Need for Speed Unbound - The DF Tech Review - PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S - Criterion is BACK!

[@TigerChamp99]

In my opinion, Criterion games did not deserve to be demoted to a supporting studio during the 2010's.

[@le4-677]

Yeah right, MW 2012 was the most disappointing game in the series, and this game is just piggybacking off the work and success of Ghost Games

[@arthurmorgan718]

@@le4-677 mw 2012 ????

[@jeremygarrido8571]

@@arthurmorgan718 most wanted 2012

[@le4-677]

@@arthurmorgan718 yes, that game that was nothing like the original and had zero car customization

[@moes95]

@@le4-677 it looked good tho other than that its meh, hot pursuit 2 4 life

[@eggy_bread8579]

Imagine having a developer like Criterion and then demoting them for years. They are legends with over 2 decades of making amazing games. Hell, they even made the game engine used for GTA3, Vice City and SanAndreas.

[@0uttaS1TE]

Only under EA

[@FR4M3Sharma]

Renderware was used in over 80% of the 6th Gen Games, and it was EA who killed that Engine.

[@obeyabe8613]

Idk man I didn't particularly like hot pursuit and most wanted 2012 (mostly cuz they strayed from what made nfs so great imo) But unbound looks really fun so far so I'm happy that it's going well

[@ZiggyPanda]

@@FR4M3Sharma I strongly dislike EA but in this case they wanted render-ware to succeed, it was unreal engine 3 that came in early and criterion couldn’t spin their plates like epic could both making games and working on the game engine. In this case it was competition that killed it.

[@Nitrous_Busa]

Lmao! They would be bankrupt if they didn’t have others helping them.

[@TheTechhX]

I completley disagree with you on the games progression. I feel like too many modern racing games just give you s tier lambos right from the jump now, which makes slow but fun cars feel like filler in those games. Being able to slowly go up the ranks and get progressivley faster and faster over time feels like such a great return to older ps2 era single player arcade racing games.

[@MrAlienw]

Same, a faster progression would RUIN the feeling of progression. It's perfect as it is.

[@birdcallprrr5837]

Agree wholeheartedly

[@yyniuniu]

@@MrAlienw Its problem is single player campaign don't have enough content to support the slow progression, also tuner car should be cheaper

[@greggski3710]

I enjoy NFS Unbound more than I thought I would. After few hours I would go even as far as saying I have more fun with it than with Forza Horizon 5.

[@Thebossstage1]

It's sad that Criterion went from making six Burnout games in the 2000s to only making two NFS games in the past decade.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

Almost like ea kills every studio they buy

[@peace4myheart]

That's EA for you.

[@AfterBurnerTeirusu]

TBF The original Burnout developers do not work at the studio anymore.

[@kaiserrino8774]

Yep. Welcome to modern gaming.

[@deagle7776]

I wish we could get a new burnout game

[@Acquire]

A full cell shading graphics option would be pretty cool. Auto Modelista back on the PS2 was visually stunning.

[@ArturKwaszyn]

And the benefit of cel-shaded graphics is that it ages like wine. Never gets boring.

[@dylansandoval9841]

Modelista is such a gem but the only racing game where I question wtf they were thinking with the handling. Worse than NFS 2015

[@Sh4un1r1k]

I was thinking of that game but the name wouldn't come to mind. Auto Modelista.

[@RenegadePandaZ]

For real, I was disappointed when I found out they didn't go all in with the cel shading style. Especially on a 4K console, cel shading has the potential to look really damn good. I wish NFS would stop trying to achieve hyper realistic graphics every entry, I don't play NFS for realism, both systems have far better racing games for realism, both in graphics and handling.

[@meisterwu8922]

I've seen so many hate comments against the effects that when I first read the comment I suspected a glitch in the matrix.

[@mazda9624]

Criterion was one of the absolute most talented studios in gaming during the 2000s, so it was super heartbreaking to see them become a generic support studio when they were capable of so much more. While this game certainly is good, they were capable of so much greater 10+ years ago.

[@Tsukino1011]

EA moment wish Sony or someone else would buy them

[@randys8974]

So absolute

[@4horsemenoftheapocalypse58]

If only we can get a next gen Midnight Club

[@crestofhonor2349]

Rockstar has only made 2 games in the last decade and I don't know why

[@fezzy5591]

@@SpectralOoze No. Licensing. It's also the reason why EA will never remaster any of the PS2 NFS games

[@Anywaays]

​@crestofhonor2349 they legit don't need to they just sell gta v again and then people will continue to buy gta v money and dlc its an endless money pit

[@librarygary1618]

@@crestofhonor2349 when considering longevity, GTA V is probably the most successful game of all time and RDR2 took them over 5 years to make and is a masterpiece as well. People who say "durrrr GTA online" have no idea how much time and work is put into making these games that are just expected to be 10/10s at this point with how high rockstar has set the bar.

[@deagle7776]

We haven't even gotten gta6 yet lol.

[@Theedgecrusher93]

I miss the Burnout 3 style of arcade racer that Criterion was known for.

[@amysterysnack7949]

I was a PS2 guy that loved playing Burnout 3. When Microsoft announced the backwards compatible program, I convinced my brother that it was time to change to the Xbox One. Of course we both a good chunk of games and I was waiting for that game to come out as backwards compatible... It never did (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠). Of course there's Burnout Revenge, and I played it as well. But man I wish they could bring 3 as well.

[@erikalvarez4516]

I still play burnout revenge on my Xbox Series X. 3 and Revenge were the best imo

[@jimmymyers]

@@amysterysnack7949 At least Burnout 3 is backwards compatible on 360 though got the digital version for $9.99

[@Austin-cr5zo]

I don’t, it’s boring.

[@dr.loomis4221]

ok boomer

[@meisterwu8922]

I can't even put into words how much I appreciate the developers and especially the game designers behind Criterion. Their games have always been pure fun. It's so nice to see them back in action!

[@captainthunderbolt7541]

This just made me realise that what I really want is Auto Modellista 2...

