Need for Speed Unbound - General Discussion

[TeamCZRRacing]

That art style... Oof. If you like it, great? I just find the mixture a bit jarring. If it were all anime or all ultra-realistic, then I'd probably like it more. Not this haphazard mishmash. Think I might just get Heat instead next time I'm down for an NFS game.

 

[danthespaceman]

Looks like we're finally moving on from games releasing on both PS4 AND PS5. I'm not really interested in this game, but hopeful new sim racing games for consoles will follow suit.

 

[NissanR89C]

Just watched the video (on Twitter feed), definitively aimed at the Fortnite generation, and absolutely NO for me.

wdym aimed at the fortnite generation? Whats the fortnite generation lol

 

[breyzipp]

I honestly think I’m getting too old for this kinda of stuff. I own the last 3 NFS games (2015, Payback, Heat) but can’t say this one interests me judging from the trailer.

 

[ICEYOU3]

wdym aimed at the fortnite generation? Whats the fortnite generation lol

Zzzzzoooooomers boi

 

[IcySlivers]

Looks like the McLaren F1 made the cut so I’m in.

 

[toastet]

Sure this anime-style isn't only for cutscenes? There was normal smoke/spray in the very few parts looking closer too gameplay since it seemed like a 99% render/cutscene trailer.

Kind of gameplay:

(Post)rendered:

Pro Street had kind of those effects too in the trailer/intro but not in gameplay:





Only problem, I think those "LED-wings" were in a gameplay leak some time ago:

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I personally think the art direction is really cool and unique. Aesthetically, it looks really good. It reminds me of Heartstopper where they add little scribbles of hearts and leaves over things. However, I am a little worried about how it'll look during gameplay. Hopefully it's not too distracting or overbearing.

 

[RedRockValley]

The art-style for the characters is actually kinda nice, but the cartoony tyre smoke is going to get annoying so fast.
Not got my hopes up at all, the constant nostalgia-baiting, incompleteness of the previous titles have put a sour taste in my mouth... Same stuff as before but with a different, more quirky art-style I fear.

 

[Astro_BS-AS]

Not my cup of tea but I welcome anyone who likes it to buy it full price on launch.

My 2 "modern" NFS games (NFS SE still the best) are Rivals and Hot Pursuit Remastered. No pointless cutscenes or silly over the top characters

 

[RedRockValley]

Oh, another complaint I have: When is EA going to stop with this onslaught of widebody dross?

Widebody kits can be alright, but it's so overdone in NFS now... Every car in this trailer looks like something you'd see off some generic "3D car tuning render" Artstation page.

 

[RACECAR]

wdym aimed at the fortnite generation? Whats the fortnite generation lol

The latest (and by far, least original) way of describing the younger audience, AKA Kids.

 

[Seikenfreak]

If we're really honest here (with no overly emotional bias and actual critical thinking), Need For Speed has no real cohesive identity, at least that I can find, outside of "Fast cars and outrunning police" (Something that's not even exclusive to the series if people have actually looked outside their bubble long enough) so the comparison to Gran Turismo is not even close considering both it and Forza Motorsport have distinctive identities. What even actually is Need For Speed? What actually makes a "real" Need For Speed game?
I'd argue that this massive change is actually a good thing because it finally decided to visually separate from everything else on the market. Not every driving game needs to be all hyper realistic all the time. Again, what is the difference when essentially everyone is doing the same thing?

I mean, for me, the old dinosaur, Need For Speed will always be the first 5 games (The new, updated, more premium Road & Track magazine is a good parallel lol) That was it's identity. Peaking with High Stakes or Porsche Unleashed. In comparison to the post-Underground stuff, they feel more mature, "classy", and serious. Like looking through dealership brochures for cars. Things I would use to describe the GT games. I loved the music, the picturesque environments, the car showcases, the presentation, etc. The handling was kinda like Horizon of it's day I guess? It was aiming for some realism but fun. The police were fun, it's own mode, and they weren't launching like missiles, robots, and APCs at you etc. You didn't need a stupid story mode. No car customization. No nitrous and boost mechanics and wooshing fast and furious mach 5 motion blur.

