After being leaked a few days ago, EA officially unveiled Need for Speed Unbound and gave it a December 2 release date. It will be exclusive to current-gen consoles, which should at least guarantee that it will look awesome. But, unlike Gran Turismo 7 and Forza Horizon 5, Unbound will use an anime-like cel-shaded aesthetic to set itself apart from the rest of the competition and even the older titles. But, while Unbound will look totally different, it will still be a Need for Speed game. According to EA, Unbound will be set in the fictional city of Lakeshore where two friends will find themselves at odds against each other following a break-in at a family-owned auto shop. Rapper, A$AP Rocky, will appear in Unbound alongside his customized Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16, which is on the cover. His new single will serve as the theme for Unbound with his agency, AWGE, serving as a creative consultant. Befitting the anime-ish aesthetic, EA wants gamers to unleash their imagination. Unbound will feature “hundreds of cosmetic items including exclusive licensed gear from some of the world’s pioneering fashion innovators and custom automotive gear companies.” Judging from the S14 Silvia we saw in the trailer, EA isn’t pulling any punches. But, it’s not a Need for Speed game if it doesn’t play the part. The NFS faithful can celebrate that cop chases will be in the game. More importantly, Unbound will literally take the frame rate cap off the 30 fps limit and run at up to 60 fps at 4K resolution on the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear like you can play as A$AP Rocky in Unbound. Instead, A$AP Rocky will serve as the in-game leader of Takeover Scene, which is a dedicated mode where players will have to work together to take over Lakeshore City. The details aren’t clear yet, but it feels like it will be a blended PvE co-op mode that involves joining other players. We hope that EA clarifies how the Takeover Scene will work because it’s interesting, to say the least. Finally, Unbound will be available earlier for EA Play subscribers, which also comes with the Game Pass. If you have an active subscription for either service, you can access Unbound for 10 hours starting on November 29. Ultimately, expectations are high for Unbound. The latest installment, Need for Speed Heat, was by Ghost Games and it came out in 2019. Although it was widely considered better in comparison to previous outings, it still wasn’t up to par with the older, “classic” entries. Fans are hoping that the combined experience of Criterion Games and Codemasters will bring the Need for Speed IP back into the forefront of the racing genre.