[@ODIOPOWER]

you can play it on the xbox right now (or if you have the playstation2 around...)

[@JKSmith-qs2ii]

Absolutely and this time they should not downgrade it for the western release. The Japanese version of auto modellista is much better compared to the western version.

[@fillerbunnyninjashark271]

@@JKSmith-qs2ii game is still horrible. Why does every car act like it's on ice

[@Ignacio.Romero]

@@fillerbunnyninjashark271 almost like it's simcade and not arcade like nfs

[@ThatGamingGuyfromthe70s]

Arcade racers are my favourite. I wish a dev like Criterion took on a Split Second style game with deforming tracks in real time, to me its never been bettered in the genre.

[@rafaeldimarzio]

Fun thing. The progression, story mode and soundtrack is exactly what sold the game for me. It made the game so iconic and unique that almost remind me the good old days of need underground. I was testing the 10 hours trial but as soon as I got the game had such a vibe, I ran to buy it. So glad they did it

[@xedarkrunner5167]

A really good game, which will be missed out by many who are torn on the cartoon effects. As for the handling, it does really remind me of the old underground games. Slow and steady returning to the roots? Perhaps. Looking forward to the NFS future.

[@carpetfluff35]

You can just use the 'cloaked' wrap and it removes all the swirles other than grey wheel smoke. To be honest, once I was playing I didn't find them a problem in actual gameplay.

[@librarygary1618]

@@carpetfluff35 yeah but even then you can't completely turn off the cel shaded effects related to your car which I'd like to see. Personally my only real problem is not being able to turn off the light trails on the tail lights.

[@Orcabracer]

It will be missed by many from a $70-85 price tag if you include tax. Shit just isn’t realistic for many right now…..

[@xedarkrunner5167]

@@Orcabracer No need to be realistic when 4-5 other solid sim racing options are out there. When it comes to pricing.. yeah it's been a big bump in just a few years, but inflation has kicked in hard. Back in the day this was normal for N64/PS1 titles. Games has been cheap for a long time now.

[@Orcabracer]

@@xedarkrunner5167 by realistic I meant the average person being able to shell out $70-80. Not the driving.

[@zanychelly]

Criterion is finally back. Really enjoyed their games back on the PS2

[@Fruchti]

I dont have any idea about what happened at all, but just going by logic, 99% of the people who worked at Criterion back then dont work there anymore. Its not the same studio, only the same name

[@deagle7776]

@@Fruchti yeah they were at their best around burnout 3 or burnout revenge, which were released over 15 years ago lol.

[@idakev]

@@Fruchti 90% of people who made Ocarina Of Time didn't make Breath Of The Wild. Who cares? It comes down to company culture and design philosophy. Hot Pursuit (2010) was amazing but obviously it would have been a much bigger team than in the PS2 days so not exactly the same team, and some people would have left.

[@Fruchti]

@@idakev Yeah, im just saying that one shouldnt have the same expectations for a game studio after a long amount of time. Best example is Blizzard, used to be good then with Activion got worse and worse, staff left, things changed etc. And while it obviously doesnt change much, but the cirumstances are different for botw and criterion. It was bought and made into a support studio, talented staff left or were put into other teams. It just comes down to: Dont buy because x made it, buy it because its good. Im not even talking about the new NfS, could be good or bad, dont care enough about that. Just that the Criterion then was a wayy different studio than it is now. :)

[@theexile4694]

@@idakev I care. There, now what?

[@giuniral]

I miss the old days of "choose your car"; "choose track" and, "you set a new record for this track"... while an amazing soundtrack plays in the background.

[@gtabro1337]

Considering the low fanfare and ad campaign I expected the worst, just to be overshadowed by glowing praise for The Callisto Protocol... ...boy, was that the plot twist of 2022

[@Mussi93]

It's almost as if marketing and hype are artificial things and have no basis in reality 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@jukins6543]

​@@Mussi93marketing and hype have no basis of reality? Lol

[@chickenwings6172]

Callisto Protocol It got a 7/10 from IGN and 5/10 from gamespot. There is fangirls praising the game like RGT 85 and spawnwave. lol

[@Elwaves2925]

@@jukins6543 Why is that a lol? Their comment is true. Marketing and hype tells you what the publisher wants you to know, not the reality of how the game actually is. It's what so many games seem good only to be buggy or broken messes on release.

[@ODIOPOWER]

@@chickenwings6172 it's called having an opinion...game review ain't maths, a reviewer (no matter what vote the games get) should let the reader/watcher understand his prospective any why he choose to give that score, or at least a good one should do that. It's journalism, not word set in stone.

[@PedroDiniz12]

It is curious that the most realistic Need for Speed is the more stylized at the same time

[@TheFantomsLair]

What about this is realistic? lmao

[@apictureoffunction]

@@TheFantomsLair the cars, genius.

[@andrewwitham8493]

@@TheFantomsLair the fucking cars?

[@zerotofifty]

@@TheFantomsLair The trees, the lighting, the skybox and everything that your blind eyes can't see

[@Zezinizzle]

Somebody never played SHIFT

[@rokkudayo]

The callback to SSX On Tour was perfect. I love 2000s aesthetics, and the animated effects in Unbound made me look back at that very fondly, especially in a time where so many games look samey. I just really don't understand why motion blur is disabled during boost. However, I need to disagree strongly with you on progression. Working your way up is something that's been missing in racing games for really long time now and seeing Criterion double down on this has pleased many, including me.

[@DEVILTAZ35]

The game is pretty boring though. I am glad it is on EA Play on XBox and you can trial it for 10 hrs.

[@KIUStinger]

Exactly, it's extremely frustrating to see negative reviews on steam and YT that cite this as a problem. Instant gratification in racing games like Forza Horizon 5 give no incentive for the player to drive slower cars. The great thing about the way the cars handle in this game is that it never feels laborious to go and do a B tier race that have a high payout because I grew so attached to my B tier car that I genuinely like going back to drive it. That's what I tell people makes this game different: There might not be as many cars in this game, but you can customize each one so heavily in comparison to other games and because of how slow the initial progression is, each car can actually feel like YOUR car that you put time, effort, and care into.

