Need for Speed Unbound Reviews
Need for Speed Unbound has been a blast to dig into. Between the story, the vibrant look of Lakeshore City, and gameplay that strikes the right balance, there really isn’t much to complain about with Unbound.
Need for Speed Unbound is a game that has style, but certainly this style is not for everyone...
Review in Greek | Read full review
Need for Speed: Unbound feels fresh when compared to its recent predecessors by featuring a progression system that’s more challenging and does not take things for granted when it comes to street racing. Instead of putting longer cutscenes, it tells the bulk of its story through dialogue exchanges between racers on the street. Thanks to the new art style it is filled with wet Neon-lit streets with influences from the East. Its array of lacklustre soundtracks, never-ending police chases, forgettable plots, and messy traffic may dampen the experience during long hours. Thankfully most of these issues can be dealt with if you put on your own music and chill with it. Overall, It is an easy recommendation for series veterans and new-comers alike.
Need For Speed Unbound presents a unique style with a very good technical production, with great vehicle customization and tuning features. Unluckily, though, it doesn't fully convince due to lack of real innovation in gameplay, unevenly balanced difficulty and excessively slow progression tied to too small rewards obtained in every event. The online mode being separated from the story one feels counterintuitive and not on par with modern arcade racers, as well.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Need for Speed Unbound is exactly what the iconic racing series needed. The expected customization options and street races that were shaped by Need for Speed Underground are here, but all of it is presented in a fresh manner and has been carefully adapted to fit the modern era.
NFS Unbound looks appealingly good with a gameplay it works effectively. It's a street racing arcade where we can move around an open world. But when things are done right, they look good. And this is how this game of the saga stands out. If you like the NFS saga, give it a chance, it's your game. If you like racing games, customize the cars and live an adventure in the purest The Fast&Furious style, too. But if, on the contrary, yours is more of the Gran Turismo style, it's still not your game. Still, I'm sure you'll get nitro out of the title.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite some minor setbacks, Need for Speed Unbound is the best offering the series has delivered in years.
The latest title in the NFS franchise came back with fresh visuals. While driving on the road without any concerns and making to the top of street racing are always fun, even the lowest 'relaxing' difficulty seems not so relaxing for those who trying to enter the franchise for the first time.
Review in Korean | Read full review
It might be a bit frustrating in the beginning, given how punishing its first few hours are, but once you rack up some cash to afford new parts and cars altogether, the game becomes a blast. It may not have received the biggest marketing budget, and being borderline stealth released in December did it no favors, but do not miss this one out. It’s one hell of an entertaining racing experience.
Need for Speed: Unbound is not an undisputed triumph as you expected from Criterion Games, but it is a very fun open world driving game. The high vehicle customization, anime aesthetics and feeling that your driving ability is constantly tested are part of its appeal. On the other hand, money management and relentless police generate some friction that can interfere with the sense of instant gratification you expect from an arched driving game.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
There is no need to say, Need for Speed Unbound is not perfect, but it comes close to the good games of the license. The studio Criterion Games has done a good job in offering an art direction that stands out from the competition. The return of full vehicle customization is also very pleasing as the title has a nice list of cars. Nevertheless, the extremely repetitive nature of the events, the uninteresting multiplayer mode and the inconsistent gameplay do not allow the game to rise very high. Hopefully, this half-hearted success will allow the license to come back in force in the near future.
Review in French | Read full review
Although we would have hoped for a lot more on the technical side thanks to current-gen exclusivity, "Need for Speed Unbound" leaves a positive overall impression. Sure, the strange mix of cel-shading and realism is not for everyone, but at least sets the game apart from other series parts and racing games. The constant threat from the police is initially entertaining, but quickly becomes annoying if you want to earn enough money to visually customize several cars. This is exactly where "Need for Speed Unbound" has its strength, which hasn't been in the series for a long time. The tuning and adaptation of the vehicles as well as the progress through the story motivate tremendously and are reminiscent of series highlights such as "Underground 2" or "Most Wanted". Sooner or later, however, the unpleasant smell of burnt rubber always remains in the nose.
Review in German | Read full review
The return of Criterion to Need For Speed franchise is done in name only, in a bombastic game, that also suffers from an huge imbalance of challenges and lacks the elements that make us think of the legendary studio.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Need for Speed Unbound is the best new Need for Speed in recent years - which means it is a solid, yet not great arcade racing game.
Review in German | Read full review
Need for Speed Unbound is an average-at-best arcade experience. With the headlights firmly set on street racing, It’s hard to enjoy the action when the turning controls are just not quite there, but the focus on tailing, drifting and near-misses to gain NOS is highly engaging. Well, except when a random NPC driver casually rams your car out of nowhere. Still, there is an extensive amount of customisation and a few open-world activities to take part in like time-trial deliveries, speed gates and escaping cops, though not to the same extent and depth as Forza Horizon 5.