{"id":149072,"date":"2022-12-05T21:10:27","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T21:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/need-for-speed-unbound-review-the-racing-series-best-new-game-in-years\/"},"modified":"2022-12-05T21:10:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T21:10:27","slug":"need-for-speed-unbound-review-the-racing-series-best-new-game-in-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/need-for-speed-unbound-review-the-racing-series-best-new-game-in-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Need for Speed \u200b\u200bUnbound review: the racing series’ best new game in years"},"content":{"rendered":"
The stakes and the racing action in Need for Speed<\/em> unbound<\/em> may be familiar, but the game is a breath of fresh air for racing fans \u2014 and for a 25-year-old series that badly needed it.<\/p>\n What surprises me the most about Need for Speed<\/em> unbound<\/em>however, is a subtle adjustment to the game’s economy and progression that allows me to do something I’ve always wanted to do with this franchise: spend real time with one car, building it up and blinging it out, without the fear of missing out on the flashier cars that are constantly unlocking (or are available at triflingly cheap costs in an in-world dealership).<\/p>\n Moreover, I feel like I’m actually racing, rather than trying to engineer a cinematic first-place finish in every event just to get to the next one. The basic gameplay loop of Need for Speed \u200b\u200bUnbound <\/em>is much the same as 2019’s Need for Speed \u200b\u200bHeat<\/em>, whose day-night cycle had players racing in sanctioned events in daylight, but increasing their \u201crep\u201d \u2014 and drawing cop attention \u2014 with activities at night. As such, you never lost cash, just rep.<\/p>\n butt in unbound<\/em>, the climb to the top of a cash pile is going to go much more slowly. Nighttime racing pays off in cash only, all of which you can lose after a race if the police chase and catch you. There’s no \u201crep\u201d to unlock certain high-value cars and customizations; unbound <\/em>runs a straight cash economy, and its best-paying races have buy-ins. This means progression is going to be much steeper (this is especially true if you’re going to spend money on the game’s new customization options). The cash buy-in to the core events represents its own risk-versus-reward question (though you’re usually only losing money if you finish last, or close to it). However, there are usually at least two meetups with a no-cash buy-in, even if the payouts will be smaller.<\/p>\n