[@KietD]

The progression system is fine, racing games are supposed to have a little grinding but not excessive like GT and I’m glad they didn’t follow the Forza Horizon model where they’re give you a hypercar just for booting the game lol.

[@Rukushin]

yea im a bit shocked he complained, i hate modern racers that flood u with overpowered cars immediately, the idea of slowly working my way up to better and better cars so i truly appreciate the performance gains sounds great also, complaining about there being a story is also weird, i guess its an arcade racer so maybe he just wanted to focus on racing but i think stories really add a lot to motivation and engagement for wanting to keep going and getting better and buying more powerful cars vs just sandbox motivation

[@WH250398]

Appreciate the nod to the Ps Vita. Most Wanted was a flawless port.

[@FungeHucker]

Man, this is easily the best NFS of recent years. Thought I'd hate the animated effects but I wouldn't want to go without them now. Played about 20hrs so far and it's very polished and technically sound (playing on PS5) which is a big plus these days. For dynamic 4k and 60fps it's a lovely looking game. It's incredibly addictive too, with great handling and a large selection of cars. Glad to see it reviewing well after the initial negative reaction from some. This is a prime example of don't write a game off until it's out and/ or you've played it.

[@ArturKwaszyn]

And there's no bugs. Like, I haven't seen any in my own gameplay. A polished game! No microtransactions! From EA no less!!! What is happening? :D

[@jose131991]

@@ArturKwaszyn definitely something paranormal is happening right now at EA 😂

[@ArturKwaszyn]

@@jose131991 Maybe BF2042 failure really shook them to the core?

[@Brawltendo]

@@ArturKwaszyn Criterion have always put out very polished games, so it’s nice to see the tradition continue even with essentially a completely different team (old leadership is kinda there but almost everyone else is new).

[@FungeHucker]

@@ArturKwaszyn Yeah, I'm sure EA are overcompensating for all of those recent blunders. Good for us. Even without the day one patch NFS was incredibly stable. Kinda funny how everyone was slating this before it released but praising The Calisto Protocol and in the end the roles were reversed performance-wise 😂 I can't wait to try out Calisto though. Looks sick!

[@sirjarko8762]

Its more or less a different team now but for those that stuck around all these years I'm sure they are happy to work on there own shit again. I personally like the game so far, It knows what its doing and its plays a lot like Heat but better in most areas so far at least. I always felt bad for criterion. They wanted more time to make a proper MW sequel and couldn't then got gutted to work on NFS and moved to other projects.

[@ashar8192]

It's astonishing how many people think that most studios consist of the same people that made the games a decade ago. Criterion does have some OG dev still there, like the GM of Criterion or the Creagive Director of Unbound, Bit It's mostly new folks + some people from GhostGames UK, which office was right underneath Criterions.

[@jollama]

*their

[@NoisR]

the biggest problems i have with this game are: 1. the invites in online mode overlap important information when youre upgrading or customizing your car and since people spam invites to races and even blocking them doesnt help its just annoying unnecessary. pls fix. 2. u have an option to lower background sounds like your car and music when dialog is happening but even when u turn it off the game still muffles your background sounds which is annoiyng since they talk too much at times. even turning down voice volume to 0 still causes the muffle and subtitles wont help either. pls fix

[@MisterReen]

It’s true. I don’t think this option don’t really have an impact. Further patches incoming for sure. Sound is good overall but could be even more punchy with the cars and the soundtrack.

[@_chipchip]

“Plz fix” - OK bro I’ll get right on that..

[@muizzsiddique]

DOOM Eternal and Metal Gunslinger does no. 2 as well. It's really annoying.

[@birdcallprrr5837]

These things should get fixed, especially fox the volume of the speakers compared to the general sounds. When someone talks it’s like your deaf to surroundings lol. Other than that, loving my time in Lakeshore 😊

[@NoisR]

@@birdcallprrr5837 yea me too only the 2 things i mentioned are annoying me but me and my buddies had a blast online so far xD i laughed so hard the other day i thought i die :D

[@ZeAllMighty1]

Couldn’t disagree more on the progression. I’ve heard both Rich and John make the same point on df direct and it baffled me to hear. Modern racing games like Forza Horizon 5 have bored me to tears due to the lack of progression, with the game handing out supercars from the get go. The fact that a few hours into Unbound I still only had my starter car, that I’d been slowly upgrading and improving is honestly the best part of the game for me. Also disagree on the story. Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit felt aimless with the lack of story and progression. The driving was good but doing races just felt like checking off a list until the game told you “alright, that’s all the races. The end”.

[@EarthIsFlat456]

I agree with the lack of progression but remember Forza Horizon has hundreds of cars so they need to find a way to make it easier and faster for players to obtain cars.

[@studio-vk8lj]

FH5 gives me all these cars but I don't feel like I 'OWN' any of them. They are given out like candy, also the gameplay in FH5 didn't have enough focus. FH5 big wasted opportunity IMO. They have everything right except the actual gameplay. I am personally loving this NFS game, bought it after playing the trial.

[@Balc0ra]

So PS5 can drop to 1800P but is at a more solid 60 FPS, while Series X keeps it above 2016P with more FPS drops? Wonder why they decided on that, as you would tink having both drop to 1800P or even lower to keep the 60FPS going would be the best option.

[@Tommek461991]

Probaly that have nothing to do with the GPU-Power (OS/ CPU or RAM?) I think the GPU can handel 2016p but some components cant --> many cars stress the CPU (same thing on Cyberpunk). But that is also strage beceause the CPUs are more or less the same (Series x is slightly faster on paper). So Ithink the OS from Sony is much much better.

[@lysandros765]

PS5 is also faster at generating and discarding geometry alongside faster data flow within the GPU with faster, higher bandwidth caches equipped of custom scrubbers. I don't remember a racing game having better performance on XSX since the beginning of the generation.

