The Need For Speed series is iconic for its grandiose destinations and engaging street chases. Need For Speed Unbound is a game fully developed by Criterion this time around. Their last venture Need For Speed: Most Wanted was a commercial success back in 2013. This installment essentially follows the same format as most of the other entries in the series, you race around popular destinations in an open-world setting.

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The game was announced and released around the end of 2022, and fans were delighted to find out that it would receive updates that augment the gameplay. Now that Volume 2 is finally coming out, there’s a ton of content to explore and talk about in-depth that the fan might've missed out on.

10 Customizable Effects - A Cartoony Aesthetic

With this installment of the series, the developer Criterion has outdone themselves and perfected their style. A combination of cel-art and the graffiti aesthetic complement the fast-paced racing action this installment has to offer.

Regardless of how well-defined the cars could potentially look with a more realistic art style, the colors blend in a way that makes the graphics look better even though they’re cartoonish. You can choose between having effects turned on or off, they help augment the gameplay and make the driving segments feel fluid and in-theme.

9 Rumble Races - Multiplayer Police Chases

As if evading the cops wasn't fun enough already, you get the chance to compete against real players. Online cop multiplayer lets you roam around the map freely whilst being chased down, and now your friends can join in on the fun too.

Although fans had been waiting for this feature ever since the game launched, it feels like Criterion rather focussed its efforts on polishing up the game mode before making it accessible. You can get in on the fun with online free-roam events.

8 Racer Reactions - Annoying But Innovative

With the competition whizzing past you on the track, it’s safe to say you distatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/’t expect any of the AI to talk back and react to what you’ve been up to during the race. This unique feature is a quality-of-life update any fan of the series would welcome with open arms.

The gameplay feels more engaging, and the dialogue between you and the other racers gives them more personality. That makes it all the sweeter when you leave them in the dust and finally end up beating them. It's much worse if you're relying on them to make your turns.

7 NPC Drip - They Finally Look Like They Belong

Video games often thrive on realism, and NPCs are a great way to populate your open-world map. However, the Need For Speed series was seriously lacking in terms of fleshing out their NPCs appropriately.

With Unbound, they’ve decided to focus on spawning people that actually look like they fit in with their surroundings. Their clothes match the setting instead of something that looks jarring and stands out from the environment.

6 Hot Brakes - Not Enough Steam

If you’re immediately stopping any car that’s been traveling at full speed, you should expect your brakes to experience a ton of stress. With this entry, Need For Speed fans finally see their cars show off components that would legitimately overheat during a real-world scenario. The last time glowing brake discs were a feature was in 2013's Need For Speed Rivals.

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Getting to see your brakes go red is a huge plus for in-game realism. Now you get to realize just how much damage your reckless driving could cause your car, even though it’ll function fine regardless.

5 Police Reactions - Get Judged By A Cop

What’s more embarrassing than getting caught during a high-speed chase with the cops? It’s getting made fun of for driving horribly. In this game, the police cars chasing you end up critiquing your skills in comical ways.

Not just that, they don’t hesitate to drop snarky quips at all the driving feats you manage to achieve during the chase. This feature makes the entire chase sequence a lot more thrilling. Just don’t get yourself stuck in a dead-end if you don’t want the AI to start berating you.

4 Religious Inclusion - Finally Some Representation

As comical as it is expecting an NPC in a video game about street racing to be realistic, it’s even funnier when you realize just how deep this attention-to-detail rabbit hole goes. As some players soon found out, there is a Muslim racer in the game, and betting against them is practically impossible.

Since Islam prohibits its practitioners from indulging in activities like gambling, the NPC “Youmna” is a character that you can’t bet against in-game since her religion won’t allow it.

3 Automatic Parking? With No Tow Fees?

Here’s a nifty feature, try leaving the game during a drive. You’d expect to start off exactly where you left the campaign, but this game takes it up a notch. While you’re busy doing real-world tasks, a magical force will end up towing your car away and parking it in some random lot nearby.

This makes it very convenient for whatever the NPCs in traffic have to do without your car clogging up the lane. They actually start reacting if you stop them on the road, pay attention next time you park your car on the freeway for no apparent reason.

2 NPCs Follow SOPs - Can’t Escape Covid

As the pandemic changed our lives for good, it even left an impact on the gaming world. This game features NPCs actually wearing face masks. As jarring as it is to spot them on the road while you’re cruising around the city, it still makes sense and adds to the overall realism.

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After all, it’s a modern video game that’s showcasing people living in a city. Having them wear face masks like people do today is an ingenious detail that adds to the game.

1 Moving Trains - Breaking The Norms

How excited would you feel getting to race against a train with your car? Well, you get to play that scenario out with a train that’s completely tricked out with graffiti. Nobody expected to see a full-model functioning train in a game about street-racing cars, but we got it anyway.

Just make sure to avoid any head-on collisions with it, it might seriously affect your chances of escaping the cops if they're chasing you across the streets of Lakeshore City.

Next: Need For Speed Unbound: How To Unlock And Get New Cars