Sure, they tried a little bit with Hot Pursuit 2 and the later 2010 Hot Pursuit, but those were still a little too arcadey for my tastes.

I'm not saying the car customization, open world, and different style of the newer games shouldn't be a thing.. should just be it's own spin off and not the main game. Call it Burnout.

I know exactly what I'd want and can imagine of a modern NFS game and what would make it stand on its own amongst all the other racing games but oh well.

 

[alex511]

I mean, for me, the old dinosaur, Need For Speed will always be the first 5 games (The new, updated, more premium Road & Track magazine is a good parallel lol) That was it's identity. Peaking with High Stakes or Porsche Unleashed. In comparison to the post-Underground stuff, they feel more mature, "classy", and serious. Like looking through dealership brochures for cars. Things I would use to describe the GT games. I loved the music, the picturesque environments, the car showcases, the presentation, etc. The handling was kinda like Horizon of it's day I guess? It was aiming for some realism but fun. The police were fun, it's own mode, and they weren't launching like missiles, robots, and APCs at you etc. You didn't need a stupid story mode. No car customization. No nitrous and boost mechanics and wooshing fast and furious mach 5 motion blur.

Sure, they tried a little bit with Hot Pursuit 2 and the later 2010 Hot Pursuit, but those were still a little too arcadey for my tastes.

I'm not saying the car customization, open world, and different style of the newer games shouldn't be a thing.. should just be it's own spin off and not the main game. Call it Burnout.

I know exactly what I'd want and can imagine of a modern NFS game and what would make it stand on its own amongst all the other racing games but oh well.

That’s I wanted to say. I miss this seriousness of the titles from the ˋ00-years.

Thus was for me a important formula for the success of that era.

 

[RedRockValley]

I mean, for me, the old dinosaur, Need For Speed will always be the first 5 games (The new, updated, more premium Road & Track magazine is a good parallel lol) That was it's identity. Peaking with High Stakes or Porsche Unleashed. In comparison to the post-Underground stuff, they feel more mature, "classy", and serious. Like looking through dealership brochures for cars. Things I would use to describe the GT games. I loved the music, the picturesque environments, the car showcases, the presentation, etc. The handling was kinda like Horizon of it's day I guess? It was aiming for some realism but fun. The police were fun, it's own mode, and they weren't launching like missiles, robots, and APCs at you etc. You didn't need a stupid story mode. No car customization. No nitrous and boost mechanics and wooshing fast and furious mach 5 motion blur.

Yeah, Underground 1-2 was basically riding off the 2000s tuning trend, and then with Most Wanted onwards (excluding ProStreet, Shift and Nitro, which were basically experiments) they slowly went back to Hot Pursuit territory.

Now ever since 2015, they've been trying to make this weird mashup of both Underground and Most Wanted with concurrent """car scene""" bull and they seem to half-ass it every time. It's a vicious cycle I wish they'd get themselves out of, but they can't, because the NFS fanbase is just constant moaning about wanting "the next Underground", something which they'll never truly get.

If you want "the next Underground", you'd need something set in that exact period. No new cars, just 240SXs, Cavaliers and Neons, the same music and the same fashion. I wouldn't exactly mind that, but above all I'd love something in the vein of High Stakes again.

 

[alex511]

I have to say, a better NFS underground-styled title, I would await nowadays from Rockstar.

But I have to say, I had the hope we would get any new midnight club game ever, but nothing happened And surely is dead because of only focus on GTA6..

 

[RedRockValley]

I have to say, a better NFS underground-styled title, I would await nowadays from Rockstar.

But I have to say, I had the hope we would get any new midnight club game ever, but nothing happened And surely is dead because of only focus on GTA6..

All the people that made MC were in Rockstar San Diego, which is a shell of it's former self because most of the people who worked on MC left the studio, citing concerns over their health because Rockstar were pretty horrid towards them.

