Need for Speed Unbound: system requirements

Need for Speed Unbound is an arcade racing game published by Electronic Arts. The game was developed by EA's subsidiary, Criterion Games, who had previously provided assistance to other larger Electronic Arts studios such as DICE and Ghost Games. NFS Unbound is the first independent project from Criterion Games in the last 10 years.

Storyline

The game takes place in modern times in a fictional city called Lake Shore City. The main character, "Spidy," and his girlfriend Jasmine work as mechanics in an automotive workshop. One day, they build a car and participate in an illegal racing tournament. Their goal is to make a name for themselves and attract other street racers to have their cars fixed by them.

The plan proves successful, and Spidy's workshop quickly fills up with expensive cars. However, Jasmine betrays the main character and steals all the cars along with her new acquaintances. Finding himself in a difficult situation, Spidy decides to recover all the stolen cars and seek revenge on his girlfriend. To do so, he signs up for the Grand Final, the largest street racing competition organized by Jasmine's new friends.

Unlike previous NFS series projects, Unbound includes narrative elements - the story and the game world unfold through dialogues, notes, and visual surroundings. Secondary characters have their own personalities and unique characteristics, so they will share stories about the city, their problems, and personal experiences in the dialogues. This approach enhances the immersion in the story and makes the game more believable.

Gameplay Trailer

Gameplay

Unbound uses the same gameplay formula as other projects in the "Need for Speed" series. The gamer drives around a large open city and its surrounding rural areas, participates in races, and tries to avoid getting caught by the police. The gameplay differences in all games in the series are minimal nuances, which we will discuss later.

Physics

In racing games, physics refers to the behavior of the car while driving. In Need for Speed Unbound, the physics are not realistic but rather arcade-like. This means that collisions with obstacles have little impact on the car's handling. Collisions also do not pose much danger - if you collide with an opponent, the characters do not get injured, and the cars only suffer minor scratches and dents.

Considering that physics does not have tangible characteristics, gamers have to describe it based on subjective feelings. In previous NFS series, such as Payback and Heat, someone described the cars' behavior as "feeling like irons on ice." This is not the case in Unbound. The controls are responsive, and the cars do not slide out of control in every turn.

Each car in the game feels different. Switching from a four-wheel drive Nissan Skyline to a rear-wheel drive Pontiac Firebird, there is a noticeable difference in handling. So, getting used to a new car will require some practice.

Difficulty

Upon initial launch, the game offers three difficulty modes:

• Relaxed - easy;
• Challenge – medium;
• Intense – hard.

Even on the medium difficulty, the game becomes challenging. This also sets Unbound apart from previous projects in the series. Situations where you lap opponents multiple times are completely excluded - you will have to fight hard for first place.

Constantly replaying races is not possible either. On the medium difficulty level, you are given only 4 restarts per in-game day. You will have to save them for special races with large winnings.

Additionally, the player will have to settle for 2nd or 3rd place in some competitions. The reason is that you need to pay a starting fee before each race. To prevent it from being wasted, sometimes it's better to give up on winning.