[@MadX8]

@@lysandros765 FH5 is much more demanding than Unbound and has no framerate issue on Series X. I think it's more an optimisation thing than anything else. Not really the same thing but when you see The Calisto protocol on PS5 and how unfinished the game is on Xbox... Technically speaking the 2 consoles aren't that different.

[@Tommek461991]

​@@MadX8 But there is a patch with RT and stable FPS out now (for calisto). But yes sometimes the Ps 5 is faster and i dont know why and of course Forza 5 looks much better with no drops.

[@shawng4886]

Xbox is well known for being hellbent on fidelity, even if at the cost of performance. Sony has always been about balance with their games. This is a multiplat title and the PS5 has shown time and time again to be the better console to develop for… People commenting on FH5 fail to mention the pop-in issues that game has because they pushed SO hard on fidelity again at the cost of performance. And FH5 is an exclusive lol… PS5 has been outshining Series X since they launched 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@IghorMaia]

Framerate is always better than resolution, even with VRR

[@cafuune]

This is the most fun I've had in a need for speed game in quite a while. It s sooo much better than the last 3 games.

[@charoleawood]

I think NFS 2015 is superb and I love the focus there on tuner cars.

[@mgf909]

It looks way too similar to heat tho.. just with cell shading.. that’s why I’m hesitating on buying the game because it will probably go on sale in half a year.

[@cafuune]

@@mgf909 wdym, this is much more colorful than heat, heat’s lighting and tone is so bland and the city is so empty and dead. The difference is night and day.

[@cafuune]

@@charoleawood nfs2015 is the best one from the last three.

[@at_oussama]

EA really ruined Criterion

[@stargazersmusic1505]

I disagree with the assessment of the progression model. With so many arcade racer collect-A-thon games like Forza Horizon, it's refreshing to play a game that makes you carefully choose not only your cars, but your upgrades and gates the flashy fun stuff behind a bit of light grinding. Getting 30 cars in your first 2 hours of Forza can be quite fatiguing over the entirety of the game, and makes getting new cars and upgrading them feel significantly less special. I love Forza Horizon 5, and the previous entries, but I also really like that NFS Unbound is doing something completely different.

[@Noah-Lach]

Forza Horizon 4's car slot machine turned me off the game entirely. Nothing is worse than stacking a bunch of Camaros and Lamborghinis so early into the game that it feels like there's nothing to work for.

[@xBINARYGODx]

@@Noah-Lach you work towards winning races and better tunes/customs for your vehicles - also, the slot machine mechanism doesn't contain all or most of the cars. Maybe you and the moron you replied to might want to actually play the games instead of making stupid assumptions, but I doubt you even own the platform(s) to pay forza games.

[@mundieafterlife6290]

This is the Midnight Club R* refuses to make.

[@NoisR]

the tunnel scene u showed the fps drops even my buddy gets his frames cut in half with his 3080 so theres something weird in that place

[@Denniz69]

Ive got no problems in the tunnel (rtx 3080) it dips a bit but not under 60fps with my setup😅 But yeah i lost more than 10 fps maybe my cpu could handle something better idk😅 But my friends with gtx 1060 6gb and rtx 2070 super got a really low framerate there :( Not that cool :(

[@NoisR]

@@Denniz69 my buddies fps also never went below 60 there but going from 160 to 80 at that spot is rough. but ive also noticed it is depending on the server too our server yesterday started to lose textures for everyone of us and the frame drops got worse but searched a new server and everything was fine again

[@Denniz69]

@@NoisR Ohh sorry i thought u mean cut in half like unplayable Because im playing in 4K Ultra and cut in half means unplayable with that framerate😁

[@RockingChode]

Game is on sale for Xbox for $45 Glad I waited

[@chop46878]

PS4/One definitely could’ve done 1080p (or 900p for the latter) at 30 FPS but it does seem like Criterion wanted the game’s fidelity to be at 60 so it makes sense why they scrapped those versions even if it was feasible.

[@ILoveWomen]

Since the game was built off of Heat, it’s a piece of piss to run. My AMD APU handles the game at 1080p 30 at low / medium settings. I personally think (though I’m probably wrong) slow HDDs are the reason why it didn’t come to prior consoles. I tried to run the game on the deck and the loading times were brutal compared to the nvme ssd of my laptop, easily about 3x slower

[@UFCWWE69]

Last gen games in general shouldn’t be supported anymore.

[@rosstee]

@@UFCWWE69 Because you've got a PS5, right?

[@myfaceisthefrontofshop]

Too bad it's selling like shit bcuz of it, I hope EA took that into account and isn't going to kill the entire franchise bcuz of it

[@xBINARYGODx]

@@myfaceisthefrontofshop its selling like shit for the same reasons it is reviewing like shit

[@NeoTechni]

The Vita game is what got me into the NFS series, and was the first sports game I ever liked. Now I have 2 copies of every version of it for PS3 onwards. 1 for PS4, the other for my Steam Deck Though all of them I paid under $20 each, so I will wait for this one to go down too

[@Jaymez2012]

Overall, really decent review, although, I do disagree with the game being 'talky' and the progression feeling too grindy. I like that there's a loose narrative to follow, and I really don't think the cut-scenes or dialogue overstay their welcomes at all. I just finished the first week in 30-something hours of gameplay and there were maybe, like 3-4 cutscenes, which is WAY LESS than your standard Playstation game, and all the in-game dialogue sequences are quick and snappy, and since they're in-game, you don't HAVE to listen to them, necessarily, while you're driving around or working in the garage. And in regards to the progression, if you're even half decent in this game on the normal difficulty, you'll have your starting car at the top of A class around mid-way through the week. It's really not that bad, and actually having to put a little a bit of effort into making your car competitive against other racers is a nice feeling. Makes it feel like every car you choose to keep/add to your garage actually has a purpose and you have to make choices on what you want to use them for as well as how you spend your cash, instead of the millions of cars you get off the bat in something like a Forza game that you'll probably never drive anyway with the millions of credits you'll never spend.

