The Need for Speed series is finally back after a long wait, and for the first time, the series presents a new sequel that's only available on current-generation hardware. NFS Unbound promised a lot and delivered a lot of content, but is it truly a return to the series' roots?

NFS Unbound was developed by two of the biggest studios known for racing games: Criterion Games, the godfather of the series, and Codemasters, the king of rally games. Welcome to the review and evaluation of the highly anticipated game from publisher EA.

We'll analyze each section of the game separately and give you a glimpse of what awaits you in this title, whether in terms of story, gameplay, or even performance. So without further ado, let's get started.

In its new version, Need for Speed Unbound adopted a different system than previous installments. The story, for example, revolves around revenge, redeeming honor, and betrayal, and these elements certainly represent a thrilling aspect if mastered well. But the plot and epicness were absent, so if you're asking me if the game returned to delivering strong stories like the series' roots, I'd say no.

The most important element in this type of game is the gameplay component. This element has been significantly changed, bringing it closer to realism. Previously, vehicle control was smooth and consistent across all vehicles. Now, each vehicle has its own control mechanism and system. For example, when you purchase a specific vehicle, you'll receive it unmodified, making it difficult to control and unable to compete in races. But after the modification, the experience will be completely different, including all vehicles.

Let's go back and talk about the characters. The idea of adding animations to the game isn't bad. But turning the characters into cartoons was a bad idea on the developer's part, as it would strip away the details we were looking for, as would the seriousness of the cinematic scenes. You'll feel like you're watching a classic animated film.

The development team takes great care in customizing the character, you can choose and change clothes, shape, facial details and size at any time by entering your garage.

Among the new features added is the ability for characters to perform interactive moves when winning or losing. These moves can also be unlocked and purchased in the garage. And, of course, as the player progresses through the story, they'll encounter new moves that can be added and customized.

On the other hand, the vehicle effects are quite beautiful and not bad at all, as they fill the game with vibrant colors, especially with its strong graphics. EA has changed several things in this area, such as the money collection and earning system, vehicle purchases, and more.

Regarding the game's money-making system, it's become much more difficult than before, to the point where you won't be able to earn $ 100,000 in the first 5 hours of play. You'll find it very difficult to earn money, and you'll only be able to withdraw properly after spending more than 15 hours playing the campaign.

The NFS Unbound team added other features to make earning money easier, but they won't be useful at first. The most important of these was, for example, the ability to bet on another competitor in the same race. If they win, they can earn an additional amount of money in addition to the prize for finishing the race.

Other ways to earn money include tasks like delivering a specific vehicle or evading the police with a specific class, among other things. It's worth noting that the game features a day and night progression system; for example, you'll compete in competitions in the morning and then enter the garage to switch to night mode. We don't know where exactly, because the game wasn't designed to operate a dynamic day and night progression system and weather, and this is a downside, unfortunately.

Now let's talk about police chases. The game has managed to return to the challenging epic chases. Once you reach the fifth level of the chase, you won't be able to escape easily, and if you're arrested, you'll lose all the money you've earned during that time.

Police chases are incredibly difficult, even on easy mode, and incredibly annoying. At one point, I finally managed to raise $ 30,000, and after that, there was a police chase, I was arrested, couldn't escape, and lost all my money. The problem is that even when the police don't manage to arrest you, you'll still be in a dangerous situation because the fifth-level police will keep searching for you, and when you're located, the chases will restart. This in itself ruins the gameplay experience, makes you constantly cautious about your movements, and hinders your progress.

Regarding the number of vehicles available for purchase, I appreciate the team making as many available as possible, but the price is too high for the money you can raise. The biggest problem is that there are five different classes of vehicles you must acquire to compete and advance in the story: B, A, A+, then S, the fastest class of vehicles, and finally, the fastest class of all, S+. And they all differ in price, especially the fastest category, which is very expensive.

The safest way is to own a Class B car and then modify it to reach the highest category. In fact, modifying the vehicle in all "mechanical" and general aspects is the best, and it's absolutely the best in this regard compared to the previous series parts.

The in-game activities vary, as it's not just about racing; there are also drift competitions, beating a certain time, beating a certain score, and others. However, there's a limit to the number of tracks, and you'll notice a lot of repetition, despite the map's size and open-world feel.

Unfortunately, there are seven areas you can access to keep everything you've earned in a night or day. But you can't get to them quickly, you have to go there, and this is a very negative and annoying point.

There's a separate cooperative game mode, the idea of which is simple: compete against or with other players. Of course, you can transfer your money from this stage to the campaign.

Graphically, it's the coolest I've seen from the series so far. The ray tracing and tire stability on the PlayStation 5 version and 4K technology were excellent. The vehicle designs are incredible, especially when modified.

The voices in NFS Unbound, and the fact that the characters are cartoons, make it impossible to accurately judge the words coming out of them and match them to their lip movements. But the background music, especially the Arabic music by Arabic artists, is beautiful. The sounds of the vehicles and how they differ from one another are incredible.

Positives

Negatives

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