 

[alex511]

I mean, for me, the old dinosaur, Need For Speed will always be the first 5 games (The new, updated, more premium Road & Track magazine is a good parallel lol) That was it's identity. Peaking with High Stakes or Porsche Unleashed. In comparison to the post-Underground stuff, they feel more mature, "classy", and serious. Like looking through dealership brochures for cars. Things I would use to describe the GT games. I loved the music, the picturesque environments, the car showcases, the presentation, etc. The handling was kinda like Horizon of it's day I guess? It was aiming for some realism but fun. The police were fun, it's own mode, and they weren't launching like missiles, robots, and APCs at you etc. You didn't need a stupid story mode. No car customization. No nitrous and boost mechanics and wooshing fast and furious mach 5 motion blur.

Sure, they tried a little bit with Hot Pursuit 2 and the later 2010 Hot Pursuit, but those were still a little too arcadey for my tastes.

I'm not saying the car customization, open world, and different style of the newer games shouldn't be a thing.. should just be it's own spin off and not the main game. Call it Burnout.

I know exactly what I'd want and can imagine of a modern NFS game and what would make it stand on its own amongst all the other racing games but oh well.

NFS Porsche soundtrack is so great. It perfectly would match for Gran Turismo as the huge Porsche focus and much better than GT7 soundtrack..

 

[Seikenfreak]

Yeah, Underground 1-2 was basically riding off the 2000s tuning trend, and then with Most Wanted onwards (excluding ProStreet, Shift and Nitro, which were basically experiments) they slowly went back to Hot Pursuit territory.

Now ever since 2015, they've been trying to make this weird mashup of both Underground and Most Wanted with concurrent """car scene""" bull and they seem to half-ass it every time. It's a vicious cycle I wish they'd get themselves out of, but they can't, because the NFS fanbase is just constant moaning about wanting "the next Underground", something which they'll never truly get.

If you want "the next Underground", you'd need something set in that exact period. No new cars, just 240SXs, Cavaliers and Neons, the same music and the same fashion. I wouldn't exactly mind that, but above all I'd love something in the vein of High Stakes again.

Yea, I'd be down for a "street" scene sort've game that's separate, but I want the more realistic, grounded in reality version of it. I don't want a Hot Import Nights game with Hooters girls and smack talk. I want like.. real deal, here are S2000s and Miatas and Civics that are stripped out, roll bars, functional aero, real suspension tuning (not sick camber bro hella tight), radar detectors, etc. Maybe some gameplay mechanic that involves stealth mods (like hiding power adders.) Real roads i.e. narrow and rough on back country roads. Or I guess there's a way to do some highway or drag racing stuff. Basically, none of the Fast and Furious bs. And I love that first movie btw (the rest are bullcrap)

 

[TypeRDC5]

Yeah, Underground 1-2 was basically riding off the 2000s tuning trend, and then with Most Wanted onwards (excluding ProStreet, Shift and Nitro, which were basically experiments) they slowly went back to Hot Pursuit territory.

Now ever since 2015, they've been trying to make this weird mashup of both Underground and Most Wanted with concurrent """car scene""" bull and they seem to half-ass it every time. It's a vicious cycle I wish they'd get themselves out of, but they can't, because the NFS fanbase is just constant moaning about wanting "the next Underground", something which they'll never truly get.

If you want "the next Underground", you'd need something set in that exact period. No new cars, just 240SXs, Cavaliers and Neons, the same music and the same fashion. I wouldn't exactly mind that, but above all I'd love something in the vein of High Stakes again.

I would take a NFS underground remake all day long, 1 and 2 were my favourite NFS games ever, closely followed by most wanted. Every since pro Street I lost interest.

Let's see what untold brings, I think I'm ready for another arcade racer after all these years so hoping for a good game.

 

[RedRockValley]

Yea, I'd be down for a "street" scene sort've game that's separate, but I want the more realistic, grounded in reality version of it. I don't want a Hot Import Nights game with Hooters girls and smack talk. I want like.. real deal, here are S2000s and Miatas and Civics that are stripped out, roll bars, functional aero, real suspension tuning (not sick camber bro hella tight), radar detectors, etc. Maybe some gameplay mechanic that involves stealth mods (like hiding power adders.) Real roads i.e. narrow and rough on back country roads. Or I guess there's a way to do some highway or drag racing stuff. Basically, none of the Fast and Furious bs. And I love that first movie btw (the rest are bullcrap)

I think The Run was a lot like that, and I like that game a lot. I wish we got another one that had a much longer story and more to do outside of that, but with Blackbox gone I doubt we will.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

Good car list.