[@anasshahid224]

Need for Speed Unbound looks stunning on PS5, love the lighting and vibrant colorful art style 👏👏👏👏

[@Monterrey5]

Agree. NFS Unbound is GREAT

[@americanmack30]

I played the trial on series X and bought it on ps5 to see how the DualSense was implemented..to my surprise not only does it perform a lot better it looks just as good and the controller functions nicely..I didn’t think the rumble on this game felt right on the Xbox

[@imdshizzle]

I actually enjoy the story driven approach of the game. That was my main complaints in the last two criterion NFS games. The hip-hop music theme also goes with the art-style, story, characters and the landscape in the game (just like 05 NFS:MW game). Sure the game has some graphical and audio settings issues but the demo was enjoyable enough for me to make me buy the game after playing it through GamePass

[@prodigy84bg]

From what you listed, I'm only impressed by the landscape of the game. For me, it would have been a better game without the story, art style, customisation, and hip-hop.

[@prodigy84bg]

@@sideT.V. No. In 2010-2013 they reinvented the series with new gameplay elements and didn't need to rely on gimmicks like customisation. The soundtracks had mainly current/recent electronic and rock music. Not everything needs to be trendy, you know.

[@birdcallprrr5837]

@@prodigy84bg customisation is not a gimmick man. Even in gran tourism’s it’s not a gimmick. It’s a feature and a pretty robust one in NFS unbound. Idk what u on 😅

[@DEVILTAZ35]

I was curious why Digital Foundry didn't talk more about the amazing road reflections in this game. They don't seem to have a camera cut off point like SSR . They also retain proper information of pedestrians and other car reflections as they pass but it's not Hardware Ray Tracing.

[@chs_ambs8356]

I dabbled in NFS Heat and NFS 2015 on EA Play. Didn't care for either one and I didn't get far at all. The last NFS I played all the way through and enjoyed was Carbon, so yeah, it's been awhile. I'm about fifteen hours into this. I immediately bought it when my trial expired. It looks and plays like a modern day Carbon to me. I love it!

[@jawadabdullah5554]

Exactly what I needed to hear. Honestly carbon is my favourite NFS game

[@mk_games_official]

I said the same..best NFS after Carbon :) Carbon menu music...ach...

[@Yeedman]

i'm surprised you ended up enjoying unbound when you didn't like heat, consider how unbound just feels like a better executed heat gameplay wise

[@tanner1ie]

I wanted to like Heat but it was a very shallow and frustrating experience, the NFS game I really enjoyed was NFS 2015, which is really great if you haven't tried it, similarly Hot Pursuit 2010 is great, while Most Wanted 2012 and Rivals are decent, otherwise good NFS games have been hard to find in recent years! 😯😀🤘

[@dctrbrass]

Loved Carbon!

[@ronsica9893]

Driver San Francisco had the best arcade/simcade physics. You can really feel the type of the car you are driving. Because each car handles very uniquely. I love how suspensions worked in that game. Drifting felt natural. And those glorious detailed crash physics. Not even forza horizon 5 can touch that level of physics.

[@tomkushal1204]

Hell yeah, the physics in the game is so fun and engaging. I really wish they carried that physics to the crew 2.

[@djam2410]

Forza physics suck and are arcadey

[@kamikaze_twist]

Driver SF is one of the most under rated racing games imo. The game never felt boring or repetitive throughout the entire run of gameplay. Its sad ubisoft just killed off the franchise replaced it with something as mediocre as the crew.

[@defosh369]

Absolutley agree. Driver San Francisco was such a gem with arcade handling model perfected. I remember spending hours just driving/sliding around the city, trying different cars. And it actually was one of few driving games with a fun story to it.

[@birdcallprrr5837]

Wow I totally forgot that serie. It was my fave back in the days!! Played the heck out of it

[@OutOfRangeDE]

Given that the lack of destructable objects in the environment in Bf2042 is not ignorable, i guess the new iteration of frostbite might be the reason for the poor "destruction" in Unbound. Its probably still hard to implement and has to be refined in the engine itself before beeing implemented more often in the following games.

[@SayakMajumder]

Perfect length with apt analysis and info Kudos, Oliver!

[@apictureoffunction]

This is the most fun I've had with a NFS since the Underground games, it reminds me of those but mixed with the cop chases/mechanics from Most Wanted. I don't mind the story as it at least provides some context for why you're racing, but I agree that most of the soundtrack isn't my thing.

[@pqfamilyadventures]

Lower resolutions on ps5 netting better performance seems to be a pattern

[@MisterReen]

Not really noticeable on a regular screen. A stable framerate is more important in such a fast game.

[@PK7796]

The exact same since ps4pro and xbonex

[@MisterReen]

@@PK7796 not really. The One X often performed better overall. It’s not the case with SX and Ps5 as the ps5 offers the more stable framerate very often.

[@euj0]

I'll take the higher resolution with VRR on the Series X

[@x0Fang0x]

@@euj0 even with VRR i wouldn't sacrifice frame rate over resolution but I guess that's just me

[@noelnoble217]

Great analysis as usual from DF❤

[@MetalGamer666]

It seems like this is a game that sort of went under the radar for a lot of people because of the poor marketing done by EA. Not only that, but the cartoony look gave a lot of people a negative first impression, including myself. Now that I have played the game, though, I really like it! Personally I like the slow progression from the start, and that you can't win every race with a car with a low performance rating. My biggest issues are that the AI can sometimes disappear in the distance if you fall behind for a bit, so one mistake and you basically can't win, and the police are all over the place when you have a high heat level. Oh, and the soundtrack is the worst in any Need for Speed I have played. I'm using a Spotify playlist instead.

[@lilmario0]

Music playlist is a matter of taste for sure because I love it. Even the songs in genres I would never listen to were good enough to me. I think it's a good fit for the mood of the game and it's a nice touch to have the characters nodding to the songs in the car meets. To me the music along with the clothing conveys the vibe of the game very well. The usual "rave" like and rock music other NFS games have would have affected aesthetic they seem to be going for here. I don't really want to speak on the cell shading stuff because I think people seriously over reacted and need to embrace change more offend.

