If Need for Speed: Unbound were a standalone game, far from the Need for Speed umbrella, it would have been considered one of the best arcade racers by many. However, the legendary label tied to this game set higher expectations among the loyal fan base.
From convincing leaks to the actual gameplay trailer, this fresh concept wasn’t shaping up like the fans wanted. Finally, when the game was released in 2022, around three years after Need for Speed: Heat. The community considered Need for Speed: Unbound an outcast compared to the legacy of its predecessors.
Unbound Didn’t Solve NFS’s Identity Crisis
Despite being fully next-generation and powered by modern technology, the game struggled to capture the essence of the franchise. As soon as the title “Need for Speed” is heard, the mind instantly pictures the golden era of racing games dominated by Underground 2 and Most Wanted.
These games have set the bar so high that bangers like Need for Speed: Carbon and Need for Speed: The Run also struggled to overshadow their greatness. But after 2011, when the franchise started experimenting with not-so-Need-for-Speed games, fans have been desperately waiting for a comeback.
It’s not like EA stopped making good NFS titles. Noteworthy entries such as Rivals, the 2015 reboot, and Heat all did a great job at delivering action-packed street racing. However, none of them managed to fix the series’ identity crisis. Unbound was the only hope, but it, too, turned out to be a disappointment, primarily because of its cartoonish, graffiti-style presentation that has nothing to do with the sheer NFS originality.
“Style Over Substance” Wasn’t Enough To Fix The Core Problems
The game was supposed to reflect street racing culture, but it ended up focusing too much on street culture alone — minus the racing. Don’t get me wrong, featuring A$AP Rocky, trendy hip-hop music, and cartoonish presentation was indeed a fair move to attract the younger audience that wasn’t even present in the golden NFS era. However, you can’t expect an NFS game to do well without fixing the core problems the community has been facing for ages.
Inside a stylish shell, Need for Speed: Unbound was just another entry pretending to be something it’s not. Like other controversial titles, Unbound followed the following pattern and failed to bring anything new to the table.
- Weak story that lacked connection.
- Repetitive progression.
- Lifeless open world with nothing much to offer other than regular campaign tasks.
- No innovation in customization, uses the same recipe since the 2015 reboot.
If these weren’t enough setbacks, the cartoonish presentation further harmed its potential. To some, these elements were appealing, but diehard fans disliked this new concept. I mean, if the game had gone for a full-on anime-like demonstration, capturing the vibe of blockbuster shows like Initial D, it would have been relevant to car culture. However, forcing graffiti elements like wings, crosses, arrows, etc, along with dialogues that don’t land well, wasn’t a great idea to begin with.
The same car that used to give chills when pushed around Rockport just doesn’t hit the same anymore when smashed into a billboard with wing and fire animations popping. This concept was questionable, as Need for Speed has always been about some serious wheel-to-wheel action. Just like Midnight Club, The Crew, and the Test Drive series, if Unbound were a separate franchise, I think this concept would have been a success.
The Next Game Will Essentially Have To Rebuild Everything From Scratch
With Criterion games shifted to Battlefield, we can’t expect a new Need for Speed entry anytime soon. Regardless of how much time it takes, a polished game built from scratch is the only ticket to winning back the fanbase. It doesn’t mean that EA should ditch its iconic Frostbite engine and aim for an Unreal Engine 5-powered NFS game.
With everything reimagined and planned according to the franchise’s roots, the newer entry is almost guaranteed to work well. Going for an exceptional story and blending it with impressive arcade racing mechanics is where the development should revolve. In other words, the game shouldn’t feel like Unbound 2.
What Should The Focus Of The Next NFS Game Be?
We live in a time when remakes are doing exceptionally well, and for EA, it’s an edge. Fans are desperate to revisit the past on newer machines. If the developers need time to come up with an out-of-the-box entry, dropping Underground 2 or Most Wanted remake would be a solid move.
These remakes won’t just buy them time but also help them restore their potential, as the community has been asking for them for quite a while now. Take the Hot Pursuit 2010 remake as an example: the game wasn’t even considered that interesting, yet it still sold well in the PS4/Xbox One era.
