, options explode – gloss colors, matte colors, metallic textures, and chromed everything. Interactive elements react to speed and motion. Wild animated decals and graffiti tags can be applied. Detailed vinyl editors and shape tools resemble professional graphics software.
But the showstopper feature enabling next-level creativity is Unbound‘s Sticker Bomb. This tool lets youapply any image found online as a decal sticker to wrap across your car‘s panels. Already fans are plastering memes, celebrities, brands – anything imaginable across their rides. The potential for novelty and humor is limitless.
While Flawed, Unbound Accelerates the Franchise Overall
Unbound reviews show a positive reception, averaging around 8/10 across major outlets.
Unbound isn‘t without flaws holding it back from racing perfection. Damage modelling falls short of expectations while AI opponents often outpace human reaction times unrealistically. These gripes raise valid critiques around difficulty balancing and content depth too.
Yet overall reception remains upbeat, evident in strong review averages between 80-85%. Though smaller in scale than some past series entries, Unbound impresses as a bold new creative direction. For long-time fans like myself, Criterion‘s sequel succeeds more than it falters.
By leaning into arcade-style gameplay with striking new presentation, NFS feels energized and fun again. Lakeshore City offers freedom for high-speed exploration. Tuning and customization push creative limits. Pursuits intensify wonderfully chaotic cop battles.
Most importantly, Unbound lays groundwork for an exciting future path forward for Need for Speed.
The Road Ahead: Sequels, Support and Wishlists
Criterion already promises free DLC down the road, likely expanding Lakeshore City with new zones, race events and cars. Given development delays, substantial updates arriving within months seems plausible.
And Unbound‘s sales prove renewed interest in NFS – opening month units topped Heat‘s equivalent figures despite releasing on fewer platforms initially. With Criterion back in the driver‘s seat, hopes are high they‘ll revisit Lakeshore again soon.
My wishlist for a potential Unbound 2? An even larger city map with countryside valleys and mountain passes. Extreme weather effects – imagine blinding rain or snow accumulation slowing cars. Deeper tuning and customization for authentic JDM styles. More dynamic cops, like tactical teams tracking players between sessions. And best of all, bringing back classic NFS heroes like Eddie, Melissa and Rachel for cameo appearances!
Wherever Criterion takes Need for Speed next, sparks are flying again thanks to Unbound. I‘ll be right there in Lakeshore City grinding cash for that widebody R34. This franchise has its mojo back!