[@0uttaS1TE]

@@lilmario0 Tbh I didn't think I'd like the game's OST, especially cos I don't like Shittin' Me. I was hoping to hear the trailer remix. But then I played till the title drop. Then you got A$AP Rocky's Palace playing in the background while cars drift in slo mo and I'm just like "WHY DIDN'T THEY LEAD WITH THIS!?" Then you got guys like Clipping, Run The Jewels, Taco and Tyler The Creator alongside A$AP in there, and there's just some fuckin good flows in them. I'm not a rap guy usually, but in the same way I can enjoy In A Hood Near You, so too do I have to appreciate gud shit here. I'm a sucker for Bicep so I'm glad Apricots got in. And I'm surprised Front To Back got in. That was without a doubt the best song in The Crew 2, so it's good it found itself in a better game The foreign language stuff is interesting too. Where most games would begrudgingly include one or two, this game goes all in, with songs from territories I didn't expect, like Uganda, the DRC, South America, Poland, South Korea. It reminds me of how FIFA does it, with how that game uses indie and music acts that aren't just US/UK. Maybe it's just that I tend to keep my mind open to a lot of genres, maybe it's cos I've been tainted by Death Grips but honestly, this is the best OST that NFS has had since 2015. Payback's "Rock" and "Rap" feels like iPhone ad music and the number of good Heat tracks outside of the garage can be measured on a retired bomb defusal expert's hand. Certainly helps that it doesn't do the FH4/5 thing where every last mean word is censored. Like "Hell" is censored in Black Magic, I imagine PGG is gonna have a field day with this game's OST. I was surprised this was a 12, because it's a hard 12.

[@ArturKwaszyn]

@@0uttaS1TE It's all a matter of preference and taste. I usually don't listen to songs like Unbound's OST, but damn, it does fit the general vibe and aesthetics of the game. It simply feels right. I can't imagine playing Unbound with some sort of a rock or techno OST. As for foreign language music - you can't even imagine how it feels to be from one of the countries that have their own song in this game. I totally wasn't expecting this - I don't know of ANY single game that has music from my country (Poland and Ukraine, I am a citizen of both). It was so damn nice and refreshing, usually we hear only American stuff (not that it's bad or anything), so for someone in the states it might be interesting, we, however, finally feel included. This game is great on so many levels, the whole vibe reminds me of Carbon and my childhood.

[@MetalGamer666]

They should have more variety. There are some electronica tracks, and they fit just as well with the game as the rap t racks. The problem is that there are so very few of them! And a lot of other genres I expected to be there are missing completely.

[@KenBladehart]

>uses sketch and graffiti effects >the story has nothing to do with graffities ?????? I was expecting Jet Set Radio, going around taking over areas or something to that extend

[@Keivz]

NFS heat was incredibly demanding on pc. Nice optimization here though I suspect it’s mostly down to the reconstruction. Also, why all racing games don’t include a custom music station is beyond me. It should be mandatory imho

[@EarthIsFlat456]

It was demanding but I wouldn't say incredibly demanding.

[@madarasoun3018]

@@EarthIsFlat456 incredibly cpu demanding at default unless you manually add a user config file to correct it. Been there, done that.

[@janainewball-oladapo2607]

I’m unsure if it’s actually using reconstruction I think it’s a temporal buffered technique

[@birdcallprrr5837]

Agree on ‘radio stations’ in racing games. Suits everyone’s taste mostly. Oh you want uk drill? Gotcha. Oh you want classical? Gotcha hahaha

[@2ELI0]

Totally agree with you on the NFS HP 2010 / Remastered 2020 side of things. That game is the GOAT 4 me and I still play it weekly. Obviously tastes differ for everyone. I have been enjoying Unbound so far as well, the multiplayer needs more variation to keep the longevity of the game. - More modes, also cops vs racer of sorts - more tracks per tier in multiplayer - increased party size (minimum 8 people) - ability to create private lobbies Just to mention a few things.

[@alexfirth21]

The music is the result of A$AP Rocky curating the music, and starring in the game. But everyone has a streaming service, music is always optional.

[@glypheye]

It’s a great game! Almost done w campaign and the improvements over Heat are immediately obvious….better graphics and handling. Much better story and the enjoyable art-flair effects. It’ll be interesting to see what the end game scene offers, once out of the calendar progression grind with its somewhat limiting risk/reward track and economy management toward qualifier buy-in’s

[@marcw3852]

The late PS2 and Xbox era was such a time for racers. Burnout 3, GT4, PGR, Forza, NFS Underground 1/2... If EA were serious about returning Need for Speed to the top table they'd reboot Underground

[@birdcallprrr5837]

This kind feels like it though. I’d like a underground reboot with addition of these fresh new aesthetics!

[@themightymander_extra]

Unbound is the best and most unique NFS title in a while. The feel is great, the customization is top notch and the style works without being distracting imo. Great stuff from Criterion!

[@Neosin1]

Why devs not adding unlocked 60+ mode with vrr???? You would get 60-80 fps easy on ps5 and it would make a big difference imo

[@birdcallprrr5837]

Hopefully in a patch later on

[@mitchboland9591]

It’s probably tough for other racing game devs out there when Forza games consistently blow the competition out of the water regarding visuals

[@modernyin6275]

forza horizon 5 has been out for a year now 😳 and the next Motorsport game probably won’t come out till November of 2023 at the very least so this is a perfect time for other racing games to come out rn lol

[@snx70]

Just stop 🤣🤣🤤

[@sermerlin1]

No racing game still matches up NFS 2015 visuals. I have yet to see a racing game look that eeriely realistic, be it dynamic day/night or static.

[@Elysiabikha]

Visuals?