Here is hoping there's a cockpit view and the cars don't feel like there floating.

 

[kjb]

Good car list.

Here is hoping there's a cockpit view and the cars don't feel like there floating.

In an article I read on IGN it was confirmed that there is no cockpit view

 

[McLaren]

I have to say, a better NFS underground-styled title, I would await nowadays from Rockstar.

But I have to say, I had the hope we would get any new midnight club game ever, but nothing happened And surely is dead because of only focus on GTA6..

There was talk of a new Midnight Club game some months back & articles just this month seem to indicate that Rockstar was laying ground work behind the scenes as songs were noted being licensed for it, just back in August reportedly.

The title is likely shelved to focus on GTA6 as you mentioned, but that doesn't mean it's dead if they've been seen still prepping it.

 

[05XR8]

I did like that Highstakes one. If that's the one with the M5 and Lotus GT1. Speeding on the wet roads and seeing the leaves kick up.
Been a long while, but the fear of being caught was real. Haha

 

[Chikane_GTR]

In an article I read on IGN it was confirmed that there is no cockpit view

Go figure

Guess ps5/xsx ain't strong enough for interior view

And there charging over $70 for a half game yeah to me a game today with no cockpit view is a half game there's no excuse not to include it.

 

[NotThePrez]

So my questions at this point are:

• How do the special effects look, perform and interact during actual gameplay? I know that there were some snippets during the trailer, but since that seemed like a mostly cinematic/in-engine trailer, so I'm not exactly taking that as gospel. For the people that don't like the effects, it at least looks like they'll be optional to some degree, if the tire smoke at the 13 second mark is anything to go by.
• Does interacting with the police actually matter this time? In Heat, while cop chases were very fun, there really wasn't a reason to get into pursuits at any point unless the story mode called for it, and once you beat the game, that was basically it. While I 100% think the game is a little overrated at times, one of the nice things about MW 05 is that besides having very fun cop chases, the game gave you reasons to get into pursuits by tying them to progression, and having a "leaderboard" of sorts so that you could chase after records, as well as watch as the police keep track of your antics and recognize you as a greater threat over time.
• What does the monetization look like? All the talk about free updates, a focus on multiplayer, some of the alleged pre-order bonuses and splitting multiplayer and single player into separate things makes me wonder how EA/Criterion are going to set up MTXs and/or the game's economy to make money on the game post-launch. Plus, I imagine having A$AP Rocky cameo and being a (seemingly) major character in your game isn't exactly cheap.
• What's the soundtrack variety looking like? It's looking like the game will be nothing but hip-hop which, even as a lover of hip-hop, is a little disappointing, but there's still room for some variety within the genre. I'm hoping that there's going to be a solid mix of modern, old-school and underground hip-hop among other things.

Otherwise, I really liked the trailer a lot. There are definitely a few moments where the street-art style is a little jarring to see against the more realistic graphics, especially in regards to the character models, but otherwise it's looking really, really cool. I'm honestly a little excited about a new NFS title for the first time in a while. 100% need to see actual gameplay and have some of my questions answered before pulling the trigger.

 

[McLaren]

When's the last time a NFS game even had cockpit view? The games are so focused on being pure arcade & full speed, a cockpit view likely isn't something they feel is worth putting together.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

When's the last time a NFS game even had cockpit view? The games are so focused on being pure arcade & full speed, a cockpit view likely isn't something they feel is worth putting together.

Agreed, but I see why people want one. It's a nice thing to have.

I'm not sure about this particular game though, I imagine it would look like Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

 

[RedRockValley]

When's the last time a NFS game even had cockpit view? The games are so focused on being pure arcade & full speed, a cockpit view likely isn't something they feel is worth putting together.

MC:LA had it and it was pretty good TBH. With the issues NFS has though, I think it's best they focus on other stuff for the meantime