Oliver Mackenzie investigates Need for Speed: Unbound on Xbox Series X, Series S and PS5, uncovering vastly improved graphics from the last NFS game.
After spending most of the last decade as a Battlefront and Battlefield support studio, Criterion Games is back with a full-fledged arcade racing adventure. Need for Speed Unbound is a boldly stylised open-world racer, with graffiti-inspired particle effects and cel-shaded character models.
Some effects are more static, 2D art sketched over your car, like angel wings appearing during a jump, while others are keyframed effects like tire smoke that have a smoother appearance and often mimic the look of cel-shading.
Whether you like the visual identity and plot-heavy nature of the game is a matter of taste, but Criterion has at least ensured that the game's base visuals are produced to a high standard using DICE's Frostbite engine - despite lacking any truly next-gen features. The conventionally-shaded car models and environments are detailed, and lighting quality is strong across the open world with global illumination that works well even in challenging scenarios like tunnels and overpasses.
Other quibbles include NOS boosts disabling motion blur in a slightly distracting way, the overuse of screenspace light shafts, and smaller objects that simply pop out of existence when hit, rather than deforming or being replaced by multiple broken pieces.
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