[@Ignacio.Romero]

Gran Turismo still looks better

[@Cblan1224]

Yea forza does look great, but I just could not get into a game that gives you 50 cars right off the bat. For me, a racing game is about building up that average car, balancing between upgrading it and saving for a new one, then upgrading to a nicer car, then maybe a supercar. Eventually maybe a hypercar. So that's why I'll always choose nfs over the completely unrealistic forza approach

[@ajgamingcomparisons]

Cool, basically same resolutions as I found. I did found 1 out of 30 lower on both (PS5=1728 and SX=1944). Always good to double check with the grandmasters. Also what was interesting is how much Seires S is being pushed in terms of power consumption, it was the highest I had seen so far at peak 89W. Cheers.

[@Tommek461991]

Do you have an opinion why the series x have a higher res but lower fps--> probaly the GPU can handel the higher res but the (CPU/RAM/OS - have a bottleneck?)

[@ajgamingcomparisons]

@@Tommek461991 Tbh: no. If the question is: Do you think that loosening DRS a bit on Series console could contribute to a more stable FPS? Then yes, potentially. Marking this as root-cause would be to simplistic since there are too many variables in the equation, from platform, devs, code revision, SDKs and so on. The only ones that can answer this is Criterion themselves, that being after a RCA (root cause analysis).

[@jadakazz]

11:57 oh really interesting

[@PATBATEMAN187]

ANOTHER ONE CERNY IS GENIUS

[@neighborofthedevil]

This is probably the most interested I've been in a NFS game for quite a while. I'll definitely try out the 10-hour trial and might actually pick it up if it really clicks with me. What I'm more excited about though is the next NFS game that Criterion make where they can really swing for the fences. It feels like there a some new voices within Criterion that are pushing through new ideas, hopefully in the next game they will be stronger voices and are able to push NFS to do something really innovative.

[@bitsbobs8158]

Anyone ever notice that pretty much all the big racing games come out of the UK. This game and many other Need for Speeds. The Forza Horizon Series, GRID Series, DIRT series, Formula 1 Series, Burnout Series, Project Gotham Racing series, TOCA series, BLUR, Colin McRae Rally series and more. 🏎️💨🚗💨🚘💨🏁

[@0uttaS1TE]

Yeah, either that or Vancouver (RIP Black Box). My bet is that between the UK's rich dev history from the microcomputer days, as well as inheriting talent from other devs (i.e. one of the studios that assisted with this game is Codemasters Cheshire, who used to go by Evolution Studios), UK devs are uniquely qualified for racing games

[@idakev]

That's actually part of why Ghost Games were demoted. It was apparently a bit more difficult for them to find talent. I think Criterion are fairly close to London so they're well situated.

[@0uttaS1TE]

@@idakev Yeah they're based in Guillford. A lot of devs there

[@Ianforcements5669]

I feel like 90 percent of those are made by code masters, who also helped with this game.

[@Youraveragegamer_97]

All I want is for them to bring Burnout back

[@Mthb54]

Definitely gonna play this one during the holidays.

[@phillydavison]

Another win for the Amiga, runs great at 8k on my 500 plus.

[@3KPK3]

Odd that he didn't mention the fact that those drops on SX and SS can be rectified if you have a VRR display making SX the best console experience.

[@CodyCampbell-CodytheHero]

VRR does not remove frame rate drops. That's not how VRR works.

[@Acts4Twelve]

Not odd at all, these guys have a Playstation loving track record. They seem to always omit they fact you just stated.

[@zzzzzzzzzzzzzz-w8u]

VRR cant fix bad frame pacing. You're just proving you don't know what you're talking about and only care to console war.

[@Acts4Twelve]

@@zzzzzzzzzzzzzz-w8u wrong guy here for your console war. Own both, play both and love both. DF is definitely biased towards the PS and if you can't see that I don't know what to tell you. The Xbox version of games seemingly always has a higher resolution and the Playstation versions perform better with the Xbox dropping a few frames which I can never tell with VRR. The visual and performance gain are minor each way, but DF always downplays any Xbox advantage and praises and advantage Sony has. Those are just the facts sorry.

[@MadX8]

Series X owner here. Why should i buy a very expensive TV to fix a framerate issue that doesn't exist on PS5 ? You guys should stop talking about VRR. VRR is cool is the problem exist on both plateforms, but i can't accept VRR as a fix if the problem doesn't exist on PS5. Devs should work better that's all.

[@coliander4180]

Nothing wrong with a bit of a grind. One of the biggest issues with FH4/FH5 for me was the constant avalanche of cars and cash thrown at you throughout the game. It really killed off any sense of progression. The early GT games with their License gating and grindy progression definitely isn't to the taste of the majority of contemporary gamers, but I'd love to see a racing game reintroduce thst style of progression again.

[@Alcatraz760]

Honestly I do kinda see the charm of the effects, but I still want the option to fully turn off the cel shaded tyre smoke.

[@GTI8855]

It's possible with Reshade.

[@Hayden120]

6:00 I wonder if motion blur deactivating when boosting is an artistic decision. Perhaps as a visual cue to distinguish the regular gameplay from boosting, or because blur in addition to all the other extra effects would hamper visibility.

[@birdcallprrr5837]

Imagine going 350+ km/h with motion blur… gosh I can barely navigate on top speed now hahaha

[@freddywayne]

For fanboys @ 9:41 " Between the various current-gen consoles, the PS5 offers the best overall experience at the moment " --- Ollie at Digital Foundry 🤦🏾‍♂️

[@NiceB4dge]

I haven't tried it yet, but NFS Unbound feels like a spiritual successor to NFS Carbon, my favorite NFS game ever, so it's pretty exciting to me

[@CubanBeastt]

I think the visual effects add a lot to the game I personally really like the smoke effects when drifting. Game is great so far

[@54car]

I’m happy you mentioned the career progression/ grindy feeling at the beginning of the game. I preferred heats day/night cycle progression and had to get used to unbounds. I’m enjoying the polished feel of the game and always liked the semi cel shaded style being a big fan of jet set radio. Cell shaded games seem to stand the rest of time and age really well imo. I just hope criterion has some solid support for this one in 2023, because the foundation is great.

