Key Takeaways
1. Illegal Street Racing Theme: Need for Speed Unbound focuses on illegal street racing in Lakeshore City, inspired by Chicago, where players aim to enter a premier tournament by winning races and enhancing their vehicles.
2. Day-Night Cycle: The game features a day-night cycle where daytime races are safer but offer smaller rewards, while nighttime races provide bigger payouts, but with increased police presence and more aggressive AI.
3. Mixed Community Reception: Players have expressed dissatisfaction with the relentless police AI and slow campaign progression, along with a mandatory EA app installation requirement that frustrates some users.
4. Distinct Visual Style: Lakeshore City is designed as an open world with a mix of realistic environments and comic-like effects, though some players wish for an option to disable these vibrant graphics.
5. Pricing and Discounts: Currently retailing for $70, Need for Speed Unbound has significant discounts available, with prices dropping as low as $5 during sales, along with special editions also seeing major price reductions.
Need for Speed Unbound is all about illegal street racing set in Lakeshore City, a make-believe city inspired by Chicago. Players step into the shoes of an ambitious driver looking to get into The Grand, the city’s premier tournament, by winning high-stakes races, collecting cash, and enhancing their vehicles. The game has a day-night cycle that adds a strategic twist. Races during the day are safer but yield smaller rewards, whereas nighttime races can offer bigger payouts but also come with a heavier police presence. The more reckless the driving, the more aggressive the police become. Yet, some players are not thrilled with this aspect. A lot of the community thinks the police AI is too relentless and unbalanced, leading to frustrating chases that disrupt the game’s pace.
Open World Features
In Need for Speed Unbound, Lakeshore City is an open world that’s split into different areas. Players can zoom through urban spots like downtown filled with tall buildings, as well as vast industrial zones, winding mountain paths, and fast highways. The game combines realistic worlds with comic-like effects and cel-shading, creating a distinct visual style. Nevertheless, many gamers have voiced their discontent over the absence of an option to turn off the vibrant effects in the graphics settings. Beyond the single-player campaign, Unbound offers a multiplayer mode where up to 16 players can compete against each other.
Mixed Reviews
The German gaming publication Eurogamer gave Need for Speed Unbound a nod for its dynamic open world and exhilarating speed. However, they pointed out the unbalanced AI and slow progress in the campaign as areas needing improvement. Each in-game day only allows a limited number of retries for unsuccessful races, and the rewards are often too low compared to the prices of new cars. This creates a feeling that early progress drags on unnecessarily. Another annoyance is the compulsory installation of the EA app, even when starting the game through Steam, which has left many players unhappy.
Pricing and Availability
Developed by Criterion Games in collaboration with Electronic Arts, Need for Speed Unbound was released in December 2022. Since its launch, the game has garnered almost 38,000 reviews on Steam, but with only 62% being positive, it falls into the “Mixed” category. Its reception on Metacritic hasn’t been much better, boasting a Metascore of 73 and a user score of 5.9.
Need for Speed Unbound typically retails for $70 on Steam, but during the spring sale, there is a massive 93% discount until March 20, dropping the price to about $5. The Palace Edition, which comes with four additional cars and cosmetic items, is marked down by 85%, reducing its price from $80 to $12. The Ultimate Collection, featuring all released content, is available at an 80% discount for $17 instead of $85.
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