[@Lucky_9705]

It’s evident that the Xbox Series X version should be running at the same resolution as the PS5 version. It is a resolution reduction, by I would take a more stable framerate over a minimally crisper image any day.

[@EpicAwesomesauce]

Will you guys be doing an optimized settings guide? I've been feeling like my i5-9600k has been bottlenecking my performance on more and more new titles as of late, and this is no exception.

[@Typhus-th6ud]

its going to reduce your fps thats for sure

[@motorolah8107]

This game is heavily cpu dependent, just like Heat was before so i'm not surprised

[@AuntieAliasing]

@@motorolah8107 Denuvo is the problem with CPU performance on PC, take it up with the devs

[@theanimerapper6351]

It's time to upgrade or just play older games

[@ItsAkile]

They managed to get the PS3 most wanted on PSVITA, they are gods and EA should treat them like it. Stuff like goofy Dialog I can ignore easily but I get the premise of the classic. Solid release for NFS, I don't really care about the push for 4K but like you said it looks clean and sometimes impressive for its traditional rendering. Also it made me wonder what we could finally have with a Nanite and Lumen Racing game 🔥 🔥

[@DarthWall275]

Did he seriously try to say MW 2012 was good? Fucking hell.

[@theresort940]

Love seeing the Vita being used

[@SilverEye91]

I really, really like the art style in this game. I think it's excellent and I'm sad that so many people in comments to the trailers were seemingly just wanting another generic looking car game. I get it not being your cup of tea, but people were just asking for it to look more boring. How unimaginative are people?

[@monkfishy6348]

I welcome this, it's far fresher than any other racing game of recent years.

[@xBINARYGODx]

lol no

[@VaunShiz]

Ya fck horizon 5 and it's state of the art graphics and physics and massive car library, 🤡

[@parentalcon]

Great use of footage from the Vita version of Most Wanted. May the inside joke never die!

[@deckverse]

FYI: On the Steam Deck Criterion’s NFS Most Wanted (2012) runs at ultra settings on 800p at locked 60FPS. Its casual gameplay loop is an amazing fit for handheld-style gaming, such as PSVita and Steam Deck!

[@Goodbutevilgenius]

Which Most Wanted?

[@deckverse]

@@Goodbutevilgenius Most Wanted 2012. :)

[@Frankcg29]

I don’t care what some people say about this nfs but for me is the best nfs in a long time it’s almost perfect when we talking about arcade game! 😊

[@pixeljauntvr7774]

NFS is the Call of Duty of racers. Give us another Burnout game!

[@XxSkydog71xX]

I’m on series x and have framerate drops frequently

[@Darth_Zabrak]

Ever since the ps5 came out ive been waiting for a need for speed, and i am absolutely loving the game, its super fun and and the stylized cartooney effects are super cool, i cant wait to get the really really fast cars

[@mk_games_official]

Best NFS since Carbon. 9/10

[@Revenant_Knight]

Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. Excellent choice. I had a GS-T until it crank walked....

[@cody2618]

In regards to the soundtrack critique - I don't like every song on the list by any means, but I'm so glad Criterion picked an identity and stuck to it. The one thing I truly dislike about Forza Horizon is how corporate and focus-tested the whole world design feels.

[@charmingpeasant9834]

As if Unbound isnt the epitome of corporate and focus testing...

[@MadX8]

Forza isn't corporate, it's called diversity. Fits the game's mentality pretty well. Hip-hop is the most common and empty thing you could listen to imo and basically if you don't like that, you're fucked with this game because there is nothing else. That's cool if you like it but i definitely wouldn't play this NFS over any Forza Horizon (even the 5th, which isn't my favourite at all)

[@charoleawood]

NFS 2015 looks better to me, it is still very aesthetically pleasing. It's amazing what was achieved back then just with good art direction. Arkham Knight is also a gorgeously stylized 2015 open world. We could use a little more of that panache here. Like, it's not enough to have stylized characters and particle effects --- why not go the extra mile? Why not allow foliage to be represented with similar cell shaded effects? Why not get a little wild with world geometry and fill out the world in such a way that it doesn't feel so clinical and bare? Where'd all the grittiness go that was so delicious in NFS 2015 and Arkham Knight? And it's not just this game, its a lot of games these days which are lacking in the art department. Why are graphics technicians no longer artists?

[@Savage_7_99]

Agreed with more cell shading in the background for foliage and buildings. Would make it look even cooler.

[@charoleawood]

@@Savage_7_99 Exactly. Why not go the distance?

[@tibelchior]

I'll never forgive EA for buying Criterion and taking from us gamers the great games they would have made as a independent studio. Really sad for everybody.

[@rafe9852]

damn that thumbnail gives me major underground 1 vibes love it

[@HGAMES69]

Faxx

[@vajaspiritos744]

Criterion is a goddamn legend.

[@somotodsyo]

Pretty much nailed my thoughts on the game. It’s a good time, but man do I miss the effortless drifting of Criterion’s past entries.

[@berserkgamerguts4282]

Agreed on the soundtrack, bring back rob zombie and static x (rip)

[@austintse5719]

So this is the game they delayed to take the developer's away to help on Battlefield 2042. 🤔

[@joshuam6448]

The idea that you really have to work for your money is great imo I feel like I’ve gotta make my mind up and purchase upgrades that I actually need, it reminds me of gran turismo in that sense lol

[@gamergod9182]

once a get the game myself, I will probably do the exact same thing I did for NfS Heat: turn off the terrible dialog, turn down the game's own music, put on the NFS Underground soundtrack and just enjoy racing like its 2004.

[@rocketpunchgo1]

Exactly what I thought, it's like SSX On Tour- style (middle school sketchbook?) art design.

[@p0tat0_Child]

I really had low expectations for this game myself even though Criterion was working on it. But the game has been a blast, enjoyable and not boring. Also the game feels more alive . I do not mind the Story and the Chatter to me while driving is fine for me as it kind of feels like Guardians of the Galaxy vibes, although not as chatty as the game but good enough.